Making Homemade Valentine’s Day Gummies (Toddler Gelatin Candy) is easy! With only a few ingredients, you can make a fun, healthy snack that your kids will love this Valentine’s Day!
These homemade gummies are naturally made without adding waxes, preservatives, or artificial colors. It does not have the same texture as store-bought real gummies; however, they are still squishy and tasty, and my kids love them!
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Table of Contents
Reasons to Love These Homemade Heart-Shaped Gummies for Kids
- Naturally sweetened: This recipe is sweetened with apple juice and maple syrup.
- Natural ingredients: This recipe is made with real fruit and veggies and does not use processed or artificial dyes, additives, or food coloring like those used in the Jello mix!
- Easy: This recipe uses ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
- Customizable: You can use the same fruit/veggie/juice ratio to create different flavors. Use your choice of sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or regular sugar)
- Bonding activity: You can turn this recipe into a fun project to make with your little chef!
Ingredients
Here is what you need to make these healthy homemade gummies:
- Strawberries: to achieve the red color desired and for some tangy flavor.
- Beets: Cooked beets are combined with strawberries to achieve a bright red color and add nutrition to the gummies.
- Apple Juice: I chose to use apple juice as it is one of the juices you quickly find without any added sugars, and it adds the perfect sweetness to the mix.
- Maple Syrup: The primary source of sweetness for these homemade gummies. After blending, you can taste the mixture and adjust as needed.
- Unflavored Gelatin Powder: Add the gummy texture to the recipe when cooled. Make sure to add plain, unflavored gelatin.
Step by Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to make your gummy hearts:
- Add the strawberries, cooked beets, maple syrup, and apple juice to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Transfer the fruit puree to a small bowl and add the unflavored gelatin. Mix and let it “bloom” for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the gelatin mixture to a saucepan over low heat and whisk until dissolved (do not boil).
- Place the silicone mold on a baking tray and transfer the gelatin mixture.
- Refrigerate for two hours until firm, unmold, and enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Make sure to blend the mixture well; no chunks should be left! I love using ninja blender because it is powerful and blends very well.
- You can taste the sweetness of the mixture after blending and adjust if necessary.
- Before filling the silicone mold, place it on a tray to facilitate moving it. This step is critical as the mixture is liquid, and the molds are silicon, so they won’t hold their shape when filled. If not using a tray, you may fill the mold and wait about 15 minutes until the gummy mixture sets a bit, then move them to the refrigerator.
- You can use a dropper or small spoon to transfer the gummy mixture to the silicone mold. I find using a soon easier as the mixture is thick, and the dropper creates too many bubbles.
- These silicone molds make perfect-sized gummies and are very easy to unmold!
- These gummies do not have the same texture as store-bought ones, as they are naturally made without waxes. But they are delicious and more jelly-like in texture.
Tools Needed
Storage Instructions
Once refrigerated and removed from the gummy molds, you can follow the instructions below:
- Room Temperature: You can keep these gummies at room temperature for 1-2 days in an airtight container. They hold up their shape well if you desire to add these to lunchboxes.
- Fridge: Store for up to 7 days.
- Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing these gummies.
Serving Suggestions and Substitutions
You can serve these as a snack or add them to lunchboxes as a special treat!
You may substitute apple juice with grape, cranberry, or another sugar-free juice alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use natural fruit and vegetable juices and purees instead of artificial flavorings and colors from store-bought gummies.
You will need a good silicone mold to shape your gummies, a dropper or small teaspoon to fill the molds, unflavored gelatin, and fruit juice.
These gummy hearts are homemade and wax-free, making them more jelly-like in texture but firmer.
No, you don’t have to! This recipe popped out perfectly from these gummy molds without any additional measures. Just make sure the mold is thoroughly cleaned and dried.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Healthy Beet Muffins for Babies
- Perfect Pink Beetroot Pancakes (for Babies and Toddlers)
- Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Danishes
- Healthy Strawberry Banana Oatmeal for Babies
- Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies
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🥣Recipe
Homemade Valentine’s Day Gummies (Toddler Gelatin Candy)
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1/4 cup beets cooked
- 1/3 cup apple juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp unflavored gelatin
Instructions
- Add the strawberries, cooked beets, maple syrup, and apple juice to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Transfer the fruit puree to a small bowl and add the unflavored gelatin. Mix and let it "bloom" for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the gelatin mixture to a saucepan over low heat and whisk until dissolved (do not boil).
- Place the silicone mold on a baking tray and transfer the gelatin mixture.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours until firm, unmold, and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to blend the mixture very well; no chunks should be left! I love using ninja blender because it is powerful and blends very well.
- You can taste the sweetness of the mixture after blending and adjust if necessary.
- Before filling the silicone mold, place it on a tray to facilitate moving it. This step is critical as the mixture is liquid, and the molds are silicon, so they won’t hold their shape when filled. If not using a tray, you may fill the mold and wait about 15 minutes until the gummy bear mixture sets a bit, then move them to the refrigerator.
- Use a dropper or small spoon to transfer the gummy mixture to the silicone mold. Using a small spoon is easier as the mixture is thick, and the dropper creates too many bubbles.
- These molds make perfect-sized gummy bears (not too small), and it is very easy to unmold!
- These gummies do not have the same texture as store-bought ones as they are naturally made without waxes or corn syrup. But they are delicious and more jelly-like in texture.
Nutrition
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