This Super Simple Homemade 4-Ingredient Gummy Candy recipe is sure to spark your childlike creativity in the kitchen, while still satisfying your big kid taste buds. Fresh fruit juice, a hint of sugar, unflavored gelatin, and just a pinch of salt to elevate – because you know by now it’s kind of a sticking point for me.
The next time you do a stay-at-home movie night, why not whip up a batch of these homemade gummy candies to snack on.
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Playfully young at heart with grown up tastes
I sometimes talk about the unusual way my muse speaks to me. Changing seasons, holiday displays, the field of sunflowers I discovered while navigating the latest in a never-ending series of road closures during the longest season in Michigan – orange barrel season – and the candy aisle. Yep, the candy aisle. After staring at the gummy bears for a minute, I started dreaming up this Super Simple Homemade 4-Ingredient Gummy Candy recipe.
My husband often says I am a marketer’s dream test subject. My immediate Pavlovian response to every pizza, burger, effervescent, ice-cold bottle of pop or doughnut ad is unparalleled. I see it, and I crave it – all of it. It seems to be at its very worst when we’re watching a football game. And why wouldn’t it? The only food ads they show during sporting events are for wings, beer or something ooey, gooey delicious.
Summer of 2022, we got the Halloween scare of our lives with reports of potential Halloween candy shortages. Some major candy makers even recommended buying candy early and squirreling it away until the holiday. That doesn’t work in my house. In fact, I typically don’t buy candy until a day or two before Halloween because someone’s either going to find the candy or break down and tear open the bag, which historically has resulted in a second trip to the store for more candy for the kiddos.
This year, to ensure I keep my mitts off the kids’ candy and still satisfy my sweet tooth, I decided to dive into making one of my favorites with this Super Simple Homemade 4-Ingredient Gummy Candy recipe. Best of all, nobody expects me to share……well, at least not the kiddos visiting my door Halloween night. Long gone are the days of giving out homemade treats, which is too bad, because I wouldn’t hesitate to whip of a batch of these homemade gummy candies, irresistible caramels, or some spooky chocolate calaveras. Kid candy is good, but big kid confections can be even better.
Special thanks to Esprita for providing the INR-G multivitamin powder featured in this post.
Make your own deliciously easy INR-G gummy bites
I’m delighted to be partnering with Esprita – a health and wellness company based in South Haven, Michigan. I’ve been using their 3-Product Spirit System which contains the INR-G Multivitamin for several months now and loving the sustained energy and mental focus I’m feeling.
What if I said you could make your own energy bites? I got the idea to develop this variation one morning while sipping on my INR-G multivitamin and working out this recipe at the same time.
You can use this Super Simple Homemade Gummy Candy recipe to make gummy vitamins by simply incorporating a packet of Esprita INR-G plant-based, powdered multivitamin into the base recipe. In this version, use fresh squeezed orange juice as the liquid. Once the gelatin has been cooked for 5 minutes and skimmed of any excess foam, add 1/4 tsp. of fresh orange zest and one packet of the orange-flavored Esprita INR-G powder. Give it a quick stir until the powder has dissolved and pour into molds as directed below.
After the mixture has chilled for one hour, you’re ready to cut and enjoy these orange INR-G bites anytime you want a quick, delicious, little something extra!
I’m authorized to offer you an additional 10% off. Simply visit the Esprita website and use COUPON CODE: Mostlybakes at checkout to get your discount!
Super Simple Homemade 4-Ingredient Gummy Candy – a sweet grown up option
You can enjoy these easy homemade gummy candies any time of year. All you need is a little fresh juice or water, sugar, a pinch of salt and some unflavored gelatin. This recipe is very easy to navigate, but there are a few tricks you can apply for variations. Here’s what you need to know.
- The ratios always remain the same. Whether you’re using fruit juice or water, it’s always 1 cup of liquid to 1/3 cup sugar to 3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. of gelatin. The ratios always remain the same.
- Use your favorite fruit juice or water. I experimented with both water and an assortment of fruit juices while developing this recipe for Super Simple Homemade 4-Ingredient Gummy Candy. The yellow gummy candies shown are made with fresh squeezed lemon juice. In the orange candies, I used fresh orange juice, but a good quality bottled juice will work, too. Fresh lime juice was used in the green gummies. and the red candies were made with a blueberry pomegranate juice blend. Testing included using straight water with different flavorings as well. The blue gummies were made with water and a little anise oil to give them a nice licorice flavor.
- Bloom the gelatin. Always bloom gelatin in a cold liquid for 5 minutes before introducing it to a hot liquid. This ensures the gelatin will dissolve evenly and produce a clear finished product. Don’t be tempted to skip this step.
- Skim off the foam. Once the gelatin is finished cooking, skim off the excess foam before adding zest or flavorings. This will ensure your homemade gummy candies dry clear, not cloudy.
- Adjust citrus zest, flavorings and colors according to preference. 1/4 tsp. of either lemon or orange zest added just the right amount of tartness to these candies; however, I recommend not exceeding more than 1/8 tsp. of lime zest if you choose to add it to a lime-flavored mixture. Lime zest is stronger in flavor. Adding more than 1/4 tsp. makes the candies unpleasantly tart. If you’re using water, a few drops of flavoring – strawberry, raspberry, cola, etc. can be added after the gelatin mixture is finished cooking.
If you follow these simple tips, you’ll enjoy success every time you make this Super Simple Homemade 4-Ingredient Gummy Candy recipe.
Once you’ve mastered these steps, you can really let yourself free-flow experiment with flavors. For example, I made a version using fresh lemon juice where I steeped a sprig of rosemary and dried juniper berries in the liquid. I then strained the mixture and added in 1/4 tsp. of lemon zest. The finished candies tasted like a slightly sweet gin and tonic. What a delicious surprise!
Super Simple Homemade 4-Ingredient Gummy Candy
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy64
1/2 inch squares5
minutes5
minutes1
hourYields may vary depending on the size of squares cut or molds used. Gummy bear molds shown yield approximately 124 bears.
Ingredients
4 envelopes unflavored gelatin (3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. total) dissolved in 1/3 cup juice or water
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
An additional 2/3 cup juice or water
pinch of salt
Optional – 1/8 tsp. – 1/4 tsp. citrus zest to add a burst of tartness. See notes in the post.
Optional – a few drops of food coloring and/or flavoring if using water instead of juice.
Directions
- Prepare silicone molds or flat containers by applying a light coating of nonstick spray. Brush off any excess spray with a paper towel. Set aside.
- Dissolve the gelatin in 1/3 cup of fruit juice. Give the gelatin a quick stir to incorporate so the liquid is absorbed throughout. Allow to sit and bloom for 5 minutes.
- Combine 2/3 cup of juice and 1/3 cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the bloomed gelatin to the boiling liquid and stir until dissolved. Maintain a gentle boil for 5 minutes.
- Remove the gummy mixture from the heat. Skim off any excess foam and spoon into prepared molds or pans. Allow to rest on the counter until slightly firm – approximately 5 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator for a minimum of one hour to firm up.
- After one hour, the gummy mixture should be firm to the touch. If using a flat mold like a pyrex, run the edge of a sharp knife between the edge of the container and the sheet of gummy candy. Gently pull it out of the pan and cut into desired shapes and sizes.
- Gummy candies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Notes
- Note: This post contains affiliate links, where I earn from qualifying purchases.
