What are the ingredients in push up POPs?

November 8, 2025 •

3 min read

According to manufacturers like Nestlé, the primary ingredients in push up POPs include water, sugar, corn syrup, cream, and skim milk, creating their signature creamy texture. Beyond these foundational elements, the flavor-specific ingredients like fruit juice concentrates and various additives are what distinguish each variety.

Quick Summary

The composition of push up POPs hinges on a blend of dairy, sweeteners, and various additives, creating their distinct texture and flavor. Ingredients vary by flavor, incorporating fruit concentrates and a range of stabilizers and colorings. Dairy components include cream, skim milk, and whey, while sweeteners primarily consist of sugar and corn syrup. Numerous stabilizers ensure the frozen dessert maintains its structure and creamy consistency.

Key Points

Core Ingredients: The base of push up POPs includes water, sugar, corn syrup, cream, skim milk, and whey for a creamy texture.
Flavor Variations: Specific fruit flavors are achieved using natural and artificial flavors, along with juice concentrates, such as cherry juice or grape juice.
Additives and Stabilizers: Numerous additives like guar gum, carob bean gum, and mono and diglycerides are used to maintain the smooth, consistent texture and prevent melting.
Coloring: Artificial food colorings, including Red 40, Blue 1, and Yellow 5, are often used to create the vibrant colors.
Not Vegan: Standard push up POPs are not vegan, as they contain dairy ingredients like milk, cream, and whey.
Alternative Options: Some brands offer dairy-free, vegan alternatives to the traditional push-up pop, utilizing different base ingredients.

Core Dairy and Sweetener Ingredients

At their heart, push up POPs are a type of frozen dairy dessert, not a true sherbet, and their core ingredients reflect this classification. The creamy, nostalgic flavor comes from a simple yet effective combination of dairy and sweeteners.

The Dairy Base

Every Nestlé push up POP variety, including the classic Outrageous Orange, relies on a dairy base for its signature texture. This typically includes:

Skim milk and cream: Provides the creamy, rich mouthfeel that distinguishes it from a simple ice pop.
Whey: A byproduct of cheesemaking, whey adds to the dairy flavor and protein content.

Sweeteners and Flavors

The iconic tangy sweetness of push up POPs is a result of a combination of sweetening agents and flavorings.

Sugar and Corn Syrup: A dual-sweetener system provides both sweetness and a smooth, pliable texture. Corn syrup helps prevent the dessert from freezing into a solid, hard block.
Natural and Artificial Flavors: While some variants include fruit juice concentrate for flavor (like cherry or grape), many rely on both natural and artificial flavorings to achieve the desired fruit profile.

Stabilizers, Emulsifiers, and Additives

To achieve a consistent, smooth product that doesn't melt instantly, push up POPs are formulated with a range of stabilizers and emulsifiers. These ingredients play a critical role in controlling the ice crystal formation and preventing separation.

A Look at Stabilizers

Stabilizers are crucial for maintaining the product's structure and creamy feel. Common stabilizers include:

Guar Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Tragacanth Gum, and Pectin: These are naturally derived gums and plant-based fibers that help thicken and stabilize the mixture, giving it a smooth consistency and preventing a grainy texture.
Xanthan Gum: A thickening agent and stabilizer that helps bind the other ingredients together.

Emulsifiers and Other Additives

Emulsifiers help to blend the fat and water-based ingredients, preventing them from separating. Other additives contribute to the product's taste, texture, and visual appeal.

Mono and Diglycerides: These are emulsifiers that ensure the creamy dairy and watery fruit portions mix together evenly.
Citric Acid: Provides the tangy flavor that defines the sherbet-like taste.
Polysorbate 80: An emulsifier that helps create a smoother, more uniform texture.
Coloring: Artificial food colors like Red 40, Blue 1, and Yellow 5, or natural alternatives like beet juice color or beta carotene, are added to achieve the vibrant, fruity colors.

A Comparison of Ingredients by Flavor

While the core dairy and sweetener base is consistent across most varieties, the ingredients that impart the specific flavor differ. This table highlights some of the key variations found in Nestlé's classic push up POPs.


Ingredient Category	Outrageous Orange	Cherry Blast	Turbo Grape
Flavor Base	Natural Flavor, Beta Carotene Color, Turmeric Oleoresin Color	Cherry Juice Concentrate, Beet Juice Color, Natural Flavor, Annatto Color	Grape Juice Concentrate, Beet Juice Color, Natural Flavor
Sweeteners	Sugar, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Sorbitol	Sugar, Corn Syrup, Dextrose	Sugar, Corn Syrup, Dextrose
Dairy	Water, Skim Milk, Cream, Whey	Water, Skim Milk, Cream, Whey	Water, Skim Milk, Cream, Whey
Acid	Citric Acid	Citric Acid	Citric Acid
Stabilizers/Emulsifiers	Guar Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Tragacanth Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Pectin, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 80	Guar Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Tragacanth Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Pectin, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 80	Guar Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Carob Bean Gum, Pectin, Polysorbate 80
Vitamins	Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)	Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)	Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)

Conclusion: The Ingredients for a Nostalgic Treat

In summary, the ingredients in push up POPs create a complex frozen dairy dessert that balances creamy texture with a tangy, fruity sweetness. The combination of milk, cream, and whey forms the rich base, while a medley of sugars, corn syrup, and fruit concentrates provides the distinct flavor. The extensive list of stabilizers and emulsifiers, including various gums, is key to the product's smooth consistency and prevents it from melting too quickly. Ultimately, while the exact formulation has evolved over time, these core ingredients remain central to the treat's enduring appeal, offering a nostalgic taste of summer in every bite. For those interested in cleaner-label alternatives, some brands offer similar push-pop style frozen treats with organic ingredients and no high-fructose corn syrup, such as certain varieties from GoodPop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Push up POPs are a frozen dairy dessert, a classification distinct from both ice cream and true sherbet. While they have a tangy, fruity flavor profile similar to sherbet, their specific dairy content and composition place them in the broader frozen dairy dessert category.

While some varieties, like the cherry and grape flavors, contain real fruit juice concentrates, the majority of the fruity flavor comes from a combination of natural and artificial flavorings. They are not made exclusively from real fruit.

Yes, many push up POPs contain artificial food colorings to achieve their vibrant hues. For example, the Outrageous Orange flavor uses Beta Carotene and Turmeric, while the Cherry and Grape varieties use colors like Beet Juice Color and Annatto.

The gums, such as guar gum, carob bean gum, and xanthan gum, act as stabilizers. They are essential for thickening the mixture, preventing the formation of large ice crystals, and ensuring the final product has a smooth, creamy, and consistent texture.

No, standard Nestlé push up POPs are not suitable for vegans. They contain several dairy-based ingredients, including milk, cream, and whey.

Corn syrup serves two main functions: it acts as a primary sweetener alongside sugar and helps control the freezing process. It prevents the dessert from becoming too hard and icy, contributing to the soft, scoopable texture.

The ingredients for a Rainbow Push Pop, such as those from the Crav'n Flavor brand, include water, sugar, corn syrup, whey, and skim milk. Specific flavors are created with juice concentrates (cherry, orange, lemon, lime) and a variety of natural and artificial flavors and colors.