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Homemade Gelatin and Gummy Recipe Round-Up: Healthy Snacks for Kids

One of the greatest joys of my kitchen is watching my kids devour and truly enjoy real, nourishing food, especially when it’s not particularly kid-friendly in most people’s eyes.

I’m proud of them for being counter-cultural.

The second best kitchen moments in the Kitchen Stewardship® household?

Successfully making fun food that looks like other kids’ food but is devoid of synthetics and evil ingredients and watching my kids enjoy that.

It’s good for them to feel normal sometimes, too. These healthy snack recipes all make great additions to the lunchbox.

RELATED: Recipies for kids!

Why Homemade Gelatin Snacks?

Jello has always been one of those enigmas in the junk food world. Somehow it got a reputation for itself that it’s part of a normal meal, a side dish instead of a dessert – even though it’s ultimately jiggly sugar water with artificial flavors and colors and as close to candy as anything else,

It’s still dessert in my book – unless I make it myself.

Then it’s the best way I know of to help my kids consume gelatin (use the coupon KS10 for 10% off!), which is as close to a health supplement for joints and immunity as anything else. Homemade jello and fruit snacks are wayyyyy better than cajoling and begging, “Just drink your broth. It’s an important part of the soup!”

Perfect Supplements gelatin makes our homemade snacks not only fun but healthy – the cattle from which the gelatin and collagen (use the coupon KS10 for 10% off!)are sourced are raised on pasture, no grain finishing at all. Gelatin is a huge boost for hair, skin, nail and joint health – you won’t get that in a box of powder.

And it’s virtually odorless and tasteless, so no – your homemade gelatin squares won’t taste like beef.

Don’t bother spending your cents on boxed gelatin with sugar, sugar and more sugar. You don’t need it.

Here are 5 healthy gelatin recipes to make jello, jigglers, and gummy snacks. These recipes are perfect for little kids to help cook with. Older kids can help with the stove work.

Healthy Snack: Homemade Gigglers with 100% Fruit Juice

homemade gelatin squares

The first time I tried this technique, I thought I must have missed a step.

Not because it didn’t work, but because it was SO easy that I kind of can’t believe people pay for JELL-O in boxes.

Making homemade gelatin, either to eat with a spoon or to pick up with your hands, only has two ingredients and 5 steps. Get the homemade gelatin squares recipe with step-by-step photos here.

Watch the video HERE to see how to make these delicious gelatin squares!

Your kids can learn to cook, even if you don’t know where to start

My 4 kids and I created the online Kids Cook Real Food lessons to help bring real food and independence to families all over. Over 10,000 kids have joined us and we’d love to invite you along for the adventure!

Kids watching a cooking lesson at a kitchen island

I’m so pleased to offer a little gift from our family to yours, a knife skills lesson as a free preview of the full cooking eCourse!

Homemade Fruit Snacks with Real Fruit

blueberry fruit gummies

Don’t even get me started on the term “fruit snacks” when there’s not any fruit involved.

You can guess what I think about those sugar-filled candies being served as snacks.

On the other hand, these homemade fruit gummies have two healthy ingredients: real fruit and gelatin.

These don’t really have the same properties as a fruit snack or gummy candy, and they’re not shelf-stable.

But they’re fun, yummy – and actually made of fruit! Check out the recipe for fruit gummies made with real fruit here.

Immune Boosting Vitamin C Herbal Gummies

homemade vitamin C gummies

Conventional vitamins, gummy and regular, both contain loads of yucky ingredients like corn syrup, “natural flavors,” and refined sugar.

These gummies combine orange peel, hibiscus, and rosehips which are all very high in vitamin C. Did you know vitamin C is required for the biosynthesis of collagen? That’s perfect since we’re pairing it with this gelatin!

Get the recipe for immune boosting gummies here, or check out our recipe for elderberry gummies.

The Healthy Lunch Box - packed with lunch ideas to go!
 

Packing healthy lunches when you’re short on time and out of bread is mind-boggling. Is there such a thing as a lunch without a sandwich? Is it possible for it to be healthy too?

The Healthy Lunch Box: Sandwich-free Secrets to Packing a Real Food Lunch is loaded with strategies to streamline your packing process, stock your pantry with emergency backups for your backups, and send healthy, delicious food in the lunch box, no matter how old your eater is. Read more and start packing healthier, processed-free lunches today.

Chocolate Gummy Heart Snacks

chocolate gummy hearts

Wait, what? Chocolate gummies? Sounds weird right? These gummies include cocoa powder and coconut milk to make creamy, gummy chocolate treats. These are perfect for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.

Boost the nutrition of your chocolate fix with the recipe for chocolate gummies in this post (down at the bottom).

“Candy Corn” Gummy Squares

candy corn gelatin squares

Candy corn finger jello is the perfect way to get into the Halloween festivities without sacrificing nutrition.

It has bright, fall colors and a burst of flavor. Plus it can still be eaten with your fingers.

Make candy corn gummy squares here.

Do you make homemade gelatin snacks?

More Lunchbox Idea Posts:

Unless otherwise credited, photos are owned by the author or used with a license from Canva or Deposit Photos.

26 thoughts on “Homemade Gelatin and Gummy Recipe Round-Up: Healthy Snacks for Kids”

    1. Hi Karen (and Bridgette),
      It’s not like a supplement, where there’s a serving size per se. Basically gelatin is going to be good for you, no matter what. The more, the better, but there’s no min or max. The gelatin container says 1-2 scoops per day as a “serving” so I would say that’s a serving size. 17g of protein. So that’s about 1/3 of the entire batch!

      Again, it’s less about getting the right amount as it is having something that is healthy to eat vs. not healthy (regular fruit snacks). 🙂 Katie

  1. I’m confused about what the difference is between DIY jello cups and gelatin squares. I want to make “jello” and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes with cookie cutters for my sons birthday party. Would I use 2 T or 1/3 C plus 1 T of gelatin? Thanks

  2. Ah, I was hoping you’d have a coupon! Hooray! I’m planning to give this a run with the elderberry syrup I make from the old naturally knocked up recipe. 🙂

    PS, next time you talk to your Redmond Clay person (real salt person?), tell them I wish Earthpaste had the same flip top lid that the clay does, and that I hope they come out with refills for the foaming soap.

    Hope you are well!

    1. That’s an awesome idea – like gummy immune boosting vitamins or something! Earthpaste used to have the flip top lid…but I think it clogged up too much maybe? I always end up screwing mine off (I had a ton of the old style). So I think they made the switch on purpose! You are not the only one in line for refills (it’s on their list…along with unscented). 🙂 Katie

      1. Any reason to not mix it all right in the glass 8×8? Hope not, ’cause I just did. BUT I also put the gelatin in the cold juice and went to change a dirty diaper… Whoops. I used my stick blender to get the chunks I couldn’t whisk out, which made it really foamy. I spooned that off. I also added more juice concentrate, in part because it smelled really weird. I’m interested to see how it looks in the morning!

          1. Of course it worked fine. I was surprised how much the foam set up though! I’m thankful I didn’t send it down the drain, not sure that would’ve ended well. (I may or may not have left the foam in the measuring cup sitting in the sink overnight.) And also of course, the chunks blended in really well. I did find out that my kids don’t particularly care for jello. It was a nice try …

  3. One more question…what about frozen blueberries in the Blueberry Real Fruit Gellies Recipe? Trying this today with fresh berries because I happen to have them on hand, but am wondering for future reference. 🙂

  4. Gail @ Rese Activewear

    These look so good. Thanks for sharing this. I will eat these along with the kids. Love this type of snack and appreciate the healthy option.

  5. Thanks for including three recipes! Can’t wait to try the one with real fruit. Question: have you or any of your readers tried this with Great Lakes gelatin?

  6. Missy Wainman

    I just ordered some Vital Proteins gelatin today JUST so I can make these! How easy could this be?! My husband also suffers from shoulder joint pain – could using the gelatin help it? He loves drinking my homemade bone broth, could I just add extra gelatin in that? Thanks!

      1. Missy Wainman

        Made the gummies today – so fun! Just curious though if there’s any way to increase the fruit flavor? Yes, we are products of the commercial gummies with all the nasty ingredients that make them taste good. My oldest likes the gummies but my younger doesn’t. Any ideas on how to make them taste more grape-y? Thanks!

        1. Missy,
          I bet you could cook the grape juice longer without a lid until it boiled down a little, like a concentrate – or just buy a concentrated juice and only add half the water called for? I’d love to hear if those work! With the real fruit one, a bit of honey helps. 🙂 Katie

  7. Should this be the last step?
    6. Store in the refrigerator, NOT at room temp like purchased “gummy” snacks.

    1. Good question!

      The “finger jello” does ok at room temp for quite some time. The “gellies” are a little more fragile I guess, but they wouldn’t melt…they might just lose shape and become difficult to pick up, depending on how hot it got. If you have a cooler for a picnic lunch, that wouldn’t be a problem at all.
      Enjoy! 🙂 Katie

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