Healthy Gummies
This easy healthy gummies recipe is made with fruit juice and sweetened with honey, making it the perfect snack for both kids and adults! Kids especially love these gummy candies which contain no artificial flavors or artificial dyes. It’s made with only simple, wholesome ingredients including fruit juice, unflavored gelatin, and honey.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Great Snack: These healthy homemade gummies make a great healthy snack! My kids have always loved fruit snacks, and we love making our own!
- Kids Love Them: All kids seem to be fans of gummy candy, and this homemade gummy recipe is no exception! With the right gummy bear molds, you can even turn this recipe into homemade gummy bears, like I do when I make homemade elderberry gummies.
- Easy to Make: This recipe uses just three simple ingredients: grass-fed gelatin, honey or maple syrup, and real fruit juice. You can choose your favorite juice and even mix different juices to make new flavor combinations.
- Healthy: These gummies have no added sugar and no artificial ingredients. Homemade fruit gummies are so much better and healthier than store-bought gummies that contain artificial dyes and high-fructose corn syrup.
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Equipment
- Silicone Mold or Gummy Bear Mold
- Pipette/Dropper (if your mold didn’t come with a dropper)
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Utensils
- Medium Saucepan
Ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Gelatin: You can use any gelatin, but I prefer this grass-fed beef gelatin.
- Fruit Juice: Pretty much any fruit juice will work (grape juice, cherry juice, apple juice, lemon juice, etc.). In the photos included in this homemade healthy gummies post, we used cranberry juice.
- Honey: You can also substitute maple syrup, but I pretty much always end up using honey. It’s an ingredient we always keep on hand in our pantry, and it costs less than maple syrup.
What Juice Should I Use?
There are so many different types of fruit juice you can use to make homemade healthy gummies. Here are a few suggestions to try:
- Cranberry Juice (that’s what was used in the gummies in these photos)
- Apple Juice
- Black Cherry Juice
- Orange Juice
- Grape Juice
- Pomegranate Juice
- Lemonade
- Grapefruit Juice
Juices to avoid (because they may keep the gelatin from setting up properly) are: pineapple, papaya, mango, kiwi, and guava.
How to Make Healthy Gummies
Step 1: Heat the juice and honey on medium heat on the stove until the mixture is hot but not boiling. If you add gelatin to boiling liquid, the high heat can cause it to break down.
Step 2: Remove from heat and slowly add in the gelatin. I add one tablespoon at a time until it is all incorporated.
Step 3: Pour the gelatin mixture into the silicone mold or use a pipette or eye dropper to drop into the mold. Put in the fridge for a few hours until the gummies are hard.
Step 4: Remove from the mold and enjoy! Leave in the fridge to keep them preserved.
How to Store
Store finished healthy gummy bears in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Recipe FAQs
Can you use food coloring to make the gummies different colors? It’s easiest if you use fruit juices that will give a natural color to your homemade gummies. If you choose the right juice, you will end up with different vibrant colors!
What if gummies are too soft? If your gummies are too soft, you may have too much juice or not enough gelatin, which thickens the gummies.
What if gummies are too hard? Gummies that are hard may have too much gelatin or may have cooked for too long, resulting in loss of water from the juice.
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!
Healthy Gummies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup juice cranberry, grape, apple, etc.
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons grass-fed beef gelatin
Instructions
- Heat the juice and honey on medium heat on the stove until the mixture is hot but not boiling. Adding gelatin to boiling liquid can cause it to break down.
- Remove from heat and slowly add in the gelatin. I add one tablespoon at a time until it is all incorporated.
- Pour the gelatin mixture into the silicone mold or use a pipette or dropper to drop into the mold. Put in the fridge for a few hours until the gummies are hard.
- Remove from the mold and enjoy! Leave in the fridge to keep them preserved.
Notes
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- Cranberry Juice (that’s what was used in the gummies in these photos)
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- Apple Juice
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- Black Cherry Juice
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- Orange Juice
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- Grape Juice
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- Pomegranate Juice
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- Lemonade
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- Grapefruit Juice
My kids love these homemade gummies!