Here’s a healthy gummy bear recipe that uses just fruit, honey, gelatin, and love. A tasty take on the classic (but kinda junky) kid’s candy.
Healthy Gummy Bear Recipe? Really?! Yes!
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Now that my kids are entering the real world and learning aboutpixie sticks and cotton candy (gasp!), they have stumbled upon the adorable Haribo Gummy Bear package in the checkout line. I remember munching on these as a kid myself. But, when I recently looked at the package’s ingredients, I knew there had to be a better way!
Haribo Gummy Bear Ingredients in U.S.
Glucose syrup (from wheat or corn), sugar, gelatin, dextrose (from wheat or corn), citric acid, corn starch, artificial and natural flavors, palm kernel oil, carnauba wax, white beeswax, yellow beeswax, yellow 5, red 40, and blue 1
But if you break it down,it’s really about:
- some form of sugar (not all are bad)
- some type of fruit flavoring (could use the real thing)
- and gelatin.
I’ve talked about the manybenefits of gelatin before.So, in the scheme of things, these gummy bears could actually be a healthy “treat” when compared with others.
Haribo Gummy Bear Ingredients in Germany
Interesting to note: in Germany, where Haribo isheadquartered, they don’t use food dyes for color. Instead they use plant and herbal extracts. (Europeans always get the food right!) Here’s a list of their ingredients:
Glucose syrup; sugar; gelatin; dextrose; fruit juice from concentrate: apple, strawberry, raspberry, orange, lemon, pineapple; citric acid, lemon, pineapple; citric acid; fruit and plant concentrates: nettle, apple, spinach, kiwi, orange, elderberry, lemon, mango, passionfruit, blackcurrant, aronia, grape; flavorings; glazing agents: white and yellow beeswax; carnauba wax; elderberry extract; fruit extract from carob; invert sugar syrup
So, my recipe takesthe more German approach: fruit concentrates (juice), gelatin, and sugar (in the form of honey.)
Note: This is a slightly “highermaintenance” recipe than most of the ones you’ll find on this site. I had a fun timemaking these with mykids, but I certainly wouldn’t be making these on a regular basis. Too much work! 🙂 But, for a road trip, Halloween, a birthday party, or just a fun activity to do with the family, this gummy bear recipe isgreat.
Healthy Gummy Bear Recipe using fruit and honey small handful by Mama Natural
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Healthy Gummy Bear Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic juice for each color
- For the red gummy bear: pomegranate or cherry juice (100% juice not diluted with sugar and water)
- For the orange gummy bear: I used peach/carrot juice combo. You can also use apricot nectar juice. I also added in 4-5 drops of Orange essential oil before adding to molds. This gives them a great flavor!
- For the yellow gummy bear: I used a combo of orange and pineapple juices. You can add Lemon essential oil before adding to mold for an authentic lemon-y flavor.
- For the clear gummy bear: I used a mix of pineapple juice andlemonade.
- 1/3 cup Vital Proteins beef gelatin
- 2 TB lemon juice
- 1/2 raw cup honey
- Gummy bear molds with droppers (where to buy)
Healthy Gummy Bear Recipe using fruit and honey platefull
Directions:
- Put your cold juice into a sauce pan.
- Add your 1/3 cup of gelatin.
- Let it sit for a minute or two so the gelatin can “bloom”. (This will help prevent a clumpy or gritty finished product!)
- Turn on the heat to low to medium till the gelatin dissolves.
- Turn off heat and let sit for a few minutesto cool down.
- Add your lemon juice and raw honey. Stir well.
- Use a syringe and suck up your juice concoction and push out into your gummy bear mold.
- Let sit for 5 minutes so it sets and then put in fridge for one hour. Remove bears and enjoy!
Final notes:
This gummy bear recipe will make at least 100 bears of each color and last in the fridge for at least one week. You can also leave out in room temperature for a few days (just don’t let them get above, say, 85° For you’ll have a big bear meltdown.)
How about you?
Do you like gummy bears? Would you ever make a treat like this for your kids? Share with us in the comments below.
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FAQs
Gummy bears are typically made of gelatin, citric acid, sugar, fruit juice, corn syrup, flavoring and starch. These ingredients combine to give gummy bears their chewy texture and sweet taste.
Are there any healthy gummy bears? ›
YumEarth Organic Gummy Bears - Fruity Gummy Candy Snack Packs, Gluten Free Snacks for Kids - Allergy Friendly, Non-GMO, No Artificial Flavors or Dyes - Assorted Flavors, 0.7 oz. (Pack of 35)
Is it healthy to eat gummy bears everyday? ›
No! The traditional gummy bear is made from a mixture of sugar, glucose syrup, starch, flavoring, food coloring, citric acid, and gelatin. All the sugar and glucose syrup is bad for you because it's contained in excess. We all know too much sugar is very detrimental to your health.
What is the sugar substitute in gummy bears? ›
Consuming excessive amounts of sugar-free gummy bears can potentially be dangerous due to the sugar substitute used in them called "Lycasin".
What are sugar free gummy bears made of? ›
The very first ingredient in the Harbio sugar free gummy bears is Lycasin. It is a syrup that consists almost entirely of maltitol, which is a polyol, aka, sugar alcohol. There are many other polyols too, which you have surely seen on labels, like sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and so on.
Why is gummy bears healthy? ›
There are some health benefits to gummy bears such as those containing gelatine or pectin and made with natural ingredients. Gummy bears are a useful medium to absorb vitamins and minerals into the body and other beneficial additives when infused into the creation of the gummy bear.
Are gummy bears healthier than fruit snacks? ›
It is important to understand that fruit snacks are not a fruit substitute and have been classified by nutritionists as being slightly better than gummies. Many fruit snacks are artificially flavored and packed with added sugars and artificial colors and have little to no vitamin content.
What is the healthy version of Haribo? ›
Gummy candy: SmartSweets
The chewy candies don't contain any sugar alcohols, artificial colors, or artificial flavors but taste just as good as your favorite Haribo and Trolli bears. If you accidentally eat the entire bag (we don't blame you), you won't feel guilty.
Are gummy fruits healthy? ›
Not gummies, Massachusetts study says. BOSTON - If you want to put a healthy fruit snack in your child's lunch bag, researchers from UMass Amherst say to stay away from fruit gummies.
Why not to eat gummy bears? ›
A serving of gummy bears has no vitamins or minerals such as iron, calcium, or vitamin C. When you eat gummy bears, you're still getting calories, between 110 and 140 per serving. This means you'll have less room in your diet for more healthy items like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Eating 1 pound of Haribo Gummy Bears every day would be extremely unhealthy and could have a number of negative consequences for your health. First, Gummy Bears are high in sugar. A 1-pound bag of Gummy Bears contains over 1,500 calories and over 300 grams of sugar.
How many gummies can you eat in a day? ›
We've found that most people looking to chill out and feel better get great results from 1-2 gummies per day. Some people will also take an extra gummy or two anytime they're particularly anxious, sleepless, or stressed.
Do gummy bears raise blood sugar? ›
The main ingredients in gummy bears are sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin. The body quickly absorbs all these ingredients, leading to a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. Sure, they also contain some protein, but their overall consumption can harm you with the risk of diabetes due to high glucose and sucrose levels.
Why do gummy bears make me gassy? ›
Maltitol is great because it doesn't cause cavities, but not so great because our bodies can't fully digest it, so it can ferment in the gut. The known side effects of the excessive consumption of lycasin are bloating, flatulence, loose stools, and borborygmi, the scientific term for tummy-rumbling.
How do you get sugar to stick to homemade gummies? ›
Begin by dissolving a mixture of citric acid and sugar in water. Once it coats a spoon, it's ready to be used. Next, dip each gummy bear into the coating mixture, ensuring it's evenly coated. Then, let them sit out for a day to dry properly.
What are the main ingredients in gummies? ›
Ingredients. Gummy candies are made mostly of corn syrup, sucrose, gelatin, starch and water. In addition, minor amounts of coloring and flavoring agents are used. Food acids such as citric acid and malic acid are also added in order to give a tart flavor to gummies.
What ingredient is in gummies? ›
In general, the ingredients in gummy bear candy include sugar, gelatin, con syrup, starches, flavorings, food colorings and citric acid. Beet sugar is sometimes used to sweeten gummy candy. A sugar-free gummy bear recipe would omit the sugar and include an artificial sweetener such as Aspartame.
What is the gross ingredient in gummy bears? ›
Gelatin. Added to a variety of yogurts, Jell-O products and confections such as gummy bears, fruit snacks and jelly babies, gelatin is about 50 percent boiled pig skin and 25 percent cow bones.
What part of the pig is in gummy bears? ›
Two of the major ingredients in gummy candies are gelatin and carnauba wax. Gelatin is made from the cartilage, bones, hooves, or skin of slaughtered pigs, and sometimes other animals. “Carnauba wax, a key ingredient in car wax that produces a brilliant shine, is also found in gummy bears and fruit-flavored snacks.
