Homemade Fruit Snacks (with veggies!)
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These homemade fruit snacks are a real food version of a classic! They’re made with real fruit & vegetables, and zero corn syrup or food dyes.
We’ve all had classic fruit snacks! They come in a little plastic bag and are gummy-shaped like fruit, which feels like a healthier option. Of course, everything in moderation, but in reality, they’re made with artificial colors and corn syrup to give them the look and feel of real fruit, but are sadly over-processed.
Luckily, they can easily be made at home with real fruit and veggies, and without any of the added junk. They’re a great little treat for kids or kids at heart.
Why you’ll love these fruit snack gummies
- It’s made with real fruit and veggies! Who doesn’t love fruit snacks, but knows they are over-processed? These are made with real fruit and veggies!
- The shapes are so fun! I used fruit shaped molds, but you could really use any mold or just make in a glass container and slice them.
The ingredients
- Honey. This is the sweetener for the gummies!
- Gelatin. You can swap out gelatin for agar to keep the gummies vegan. See the recipe instructions for how to substitute.
- Strawberries, Beets, Mango, and Carrots. These are the combinations I used, but there are many others that would work like blueberries & beets or peaches & carrots.
The tools
- Food Processor or Blender. Either will work for this recipe.
- Fine Mesh Strainer. I highly recommend straining out the fibers for this recipe to make it as close to a real fruit snack as possible.
- Dropper. You can use a clean medicine dropper or a dropper sold specifically for gummies!
- Fruit Mold. You can either use a mold, or add the gummies to a glass container and slice them into squares.
How to make homemade fruit snacks
- Step One. Blend the fruit and vegetables and strain the juice.
- Step Two. Combine the juice with honey and sprinkle the gelatin overtop and allow to harden.
- Step Three. Heat on stove until fully liquid.
- Step Four. Use a dropper to carefully transfer liquid into a mold.
- Step Five. Transfer to fridge and allow to fully set before removing and enjoying!
Tips & Tricks
- Save the pulp! You won’t have a ton of pulp left over with this recipe, but save it to add to smoothies!
- You don’t need the mold. Obviously, the mold is nice to have, but you can also just use a glass container and slice the gummies into squares.
How to make this recipe vegan
If you want to swap out gelatin for agar, simply use the same ratio with fruit and vegetables, but three times less agar than you would gelatin. Agar is a lot stronger than gelatin, so you need to divide the amount of gelatin by three, and then you’ll have the amount of agar needed!
I wouldn’t use pectin in this recipe, as the actual method for making the recipe would be very different.
A note for toddlers
These gummies are a lot softer than storebought, so my son who is over 3 years old is fine with them. However, if you have toddlers, please use caution with gummies/small foods in general as they can be a choking hazard.
Different fruit and vegetable combination options
There are tons of different options for this recipe! All you need to do is use the same ratio of fruit to vegetables as written in the original recipe below, but you can do different flavor combinations like…
- Blueberries & beets
- Peaches & carrots
- Pineapple & carrots
- Green grapes & spinach
- etc!
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Homemade Fruit Snacks (with veggies!)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the strawberry beet fruit snacks
- 1 lb strawberries, chopped
- 1/3 cup beets, steamed and chopped
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp gelatin (see notes for vegan)
For the mango carrot fruit snacks
- 1 lb mango, chopped
- 1/3 cup carrots, steamed and chopped
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp gelatin (see notes for vegan)
Instructions
- Repeat the same method for both fruit and vegetable combinations above. Add the fruit and vegetables (strawberry and beet, or mango and carrot) to a blender or food processor. Blend until fully liquid. Using a fine mesh strainer set over a medium pot, strain out the juice using a silicone spatula to push down the pulp. You should have about 1 cup of the strawberry beet juice after straining, and about 1 1/3 cups of the mango and carrot juice (which will be much thicker).
- Pour the juice into a pot and add the honey. Stir well. Sprinkle the gelatin over the liquid and lightly mix. Allow to harden for 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the pot to the stove and heat over low heat for 3-4 minutes or until fully liquid.
- Use a dropper to carefully transfer the liquid into the mold. Alternatively, you can use a large glass container.
- Transfer to the fridge for 4-6 hours or until fully set. Carefully remove from the mold (or slice the gummies if using a large glass container) and serve chilled!
Notes
All nutritional facts are estimations and not exact.
How to make this recipe vegan. If you want to swap out gelatin for agar, simply use the same ratio with fruit and vegetables, but three times less agar than you would gelatin. Agar is a lot stronger than gelatin, so you need to divide the amount of gelatin by three, and then you’ll have the amount of agar needed! For example, the mango gummies will only need 1 tbsp of agar. I wouldn’t use pectin in this recipe, as the actual method for making the recipe would be very different.
A note for toddlers — These gummies are a lot softer than storebought, so my son who is over 3 years old is fine with them. However, if you have toddlers, please use caution with gummies/small foods in general as they can be a choking hazard.
- Prep Time: 30
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: fruit snacks
How long do these stay good for?
About 4 days in the fridge
How long did you steam the beats? Did you peel and chop them first or after?
It depends on the size, you just want them to be fork tender!
How would you recommend storing them!? Thank you!
In the fridge!
I tried the recipe, but when I took off the snack from the mold most of them got stuck in it. Is there any tip to simplify this process?
★★★★★
Hmm they may need more time to set!!
I make gummies and use coconut oil in the mold to help them not stick.
How long do these stay good for?
About 4 days in the fridge!
Will these last in a lunchbox for lunch?
You’ll likely need an ice pack depending on how long it’ll be in there
Hi! Do you think I could freeze them?! I have a million beets and carrots in my garden and need to use them up!
I’m not sure if it would hold up in the freezer but let me know if you try!
What’s the best way to store these snacks and how long would they last? Thank you
★★★★★
I would store in the fridge in an airtight glass container for up to 3 days.
What can we use to replace the honey? That isnt included in the vegan instructions
You should be able to use maple syrup!
I have a big issue with texture. I made these for the first time and threw them out. does using less gelatin work better? I plan to make peach and carrot
can I use frozen peaches? and how much gelatin? I like the texture of regular fruit snacks but def want to eat better!
TIA
You can try to add less gelatin but the overall texture will still be similar
hi what if I won’t cook the beets and carrots will it taste different?
Cooking draws out more moisture so it may throw it off a bit but it may work
Can you use frozen fruit or do they need to be fresh or thawed?
Frozen fruit is fine, but it needs to be thawed!
Can you freeze them for longer storage?
I’m not sure if it would hold up in the freezer but let me know if you try!
What would suggested as a sweetener so that vegans can eat them? Would maple be too strong a taste?
★★★
Maple syrup should work!
Hi, can I swap honey with xylitol? Store bought honey can be toxic if heated over 40 degrees Celsius. Thank you.
That should probably work
I’ve made these three times. The strawberry and mango are my toddler’s favorite. I do have a question. The first time I made them they were perfect. The second time there were still chunks of gelatin. I had to cut them out of a few of the molds. How can I avoid getting hard chunks of gelatin? I’ve cooked it on low and followed all the directions to the tee
★★★★★
You definitely want to make sure you cook it until there are no chunks… try whisking it until it breaks up!
Thank you for putting the cup measurement because I used half the amount of strawberries because that’s all I had and got 1 cup of liquid.
Hope you enjoyed the recipe!
I am vegan. Have you tried using maple syrup instead of honey?
I haven’t tried it, but think it should work!
Any suggestions for them sticking to the mold and falling apart really easy? I got some tiny molds and they just tear apart as soon as I try to take them out. The larger molds worked a bit better, but still stuck some. Did I not use enough gelatin? They sat overnight so I didn’t try to remove them too soon. Thanks!
Letting them sit longer and changing the mold are the first suggestions, but if neither is working you can set them in a parchment lined baking dish, which is a lot more likely to not stick.
I have tried making pinapple carrot twice and both times they did not set? Have you made pineapple ones before?
Hmm I haven’t… that’s odd. It may have been too much liquid?
If you add more gelatin, will it make the snacks firmer?
Yes!
I love this recipe. Has anyone else tried other flavours?
★★★★★