Looking for a healthy gummy snack? This recipe for Creamsicle Gummy Fruit Snacks is a healthy alternative to store bought fruit snacks.
I love eating gelatin goodies and I am particularly happy when I can get my picky eating three-year old to eat gelatin too! My daughter goes through stages where she doesn’t want to eat a lot of meat. Getting enough protein into her diet can be a challenge at times. Gelatin is a wonderful ingredient that this sneaky mama uses to ensure my kids consume a healthy amount of protein.
I’ve been playing around with this recipe for several months now, trying to perfect it. The first few batches were okay, but my kids wouldn’t eat them (fail). I added coconut milk to a few batches so these snacks would have a healthy balance of protein, fat and carbs. Adding vanilla and coconut cream to the recipe made a big difference in flavor and palatability of these snacks. The final product was a big WIN in our house!
Creamsicle gummy fruit snacks ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed juice (I tested with orange juice and cherry juice)
- 1/2 cup coconut cream or whole cream (I’ve linked to my favorite storebought brand; if you want to read the rationale, here’s how I found the best coconut cream to buy – you can also make your own coconut cream at home)
- 1 cup honey (or other natural sweeteners)
- 1/2 cup gelatin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla (you can buy here or make your own vanilla extract)
Also, if you have extra gelatin, try these awesome apple cider vinegar gummies!
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Creamsicle Gummy Fruit Snacks
Looking for a healthy gummy snack? This recipe for Creamsicle Gummy Fruit Snacks is a healthy alternative to store bought fruit snacks.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed juice (I tested with orange juice and cherry juice)
- 1/2 cup coconut cream or whole cream
- 1 cup honey (or other natural sweeteners)
- 1/2 cup gelatin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- Heat juice and cream over medium heat in a medium size saucepan.
- Pour gelatin over liquid. Whisk gelatin into mixture.
- Add honey and salt and continue to stir until the gelatin dissolves.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil, stirring constantly.
- Turn off heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour mixture into a 8×8 square pan.
- Cover pan and refrigerate until gummy snacks are set, about 4 hours.
- Cut into small square and store in air tight container.
These look amazing, guy! I appreciate you sharing! I’m eager to give them a try!
Any idea what the calorie, fat and protein counts would be for these?
Are these more of a jello or a really gummie consistency (like the gummie candies)?
it tastes like a mixture of both-but more of a gummy consistence
If you let the gelatin “bloom” in cold liquid first and add that to hot liquids you’ll have a much more harmonious outcome. It’s much like the same technique in using corn starch. You can make your own coconut milk with shredded coconut and warm water. Recipes abound online. Let it chill overnight and scoop off the cream the next day. WAY better than canned!
i’ve made these 4 times and me and my kids love them. however…i cannot get the gelatin to dissolve properly and end up with “hard spots” that we’ve all learned to eat around. what am i doing wrong?!
I end up with “hard spots” all of the time in my kitchen. I just pull out my handheld immersion blender while the food is still heating and quickly solve that problem. It also works great when making ice cream and some little egg pieces are causing me problems. My Cuisinart stainless steel immersion blender is definitely worth the $20 and it is quickly replaced when I burn out the motor.
Montmorency (sour) cherry juice and gelatin are both great at helping induce sleep, so I’d be careful when you eat these if you use cherry juice…but what a great before bed snack these would be!
I just made these and put them in the fridge. They were very simple, no hiccups in the process this time. A few weeks ago I made the strawberry lemon recipe posted here recently by a guest blogger. I used raspberries instead since I had them on hand. They were absolutely awful. I could barely choke them down, and my toddler wouldn’t touch them. I really hope these taste better cause I really hate to waste food, but that last batch had to go. .
These were SO GOOD. What a great use of gelatin! Creamsicles were my favorite, and I missed them so much. Not any more – these were spot on. FYI I reduced the vanilla to 1 tsp. because it seemed overwhelming the taste/smell in the liquid stage, but after I refrigerated them it ended up reducing to only a hint of vanilla, so next time I will use your original amount. Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe.
I used the Bernard Jensen grassfed gelatin.
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment 🙂
~ Tiffany
I want to rush out to the store to get these ingredients!!!
Why would you want your kids eating animal hooves/gelatin? How can that be healthy?
The best stocks use hooves/chicken feet. Read about the benefits of gelatin and you will understand.
I went ahead a few years back and called the Great Lakes company, hopefully this is still correct. They said that they use the gelatin that is from the hide of the animal. It is also from animals that are pasture-raised in South America. No hooves or bones were used in the making of their gelatin products.
I notice that the Great Lakes gelatin has a bit stronger of an odor than Knox does, but my grass-fed beef always smells stronger than conventional beef. I attribute it to what the cows are eating. It doesn’t make too much difference in the final product though, according to what I can taste.
FYI fellow foodies- do not use mango or pineapple juice. I made these with fresh pineapple juice, in an effort to get a pina colada flavor- the gelatin did not set at all; it remained liquid. After some research, I learned that mango and pineapple contain enzymes that prevent gelatin from firming.
wonder why these worked….want to try mango but not the juice, the pure—http://www.elanaspantry.com/gummy-bears/
Gelatin:
http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/product/bernard-jensen-gelatin/superfoods-supplements
Just made this. I used mango chunks puréed with the juice of one (organic) lemon. Since I used a purée instead of juice I wonder if its why they came out more like a stiff jello jiggler instead of a gummy. They were really good though my child found the cream made them a little too rich. I love them.
Mango has enzymes like pineapple and papaya, that don’t allow gelatin to set properly.
How would you change the fruit in these fruit snacks? I’d love to make some fresh pineapple snacks, strawberry, and maybe some blueberry…How can you change the fruit to get the proper consistency of the gummy fruits?
1/2 cup gelatin, is that dry or mixed already? : )
Dry powdered gelatin 🙂
Loved these! My first foray with gelatin (great lakes brand). Made the orange ones, using 1/2 c honey and a dropper of stevia (15-20 drops). Thanks so much for the recipe!
I have never made anything like this before. What type of consistency do they have? Thanks
Just saw answer above.
They are very firm and not like Jello. They do not ‘melt in your mouth’ like jello does, you know the way you can squish Jello into a mess in your mouth with your tongue? You cannot with these. I like to reduce the gelatin from 1/2 cup to a very full 1/3 of a cup in this recipe.
I’m so excited to make these!! Do they need to be stored in the refrigerator or just in an airtight container?
They soften and almost (but not quite) re-liquify if they are not refrigerated. They will also dry out quite quickly if they are not in a sealed container.
The Gelatin Link no longer works. What is the brand you use?
Hi you don’t have to boil the mixture if you use a bowl inside a saucepan of warming water over a gas – the gelatine dissolves slowly but you keep the vitamin C better
Do you HAVE to bring it to a boil? I’d rather keep the juice/cream raw.
These look so good! Do you think I could cut the recipe in half??
Thank you for your recipe! I am on a GAPS/SCD journey and am trying to get as much gelatin in as possible to help heal my organs. (I also hear there are some great cellulite-reducing side effects!) I make a great homemade bone broth, but sometimes I like to mix it up a bit.
Made these two days ago and I am pounding through them! A great snack between meals!
I had some full fat coconut milk left over from another recipe and so used that. I knew I would be eating a lot of them, and I’m really affected by sugar so I chose to cut down the honey to about 1/4 cup, they still taste great!
My next attempt will be to make these with a concentrated, homemade ginger tea instead of juice, can’t wait! My GI system is feeling settled and relaxed just thinking of it!
Thanks again for sharing!
That sounds delish! How do you make your ginger tea? i pulverize Ginger root and at it to Coconut sugar in a sealed container. then i scoop a tsp or so into hot water.
Oh man, these look so good! Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to try them!
This looks delicious! Will have to try.
I don’t like thing real sweet and wondering it these would turn out ok with about half the honey?
You can taste it before you pour it into the pan. You can start off with less and add until it suits your taste 🙂
Can you substitute Agar Agar instead of the gelatin? Gelatin is not Vegan friendly.
I’m not sure. I don’t use agar agar.
Mine tasted great but they looked layered–clear gelatin on the bottom and the top was solid like yours. Any suggestions as to what I did wrong?
Mine separated as well. 🙁
Hmm. I’m not sure why they would separate…
To stop these from separating, you have to leave the liquid in the pot until it cools a bit, stirring every few minutes. Then pour them into the pan or mold and refrigerate.
I’m not sure! I haven’t had that happen before. 🙁
So is the “coconut cream” you listed actually coconut milk? Could you use melted coconut oil in place of that? Thanks!
No, do not use coconut oil. Use coconut milk, cream on top of coconut milk, milk or whole cream.
Do you know if this would work with agar agar flakes?
Do you make your own coconut cream?
Do you know how I can sub pectin for the gelatin?
I just used the cream on top of canned coconut milk.
Where do you get your gelatin?? Is it organic or grass fed?
Yes, it is grass fed. You can find it here – http://villagegreennetwork.com/marketplace/supplements-superfoods/?pid=62
Where do you get your gelatin?? Is it organic or grass fed?
These look fantastic!
Love some of your recipes, but as far as using Gelatine to get Protein in your diet….thats way off. Do you know whats in Gelatin? There are a plethora of other alternatives to make sure your children get Protein from Natural Organic Whole Foods.
Gelatine is the Hot Dog/Baloney of the additive world.
Gelatin is a very nutritious supplement! I suggest you read the following articles/
Gelatin, stress, longevity – http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/gelatin.shtml
Gelatin: A Healthy Protein Powder – http://www.foodrenegade.com/gelatin-healthy-protein-powder/
Why Broth is Beautiful: Essential Roles for Proline, Glycine and Gelatin – http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/why-broth-is-beautiful?qh=YTo0OntpOjA7czo3OiJnZWxhdGluIjtpOjE7czo4OiJnZWxhdGluZSI7aToyO3M6OToiZ2VsYXRpbidzIjtpOjM7czoxMDoiZ2VsYXRpbm91cyI7fQ%3D%3D
JWAS, gelatin such as Great Lakes beef gelatin is actually used a dietary supplement and has several benefits. It is not the same as the Knox gelatin.
I just made this using 10g of glucomannan instead of gelatin and I’m pretty pleased. 🙂
Ok, how do I make coconut cream?? I have made coconut butter… but I don’t know how to make the cream.
Coconut Cream is the cream on top of canned coconut milk.
coconut butter and coconut cream concentrate are the same thing. it is coconut oil with the raw flesh mixed in. it is a raw coconut butter, similar consistency to a nut butter.
if you put a can of Coconut Milk in the fridge to chill the separated layer on top is the cream.
Coconut Butter is just pulverized Coconut into a paste. I use this to make coconut milk sometimes, just add a bit of water..
Do you think Agar Agar flakes would work in place of the gelatin? Maybe if you pulse it first to break it up?
I have never used agar agar. I can’t say if it will work or not =/
This looks wonderful. Thanks! I just used up my coconut cream from Tropical Traditions – do you think the thick coconut milk from Thai Kitchen cans work?
Yes, that is what I used.
I recently made some fruit snacks like this with some similar ingredients but they turned out to be more like jello and I’m not a big fan. What is the consistency of these?
These are not like jello. They are firm and squishy. 🙂
What if you don’t have cream on hand, what can you substitute?
I used coconut cream (the cream on top of canned coconut milk), If you don’t have either, you can use coconut milk or more juice. 🙂
Great! I have coconut milk on hand!
can you substitute coconut cream concentrate?
I don’t think that would work =/
Can you please explain what “1/2 cup gelatin” means? I have gelatin packages, but that usually gets sprinkled on a liquid and added to a recipe. So I’m not sure how to make 1/2 C gelatin…?
Hi Tamara,
I don’t use the packets of gelatin. I buy gelatin in large, 1 lb bottles. You will have to open a lot of packets and pour them into a 1/2 measuring cup. If you click on the word, “gelatin” in the recipe you will see what type of gelatin I am using. 🙂
Thanks for the info. Just to clarify – the gelatin you use is a powder…not already in liquid/semi-solid state, right?
Yes, it is powder 🙂
FYI – I just did it with knox packets (only option i had available), and it took 12 packets for a 1/2 cup.
Would these need to be stored in the fridge? Also, how long would they ‘keep’?
Yes, I store these in the fridge. They keep for two weeks.
Are they vegan