Homemade gummy bears (simple ingredients)

Making homemade gummy bears is so much easier than it looks. You can make them with three simple ingredients – fruit juice, gelatin, and honey. Since they’re made of only a few simple ingredients, the texture differs slightly from storebought gummies. Still, they have the bouncy chewiness of gummy bears, and my eldest prefers them over storebought ones.

I used to keep a box of storebought gummy bears in my pantry for my kids’ lunch boxes. A few gummy bears add a fun touch to lunchboxes while I don’t have to worry about my kids filling their bellies with sweets. I’ve been trying to cook more foods from scratch lately, and making gummy bears from home was an easy switch.

What kind of fruit juice to use

You can use any 100% fruit juice, except fresh pineapple, kiwi, mango, and papaya. Commercial pasteurized juice should be ok to use as the high-heat destroys the enzyme that prevents gelatin from setting.

I used POM pomegranate juice here and thought the gummies needed a bit of tanginess. So I added juice from fresh lemon, which gave honey a nice balance. If you’re using citrusy orange juice, skip the lemon and use 2/3 cup of orange juice. Next time, I plan to use leftover juice from canned peaches or pears that I often use in my recipes.

Soak gelatin in cold fruit juice

The first step is to mix gelatin with cold juice. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes for the gelatin to soak up the liquid. Without this step, you might end up with lumps in your gummy bears.

Honey

Storebought gummies get their chewiness from corn syrup. We can achieve that by using honey. If you reduce the amount of honey, gummies will become softer in texture.

Add honey to the gelatin mix, and warm up over low heat while gently stirring. Take care not to boil. Once the mixture is completely dissolved and runny, turn off the heat. You’ll have some foam rising to the top. Scoop the foam up with a spoon.

Now fill a gummy bear mold with the mixture. I prefer pouring the liquid into the mold over using a dropper. A dropper creates a lot of bubbles.

Let the gummy bears set for 15 minutes. At this point, it will be easy to move the mold to the fridge without spilling. Let the gummy bears set for 1~2 hours in the refrigerator.

Pop out the gummy bears from the mold. Place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days. You can pack the gummies to-go or in lunch boxes at room temperature for a few hours without them becoming too soft.

Also, check out Froyo Bears – frozen yogurt bites.

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Homemade gummies with simple ingredients

Homemade gummy bears with 100% fruit juice, gelatin, and honey

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Servings 34 gummy bears

Author whiteblankspace

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fruit juice
• juice from 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, add juice, lemon juice, and gelatin. Gently mix with a spoon and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add honey to the mixture. Turn on the heat and warm up the mixture while gently stirring. Use low heat to ensure that the mixture doesn’t boil. As the mixture warms up, it will turn into liquid. Turn off the heat and scoop up the foam with a spoon.
3. Fill a gummy bear mold with the mixture. I prefer pouring the liquid into the mold over using a dropper. A dropper creates a lot of bubbles.
4. Let the gummy bears set for 15 minutes. At this point, it will be easy to move the mold to the fridge without spilling. Let the gummy bears set for 1~2 hours in the refrigerator.
5. Pop out the gummy bears from the mold. Place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days. You can pack the gummies to-go or in lunch boxes at room temperature for a few hours without them becoming too soft.

Recipe Notes

• If using citrusy juice, omit the lemon juice and use 2/3 cup of fruit juice.
• You can use any 100% fruit juice, except fresh pineapple, kiwi, mango, and papaya. Commercial pasteurized juice should be ok to use as the high-heat destroys the enzyme that prevents gelatin from setting.