Easy homemade fruit snacks with juice recipe! Only 4 ingredients to make sweet jellies complete with Vitamin C and real fruit! We used fresh strawberries for this one but blueberry would be wonderful too.
If you have kids you’ll all love homemade fruit snacks with juice! There are a ton of those packaged jellies in the stores but I bet you didn’t realize just how easy they are to make at home! Using real pureed fruit, real fruit juice and a bit of honey you too can make them.
Homemade Fruit Snacks Ingredients
In order to stiffen it but still keep it chewy and soft you are going to want some unflavored Gelatin powder, it comes in a powder form.
In this case we integrated some fresh fruit to add more natural sweetness, flavor and texture. In this case we used strawberries, could use frozen but thawed
For the necessary liquid you want to add 100% fruit juice – we used a berry/apple blend, apple juice is great too, must be 100%
I like to use organic Honey for sweetness, optional, omit for sugar free
Then for making it you will need a small pot, my small Farberware pot in my Neat Nest™ set works great. Silicone molds, we used a flower mold and building bricks seen here in yellow. And a cookie sheet – my smaller Farberware baking pan works great
Using a small pot with a non stick coating is important for this recipe so everything combines well and nothing sticks to the side in the process. You will want some cute molds as well to take shape as we did here. If your child loves fruit snacks this is how to make them yourself.
What is an alternative to gelatin?
If you’re looking for alternatives to gelatin, there are several options depending on the recipe and whether you need a vegan substitute or simply another type of thickener such as; Agar-agar, pectin is used to make our pressure cooker jam, whipped egg whites, chia seeds or cornstarch are sometimes used. Keep in mind a change will alter the consistency and may not work in all recipes.
What is the ratio of liquid to gelatin for gummies?
You will need about 3/4 liquid to gelatin mixture and heat is necessary in order for it to fully dissolve. If not enough time is given to get to a smooth mixture it will be gritty in texture and won’t set properly so don’t rush things. A slow consistent boil is what you want ideally.
That’s really all you need. You will need to do the cooking but let your kids choose which type(s) of molds they might like to use…there are tons out there! There are two ways to do this. They are both good but we think using pureed fruit brings a richer flavor to our homemade fruit snacks so we opt for that method. Healthy air fryer snacks are the bestest.
How Long to Cool Homemade Fruit Snacks
You are going to want to freeze them in your molds for 30 minutes. Not too long but it is better if you put into your freezer than fridge just to cool really quickly so the texture is ideal. Set a timer so they don’t stay in longer than that or they will get too tough and hurt your teeth.
Tips
Use only 100% fruit juice – comes out more like jigglers. Combine a combination of 100% fruit juice and pureed fruit – comes out more like fruit snacks with a bit more texture and flavor
The cookie sheet is a must so you avoid any spillage because the molds are very flexible and need to be kept flat during the freezing process. Pop them out of the molds and enjoy immediately, or store in a container and enjoy them all week long! In my house with 3 girls, and myself enjoying them, they never last longer than a day…even if I make a double batch!
FAQ
You only want to leave them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes just to get them to solidify, no longer or else they will become frozen rather than a jiggly fruit snack you’re looking for. If they aren’t eaten immediately, pop out and store in a sealed freezer bag in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
Homemade gummy bears are healthy fruit snacks for on the go treats. They are way better than bagged from the grocery store for sure. Free from preservatives I would say they are healthier for sure but everything in moderation of course.
Can you make these any flavor?
See what an easy recipe these strawberry homemade fruit snacks are to make, they turned out great! You can make any flavor you like too, I just use whatever is in season to get the best flavors….and they’re great for on the go snacks! For little ones you need to avoid choking hazards so don’t make them round, cutting into smaller pieces is the safest.
Homemade Fruit Snacks Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pot
- 1 mold
- 1 cookie sheet
- 1 blender or food processor to puree fruit
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup fruit, fresh fruit we used were strawberries
- 1/3 cup juice, fruit juice must be 100% juice, we used an apple berry blend
- 8 tsp gelatin, plain flavor
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Wash, cut off stems, and puree fruit. We used strawberries but you could easily use raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries.
- Put your small pot on the stove on medium heat.
- Add your 1/3 c. of 100% fruit juice
- Add your 2/3 c of pureed fruit and honey (if you choose to add honey for a bit of added sweetness). Whisk together.
- Slowly add your gelatin powder 1 -2 tsp at a time whisking to dissolve.
- Once all of your gelatin is added continue to whisk until all gelatin powder is dissolved and liquid just begins to bubble, then turn off heat and take pot off the stove.
- Pour your liquid into a measuring cup with a spout on it.
- Lay your silicone molds on a cookie sheet.
- Pour your liquid into the molds making sure not to overfill them.
- Put your cookie sheet with molds on top into your freezer for 30 minutes, pop them out carefully, then enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other homemade snacks for kids
Are you ready to try these homemade snacks with fun candy molds yet?? You should make our homemade popsicles at home. Or you can make air fryer beef jerky to take on your trips. Protein packed air fryer edamame is my personal favorite though
What flavor do you think you’ll try first?? Jump to recipe and try a few combinations to see which your kids love the best.
The food items that people should do themselves will be very good food and not health, food is very colorful and not good for health.