Healthy Homemade Berry Gummies

Ditch the store-bought gummies and make your own! These naturally sweetened berry gummies are packed with real fruit flavor, no artificial ingredients, and a perfect chewy texture thanks to agar. A fun, healthy treat for all ages!

I'm so glad you're here! I'm on a mission to document my AI prompting journey in the kitchen. I want to keep this site free of obnoxious ads. If you like my content, please consider supporting me

---

Jump to recipe

---

Jump to prompt

---

Recipe

Servings: 4 (about 10 gummies per serving)

Calories per serving: ~25

Total time: 40 minutes

Healthy Homemade Berry Gummies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen mixed berries, thawed slightly

• 1/2 cup water (or berry juice)

• 2 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to taste)

• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 tsp agar powder

Instructions:

1. Blend the thawed berries, water, maple syrup, and lemon juice until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if you prefer a smoother gummy texture.

2. Heat the mixture in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts steaming but not boiling.

3. Whisk in agar powder gradually, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil and let it simmer for 2 minutes to fully activate the agar.

4. Pour the mixture into silicone gummy molds or a shallow dish.

5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until firm.

6. Pop out the gummies and enjoy!

Nutritional Value (Per Serving):

• Calories: ~25

• Carbs: 6g

• Sugars: 4g (naturally occurring)

• Fiber: 1g

• Fat & Protein: 0g

Storage Instructions:

Store gummies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They will firm up slightly when chilled but remain chewy.

Ingredients

Blend

Blend

Heat

Add Agar

Mix

Pour into Molds

Enjoy

---

Prompt

It all started from a Facebook video I watched, I decided I want to make Healthy Homemade Berry Gummies:

I saw a recipe online for healthy gummy bears using blended strawberries, agar, lemon juice and maple. I don't have strawberries but I have other stuff like apple puree, fresh pineapple, frozen berries. Can I make gummy bears from that, which will hold shape and be chewy?

ChatGPT knew what I was talking about:

Yes, you can make gummy bears using apple purée, pineapple, or frozen berries, but you need to be mindful of a few things to ensure they hold their shape and have a chewy texture:

1. Agar Needs a Good Gel Base:

   • Apple purée is softer and contains pectin, which may affect the firmness. You might need to use less purée and more liquid to ensure a firm set.

   • Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down agar (and gelatin), preventing it from setting. You'd need to cook the pineapple first to neutralize the enzyme.

   • Frozen berries work well, but some (like blueberries) have more water content, so you may need to adjust the amount of agar.

2. Agar Ratios:

   • Agar sets differently than gelatin. For firmer gummies, use about 1 teaspoon of agar powder per 1/2 cup of liquid (adjust based on your fruit consistency).

3. Sweetener and Acidity:

   • Maple syrup will work, but taste-test since different fruits have varying sweetness levels.

   • Lemon juice is important to enhance flavor and help balance the natural pectins in fruit.

Suggested Gummy Bear Base:

• 1/2 cup fruit purée (cooked if using fresh pineapple)

• 1/2 cup water or juice (adjust for desired consistency)

• 1–2 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to taste)

• 1 tsp agar powder

• 1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Blend fruit until smooth. Strain if needed for a smoother texture.

2. In a saucepan, heat the fruit purée, water/juice, maple syrup, and lemon juice over medium heat.

3. Sprinkle agar powder evenly over the liquid and whisk well.

4. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until agar is fully dissolved.

5. Pour into gummy bear molds and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until set.

Would you like any modifications based on a specific fruit combination?

I decided to use frozen berries:

I'll use frozen berries.

So ChatGPT provided a recipe:

Good choice! Frozen berries will work well, and you won’t have to worry about enzyme issues like with pineapple. Here’s a slightly adjusted version to account for their water content:

Berry Agar Gummy Bears Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup frozen berries (mixed or single type)

• 1/2 cup water (or berry juice for extra flavor)

• 1–2 tbsp maple syrup (adjust based on sweetness)

• 1 tsp agar powder

• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the frozen berries and water over medium heat until the berries are soft and release their juice (about 3–5 minutes).

2. Blend the mixture until smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother texture (optional).

3. Return the strained liquid to the saucepan. Stir in the maple syrup and lemon juice.

4. Sprinkle agar powder evenly over the mixture and whisk well.

5. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure the agar dissolves fully.

6. Pour the liquid into gummy bear molds (or a shallow dish to cut into shapes later).

7. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until firm.

8. Pop the gummies out of the molds and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

These will be firm and chewy but not rubbery like store-bought gummies. Let me know if you want to tweak the texture!

This was nothing like the video I watched so I had to be specific:

Corey & Alicia "you gotta try this" had a video about healthy gummies. What was the recipe?

So it gave me the details including a link:

Corey and Alicia shared a recipe for healthy homemade gummy bears using just four ingredients: strawberries, lemon juice, honey, and elderberry syrup for added immunity benefits.(link)

Since you've chosen to use frozen berries, here's a modified version of their recipe tailored to your ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mixed frozen berries

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons honey (adjust to taste)

• 1 tablespoon elderberry syrup (optional, for added immunity support)

• 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin powder

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, gently heat the frozen berries over medium heat until they soften and release their juices.

2. Blend the softened berries into a smooth purée. For a clearer gummy texture, strain the purée to remove seeds and pulp.

3. Return the berry purée to the saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice, honey, and elderberry syrup (if using). Warm the mixture over low heat, ensuring it doesn't boil.

4. Gradually sprinkle the gelatin powder over the warm berry mixture, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Continue stirring until the gelatin fully dissolves.

5. Using a dropper or small spoon, fill silicone gummy molds with the mixture.

6. Refrigerate the molds for at least 2 hours, or until the gummies are firm.

7. Once set, remove the gummies from the molds and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

This adaptation allows you to create delicious and healthy gummy bears using the frozen berries you have on hand, following the inspiration from Corey and Alicia's original recipe.

Honey has a string taste so I preferred maple:

Can I use maple syrup?

ChatGPT said yes:

Yes, you can use maple syrup instead of honey! It will work just as well for sweetness and blending with the berry flavor. Since maple syrup is slightly thinner than honey, the texture of the gummies might be a bit softer, but the gelatin should still set them firmly.

Just swap the 2 tablespoons of honey for 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and everything else stays the same. Let me know how they turn out!

But then I noticed it went back to gelatin:

I'm using agar

It made some adjustments:

Since you’re using agar instead of gelatin, the process is slightly different because agar needs to be boiled to activate. Here's how to adjust the recipe:

Berry Agar Gummies (Maple-Sweetened)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen berries

• 1/2 cup water (or berry juice)

• 2 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to taste)

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp agar powder

Instructions:

1. Heat the frozen berries and water in a saucepan over medium heat until soft. Blend until smooth, then strain if you want a clearer texture.

2. Return the berry mixture to the saucepan. Add maple syrup and lemon juice.

3. Sprinkle agar powder evenly over the liquid and whisk well.

4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to activate the agar.

5. Pour into silicone molds (or a shallow dish to cut into pieces later).

6. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until fully set.

Agar gummies will be firmer and less chewy than gelatin ones, more like fruit snacks. Let me know if you want to tweak the texture!

I decided not to cook the berries first and save some time since they already thawed:

The berries thawed a bit so I blended everything besides agar and then proceeded to heating

It said that'll work:

That works! Since you blended everything first, here’s how to proceed:

1. Pour the blended mixture into a saucepan and heat it over medium heat until it starts steaming (don’t boil yet).

2. Sprinkle the agar powder evenly over the mixture while whisking constantly.

3. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure the agar fully dissolves.

4. Pour into molds and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Since your berries were already softened, this method should still give you firm gummies. Let me know how they turn out!

Scroll to the top or click the link below to get to the finale recipe.

---

Jump to recipe

---