An easy gummy candy recipe made with gelatin and juice!
I love this easy gummy recipe. Made with any kind of juice or drink, gelatin and some corn syrup. These gummies are soft, chewy and work great as accents on a cake or as treats at a party!
Gummy Recipe Using Corn Syrup
One of the things that makes this gummy recipe so stable is the corn syrup. Corn syrup gives the gummy body and that chew without adding a lot of water. This results in a gummy that can be left out at room temperature without fear of any shrinkage.
Corn syrup in your gummy recipe will also make it nice and sweet! In this recipe, I use flavored drink as my base so I don't have to go out and buy special candy flavoring (another complaint of the original recipe). Even though most drinks are already pretty sweet, the addition of the corn syrup and sugar is a must.
What Do You Need To Make A Gummy Recipe
All you need to make some perfectly yummy gummies is some flavored drink (I like things like fruit juice or Gatorade because they have lots of flavors). Gelatin (or agar agar if you don't want to use gelatin). Corn syrup (or golden syrup), granulated sugar and citric acid (can be found in the canning section at the grocery store in most places). A little candy flavoring oil (in the baking section) to intensify flavors.
If you want clear gummies then use a drink that is flavored but already clear and preferably not bubbly or you'll get lots of foam when you mix your ingredients together.
How to make homemade gummies
This gummy recipe is a great basic recipe to have on hand. You can use any flavored liquid you like whether it's juice, fruit puree or even wine. It's super easy to make. No special heating required.
- Just combine your sugar, gelatin and citric acid in a heatproof container. Add in your flavored liquid and stir gently. Try not to incorporate any air. I like to use a fruit juice for my liquid but other things like gatorade will also work. You can also add in 1-2 drops candy flavoring to intensify the flavor. Experiment and have fun!
- Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so that your gelatin has time to absorb the liquid and properly bloom. If you rush this bit your gummies could potentially lose some of their stability and not be firm enough.
- Melt your mixture slowly, I prefer the microwave. I start with 30 seconds, stir, 15 seconds and stir again and so on until the mixture is fully melted.
- Add in your corn syrup and citric acid and stir. The citric acid is also super important, it adds that yummy "bite" that you taste in most gummy candies. If you leave it out your candy will just taste kinda blah.
- You will notice the liquid is cloudy at first. Let it sit for 10 minutes until it's clear and all the foam has risen to the top. You should be able to scoop the foam off the surface. Don't skip this part or you'll have white foam messing up your pretty jewels.
- Once you've skimmed the foam you can pour the mixture into your molds. You can use any type of mold but I found these beautiful gem molds at Target and this other one from Nerdy Nummies at Michaels. I sprayed the molds with a nice coat of coconut oil and wiped out the excess to prevent sticking.
- They cure pretty quickly, about 1 hour is all you need. You can remove the gems from the molds and put them on some plastic wrap to further dry out over the next couple of days. They will get chewier and more gummy like with time, or you can eat them as is.
- Once the candies are where you want them to be, you can store them in a plastic zip lock container to enjoy as you like.
How Do You Keep Homemade Gummies From Sticking Together?
The thing about sugar is it's pretty sticky. It likes to stick to itself and everything else. If you lightly dust your gummies with some corn starch and shake them in a bag it can keep them from sticking.
I don't love this technique because it takes away the pretty shine. I prefer to spray my gummies with a little more coconut oil. It doesn't affect the taste and keeps them nice and shiny.
Gummy Recipe Without Using Gelatin
Not everyone can or wants to eat gelatin since it is animal based. Agar is the perfect substitute to traditional gelatin. It's made from a plant source rather than from an animal one. That makes it suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets, and other diet restrictions.
Just don't expect the same results when replacing gelatin with agar in a recipe. Agar agar is stronger than gelatin so you'll need to use a little less. Start with half and see where that get's you. Agar is a bit more firm than gelatin as well and not quite as chewy but still is a great alternative.
How to use Agar Agar In A Gummy Recipe
Follow the instructions on the container but just remember, you have to dissolve the agar agar in liquid before adding it to your other liquid, just as you would with gelatin. You need to actually boil the liquid mixture to dissolve the agar and then add it to your other mixture to get it to set.
How To Make Clear Gummy Diamonds
To make clear gummy diamonds, I used some propel flavored sports drink that was already clear. I added in my gelatin, sugar, citric acid and corn syrup to make my gummy mixture. This mixture tends to be a little yellow-ish which can be slightly counter-acted by adding a small touch (like a speck) of violet food color.
Strain the mixture through some cheese cloth to remove any leftover impurities. Pour your mixture into some gem molds. I had a leftover silicone diamond mold that I used for isomalt gems that works really well for this.
One little tip for removing the gems is to pull away the top edge and loosen the gem first before popping it out of the mold. Let them dry out a couple of days as usual. You can also use a wine like Rose to make gummy gems.
How To Make Glitter Gummies
If you want to add a little extra sparkle to your gummies you can add 1 teaspoon of edible glitter to your gummy mixture. I love using flash dust from Never Forgotton Designs. Just make sure whatever you use is really edible glitter and not just non-toxic since these gummies are meant for eating and you can't eat around glitter imbedded in the gummy.
Recipe
Ingredients
Homemade Gummy Candy Ingredients
- 1.75 oz granulated sugar
- 3 packages unflavored powdered gelatin 21 grams
- ¼ teaspoon citric acid
- 3 oz corn syrup
- 2.5 oz flavored liquid of choice like juice or water if you want unflavored
- 1-2 drops candy flavoring for a more intense flavor
Instructions
Homemade Gummy Candy Instructions
- Combine granulated sugar, gelatin, and flavored liquid in a heat proof container. Stir gently to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes to give your gelatin time to bloom.
- Microwave for 30 seconds, stir gently. Microwave again for 15 seconds and stir. If mixture is not melted, continue in 5 second increments until melted. When you don't see any grains of gelatin, it's melted properly. Do not incorporate air.
- Add in the corn syrup and citric acid and candy flavoring. Stir gently to combine.
- Let mixture sit for 10 minutes and allow mixture to clear and foam to collect at the top. After 10 minutes the foam should be able to be easily scooped off the surface with a spoon.
- Spray your molds lightly with some coconut oil and wipe out the excess. Pour your mixture into your molds.
- Let your molded mixture chill for at least an hour before removing.
- Your gummies will be slightly soft at first. Let them dry out at room temperature for 1-3 days. Rotate once a day to dehydrate evenly. They get chewier over time.
- Once your gummies are at the desired consistency you can bag them up in a ziplock to enjoy later.
Nutrition
Ali says
I'm having a problem with mold. I tried getting rid of the sugar because I am trying to limit my sugar intake, but then the gummies mold after 3-4 days. Any suggestions for shelf stable, sugar free gummies?
Elizabeth Marek says
Sugar is important to the recipe because it is also a preservative. Unfortunately, I cannot see how you could make a stable gummy without any sugar. Maybe experiment with a sugar substitute like swerve but I dont know if it will work the same way.
Mia says
So I made the recipe and it said to let it sit for ten minutes and after the ten minutes was over I checked it and it was solidified why did that happen?
Elizabeth Marek says
Just colder in your kitchen than in mine. All you have to do is re-melt it for 10 seconds or so.
JW says
This was my third attempted recipe at gummy dinosaurs, and by FAR the best. (Also the only one that didn't come out tasting like gelatin 🤮). Is there a way to cover up the smell of the gelatin? Or am I just overly sensitive to it?
Tatjana m says
Hi! I'm making the beer and Steak cake recipe and now I need to do the beer gummy. Unfortunately the first attempt was a failure. there was no foam after it rested 10 minutes and it already was super thick. I remelted it but was not able to spread it evenly. Is it possible to use glucose instead of corn syrup? In my Country this is hard to get.
Elizabeth Marek says
It could be that the gelatin you used was stronger than the brand I used in which case you'll need to make adjustments to suit the ingredients you have. Glucose should work just as well.
Mex says
Thank you so much 🙂
hannah says
could i use a pineapple mold for this recipe???
Elizabeth Marek says
Yep! You can use any kind of mold you like
Jake Thoemmes says
Followed the recipe to the T and came out as a thick flavored liquid.
Elizabeth Marek says
Sounds like your liquid got a little cold and started to set up which is normal. You can just re-warm it in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it more liquid again and pour it into the molds and chill in the fridge to fully set up.
Megan says
Hello! I am very excited to try this recipe! Is it possible to use strawberry puree for the liquid?
Elizabeth Marek says
Definitely! Just make sure you keep them refrigerated because of the fresh fruit 🙂
Jessica says
When you state to leave them out to dry for a few days do you mean completely uncovered? Or in a container on the counter room temp? Thank you!
Elizabeth Marek says
Completely uncovered
Heather Green says
Are you spraying with coconut oil after the corn starch process?
Elizabeth Marek says
Its just to prevent sticking and to make them shiny after they are fully set
Sierra says
Could I use flavored jello packets and water as my liquid to get the flavor I want? Or will the flavor be too strong?
Elizabeth Marek says
You can definitely use Jell-O but remember that Jell-O already has gelatin in it so you might want to reduce the gelatin a little 🙂
Chris says
I followed the instructions exactly, using the metric units and a scale for everything. By the end of the 10 minute rest after everything was mixed, the mass was already so congealed in my mixing bowl that there was no way it was ever going to "pour" into anything. I managed to use a silicone spatula to separate it from the bowl and turned it out onto some waxed paper. I used a knife to cut it into bit size pieces and set it out (at room temperature) to dry. After an hour it is already pretty easy to handle. I used apple juice and some apple pie candy flavoring. The flavor is nice but 3-4 drops would probably have been better. I'm not sure if I will try this again, but if I do I will have to play with the liquid amounts or just skip the last 10 minute wait and fill the mold while the mixture is warm enough to actually pour.
The Sugar Geek Show says
So sorry for your frustration, in the blog post I mention that all you have to do is warm the mixture up a bit to make it pourable again if it starts to set :).
B.R. says
How long will the finished product last? Can I make the clear ones a week or two in advance and use them for ice cubes on a sculpted cake. I'm looking for an alternative to isomalt since I've never worked with it before. This recipe seems to be the perfect alternative if it really lasts a long time. Thanks for this tutorial.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes it will definitely last that long 🙂
Marie says
This recipe sounds like it fits the bill, I want to make gummies with apple cider vinegar, can I add this to the recipe and do you know if it will set up. Thanks
The Sugar Geek Show says
As long as it's a small amount I don't see why not 🙂
Kay Pea says
Hello! I would love to try this recipe. Just wondering if all of the measurements are in weight ounces, or are some in fluid ounces?
Thanks in advance!
The Sugar Geek Show says
All the measurements are by weight.