Sweet and chewy homemade sugar-free gummy candy (even sour gummy candy too).
You only need 3 simple ingredients and they are ZERO net carbs.
Discover two methods to make keto gummies (for absolute beginners) with gelatin or Jello boxes.
This quick and easy recipe uses real fruit tea to create healthy sugar-free gummies that the whole family can snack on...guilt-free.
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What do they put in gummy bears?
A bag of the classic Haribo gummy bears contains five different sugars, gelatin, colors, and preservatives.
Glucose syrup; sugar; gelatine; dextrose; fruit juice from fruit juice concentrate: apple, strawberry, raspberry, orange, lemon, pineapple; acidifier: citric acid; fruit and plant concentrates: safflower, spirulina, elderberry, orange, black currant, kiwi, lemon, chokeberry, mango, passion fruit, grape; flavoring; elderberry extract; coating agent: beeswax white and yellow, carnauba wax. Source: Haribo.
Nutritional values (per 100g): 77g carbs (46g sugar), 0.5g fat, 6.9g protein, and 343 calories.
Ingredients you need
With a few simple ingredients (from your local grocery store), you can make your own sugar-free gummy candy by using real fruit tea OR a box of no-sugar Jello.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and recipe instructions with nutrition facts.
Method 1: Using fruit tea and gelatin
Real fruit tea - brew a very strong real fruit tea in any flavor that you want to make your homemade candy.
Sugar-free sweetener - use your favorite keto sweeteners such as erythritol, xylitol, allulose, stevia drops, or monk fruit sweetener.
Gelatine - unflavored gelatin powder is the easiest to dissolve for candy molds.
Optional: You may wish to add some extra (natural) food coloring so the gummies look exactly like the gummy bears and worms available in the store.
Method 2: Using Jello packets
If you want an easier recipe, you can use a package of no sugar Jell-O and additional gelatin.
Equipment you need
To make your sugar-free gummy candy you only need a heatproof large mixing bowl (or large heatproof jug) and some candy molds.
Your gummy mold will come with droppers and there are so many different shapes to choose from. You can make gummy bears, gummy worms, and even gummy dinosaurs!
How to make sugar-free gummy candy (2 methods)
You can either make your own sweet gummy candy mix of 1: gelatin, fruit tea, and sweetener or use 2: Jell-O with extra gelatin.
1: Fruit tea, gelatin, and sweetener method
First, you'll need to brew the real fruit tea extra STRONG!
- In a heatproof dish or mug, add the fruit tea bags and 2 cups hot water. Leave to brew until a very strong flavor develops.
- Remove the fruit tea bags, and whilst still hot, add the unflavored gelatin powder and sweetener. Stir with a fork to completely dissolve.
- Add coloring (optional). Repeat the recipe for the next flavor of fruit tea.
EXPERT TIPS: Gummies require a lot of gelatin so they are chewy, strong, and sturdy. No one wants a floppy gummy bear or a worm that snaps in half when you take it out of the gummy bear mold.
Add a little extra sweetener than you think you may need and ALWAYS taste before pouring into the candy molds.
Do not add any cold water, the jelly will begin to set.
2: Jell-O and gelatin method
For every box of flavored Jell-O, use only ½ cup of boiling water plus 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin powder to give them a really chewy texture.
Stir with a fork until all the gelatin has dissolved before pouring it into the candy molds.
How to make 2 colored gummy worms
Before filing your candy molds, spray with a neutral-tasting cooking spray to make it easier to pop each worm or bear out of its tray.
To make 2 colored gummy worms, simply hold two droppers filled with different colors and gently squeeze the droppers at the same time into each end of the worm mold.
To make 2 colored gummy bears, put a few drops of one color in the bottom of the molds then fill them with a second color.
How to stop air bubbles in gummy candy
When you fill your droppers, avoid getting any bubbles at the top of the dropper. If you do have bubbles, you will end up with soft bubbly gummy bears.
After much trial and error, I discovered how to fill the dropper without getting any air bubbles inside.
Expert tip: Every time the dropper is empty of the gummy mixture, keep the bulb squeezed and place it straight back into the bowl and release it under the surface of the sugar-free gummies mixture again to fill the dropper again.
How to make sour gummies
The sour coating is easy to make and can be used to cover gummy candy, sugar-free marshmallows, and even dipped in with a wet spoon to lick.
It's the incredible combination of SWEET confectioners sugar (icing sugar) with SOUR citric acid that makes your taste buds tingle.
Create your sugar-free gummies in exactly the same way, but as soon as they are set, remove them from the candy molds and dip them in a mixture of 1 cup of sugar-free confectioners sugar (sugar-free powdered sugar) and 2 teaspoons of citric acid.
Flavor variations
You can make so many different gummy bears and gummy candy flavors by using different flavored fruit tea or fruit Jello that your children will love.
Imagine all the color/flavorful combinations you and your children could make. Here are a few flavors to get you started:
- Orange and strawberry
- Blood orange and lime
- Lime and raspberry
- Passionfruit and fruits of the forest
- 4 fruits and lime
- Cherry and lime
- Apple and cherry
Each of the fruit tea flavors might vary in their calories, net carbs, and hidden fruit sugar. So read the nutrition labels on each package carefully.
How to store gummies
Place the filled candy molds in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. The longer you set them, the sturdier and chewy they will become.
Pop each gummy from the molds and keep your gummies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Gummy candy FAQ
Spray with neutral cooking oil before pouring in the gelatin mixture.
Both work well but the gelatin sheets do take some extra time to dissolve. My preference is always to use unflavored gelatin powder. It dissolves fast and you can always add a little bit more if you think your jelly mixture isn't thick enough.
To make sure you can dissolve Jello (or gelatin) you can make the gummy candy in a small saucepan on medium heat.
They need to be in the fridge to set the gelatin or Jello. They can be left at room temperature for a short time but should be stored in the fridge so they don't melt and go soft.
Homemade gummy candy can be kept in the freezer but it may not be as chewy when they defrost.
If you add cold water the gummy mixture will start to set and you won't be able to pour it into the candy molds. You only need to add cold water when making a regular Jello dessert, this makes it set faster.
It is a mixture of confectioners sugar (icing sugar) and citric acid.
The longer you leave them in the fridge uncovered, the better. As they dry out they become chewy and will take longer to eat.
More keto candy recipes
If you love these low-carb gummy candies, you'll love these sweet candy keto recipes. They're tasty and delicious and perfect for your low-carb diet, keto diet, sugar-free diet, or diabetic diet.
And if you want to know what to serve at a sugar-free birthday party, I've got delicious sugar-free birthday party recipes and even a sugar-free vanilla birthday cake covered in keto buttercream frosting.
And if you're reading this around the Halloween season, you'll love the cute 34 healthy Halloween ideas that are all candy free. Each cute Halloween recipe makes this special time of year yummy, healthy, and fun for your kids.
📖 Recipe
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Sugar-Free Keto-Friendly Gummy Candy Recipe (3 Ingredients)
Recipe Video
Calculate ingredients
Ingredients
1: Fruit tea and gelatin method
- 12 fruit tea bags strongly brewed
- 2 cup hot water
- 5 tablespoon powdered gelatin
- 2 tablespoon granulated sweetener, of choice or more, to taste
2: Jello box method
- 4 box sugar-free Jello
- 4 tablespoon unflavored gelatin powder
- 2 cup hot water
Equipment
Instructions
1: Fruit tea and gelatin method
- In a heatproof dish or mug, add the fruit tea bags and hot water. Leave to brew until a very strong flavor develops.
- Remove the fruit tea bags, and whilst still hot, add the gelatine and sweetener. Stir to dissolve.
- Add food colouring (optional).
2: Jello box method
- Dissolve the sugar-free Jello in a heatproof jug with hot water and add the unflavoured gelatin. Mix with a fork until completely dissolved.
Filling your candy molds
- Gently fill the droppers (as instructed above) and begin to fill the gummy bear and gummy worm molds.
- Place the filled candy molds in the fridge until set. This takes 1-3 hours, but the longer you leave them, the chewier they will become.
Notes
- Servings have been calculated so the batch will be divided by 4 people. How many gummies you actually make will depend on the size of your candy molds.
5-INGREDIENTS COOKBOOK
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Approximate nutrition information is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. For the most accurate nutritional data, use the actual ingredients and brands you used in your preferred nutrition calculator.
Megan
It would be really cool if you catered your recipes to NZ as well as the US. I'd like to know how many jelly sachets would replace the 4 boxes jello, so I googled and find out there are small and large boxes of jello. Well that's not helpful because your recipe doesn't stipulate small or large. It's hard enough finding decent keto recipes made for kiwis, maybe being a kiwi you could start to cater to us please.
Libby Jenkinson
Hi Megan, 4 boxes of US jello, are the equivalent of 4 NZ sachets.
Heidi
Hi Libby,
I’m a little confused about the fruit tea method, although I really want to try it. I purchased a smaller box of fruit tea by Celestial Seasonings. It has 5 different flavors. Some have 3 bags and some have 4 bags. You mentioned in the recipe to use 12 tea bags to 2 cups of water. How can I make this work? In your video you show 2 sets of 3 tea bags brewing at once, which only uses 6 bags. Can you please advise me?
Julie
Hi Libby, I am thinking of trying to make these with electrolyte powder which has already been sweetened with Stevia (I have watermelon Ultima). Do you think I would need more sweetener or would it just taste the same as it does without the Gelatin?
Libby Jenkinson
I would suggest making a small batch and taste before setting so the sweetness may be adjusted before pouring the gelatin mix in the moulds.
Megan
Am I able to use agar agar instead of gelatine?
Thank you.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Yes, you just have to read the instructions on the brand you have bought to ensure the concentration is correct to make them set properly. If in doubt, add more agar agar than you would anticipate.
Shelby
I know nothing about tea.....Could you please give me some suggestions on what to buy?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Just choose your favourite fruit tea, and make it super STRONG so the gummies taste like the real thing. Berry tea, orange tea, raspberry tea etc.
misty Yates
I have leftovers in the bowl. Can I see and reuse for later? And if so how would I cool/reheat? Etc ..
Thanks ? to is was so much fun!!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
If you have any leftover, it's best to use it on the day otherwise you will have to melt the set gelatin/gummy mix and it may not set again correctly. Why not pour it into an oiled square dish then cut it into gummy cubes? It's a quick and easy way to create more but without the fuss of pouring individual gummies. I'm so glad you like them 🙂 Perfect for Halloween that's coming up.
Gemma
Hey! I made these and the colour and consistency was great, just the flavour was a little lacking. Am I able to use a few drops of fruit flavouring used in baking? The ones I’m looking at contain alcohol, just wondering if it will affect the mixtures ability to set?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
I have never tried with the alcohol-based fruit flavours, so I can't say with absolute confidence it would set. However, I am guessing it would work well for such a tiny addition. Alternatively, you could use stronger fruit teas or use more tea bags to make the fruit tea more concentrated in flavour. What be nice and subtle in a fruit tea drink, as you discovered, may perhaps be too delicate in gummy bears.
Emily
Is 3 Tbsp of gelatin equal to one of the pouches, or do I need to pour it out and measure?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
You would need to measure or read the brand that you have, as all brands vary in the size of their gelatin pouches.
Devin M
I'm having to put the gelatine in in small increments so it can be fully integrated. The tea is cooling because it's taking quite a but of time. Can it be heated up a couple times between the intervals of adding the gelatine? Thank you.
Tee
I don't make candy often so I was hesitant about this but desperate because I'm on Keto. My first attempt is in the fridge. Not sure if my liquid was not hot enough, if I poured the gelatin (I used unflavored Beef Gelatin with Collagen Protein by Principle) too fast or if there us a special trick but I had clumps of gelatin to work around. I hope the gummies are sturdy enough. Any tips for my next batch?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Always sprinkle in gelatin otherwise (as you discovered) it clumps really easily - darn it!. If it ever goes lumpy, just keep on stirring with a whisk or fork to break up the clumps, you can even microwave for a few seconds at a time to heat and dissolve the gelatin lumps.
Larue
Could you use unsweetened jello instead of gelatin
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Sure thing, I just prefer to use gelatin and the sweeteners I prefer to use (most sugar-free jello/jelly have sweeteners I avoid on a regular basis). You would have to prepare the unsweetened jello double or triple strength to ensure it sets solid like gummy bears are.
UPDATED: New Jello version added to the recipe card in October 2022.
Martha
I need tips in making them Sour Gummies?
Vanessa
Is it Citric acid they use to make sherbet?
Denise
This recipe looks amazing! I want to make these for my little grand daughters when they come from Hong Kong for Christmas this year. Where can I buy the gummy bear and worm moulds in N.Z.?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
I had to order mine from Amazon. They took about 3 weeks to arrive in NZ. You can see them in my Amazon store.
Denise
Thanks. I managed to find them on GRAB ONE after I wrote this query so I am ready to go now! I want to trial these ready for when my grand daughters come for the Christmas holidays.
Sarah Royce
What if the gelatin and sugar replacement doesn't dissolve? I must be doing something wrong.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Did you use hot water? What type of gelatin and sweetener did you use? The powdered form dissolves really easily.
Chanelle
Hi Libby, just wondering which sweetener you used? Was it the nativa one? Many thanks
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
I have used both Natvia and Swerve. Both work well.
Stephanie
Would this recipe work with liquid stevia? Rather than granulated sweeteners
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Yes, that would work well. Remember to taste after each addition. Stevia has the tendency to leave a bitter aftertaste if you use too much, which is easy to do when you use the concentrated stevia drops.
Gemma
I made these for my kids and they loved them. They were a hit with all the adults to.
Just wondering how you store them and how long they are good for?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Yay - an excellent result! I would keep them in the fridge for 3-5 days.