These cute little guys are a favorite in our household. They’re fast and easy to make, and super nutritious for your family. Griffin LOVES them, especially because of their fun shape. I love that there are just 3 simple ingredients: fresh juice, grass-fed gelatin and a healthy sweetener.

The Health Benefits

  • While fruit juices get a bad rap, in moderation and balanced with healthy protein, they are actually quite nutritious. Take orange juice for example… this type of juice is high in vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants. Just be sure to make your own or buy freshly squeezed from local health food store.
  • The grass-fed gelatin provides healthy and non-inflammatory protein. In fact, if eaten as a dessert after meat, you’re balancing your amino acids and helping to reduce the chances of an adrenaline response. Gelatin is also wonderful for our digestive system, and can even help with allergies and blood sugar regulation.
  • The added sweetener provides a natural form of carbohydrate that can give active children lots of good fuel. If you’re trying to watch carbohydrate intake, you can use a high-quality stevia and even use lemon as your juice. Otherwise, honey, maple syrup, or coconut nectar work great. Just note: Because of the density of gelatin, I find this recipe needs some kind of natural sweetener to taste good.

How to Make Healthy Gummies

Healthy-Gummy-Men

The Ingredients

  • 3 cups of fresh chilled juice. (I like orange the best.)
  • 1/2 cup of grass-fed gelatin (Where to buy)
  • 1/4 cup of raw honey (Where to buy)
    OR
    40-60 drops high-quality stevia (Where to buy)

Note: This recipe makes about 50 mini gummy men.

The Directions

  1. Pour chilled juice into a large Pyrex measuring cup or bowl. I like using this one.
  2. Add 1/2 cup of grass-fed gelatin. Mix with a metal spoon until the gelatin is fully dissolved.
  3. Pour the mixture into an enamel or stainless steel pot. Put on low-medium heat and add honey or stevia. Stir until everything is blended well.
  4. Taste for sweetness. The mixture should taste almost too sweet, since the flavors mellow once in gummy man form.
  5. Pour mixture back into the Pyrex measuring cup and let cool to room temperature.
  6. Pour into a mold. I like the gingerbread man look myself, but there are other cute ones like these daisies or hearts.
  7. Let the gelatin slightly gel, so that it doesn’t spill everywhere when you transfer to the refrigerator.
  8. Place in refrigerator for at least a 1/2 hour, or place in the freezer for about 10 minutes. After this, the gummies should be fully formed and ready to eat and enjoy!
  9. Keep leftovers in fridge or cool place.

*For vegans/vegetarians looking for a gelatin substitute, you can try agar-agar powder. Keep in mind, I have not tried it. I can’t comment on whether they taste good, gel properly, etc. I also read that agar-agar powder does not dissolve in your mouth the same way gelatin does, so you should be cautious feeding these snacks to children. It could be a potential choking hazard.

More Recipes

Check out my healthy gummy bear recipe too!