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.
For a stunning plant-based option, check out this kohakutou crystal candy recipe that crystallizes into beautiful jewel-like shapes.
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
Tiffany says
I have tried gummies a few times and they seem to melt once they are outside or in my purse. Will any of these recipes hold up better? I am not sure what could be used to prevent this. Any suggestions would be great.
The Sugar Geek Show says
To make these really stable, let them dry at room temperature for a few days. This allows the water in the recipe to evaporate and leaves behind the corn syrup, gelatin and flavoring. Flip them over every day so they dry evenly.
Paige says
Hi and thanks for all the great tutorials! A little confusion with the "Jell-O" recipes: 1st written recipe : 1/2 C. cold water, but the video that immediately follows shows you using corn syrup. The next "Jell-O" recipe written includes a little less Jell-O, 1/4 C. corn syrup and 1/3 C. flavored liquid. Are they supposed to be all different versions for different purposes? It seems like they're all titled "Gummy Recipes Using Jell-O" .
Thanks so much; you're awesome
The Sugar Geek Show says
You're right, that is super confusing. I deleted the info on the Jell-o gummies, i'll put that info into a separate post. I hope that helps you!
Sherry says
Can you use coconut oil for the 1/3cup of liquid, or does it need to be juice
The Sugar Geek Show says
Hmmm well coconut oil isn't really a liquid, it's more of a wax. I'm not sure it would work the same as a liquid.
Gen says
Add your coconut oil to the mixture without changing the rest and it will work just fine!
You should get some guar gum tho, let's say 1/2 teaspoon that you will sprinkle evenly over your gummy mixture, just let it sit for a minute and add your coconut oil after. The Guar Gum will help oil to bind with the rest. You will need a handmixer to emulsify well or your mixture just wont mix together
Nanette Ramahi says
I need a sugar free version if I substitute sugar free jello and leave out the corn syrup will it still work? Maybe have to be refrigerated?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Sorry I don't know about that one. Maybe replace sugar with swerve and corn syrup with agave?
Crystal D Pritchard says
Can I use champagne as my liquid?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes but it might be pretty foamy 🙂
The says
I add more gelatin initially so not to have to wait for them to cure, but spot on other than that. What is the reason for wanting to keep air out of the mix? Also, it's my understanding that the citric acid is for shelf stability, not flavor. Are there any other elements you know of to promote preservation? Thanks!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Citric acid is very sour tasting so it is for flavor. It gives the flavor a "bite". The air produces foam which does not go away and ruins the appearance of the gummy. You have to scoop the foam off and wait for it all to raise to the surface. The gummies are self-preserving since they are mostly sugar.
Low Sharon says
Can i put it in the fridge for them to dry out instead of the open air that takes longer time. If i spray more coconut oil they wont be sticking together right?
The Sugar Geek Show says
They will dry faster at room temperature, the dryer they get the less sticky they are
Julia Collins says
Hi! For the shelf stable Gummy recipe, will you clarify how long to let the gummies dry at room temperature and how to rotate them, and how many days of rotating them? I'm not sure what you mean by rotate.
The Sugar Geek Show says
I mean flip them over 🙂 The longer they are left out, the dryer they will become. I left mine out for two days
Jenn says
Where did you find the jolly rancher jello? I can only find jolly rancher gelatin
The Sugar Geek Show says
At wal-mart, any flavor will do though 🙂
Charise Pavlou says
Would I be able to use these on a wedding cake as I need to make BLACK ONYX type embellishments?
and if so how would I attach them to the fondant.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can, just attach with some buttercream
Lauren says
I'm not sure why but mine came out and amber color. It was way too sour for my taste but it work structurally.
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can leave out the citric acid if you don't like that tart taste 😀
Tiffany Gibson says
What temperature would be best for the dehydrator.
The Sugar Geek Show says
I don't use a dehydrator 🙂
Bella Brown says
I will definiately be trying this out, I know some little people who just love gummies, I do too, so thank you for this recipe. I would like to also say a huge thank to you for you Mermaid tutorial, it has proved to be a huge sucess with one of those aformentioned little people. Last Monday was her 9th birthday, she wanted a swimfin and really really wanted a mermaid cake. So I made the cake, covered it in fondant and my other half made the mermaid. He hates making cake, but did a great job of making a mermaid for the first. So thank you very very much.
Bella
The Sugar Geek Show says
yay I'm so glad to hear it! I'm a big mermaid lover myself 🙂
Lani says
Hello! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Can these be refrigerated if placed on a cake that needs refrigeration?
Would placing the gummies in a dehydrator help in the drying process if one doesn’t have time to dry for several days? And I am thinking maybe the dehydrator would dry all surfaces in an even manner?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes they can be refrigerated. Not sure about the dehydrator. They are perfectly edible the moment they come out of the mold, just a little soft and more like jell-o than a firm gummy texture. I think a dehydrator could work
Jane Destross says
Don't use dehydrator! They will melt! Also, in the video description, it says to add sugar, citric acid and unflavored gelatin with the liquid, let set, heat and then add the corn syrup. But in the written recipe, it says to add all the ingredients and stir gently, let set for 5 minutes, then heat to dissolve. When exactly do you recommend adding the corn syrup? I filled the written recipe and they turned out fine. Does it really make a difference?
The Sugar Geek Show says
oops sorry about that, I didn't realize there was a difference. It doesn't really matter 😀 I think I just got lazy and now I just mix it up haha
Nevia says
This looks great! I live in humid ATL, and I see all sorts of uses for this. Thanks Liz