Hyderabad summers don't ask politely. By April the city is hitting 40°C, and by May everyone has an opinion on where to get something cold. Popsicles are the obvious answer. The harder question is which ones are actually made from fruit.
This guide covers how to tell a genuinely natural popsicle from a brightly coloured one, the flavours worth hunting down in each season, and where to find House of Pops across the city.
What "natural" should mean on a popsicle
"Natural" gets printed on a lot of packaging. On a popsicle, it should mean three things you can check yourself.
- Fruit comes first. The first ingredient should be a fruit or fruit pulp, not water, sugar syrup or "fruit flavour".
- No artificial colours. Real watermelon is a soft red, not neon. Real mango is golden, not highlighter yellow. If a pop looks brighter than the fruit, ask why.
- No preservatives. A handcrafted pop doesn't need to sit in a warehouse for months, so it shouldn't need preservatives to survive.
At House of Pops we keep it to real ingredients: real fruit and milk. Our fruity pops skip the milk entirely, which makes them naturally vegan.
If a popsicle looks brighter than the fruit it's named after, the colour probably didn't come from the fruit.
Why Hyderabad is a great city for fruit pops
Hyderabad sits in the middle of some of India's best fruit country. Alphonso and Banganapalli mangoes arrive in summer, sitaphal (custard apple) floods the markets after the monsoon, and kala jamun turns up just as the rains begin. A popsicle that follows these seasons tastes different every few months, and that's the point.
Flavours worth trying, season by season
Summer (March to June)
This is peak Alphonso Mango season, and our creamy mango pop is the one people ask for first. For something lighter, Lemon Mint and Watermelon are built for the hottest afternoons.
Monsoon (July to September)
Kala Jamun is tangy, purple and very local. When the sitaphal starts arriving, keep an eye out for our Sitaphal pop.
Post-monsoon and winter (October to February)
Sitaphal is at its best, and specials like Araku Filter Coffee and Tender Coconut make sense on cooler evenings.
Order online in Hyderabad and confirm on WhatsApp. In Hyderabad, orders placed before 4 PM go out the same day in Hyderabad.
Order natural popsiclesWhere to find House of Pops in Hyderabad
There are three easy ways to get your hands on a House of Pops popsicle in the city.
- Order online. Pick your pops on our Order online page, send your order on WhatsApp, and we pack them cold.
- On Zomato. You'll find House of Pops listed on Zomato in Hyderabad for delivery.
- At events and pop-ups. Our pink Pop Cart turns up at weddings, college fests, gated communities and weekend markets.
Popsicle or ice cream?
If you're choosing between a scoop and a stick, here's the short version. Ice cream is churned with air and fat for a soft, scoopable texture. A popsicle is frozen solid in a mould, which keeps the fruit flavour sharp and clean. Our creamy pops sit in between: fresh fruit and milk, frozen on a stick.
The bottom line
The best natural popsicle in Hyderabad is the one that tastes like the fruit on the label. Read the ingredients, trust your eyes on the colour, and follow the seasons. And if you want to skip the detective work, our menu is a good place to start.
Keep reading: the best desserts to beat the Hyderabad summer, vegan popsicles and what "natural" should really mean.