Homemade Gummy Bears

5 from 1 vote

Gummy bears are a classic sweet treat and so easy to make right from home! These homemade gummy bears are tasty, customizable treats using natural ingredients for a fun alternative to store-bought gummies that your kids will love!

Prep Time10

Chill Time2

Total Time2 10

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Lily Payen

Equipment

Gummy Bear Molds

Ingredients

Peach Gummy Bears

2 cups chopped peaches from about 2 medium peaches
¼ cup unsweetened apple juice
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp gelatin

Watermelon Gummy Bears

2 ¼ cups chopped watermelon
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp gelatin

Optional Sour Coating

2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp citric acid

Instructions

Blend the chopped fruit, apple juice, and honey in blender until smooth. Let it blend until the mixture is smooth and pureed (we don't want any chunks here!) Taste the mixture at this point and adjust the sweetness as desired.
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.
After 5 minutes, give the mixture a mix (it will be thick in texture) and transfer this mixture to a saucepan over medium heat to allow the gelatin to dissolve. You want the mixture to be heated through, not boiling.
As the mixture begins to heat up, whisk it until it 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 have the same liquid consistency as when it was blended.
Place the gummy bear molds on top of a baking tray. Use a dropper or small spoon to portion the liquid into the molds.
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! *Tip* For chewier peach gummies, remove the gummy bears from the molds after 2 hours and air dry them overnight for 12 hours. This will dry out the moisture from the gummy bears and make them chewier in texture, more similar to that of classic store-bought gummy bears. This "drying out" method does not work for the watermelon flavored gummy bears since watermelon contains more moisture.
For optional sour gummies, mix together the granulated sugar and citric acid in a small bowl until combined. Dip the gummy bears into the mixture to coat and serve immediately. Only dip the gummies right before serving because the coating will draw out moisture from the gummies and melt quickly.

Notes

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 bear molds make the perfect-sized bears that pop right out of the molds! I love these molds in particular because the gummies are larger than typical bear gummies.

When placing the liquid into the gummy bear 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 bears do not have the same texture as store-bought bears 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. For chewier peach gummies (this method doesn't work well for the watermelon flavor), remove the gummies from the molds after 2 hours and air dry them overnight for 12 hours. This will dry out the moisture from the gummy bears and make them chewier in texture, more similar to that of classic store-bought gummy bears.

Nutrition

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