Homemade Healthy Fruit Gummies
Fruit gummies are LOVED by kids, I am going to show you how to make them at home from almost anything to suit any palate (even older kids), plus share a recipe for a healthy fruit gummy I make for my littlest kiddo.
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and easy to make, and don't forget fun to eat!
- Loved by kids
- Rich source of collagen and glutamic acid which may promote gut health (will discuss more on this)
The ingredients you will need
To make fruit gummies at home you just need:
- Fruit (fresh, frozen or juice)
- Gelatin (any type)
For a lower sugar, refined sugar free gummy that might be more suitable for a younger child (Like my Esme who is 15 months) you can see the ingredients I chose below. I use frozen berries, water, then add a date and some vanilla to enhance the sweetness.
What's the hype about collagen, gelatin and gut health
Gelatin and collagen (collagen can be called collagen hydrosylate, collagen protein, collagen peptides are nutritionally equivalent. They are both proteins and have the same amino acid profile....But how they behave from a food science perspective is very different. Gelatin will gel a liquid, thus making it perfect for making gummies! Collagen hydrolysate dissolves in a liquid without gelling, so absolutely hopeless for making a fruit gummy.
Gut health gummies?
I see lots of recipes and posts about gut health gummies, these are gummies just like the fruit gummies I make, made with fruit and gelatin. The reason I have been looking into the role of gelatin in gut health
I scoured the internet for clinical trials looking specifically at gelatin and it's ability to improve gut health. I could not find any research into gelatin-based gummies specifically
This is what I did find and where I think the promotion of gummies for gut health stem from.
- Children can suffer from increased intestinal permeability 'leaky gut' as a consequence of things such as gut damage due to food allergy and coeliac disease, increased gut permeability has also been seen in children on the autistic spectrum (reference)
- Gelatin and collagen are rich sources of glutamic acid
- Humans make glutamine from glutamic acid
- Glutamine is known to be important for healing of 'leaky gut syndrome' (reference)
- In in-vitro studies ie test-tube studies collagen has been found to help with intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction, ie improve leaky gut syndrome (reference)
- Gelatin tannate (a medicinal compound containing gelatin) has been found to reduce severity and duration of symptoms in children with acute gastroenteritis (reference) although a meta-analysis on this topic didn't find conclusive evidence of a benefit (reference). and there is emerging research it may be a useful weapon to re-establish the physiological intestinal homeostasis after an acute and chronic injury (reference)
Based on my reading I personally don't think there is enough conclusive evidence to say taking oral gelatin in the form of a gummy will definitely improve gut health. A lack of studies on natural/alternative therapies is very common in the scientific world sadly as research takes a lot of funding. Natural therapies often are the last to be robustly researched and instead you may hear people talk about anecdotal evidence – based on personal experience rather than facts or research.
Fruit gummies are a fun snack to make for kids and an interesting texture, a source of collagen, protein and glutamic acid, I'm just not comfortable to say that they will definitely improve a child's gut health. We should also be mindful of the sugar content and stickiness in regards to dental health.
How to Make Fruit Gummies
- In a small saucepan place: fruit, water or juice and any other flavourings you are choosing to use.
- Simmer at a medium heat for 5 minutes
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes
- Blitz the fruit until it is smooth and an even texture. I use a stick mixer for this
- Add the gelatin powder, I use my stick mixer to mix it in, this saves on dishes as I already have my stick blender out and it makes sure there are absolutely no lumps of gelatin
- Portion the mix into a candy mold. I often find it easiest to put the fruit puree mix into a small jug first.
- Chill in the fridge until solid. (usually 1 hr)
- Pop out of the mold an store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
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Let's talk fruit
If you want to make homemade fruit gummies you can let your imagination go wild and use almost any fruit (fresh or frozen) or juice that you have at home to flavour your gummies. There are just a couple of exceptions.
Fruit enzymes that break down protein
There are some fruit which contain enzymes (proteases) that actively break down protein. The gelatin used in fruit gummy recipes is a protein, including these fruit in your gummies can mean they won't set, or, they will set, but they soften and become runny when you store them.
Fruits that contain proteases include:
- Pineapple
- Kiwifruit
- Figs
- Papaya
- Mango
- Guava
You can get around this if you heat the fruit/juice that you are using to make your gummies. Proteases are heat sensitive so if you heat these fruit before making your gummies they should gel and be stable.
Gelatin to make gummies
You can use absolutely any gelatin powder to make fruit gummies. All work to create a gel and all will turn fruit into a fruit gummy!
Gelatin and Gelatine are the same things just different spellings. Gelatine or Gelatine are created from collagen-containing animal protein. They can be most commonly Pork, Beef or marine-based.
All are high in protein, all are a form of collagen and all are high in glutamic acid but as with any meat product different people will have different thoughts on which they prefer and what factors they take into account when buying animal products such as; grass-fed, free-range, organic, kosher.
The McKenzies gelatine powder pictured above is available in local supermarkets. It is a beef product. It is packaged in Australia and the beef is sourced from Brazil, Argentina and New Zealand. (In all 3 of these countries the vast majority of rasied beef is grass fed, this is different to America where the majority is stock lot grain-fed
Great Lakes Gelatin is available in health shops it is an American product, comes in various varieties and is considered by many of the alternative health world to be top-grade gelatin. It is known to be sourced from responsibly-farmed, pastured (grass-fed) animals.
Gelatin is by nature an animal based product and is not vegetarian or vegan. However if you do want a plant based alternative to create fruit gummies, agar agar is a gelling product derived from seaweed.
This hasn't stopped me making them as a fun project for the kids, (see the pic above for a very quick recipe) but I have also gone on to make a lower-sugar version packed with real fruit for the youngest member of my family to snack on occasionally, and maybe there will be some benefit to her gut. I just can't be certain.
Top Tips
Here is how I make fruit gummies perfectly every time!
- Know your audience: If you are making these gummies for older children you will need a sweeter mix, I suggest using juice as the liquid rather than fruit. For a younger child they are usually happy with a fruit purée as the base
- Silicone molds are brilliant for making fruit gummies. You do not need to get fancy ones, the one I use was only $2. There are loads of cool fun shapes available.
- Store your gummies in an airtight container in the fridge. I find if they are left in the gummy mold for a few days they start to shrink, so make sure you get them out and into a container
FAQs
From a nutritional perspective.. not a lot! but how they provide when added to a liquid is quite different. Collagen hydrosylate will disolve, while gelatin gels. So it is gelatin that you need to make fruit gummies
Fruit gummies are made with gelatin. Gelatin is made from animal products. If you would like use a vegan/vegetarian geling agent I would substitute the gelatin for agar agar.
There are some fruit that contain enzymes (proteases) that actively break down protein. (Pineapple, Kiwifruit, Figs, Papaya, Mango, Guava) Including these fruit in your gummies can mean they won't set. You can get around this by heating the fruit as this will break down the protease enzymes.
For the quickest easiest gummy just use 330ml of your favourite fruit juice with 2 tablespoon (18-20g) of Gelatin. If you would like a refined sugar-free gummy check out my recipe below.
Heat and humidity can cause gummy bears to become sticky. These gummy bears are free from commercial preservatives, the best way to stop them from becoming sticky is to store them. in an airtight container in the fridge.
These gummy bears are free from commercial preservatives, the best way to stop them from melting is to store them. in an airtight container in the fridge.
Fruit gummies are a fun snack to make for kids and have an interesting texture. They are a source of collagen, protein and glutamic acid, which may improve gut health. We should also be mindful of the sugar content and stickiness in regards to dental health
Easy recipes that use frozen berries
- Strawberry energy bites are the cutest pink bliss ball around!
- 3 minute 3 ingredient dairy free strawberry 'ice cream'
- Filing and delicious wholemeal blueberry scrolls
- Blueberry porridge fingers are a great oaty snack for little ones
- Baby yogurt melts are a cute melt-in-the-mouth frozen treat.
Fruit Gummy Recipe
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Save This Recipe!
I'll email this post to you, so you can easily come back to it later!
Equipment
- silicone mold
Ingredients
- 1 cup Frozen berries 190g, I used raspberries for the red gummies and blueberries for the purple gummy
- 2 Dates I used pitted dried Noor Deglet dates, medjool dates would be fine too
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
- one third cup water
- 2 tablespoon gelatin 18-20g
Instructions
- In a saucepan place: berries, dates, vanilla and water
- Simmer for 5 minutes
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes
- Blitz the fruit until it is smooth and an even texture. I use a stick mixer for this
- Add the gelatin, I use my stick mixer to mix it in, this saves on dishes as I already have my stick blender out and it makes sure there are absolutely no lumps of gelatin
- Portion the mix into a silicone mold. I often find it easiest to put the fruit puree mix into a small jug first.
- Chill in the fridge until solid. (usually 1 hr)
- Pop out of the mold an store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
Notes
- This recipe is not overly sweet, I developed it for my youngest who is 15months and hasn't had a great deal of sugar.
- If you are making these gummies for an older child they may need to be sweeter, you can use juice instead of water and perhaps add a little honey or maple syrup depending on their palate
- You do not need to stick to this recipe, let your imagination go wild with flavour ideas, keep the ratio of 330ml of liquid (fruit purée or juice) and 2 tablespoon of gelatin and you will be fine!
- Some fruit contain proteases (enzymes that breakdown protein) such as pineapple, these often do not set well. Check up above for the list of fruits and my tips for making good gummies.
Nutrition
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Hey lovely! Looking fabulous over here - those gummy bears are just AMAZING!! I can't find the usual 'add your link' button for the linky... am I being daft? Faye xxx