Healthy Gummy Bears (Three Flavors: Apple, Strawberry Lemonade & Tart Cherry)
These Healthy Gummy Bears are super easy to make! The three delicious options, Apple, Strawberry Lemonade and Tart Cherry, are flavored with natural fruit juice and gut-healing gelatin for a nutrient-packed yummy snack.
This post is sponsored by Vital Proteins. All opinions expressed, as always, are my own.
Have you ever tried making gummies? My kids are huge fans of gummy candy. You know, the really bad for you, no nutritional-value-whatsoever kind. Do I let them eat it? Not too often. But I could use this sweet treat as a means to get more real grass fed gelatin into their diet. Enter these healthy gummy bears, completely homemade!
This is the kit I bought and the whole process was as simple as could be!
Why do you want to eat more gelatin?
I know, I know, it sounds kind of unappealing. But it has fantastic health benefits. These days most people rarely consume gelatin, if at all, since the many sources of natural gelatin (such as beef bones and skin) are very rarely eaten. But here’s why they should be:
- Gelatin is a source of 18 different amino acids which makes it a great supplement for overall gut health
- Gelatin is derived from collagen. Did you know that there are 28 different types of collagen in the human body? The largest is found in skin, so supplemental collagen is beneficial to overall skin health.
- Gelatin has been linked to decreased joint pain and inflammation so it may help with joint health and mobility
The best – and cheapest! – form of gelatin is from homemade bone broths. But since it’s summer, I’m making and consuming far less bone broth than usual. And that’s where my favorite Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin comes in. When I don’t want to be slurping on bone broths, making and consuming foods with this grass fed gelatin gives me an easy way to supplement my normal diet. So, you see, it’s the health benefits of gelatin that make these homemade gummies, well, healthy!
How to make these Healthy Gummy Bears
First off, start with your favorite flavor of fruit juice. I like to use natural brands that contain 100% pure fruit juice.
- Add 1 cup of fruit juice and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup (honey will also work) to a small saucepan. Start to cook over medium heat until almost boiling. As soon as the juice is steaming hot, the heat is turned to the lowest setting.
- Now start gradually adding in the gelatin, one tablespoon at a time. Whisk vigorously and let all gelatin dissolve into the liquid.
- Divide the liquid into the molds. I made cute little gummy bears, obviously, using this gummy bear mold. It came with a dropper, which made things super quick and easy. You can use whatever kind of candy mold you’d like, but I’d recommend silicone so they pop out easily. If you don’t care about cute shapes, you can also just pour them into a loaf pan or 8×8″ pan and cut them into gummy cubes once set.
- Lastly, place molds in the fridge to set. If your gummy molds are small, like mine, it should only take about 20 minutes and then you can easily pop them out.
A Note On Substitutions
You can easily replace the juice flavors listed in this recipe to come up with your own favorite flavored gummies. But – a warning! There are some fresh juices (if you juice yourself) which you must NOT use. Why? Because they contains enzymes which break down proteins. What does that mean? Those enzymes will break down the collagen that makes gelatin gel – so the gelatin will never set! Here’s a list of the fresh fruit juices to avoid:
- Pineapple
- Kiwi
- Papaya
- Pawpaw
- Mango
- Guava
As an extra note – the enzymes can themselves be denatured by heat. Which means that pasteurized or canned fruits or juices should gel fine because they are heat treated.
I know you guys are going to LOVE these gummies! They’re:
Slightly sweet
A bit tart
Poppable
So fun
Easy to make
& Healthified candy at its finest
These are the perfect treat to make when your most intense junk food craving strikes and you need a healthier fix, quick! They come together in about 30 minutes and last for up to 1 month in the freezer! Enjoy them all to yourself or wrap them up and share. They would make great gifts around the holidays.
If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! I love your comments, ratings, and your photos tagged #kimscravings on Instagram. Enjoy, friends!
Looking for other yummy desserts:
Skinny Strawberry Pretzel Dessert
Healthy Gummy Bears
Ingredients
Apple
- 1 cup pure apple juice
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons Vital Proteins Grass-Fed Gelatin
Strawberry Lemonade
- 1 cup pure strawberry lemonade
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons Vital Proteins Grass-Fed Gelatin
Tart Cherry
- 1 cup pure tart cherry juice
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons Vital Proteins Grass-Fed Gelatin
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the juice and maple syrup over medium heat until steaming hot (just before boiling).
- Lower the heat to the lowest setting and whisk in the gelatin one tablespoon at a time, making sure each tablespoon is fully dissolved in the liquid before adding the next.
- Once the gelatin is fully dissolved, remove from the heat and use a dropper to transfer liquid to gummy molds.
- Place molds in the refrigerator to set, completely - if your molds are similar in size to mine, it will take about 20-30 minutes for them to firm up enough to pop out.
- If you have extra gummy mixture, you can gently reheat/melt the mixture over low heat when your molds are empty and ready to be used again.
- Store the gummies in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Repeat for other flavors!
Notes
- Pineapple
- Kiwi
- Papaya
- Pawpaw
- Mango
- Guava
Did you make this recipe?
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i made it and it was so good! Thanks for the clear recipe!
These were so good! Turned out perfectly and my kids loved them.
what is the shelf life of these gummies if they’re stored in an airtight container in the fridge?
Can I replace the maple syrup with honey?
That should work just fine.
Is it ok to use real maple syrup or does it have to be the fake stuff? What about agave syrup instead? Excited to try these!
Yes, real maple syrup or agave will work just fine. Hope you like them!
Are these room temperature stable?
Yes, I kept mine on the kitchen counter in a closed container for about 5 days.
This is such a great idea! I do enjoy a gummy bear and its great to have a healthier version available! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Honestly, we are big gummy bear fans in my home and to have a healthier version would be great, a bigger bonus that we can now make them ourselves.
I love Vital Proteins! I also love gummy bears, so I’m going to try this recipe the next time I purchase this product.
This kit would be perfect for me and my family. My 9 yr old is T1D so I have to watch her sugar content. This kit would give me a change to control the sweets and allow her to enjoy a treat. (Pinned so I can make these gummies with her)
I love my vital proteins. But I’d never thought of putting them in gummy bears, that is so smart.
My kids love grummy bears. I dint knew about gelatin benefits at all. Thanks for sharing, now I can happily allow my kids to have it
Wow, these gummy bears will be definitely one to take everyday as vitamins, a healthy sweets. And easy to make too.
Healthy gummy bears? Who would have thought it! If I can switch the gelatine out easily for a veggie alternative ill be all over this!
I had no idea about gelatin benefits! thank you for sharing. And also thank you for the recipe. My kids love gummy bears!!!
I absolutely love gummies! Lately, I have been eating aunt annies, they are so good and also organic.
How fun! I love gummy bears but love this version better than the packaged processed ones for sure
How about a vegan solution? Maybe using agar agar?
I’m really not sure, Terri. I would just do a google search for vegan gummies and see what you come up with. Good luck!
I love how healthy these are!! And so many fun flavor options. Can’t wait to buy a fun mold and make these!
Hope you love them as much as we did!
This is the COOLEST post! I had no idea it was even possible to make your own gummy bears let alone make it seem so simple!
I know! I was pretty surprised how easy it was too!
wow it looks so yummy and let me say you’ve explained it so clearly that even a man like me got it all. Gelatin is something that I’d already listened and read about and reading your article has known me the more important terms for the recipe.
I’m so glad the explanation was easy to understand! Hope you get a chance to try out the recipe!