Here’s a recipe for making homemade sugar free gummy bears that are a zero carb fruit snack. These cute little candies are also filled with healthy gelatin.
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My older kids, who are now 18 and 19, have introduced their little sister to fruit snacks. So I decided to try making my own homemade gummy fruit candies.
My two year old really likes raspberry so I bought some Raspberry Zinger herbal tea by Celestial Seasonings to try in a recipe for sugar free gummy bears.
I used grass fed unflavored gelatin rather than the regular packaged gelatin because I like to support farms that allow cattle to roam free.
Nutritionally, there isn’t much difference in gelatin since it has no fat, so if cost is a factor, go ahead and use the least expensive brand.
How to make gummies
Gummy molds to shape the gummies
Since I’m a big fan of gummy bears, I searched high and low for silicone bear molds to make these snacks look just like gummy candies.
I ended up buying this Gummy Candy maker at Amazon because it was the only gummy bear mold I could find.
The size of the bears are probably twice the size of regular gummy bears. But it makes it much easier for pouring the liquid in.
It also comes with molds for worms and fish. The worm and fish molds are closer to normal size. So it was a good choice for making sugar free gummy bears and other gummy shaped candies.
I ended up modifying a recipe that came with the gummy candy maker slightly. That recipe used juice as the liquid and had an option to add vitamins.
Flavored beverage
I used herbal fruit tea since it has zero carbs and calories. I may try this again using stevia sweetened vitamin water which is pretty sweet so I probably won’t need to add any additional sweetener to it.
My two year old didn’t really care for the taste of the raspberry tea, so I made her another batch using a 100% fruit juice punch in place of the tea.
She liked the juice ones better and seems to be amused by the cute creature shapes and wants to make sure she gets one of each, a bear, worm, and fish in every helping.
A tool to make pouring the liquid easier
I used the small heated pot that came with the gummy candy maker. It only holds about one cup of liquid so you don’t get very many gummies using it.
In fact, it wasn’t even enough liquid to fill all four of the molds that came with it.
I only got 26 gummies when using the small one cup heated pot. The gummy candy maker comes with two bear, one worm and one fish mold.
For my subsequent batches, I doubled the amount and used a small sauce pan to heat the gelatin liquid on the stovetop.
Another tool that was helpful in filling the small gummy candy molds is the Wilton Easy Pour Funnel. This funnel allows you to have better control when pouring the gelatin liquid into the molds.
This is a fun way to eat more healthy gelatin which has zero carbs. Now that I have these cute little gummy molds, I’ll be making more flavors of gummies since they are pretty much “free” snacks.
Homemade Sugar Free Gummy Bears
Video for Making these Gummy Candies
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Sugar Free Gummy Bears – Raspberry Tea
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Ingredients
- 4 bags herbal fruit tea I used raspberry flavor
- 1 1/3 cup hot boiling water
- 2 oz grass-fed gelatin or 4 packets regular gelatin
- 1/4 cup low carb sugar substitute or Swerve
- 2 teaspoons pure fruit extract I used raspberry extract
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Instructions
- Steep tea bags in hot boiling water for about six minutes.
- Squeeze tea out of tea bags and discard bags.
- Pour one cup of tea into small sauce pan.
- Whisk gelatin and sweetener into tea.
- Heat and stir gelatin mixture on medium heat until liquid is thin and there are no gelatin clumps.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in fruit extract.
- Pour into silicone molds.
- Place filled molds into refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Remove gummy candies from mold. Keep stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
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Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
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Lisa MarcAurele has been creating low carb recipes since 2010. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites!
Kim says
Hi Lisa,
I have gestational diabetes and was wondering…are tou supposed to heat the juice up before you add the gelatin to it? If so, you dissolve the gelatin and then pour into the molds and then refrigerate to set. Are those about the instructions? I see you made notes on substituting juice for tea but didn’t really explain any possible difference in cooking instructions…thank you!
Lisa MarcAurele says
Since the tea is hot, it’s best to heat the juice up in the pan before adding in the gelatin. You want the gelatin powder to completely dissolve before pouring into the molds.
CharleeT says
Using the liquid water enhancers sweetened with Sucralose work great for flavoring. There is an Orange Crush that tastes just like the original. My fav.
Lisa MarcAurele says
Thanks for the tip!
Rowena says
alright, i ordered my gummy bear molds
tired of spending nearly $4 for a tiny bag of Smart Sweets
hope they turn out well
Lisa MarcAurele says
It’s definitely more budget-friendly and there are a lot of flavor options.
Lorena says
Will they melt once you make them …say you take them on a paper/plastic (snack) bag say on a 4 day trip (supposing you don’t eat the all the first day). I live on a semi-dessert /dessert climate so on hot days (about 46ºF) will they melt? or stand the heat just like the commercial brands
Lisa says
They won’t melt. The gelatin stays hardened.
Teresa says
You say 2oz gelatin or 4 packages, but packages are only 1/4oz. So 4 packages would only be 1oz. Is it 1oz or 2oz? That’s a big difference and I really want to make these asap.
Lisa says
I weigh out 2 ounces of gelatin. But I’m pretty sure with the packets, you can use a little less than the grass-fed kind in a can.
Kristin says
I did it the wrong way. I did the math and figured I would need 8 packets of gelatin bc she said 2 oz..and they are like chewing rubber! Next time I guess I’ll do 4 packets.
Natala Assa says
Can sugar free Jello be used? Any problems?
If you use Citric acid or Malic acid to make it sour, how much do you add to your recipe?
Thanks,
Natala Assa
Lisa says
Sugar free jello should work but I’m not a fan of the chemicals that are usually added. I haven’t used the acid for sour flavors so I’m unable to provide an amount.
rowanvamp0 says
So let me clarify that I have understood you, that you don’t need fruit extract if I just use raspberry extract like the kind in a bottle for example vanilla extract? Am I correct?
Lisa says
I only used raspberry extract along with the raspberry herbal tea.
Amber says
Could I use water instead of tea if I’m still using fruit flavored extract?
Lisa says
That should work fine. You may just need to up the flavoring.
LuAnne says
Are they the same texture as store bought gummies? That chew and chew and chew texture is one of the things I like about them.
Lisa says
The texture is a little different. It’s like a homemade gelatin, but tougher.
Oniquia White says
Do these have the same *ahem* laxative effect as store bought sugar free gummies?
Lisa says
It’s the sugar alcohol they use that causes that effect. Homemade ones won’t do that unless you use a sweetener that has that problem.
Sherri says
I have been making these for awhile now and just noticed that some are molding. Any ideas on how to stop this.
Lisa says
They should last at least a week in the fridge without molding. Anything longer may require freezing, but I’m not sure how they would do after thawing.
Steph says
I wonder if there’d be a way to make sour tummies? Like Dinosours? I lovvve those!
Lisa says
You may be able to use a tart fruit like lemon or lime and cut back sweetener.
Sarah says
Did food grade Critic acid. Makes them. Ice and tart.
Lisa says
I wondered how adding citric acid would work.
Dawn says
I will probably gobble them all up as soon as they’re done, but I have to ask how do you store these? I’m totally lazy and won’t want to make them as often as I’ll want to eat them LOL
Lisa says
I’d say at least a week stored in the fridge and possibly longer in the freezer.
Susan | LunaCafe says
You can make these at home? I had no idea. My favorite-4-year-old is going to be all over this idea. Thank you! 🙂
Katherine says
Great idea! I’m going to see if this will work with agar agar instead of gelatin.
Lisa says
I’m told agar agar powder is pretty much a one for one substitute for gelatin. I may try it as well for a vegan version.
Cia says
Not gonna lie, I tried a vegan version twice and it was absolutely terrible. The first time I figured I just messed up the flavoring and it would be okay if I fixed that, but no. If you’re expecting regular a regular gummy bear texture, it’s not going to work because the texture is more like slimy jello. Though I suppose the gelatin version might be the same way; the only recipe I’ve seen for homemade gummy bears that explicitly claim to have a gummy bear texture called for citric acid and a bunch of other things so I suspect it’s a bit more complex to get it just right. I’m sure I will find lots of cute uses for these gummy bear molds though!
Lisa says
Adding citric acid is more for flavor than texture. I’ve used it and they do taste better.
Marye says
This is a great idea! I love raspberry tea… pinning!
Lisa says
Thanks!
Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt says
I love raspberry tea and those little gummy bears are stinkin’ cute! I’m going to look into that gummy mold.
Robynne says
Ooh I am definitely going to give these a go. Love gummy bears 🙂
Lisa says
You will certainly enjoy these and they are a snap to make.