Healthy Strawberry Gummies

Here’s Why You’ll Love Them

These strawberry gummies are…

• Made with real ingredients: NO additives, artificial flavors, colors or refined sugars. Just real fruit, gelatin and sweetened with a bit of honey and vanilla.
• Easy to make: Just 10 minutes of active prep time!
• Kid friendly: Kids love them as a snack or as a lunch box treat.
• A healthy snack: Great option to meal prep and keep in the fridge. Also happens to be naturally gluten and dairy free.
• Fun to make: There are so many fun shapes. Find a cute mold that you love or something that your kids are really into.

A Few Tips

Before we get started, I wanted to share a few helpful tips. I attempted 6 variations of these gummies and these are some of my findings.

• Blooming (softening) the gelatin first gives the smoothest result. Many gummy recipes sprinkle the gelatin powder directly over the top of the warm liquid mixture but this always left me with lumps. Therefore, this recipe calls for softening the gelatin first in some water before stirring into the warm strawberry mixture.
• Simmering the strawberries for a few minutes makes them sweeter and more flavourful.
• Make sure that the strawberry mixture is not boiling when the gelatin is added. If it is too hot, it could denature the gelatin protein and your gummies may not set.
• Use super flexible silicone molds and let the gummies set in the fridge until completely firm. Otherwise, your gummies will tear apart when trying to remove them.

Ingredients Needed

You only need a few ingredients to make these strawberry gummies…

• Strawberries: Fresh strawberries that will be blended up into a puree.
• Gelatin Powder: I recommend using a good quality, unflavoured, grass-fed and pasture raised gelatin. Great Lakes Gelatin and Vital Proteins Gelatin are two great options.
• Water: To soften or “bloom” the gelatin.
• Honey: To sweeten the gummies.
• Vanilla Extract: Adds nice flavor that complements the strawberries.

Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.

Equipment Needed

You will need a blender (to make the strawberry puree), whisk, medium saucepan and a mold.

Silicone Molds

In order to make fun shapes, you want to look for a silicone gummy mold (US | Canada). They are also sometimes called a candy mold or chocolate mold. Basically, you want to make sure that the silicone mold is super soft and flexible so that the gummies pop out easily. Harder silicone ice cube molds don’t work as well.

Where To Find Silicone Gummy Molds

You can find them in craft stores like Michaels, most shops that carry baking and decorating supplies or online.

Here are a few cute molds that I found on Amazon (you can find just about any shape you can think of!):

• Traditional gummy bear shape
• Gummy worm mold
• Unicorn head mold
• Car shaped mold
• Fish shaped mold
• Tropical value set (includes 4 molds: cactus, coconut tree, flamingo and cherry)

Let’s Talk About Gelatin

Let’s take a moment to chat a little bit about gelatin – one of the required ingredients in this gummy recipe.

What is gelatin?

Gelatin is the cooked form of collagen which is the protein found in the skin, bones and connective tissue of animals. It is made almost entirely of protein, packed with amino acids and offers many healthy benefits.

Benefits of gelatin

• Supports digestive and gut health
• Maintains strong bones and helps with joint pain
• Improves skin health
• Strengthens hair, skin and nails
• and more! You can read all about the health benefits of gelatin in these articles by Healthline and Medical News Today.

Difference between gelatin and collagen

They have very similar health benefits since gelatin is just the cooked form of collagen. However, there are major differences in how they each behave with liquid. Gelatin has the unique ability to cause liquids to gel. The powdered form of collagen, on the other hand, dissolves instantly and does not gel. Therefore, powdered collagen is great for adding to drinks but not useful for making gummies. So make sure you are using gelatin in this recipe!

Sources of gelatin

Homemade bone broth is a great source of gelatin that is also very economical. Learn how to make bone broth (includes Instant Pot, slow cooker and stovetop instructions).

Powdered gelatin is an easy option and is a great way to incorporate gelatin into sweet treats. This is what we will be using in these gummies to make them gel. I like to use high quality gelatin powder (grass-fed and pasture raised). I used the Great Lakes Gelatin in these gummies. Vital Proteins Gelatin is another great option.

How To Make Healthy Strawberry Gummies

These strawberry gummies are easy and fun to make! Simply…

1. Make Strawberry Puree: Place fresh strawberries in a blender and blend on high until smooth. You will need 1 cup of puree for this recipe which requires approximately 2 heaping cups of hulled, quartered strawberries.
2. Simmer Strawberry Mixture: Place strawberry puree, honey and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it smells sweet and delicious.
3. Soften The Gelatin: Meanwhile, add the water to a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin powder over the top. Stir to combine. It will become very thick.
4. Whisk In Gelatin: Turn off the heat and whisk in the bloomed (softened) gelatin mixture. Stir until completely dissolved (place saucepan over low heat if needed). Note: Make sure that the strawberry mixture is not boiling when you whisk in the gelatin. If it is too hot, it could denature the gelatin protein and your gummies may not set.
5. Pour Into Molds: Place silicone molds on a baking sheet so that they can easily be moved once filled. Pour warm gummy mixture into the molds. Tip: To make filling the molds easier, you can first pour the mixture into a liquid measuring cup with a spout or use an eye dropper for really small gummies.
6. Refrigerate To Set: Place baking sheet with filled molds in the fridge for at least 2-4 hours or until firm. The timing will depend on the size of mold used. Once fully set, the gummies will pop out easily. If they are tearing when you try to pop them out of the mold they are not firm enough yet. Once set, pop the gummies out of the molds and ENJOY!

Storage Info

Carefully pop the strawberry gummies out of the mold and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. They tend to disappear pretty quickly though!

More Healthy Snacks

Looking for some more healthy snack recipes? Check these out…

• Mango Jelly (Homemade Mango Jello)
• Coconut Jelly (Vanilla & Chocolate Flavors)
• Healthy Strawberry Slushie
• Homemade Popsicles: Mango Popsicles, Orange Lemon Lime Popsicles, Watermelon Strawberry Popsicles
• Healthy After School Snacks For Kids (lots of sweet and savory snack ideas that are great for adults too!)

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