How to Make Homemade Gummy Bears with JELLO (2024)

Homemade gummy bears are easy to make with 3 simple ingredients (one of them is Jello!) Kids will love these bouncy, fruity, andcolorful little gummy candies!

Jello Gummy Bears

My five year old is obsessed with gummy bears!

Whenever we go to the candy store at the mall, the rest of us are piling our bags with chocolate, while she sticks with gummy bears only.Funny enough, she doesn’t like gummy worms or other shapes as much — gummybears are the hands-down favorite.

When I found out how easy it is to make homemade gummy bears, I knew we had to give this a try!

Believe it or not, you can make DIY gummy bears at home with only 3 ingredients and water! (Hint: one of the ingredients is JELL-O!)

Skip the store bought gummy candies filled with corn syrup, grab your favorite JELL-O flavor, and let’s make some yummy gummy bears!

Related: For the “grown-ups only” version, try our Rosé Gummy Bears!

Ingredients & Supplies

For your convenience, I’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products used to make this recipe; disclosure policy available here.

• Your favorite flavor of Jello — Grab one 3oz box for each flavor you’re making.
• Unflavored gelatin— You’ll need two 0.25 oz packets for each box of Jello/flavor gummy bear.
• Water
• Cornstarchor Powdered Sugar(optional) — You can still make gummy bears if you don’t have cornstarch on hand; we use it to dust the molds and then lightly coat the finished gummies to keep them from sticking as much.

Kitchen Supplies Used

• Gummy bear molds —this set comes with 2 handy droppers like you’ll see in our video tutorial and photos
• Silicone pastry brush
• Measuring cup
• Small Saucepan

Instructions

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

To Prep:

Prepare your silicone molds by dusting with a light coating of cornstarch (if using). You’ll probably only need about a teaspoon or so for each mold.

TIP: Thesegummy bear molds are the ones we used and come with a handy dropper! Silicone is thebest way to go because you can pop the gummies right out once they’ve set and they don’t get stuck.

How to Make Homemade Gummy Bears:

1. Combine the Jello and gelatin in a sauce pan with the water. Whisk together over medium-low heat until all the powder is dissolved.
2. Allow the liquid to cool enough to handle safely, but not enough to set. If there are air bubbles, you can give the mixture a gentle stir to release them.
3. After the molds are filled, allow them to cool for a bit before dusting the top with a light coating of cornstarch.
4. Place in the fridge to set – this should take about 15-20 minutes – then you can remove your gummy bears from the mold.

TIP: You can use a medicine dropper to fill the molds with the gelatin mixture – this keeps everything neat and clean.

Prep Tips

• You can use sugar-free Jello in this recipe to reduce the sugar content and carbohydrates. If making a sugar free gummy recipe, you’ll want to use cornstarch on the outside instead of powdered sugar.
• Each box of jello will make about 100 gummies using a similar gummy bear mold to the one in our photos. Depending on the size of your molds, you may end up with more or less gummies than we did, but it still makes a big batch! To get multiple colors, you’ll need to make multiple separate batches using a different flavor of jello for each batch.
• Jello is made with gluten-free ingredients, so these gummies are technically considered gluten free. However, if cross-contamination is a concern, you’ll want to check labels on all of the specific products you’re using.

Frequently Asked Questions

What gives gummy bears their texture?

Gelatin is the key ingredient that gives gummy bears that distinctive bouncy texture — you can squish them and they bounce right back!

In our recipe we use both unflavored gelatin, as well as Jello, which contains gelatin and flavorings. That way the gummies are perfectly textured and delicious too — without needing a bunch of ingredients.

Using Jello takes the guesswork out of it!

How do you make gummies that don’t melt?

A few readers emailed us with the question: “why use cornstarch?”

The cornstarch coating on our gummies keeps them from sticking together and helps them to not melt as easily.

After the gummies are cool and have set, toss them in a small bowl or bag with a couple Tablespoons of cornstarch until evenly coated. You don’thave to use the cornstarch, but we find that it helps them last longer.

To prevent melting, it’s also important to store gummy bears in an airtight container in a cool place, away from sunlight. You can also keep them chilled in the fridge.

How long do homemade gummies last?

The shelf life of homemade gummy bears depends on how they’re stored. If kept on the counter at room temperature, you’ll want to eat them within a few days, as they’ll start to get sticky and kind of mushy.

If kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator, homemade gummies can last much longer. You can expect your gummy bears to stay good for 2-3 weeks, perhaps even a month. That is, if you can keep from eating them all first!

Can you make homemade gummy bears without Jello?

Don’t have Jello on hand? You can also make gummy bears with fruit juice, like our Healthy Homemade Green Gummy Snacks!

Made withgreen juice (my fav!) and sweetened with honey, they’re a fun and healthy snack for kids!

This green gummy recipe does use gelatin, but can be made vegetarian by swapping agar powder for the gelatin.

More Jello Fun!

Jello is such a versatile ingredient for kids recipes and activities! Here are some of our favorite things to make with Jello:

• Jello Frosted Grapes
• Edible Jello Slime
• Jello Ribbon Salad

Grab a free printable copy of our DIY Gummy Bear Recipe:

If you like this recipe, please rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Be sure to pin this recipe on Pinterest!

You might also like:

Strawberry Gummy Bears (Made with Real Fruit)

Gummy Bear Heart Cookies