Natural Fruit Gummies Recipe + Benefits of Eating Gelatin

Recently a friend told me she has been using gelatin as a dietary supplement. I was immediately intrigued. I use gelatin occasionally when I make homemade marshmallows or for a few other recipes, but I had never thought of it as a “health food” I should be adding to my diet.

Gelatin comes from collagen, which is derived from animal by-products (vegans and vegetarians, you might want to skip this post!). It is extracted in several ways for commercial use and usually comes from pork, beef or even fish. It’s also easy to extract at home by making a long-simmered bone broth (I usually put last night’s roast chicken in my slow cooker with water for 8-10 hours on low).

Or you can skip all that and just make these natural fruit gummies. They’re mostly collagen, so you get all the good-for-you effects, like healthy skin and nails, but they taste like dessert. Which means if you have a sweet tooth, like me, then they’re the best of both worlds.

Natural Fruit Gummies Recipe + Benefits of Eating Gelatin

Back in the old days on the farm, all animal parts were used as part of a healthy diet. That included those homemade bone broths. Our diets have since changed, and we’ve lost the benefits that come from consuming the collagen that’s used in gelatin. Collagen is the main protein found in our connective tissues – including bones, tendons, ligaments, skin, blood vessels, gut and even our corneas – and those are the places that benefit from consuming more of it.

As we age, our skin loses its tautness and starts to sag. Our joints ache and our bones can become brittle. Our hair and nails start to show signs of aging. All of these things can be helped by adding collagen, in the form of gelatin, back into our diets.

Most of those gelatin skin creams don’t work, but eating or drinking it does. You can make your own bone broth or you can add certain kinds of gelatin to smoothies, hot and cold beverages, cereal and other foods like these natural fruit gummy snacks.

In any case, even if you aren’t sold on the benefits of gelatin, these natural fruit gummies are a fun homemade treat made with all-natural ingredients – honey, gelatin, lemon juice and ginger. I normally cringe when my kids ask for gummy candies because they are usually loaded with sugar and food coloring.

These are a sweet snack alternative with healthy benefits to boot. Plus, they’re as easy as boiling water!

How to Make Lemon-Ginger Natural Fruit Gummies

Some types of gelatin need to be dissolved before you consume them. For these gummy snacks, you want to use the kind that needs to be dissolved in hot liquid. This is usually the kind you find on the shelf of your grocery store, or you can order grass-fed beef or pork gelatin online.

You don’t have to use a mold, but I think it makes them kind of cute. This recipe makes 12-24 cubes depending on the size and depth of the mold.

Equipment

• Wire whisk
• Saucepan
• Candy mold, ice cube tray, or pan lined with parchment

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons gelatin powder
• 2/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

Instructions

Whisk the honey and lemon juice together first and then sprinkle the gelatin on top. This will ensure there aren’t any dry spots on the bottom of the pan, which can (and will) burn rather than dissolve. There isn’t really a need to let the gelatin soften for this recipe as it needs to with other recipes.

Cook it over medium heat, but don’t let it boil. Keep it at a bare simmer – you just need it hot enough to dissolve the gelatin. The liquid will turn clear (and smell kind of funky), and it will get thicker.

Next, take it off the heat and pour it carefully into the molds. 

Let your natural fruit gummies sit until they cool completely. You can also speed up the process by putting the molds in the freezer. In about 10-15 minutes, they’ll be ready to pop out and eat!

Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

How can I make vegan gummies?

Turns out you can make tasty fruit gummies without the gelatin. All you need is fresh juice, a natural sweetener, and agar agar powder to make a pretty convincing vegan dupe.

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Agar Agar powder (be sure to use powder and not the flakes)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger

Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk until Agar Agar powder has dissolved.

2. Remove from heat and let cool 5-10 minutes. Then pour into your mold.

3. Let cool completely before removing from the mold and/or cutting into squares.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or freeze up to 3 months.

Next Up

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Have you used gelatin as a supplement? What benefits have you seen?

Print Recipe

4 from 6 votes

Lemon Ginger Fruit Gummies

An all natural fruit snack recipe made with 100% juice, honey, gelatin and fresh ginger.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Healthy

Keyword: fruit

Servings: 12 -24

Author: Lindsey Johnson

Cost: $12

Equipment

• whisk
• saucepan
• Candy mold or ice cube tray

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons gelatin powder
• 2/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

Instructions

• Combine lemon juice, honey, and ginger in a non-reactive saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the top. Whisk well.
  
• Place over medium heat. Whisk constantly as the mixture comes to a simmer. Let simmer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken and the gelatin dissolves. Once the gelatin is dissolved, the mixture will also be clear.
  
• Remove from heat and pour into an 8 by 8-inch square pan (lined with parchment) or candy molds.
  
• Let cool completely before cutting into squares or removing from the molds.
  

Notes

Alternatively, place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to speed up the cooling time.

Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Recipe adapted from Mommypotamus.