As a mom of a three-year-old (and another little one on the way!), I’m always looking for fun new activities to do with my son. It’s a win-win when it’s something we can eat AND isn’t loaded with sugar or a bunch of junk!
My son has encountered fruit snacks here and there from others who have offered him some, but we don’t keep them in our home. I don’t like the prospect of sticky sugary stuff adhering to his teeth, plus all the artificial food coloring.
When I was looking into making homemade marshmallows with gelatin, I realized I could probably make homemade gummies with gelatin, too! A quick internet search proved that was more than accurate and super doable for my child to participate in, too.
Snacks like marshmallows, gummies and jello all use gelatin to provide their jiggly, squishy texture. Gelatin traditionally comes from animals, and is extracted within the skin, tendons and bones. It’s mostly protein and it’s one of the super beneficial components of a well-made bone broth! Besides offering a good protein boost, gelatin is high in glycine, which supports, bone, skin and brain health. Now you can see how using high quality gelatin in your own homemade snacks could make them a little bit healthier than their store-bought counterparts.
I decided to go with Great Lakes grass-fed beef gelatin, since it comes from grass-fed cows and a reputable company. Gelatin is tasteless – so don’t worry about that part!
I also bought these BPA-free silicone gummy molds with droppers. I let my son pick out which animal design he wanted and when they arrived, he was so excited to try it all out! I’m not a huge fan of silicone products, but this product seemed like a pretty good, less toxic option. I think I am going to purchase my own glass droppers next because I’d prefer to avoid plastic as well, especially with warm liquids.
Great Lakes happens to have a recipe for gummies on their website, so that’s what we used. All you need is fruit juice of your choice and the gelatin and that’s it!
It couldn’t be easier! Plus, it results in a slightly sweet snack that you can feel good about your children eating (and you). We’ve tried with pomegranate juice and orange juice so far. My son wants to try with chocolate milk next, which we might do, but I worry it’ll be too thick once the gelatin is added. I’ll update this post once we find out!
Want to stay in the loop and get more ideas like this?
I do plan to make marshmallows soon and am excited to share how that goes. My son LOVES marshmallows and I think it will be fun to make our own and be able to use better ingredients.
Happy Gummy Making!
Brianna
This post contains affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the links, at no additional cost to you. We only partner with brands or share products that we know, love and trust. When you purchase using one of our affiliate links, it supports Go Live Abundance (at no cost to you!) and allows us to be able to continue bringing helpful content like this to you and others!
