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How to Make Healthy Jello

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healthy homemade jello no sugar 300x217 How to Make Healthy JelloOh, Jello…. the sugar (or chemical) laden mystery food of hospitals and cafeterias. I went to public school and got my fair share of this stuff back then, so I had never made this for my kids… until now.

The “Jello” Gelatin you can buy in stores is packed with sugar or chemical sugar substitutes, along with Gelatin from conventional animals fed a poor diet. I certainly wasn’t going to make that for my kids!

Then I found out about how healthy gelatin from grass fed animals can be a good protein source and can improve skin and hair quality and help the digestive system. I’d been drinking unflavored Gelatin in my tea and in smoothies, but it dawned on my that I could use the healthy kind of jello with natural fruits and fresh juices to make a “Jello” that my kids would like and that I would be ok with them eating.

Certainly, this still isn’t an everyday snack, but if it is made from fresh fruit and juices with quality Gelatin, it can be a healthy treat that kids will enjoy!

How to Make Healthy Jello
 
healthy homemade jello no sugar 300x217 How to Make Healthy Jello
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A recipe for making healthy jello without added sugar or artificial ingredients.
Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
  • 1½ cups of organic or freshly juiced fruit juice of choice (grape, pineapple, orange or a mix of orange and pineapple are all good!)
  • ¼ cup cool water
  • ¼ cup hot (almost boiling) water
  • 1 tablespoon of Kosher Gelatin Powder
  • 1-2 cups of fresh fruit (optional) – Pineapple, strawberries, blueberries and orange slices are all really good
  • Note: Can double recipe.

Instructions
  1. Pour the cool water in a large mixing cup or quart sized mason jar and add the gelatin powder.
  2. Stir briskly until mixed- it will start to thicken a lot.
  3. Add the ¼ cup of really hot water and stir to mix- it should be thinner now.
  4. Combine this with the juice and mix well.
  5. Put the fruit into the container that you are going to make the jello in. 8×8 baking dishes work well.
  6. Pour the jello mixture over the fruit and stir lightly to make sure it has coated the fruit too.
  7. Put in the fridge, covered, for at least 2-3 hours or overnight and serve.
  8. Can cut into cubes or scoop out with a melon spoon to make cute shapes.
  9. Enjoy.

 

Variations: Can use Water kefir in place of part of the juice for a probiotic boost. You can make it entirely with Kombucha for a less-sweet but more healthy version. For a grow up treat, you can even do this with Champagne for a fun party treat. If you want individual sizes, make it in ice-cube trays with a single strawberry or piece of fruit in each cube.

Ever made Jello? Like the chemical laden stuff at the grocery store? Will you try this one? Let me know! 

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  • Tabitha

    Can you use fresh pineapple and fresh pineapple juice? I thought that the enzymes on the pineapple wouldn’t allow the jello to set.  I grew up eating lots of jello and we always used canned and never fresh.  Just wondering.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I don’t know… I used fresh pineapple in the one in the picture and it set, though I used mango and orange juice, so I don’t know for sure. I’ll definitely look into it!

  • Searching4hiddentreasures

    I am so going to try this!  My kids will love you forever!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=804927327 Amanda Hormann Lenton

    Just curious – what does the gelatin in your tea do?

  • http://www.femfusionfitness.com/ Brianne

    I love the champagne idea for grown-ups! Healthy jello cocktail-shooters… What fun!

  • Anonymous

    Awesome!! Can’t wait to try this. 

  • Mel

    Using agar agar powder or flakes is also another healthy way to make jello and jams/marmalades.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=52805591 Rebecca McGrath

    I am glad you posted this because I really wanted to find a use for gelatin. My only concern is the juice. I do not have a juicer so making 1 1/2 cups of juice by hand may be a pain :P what juice brands if any are safe? What is your opinion on juices from concentrate like OJ? After I found out that OJ in cartons is just flavored water basically I don’t buy anything anymore. Hard to trust any food company now.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It’s just a way to get it down hot, since it gels when you put it in cool liquid. This way, I get the skin and health benefits without having to eat Jello everyday…

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    There are some organic, not from concentrate juices in the organic/natural foods section. We’ve found a few all-juice blends that are great occasionally. I’m not a fan of the from concentrate either…

  • Karen

    We made “healthy jello”, or kanten, out of agar powder as part of the digestive health section in Natural Chef training. They weren’t huge on animal products, though, so they didn’t really teach anything about gelatin – do you know offhand how agar compares to gelatin when it comes to health properties and benefits?

  • Suzanne

    This is timely.  I just bought some gelatin with the intention of making Kombucha Gummies.  I haven’t played with gelatin before so it may take some trials to get the consistency right.  All the recipes on the web for gummies call for using jello and gelatin.  If anyone has any experience making gummies without jello, I would love to hear about it.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Culinary wise, it works pretty well, though I’m not sure of the conversion in this recipe. From a health perspective, Gelatin will provide more protein and more benefits for skin, hair and nail regeneration as it is mostly protein, where agar is mostly fiber.

  • http://www.rpsmiles.com/ RP Family Dentist

    Thanks for sharing this. Actually, Jello wasn’t my favorite dessert either but I’ll have to try your recipe. Good thing I read about it because it has also been a trend in our home to lessen sugar and salt in everything as we had generations of diabetic relatives. I need to be expanding my menu. 

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  • NoSpam

    You cannot use fresh or frozen pineapple. The enzymes in pineapple interfere with the gelling process. Canned pineapple has been heated, and heating it deactivates the enzymes. Here’s a link to a site about the chemistry:
    http://chemistry.about.com/od/foodcookingchemistry/a/foods-that-ruin-jell-o.htm

  • http://www.facebook.com/roxana.dora Roxana Dora

    It’s true, if it’s fresh it won’t set. With pineapple I read you have to boil it for a couple of minutes and then it works. Ditto with the lemon too. Nevertheless this is a method I’ve been using for a long time, and it’s niceness never fails. And one more thing, instead of setting it in the fridge (takes like 4-5 hours) you can also put it in the freezer and depending on quantity it can set between 15 min – 1 hr. So if you make it before you start making the meal, when you’re done eating you can have dessert :)

  • kasia

    Hi Karen, I use agar agar in my organic jelly range. Agar agar has a high fiber content, which means it’s good for digestion and also helps to slow down the blood absorption of sugars present in fruit. Gelatin is certainly a source of protein but it’s made of bones of pigs, which is a rather offputting idea. The kosher variety is made from beef bones.. I have to say agar agar is great to use because it sets in a matter of 5-10 min (it’s setting at temperatures lower than 50 C, so make sure you work above it).

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  • http://www.twitter.com/saronya SoCo

    I should whole-heartedly thank you for this recipe, jelly is my favorite food from childhood, so this has been a life saver, I’ve just shared your page on my new blog too ( http://saronyanate.tumblr.com/ ) I hope you don’t mind, thanks once again!

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  • http://www.facebook.com/laci.hodges Laci Hodges

    have you ever had a problem with the smell of the gelatin? in the reviews on amazon some people complained of the unbearable smell of the gelatin when heated up. thoughts??

  • http://www.facebook.com/laci.hodges Laci Hodges

    also, is there a difference in nutritional content between the pig and cow versions of the gelatin?

  • Sommer

    Where do you buy your Kosher gelatin powder?

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