These homemade gummy bears are made with three simple ingredients for a super fun, guilt-free, tasty treat. Included are some optional, immune-boosting add-ins to amp up the health benefits!
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Homemade gummy bears are a really fun treat for the kiddos.
Are they practical? Not really.
But they’re also not hard to make, and they qualify as a healthy snack. Especially with some optional superfood ingredients that I’ll mention below.
I don’t make these very often, but that makes them special. While I love to create healthy, homemade versions of classic snacks, like sourdough pop tarts with jam filling, homemade sourdough graham crackers, and sourdough discard crackers, they’re all still occasional treats rather than weekly staples like homemade granola bars or homemade instant pot yogurt with sourdough granola.
There are also plenty of days that a handful of frozen blueberries must suffice for a treat.
I love these healthy gummy bears because they have honey as a natural sweetener, vitamin C from real fruit juice, and the health benefits of gelatin, which is protein-rich and promotes joint, skin, hair, and gut health. (source)
Gelatin is a superfood all on its own. Did you know that a well made homemade bone broth should gel when placed in the refrigerator?
It happens when the gelatin was pulled from the bones and tissue while boiling the broth. It’s been recognized and popularized lately for its ability to help aid in repairing a leaky gut with naturally occurring amino acids that are excellent for the gut lining.
Honey sweetens and softens, but it’s also often used orally to treat coughs and topically to treat burns and promote wound healing.
While these gummies are super fun to eat, I love that they also have actual health benefits.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Healthy alternative – Made from real food ingredients and having no preservatives, artificial flavors, or food dyes, these healthy gummies are great for kids and far healthier than fruit snacks from the grocery store.
Delicious – Who doesn’t love the delicious, chewy texture of gummy bears? With the natural flavors of juice and honey, this is the perfect way to enjoy a little treat that’s actually good for you!
So easy to make – Homemade gummy bears are made with just three ingredients, and the process is super quick and easy. The kids have so much fun helping!
Ingredients
Juice: We usually use grape juice, but choose what you like! Avoid papaya, pineapple, kiwi, or mango juice – they have a particular enzyme that may not allow the gelatin to become firm.
Honey: As a natural sweetener, honey is delicious, and it offers anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. Honey also contributes to the soft chewiness of the gummy bears. Maple syrup will also work.
Gelatin: Unflavored, grass-fed gelatin is the healthiest, most beneficial option.
Tools You May Need
Gummy Bear Silicone Molds (They come with the droppers needed to fill them.)
Recipe Modifications and Variations
Elderberry crystals: According to this article from Dr. Axe, taking elderberry at the onset of flu symptoms can reduce the duration by as much as four days. Elderberries are excellent for the immune system. Add four teaspoons of elderberry crystals to this recipe to strengthen immunity.
Camu powder: Camu berries have more vitamin C than any other food – around 50 times more than an orange. Vitamin C is known to be a very powerful immune booster. Add two teaspoons for this immune system support.
Acai: Rich in antioxidants, calcium, and omega-3 fats, acai berries are a superfood! Add three teaspoons of acai powder to your gelatin mixture for these benefits.
Tart cherry juice: Tart cherry juice has been shown to help regulate sleep due to the naturally occurring tryptophan and melatonin present. (source)
How to Make Homemade Gummy Bears
Step 1: Measure and add the fruit juice and honey to a small saucepan on the stovetop. Whisk to combine, then bring the mixture to a light simmer over medium heat.
Step 2: After it has begun to simmer, remove the saucepan from the heat. Slowly and evenly sprinkle the gelatin into the juice mixture, whisking thoroughly. Whisk in any optional add-ins, as well.
Step 3: Once fully blended, use a dropper to fill the gummy bear molds with the liquid mixture. Place the molds carefully into the refrigerator or freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm.
Step 4: Pop the gummies out of the molds and enjoy! Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Tips
- Sprinkle the gelatin over the juice mixture rather than dumping it in all at once.
- Avoid juices like papaya, pineapple, kiwi, or mango, as they contain an enzyme that can prevent the gelatin from setting up.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice to add some tartness.
- If you don’t want to use honey, you should be able to substitute maple syrup or cane sugar.
- There are so many kinds of silicone gummy molds! Bears are so classic, but hearts, flowers, and even cubes are all fun.
- Fill the silicone molds fully for the best results.
- When transferring the gummy mixture to the refrigerator, I like to set my molds on a cookie sheet or similar tray just in case I slosh them.
Recipe FAQs
Homemade gummies are best kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. You can store them in single layers on parchment paper to avoid them all sticking together.
At room temperature, they may become too soft, and without preservatives, they may develop mold.
Gelatin is the ingredient that gives gummies their fun, chewy texture, and honey adds a soft chewiness, as well.
The best gelatin is grass-fed gelatin.
Gelatin is a form of collagen. Collagen is a mostly flavorless, clear, jelly-type substance derived from the processing of animal bones and tissue. Collagen, therefore gelatin, can help repair the lining in your gut while also offering health benefits for your hair, skin, and nails. Gelatin is a good source of protein and amino acids, which, in turn, encourages your body to produce more collagen.
Unfortunately no. Collagen will not solidify the other ingredients like gelatin does.
More Fun Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Baked Sourdough Donuts
- Soft Sourdough Pretzels
- Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
- Easy Cheese Sauce for Pretzels
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Healthy Gummy Bears
Ingredients
- 1 cup juice, of choice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup gelatin, preferably grass fed
Instructions
- Measure and add the fruit juice and honey to a small saucepan on the stovetop. Whisk to combine, then bring the mixture to a light simmer over medium heat.
- After it has begun to simmer, remove the saucepan from the heat. Slowly and evenly sprinkle the gelatin into the juice mixture, whisking thoroughly.
- Whisk in any optional add-ins, as well.
- Once fully blended, use a dropper to fill the gummy bear molds with the liquid mixture. Place the molds carefully into the refrigerator or freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm.
- Pop the gummies out of the molds and enjoy! Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- Sprinkle the gelatin over the juice mixture rather than dumping it in all at once.
- Avoid juices like papaya, pineapple, kiwi, or mango, as they contain an enzyme that can prevent the gelatin from setting up.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice to add some tartness.
- If you don’t want to use honey, you should be able to substitute maple syrup or cane sugar.
- Fill the silicone molds fully for the best results.
- When transferring the gummy mixture to the refrigerator, I like to set my molds on a cookie sheet or similar tray just in case I slosh them.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these today and they were crazy easy and delicious! All I had was a tiny ice cube silicone tray but they cured quickly and then I just cut them up into smaller squares. Not as cute as the bears but great in a pinch!
How long are these shelf-stable for? (In a glass jar, but not refridgerated)
A few days.
Really excited to try these to gift neighbors for a Valentine’s Day treat! The elderberry crystals are currently out of stock…would elderberry powder work? And if so could I substitute 1:1? Also, how should these be stored? Thanks so much for sharing all your wonderful recipes and tips!
Elderberry powder should work! It may take a little work to make sure it is all incorporated. You can store these in an air tight bag.
Do they need to be kept in the fridge?
It will extend their life!