Homemade Gummy Worms

on Feb 21, 2024

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Gummy worms are a classic treat and it’s easy to make a refined-sugar-free version of it at home! With fruits and veggies right in the mix, these homemade gummy worms make for a fun-shaped snack your kids will love!

Gummy worms served on a plate with crushed up cookies.

These homemade gummy worms aren’t like the typical gummy worms you’ll find in stores. They are sweetened with fruits with added veggies in the mix which make for the best vibrant colors without any dyes! You can use any veggies of your choice, but I love the bright colors spinach and carrots provide. Applesauce is used as the base and is the main flavor that comes through with these gummy treats.

If you’re looking for other homemade, better than store-bought snacks and treats, be sure to try out this homemade cocoa puffs recipe, homemade cinnamon toast crunch, and these homemade goldfish crackers!

What You’ll Need
Ingredient Substitutions & Additions
Step By Step Instructions
Storage Instructions
Tips For Success
Recipe FAQs
Other Fruit Recipes You’ll Love
Homemade Gummy Worms Recipe

What You’ll Need

Here is what you’ll need to make this gummy worms recipe:

Ingredients to make homemade gummy worms.

Unsweetened Applesauce: The base flavor for these homemade gummy worms. Make sure to use an unsweetened variety.
Unsweetened Apple Juice: To loosen the texture of the blended mixture. Opt for apple juice that is naturally sweetened with no added sugar.
Maple Syrup: The main source of sweetness for these homemade gummies. I use 2 tablespoons of maple syrup for a batch and find that this is sweet enough, but adjust the amount to your taste.
Gelatin: The main binding agent to help the mixture obtain the “gummy” texture when cooled. Make sure to use unflavored gelatin.
Veggies: I opted for spinach and carrots to make the gummy worms green and orange, but other veggies will work!

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Ingredient Substitutions & Additions

Apple Juice: You may replace the apple juice with equal parts water, but note that the puree mixture will be slightly less sweet. If desired, adjust the amount of maple syrup to taste.
Maple Syrup: The maple syrup may be replaced with equal parts honey.

Step By Step Instructions

STEP 1: Blend the applesauce, apple juice, maple syrup, and veggies (spinach or carrots) in a blender until smooth. Let it blend for around 3 minutes until the vegetables are completely smooth and dissolved into the puree (we don’t want any chunks here!) (Images 1 & 2). Taste the mixture at this point and adjust the sweetness as desired.

STEP 2: Pour the mixture into a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin all over the top of the mixture. Let it sit as the gelatin “blooms” for 5 minutes. (Images 3 & 4).

STEP 3: After 5 minutes, the fruit and veggie mixture will begin to look wrinkly at the top (Image 5 ). Transfer this mixture to a saucepan over medium heat to allow the gelatin to dissolve (Image 6). You want the mixture to be heated through, not boiling.

STEP 4: As the mixture begins to heat up, quickly whisk in the gelatin until the mixture is smooth and there are no clumps of undissolved gelatin. If you notice any small clumps, break them up with a cooking utensil until the mixture is smooth. The mixture should be the same liquid consistency it was when it was blended. (Image 7).

STEP 5: Place the gummy worm molds on top of a baking tray. Use a dropper to portion the liquid into the molds (Image 8). If you’d like to make multi-colored worms, fill half of the mold with one flavor and the other half with the other.

STEP 6: Transfer to the refrigerator and let the gummies set for at least 2 hours, or overnight. The longer they set, the better. Remove them from the molds and serve!

Storage Instructions

Once set, store the gummy worms in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Gelatin does not generally freeze well, so I do not recommend freezing them.

Tips For Success

Make sure to use a powerful blender to blend all of the ingredients together. I love using this nutribullet blender because it ensures that there are no clumps and that the mixture is as smooth as possible.
These molds make the perfect-sized worms that pop right out of the molds!
For the carrot apple flavor, I recommend using canned cooked carrots to speed up the process.
When placing the liquid into the gummy worm molds, make sure that the molds are on top of a baking pan. It will be much easier to transfer the molds to the fridge to set if they are on a baking pan.
These gummy worms do not have the same texture as store-bought worms since they don’t have added preservatives, corn syrup, or waxes. They are more jelly-like in texture, but very easy for little ones to break down and chew. If you’d like a chewier texture, you can try adding in an extra tablespoon or two of gelatin.

Recipe FAQs

What is the texture of these homemade gummy worms?

These gummy worms do not have the same texture as store-bought worms since they don’t have added preservatives, corn syrup, or waxes. They are more jelly-like in texture, but very easy for little ones to break down and chew. If you’d like a chewier texture, you can try adding in an extra tablespoon or two of gelatin.

Can I turn these into sour gummy worms?

Yes! To make sour gummy worms, you can coat the worms in a mixture of citric acid and granulated sugar to achieve that effect.

Can you taste the veggies in these gummies?

You really can’t taste the veggies here! The main apple flavor is most pronounced in these snacks.