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How to Make Healthy Jello

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homemade jello
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » How to Make Healthy Jello

Oh, 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. The “Jell-o” gelatin in stores is packed with sugar (or artificial sweeteners), dyes, additives, and gelatin from factory-farmed animals. I certainly wasn’t going to make that for my kids!

Then I found out how healthy gelatin from grass-fed animals can be a good protein source. It can improve skin and hair quality and help the digestive system. I was drinking unflavored gelatin in my tea and in smoothies, but it dawned on me that I could use that same gelatin to make homemade jello.

This healthy version features natural fruits and fresh juices to make jello my kids love and I’m happy with them eating.

Homemade Jello Recipe

While this isn’t an everyday snack in our house, it’s made from fresh fruit and juices with quality gelatin. In my book, it’s a healthy treat that kids of all ages can enjoy! It’s naturally low-carb, paleo, and gluten-free. The recipe is open-ended and you can choose whichever combination of fruit and juice you prefer, or leave out the fruit altogether. Just don’t use pineapple juice since the enzymes in it prevent the gelatin from gelling.

If you have a juicer you can use fresh juice in this recipe. You can also add a little maple syrup, stevia, or honey to sweeten if desired. Personally, I find it sweet enough with just the juice.

Here are a few ideas to try:

  • Orange juice and cranberry juice
  • Orange juice and blueberries
  • White grape juice with strawberries or peaches
  • Apple juice with some cinnamon
  • Watermelon juice with fresh mint leaves

Collagen vs. Gelatin

You’ve probably heard me sing the praises of grass-fed gelatin and collagen by now. Their health benefits include stronger nails, healthier hair, and improved gut health. While they’re similar in how they work in the body, there is a difference when it comes to making homemade healthy jello.

Collagen peptides are my go-to when it comes to my morning coffee and smoothies. I can make an iced mushroom coffee with collagen powder and not worry about it turning into mushroom jello. On the other hand, collagen will not gel when it comes to homemade jello.

Be sure you use gelatin, not collagen peptides. Gelatin from a healthy grass-fed source is especially beneficial and will “gel” when chilled, while collagen peptides will not.

Knox is a popular grocery store brand but it’s from conventionally raised cows. I’ve used Great Lakes beef gelatin in the past, but I find it doesn’t gel nearly as well as other brands. Right now my favorite gelatin for making healthy jello and gummies is the Vital Proteins brand. Not only are they grass-fed, but they hold up well in jello recipes.

homemade jello

Healthy Homemade Jello Recipe

Here's how to make homemade jello without added sugar or artificial ingredients. It’s a healthy snack that’s kid-friendly and naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Calories 67kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup cold water
  • 1 TBSP  gelatin powder  (not collagen peptides)
  • ¼ cup water (very hot)
  • cups fruit juice
  • 1-2 cups fresh fruit (optional)

Instructions

  • Pour the cold water into a medium size mixing bowl. Sprinkle the grass-fed gelatin powder evenly over the top and allow it to bloom for a minute.
  • Stir briskly until mixed. It will start to thicken a lot.
  • Add the ¼ cup of really hot water and stir to mix. It should be thinner now.
  • Pour in the 1 and 1/2 cups of juice and mix well.
  • Place fresh fruit in a layer on the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish if using. You can also use different shaped molds. I used a bundt pan lightly greased with coconut oil so the gelatin would more easily come out of the mold.
  • Pour the gelatin mixture over the fruit and stir slightly to make sure it has coated the fruit.
  • Put in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
  • Cut into cubes or scoop out with a melon baller to make cute shapes.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Healthy Homemade Jello Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 67 Calories from Fat 2
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.2g0%
Saturated Fat 0.03g0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.02g
Sodium 13mg1%
Potassium 150mg4%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 11g12%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 5IU0%
Vitamin C 22mg27%
Calcium 16mg2%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

  • This recipe can be doubled for a bigger batch.
  • Don’t use fresh pineapple juice as the enzymes prevent the gelatin from “gelling.”
  • The nutrition data was calculated with fresh strawberries for the added fruit. 

More Ways to Use Gelatin

Looking for more yummy recipes to use up that can of gelatin powder?

Ever made homemade jello? What are your favorite juice and fruit combinations? Leave a comment and share below!

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

This healthy Jello recipe is made with grass fed gelatin and no added sugar or artificial ingredients for a healthy treat.

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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

158 responses to “How to Make Healthy Jello”

  1. Barb Avatar

    First I have to say it is so cool you use Kosher gelatin. Although I am not Jewish, I avoid pork and pork products and for me, finding an organic source of beef gelatin is difficult. Second, thanks for the recipe. I originally bought my beef gelatin to make marshmallows, but I was looking for a good Jello recipe because I missed the Jell-O of my youth LOL. I haven’t been all over your site yet, but if you researched gelatin, you probably know that bone broth is an excellent source of gelatin (collagen). If you want your dose and are tired of the sweet stuff, the broth is easy to make and so so good for you. The best broth is made from the bones of young chickens, (if you eat chicken, if not, organic beef is good too). I never buy broth for my soups as I find there is too much junk in it and yes, we do not know how these animals were raised. I have a pressure canner so I put it up in jars and usually have about a dozen quarts for my use at any given time. The last time I prepped my broth, I had a little left over but I hate wasting, so I poured it in a glass and drank it. It was incredibly delicious! All on its own it is great, but if you simmer it with some celery, onion, a bit of sea salt and a bit of garlic, maybe a sprinkle of parsley, you have the ultimate chicken-in-a-mug. It is obviously more work and effort, but you have to try it to experience for yourself how fantastic it really is! I bet your children would love it, and you can avoid the sugars too!

  2. Lynn Avatar

    I saw your recipe yesterday and decided to try and make homemade jello. I’ve never made it before. Instead of fruit juice, I used iced herbal tea that I already had in the fridge. I doubt the kiddies would like it, but I though it was really good. Thanks for posting your recipe.

  3. Tammi Avatar

    Ever try it with watermelon juice? Just curious if it would work.

  4. Kay Avatar

    I am wondering what amount of gelatin I would use to sub for a box of strawberry Jello in a freezer jam recipe. I love this family recipe for freezer jam that I have but don’t want to feed my family all of the junk in the boxed Jello. I am wondering how I coukd go about subbing it. Any ideas? Or suggestions?

  5. jana Avatar

    I am sincerely impressed with this website. I haven’t been on here long but I found the Gelatin information so insightful that I had to join. I became a Grand-mother last year and will pass this site on to my daughter. Great site! Thank you for sharing your knowledge because its the best I’ve found in years.

  6. Carla Avatar

    Do you think I could use the same silicone candy trays that I use to make the coconut chews? That way I could just eat a few a day and be done with it. No muss, no fuss.

  7. Sharon B Avatar

    Just a word about kombucha, coming from someone who used to brew her own! There has been no credible science for the claims being made about kombucha. Plus, what’s in there? Sometimes helpful bacteria, sometimes harmful bacteria.

    Here’s a great article: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/kombucha-a-symbiotic-mix-of-yeast-bacteria-and-the-naturalistic-fallacy/

    Bottom line, it won’t kill you, but it’s probably not helping (and if it is, it could be from the alcohol and acid content). FYI Candida albicans is not inhibited by kombucha.

  8. Christina Avatar

    You could also blend whole fruit like apples with the jello…. That way you add fiber and you don’t need a juicer.

    I use my grandmother’s recipe, that this isn’t exactly super healthy, but I’m sure it could be “healthied” up a bit: Take 4 medium apples, peeled & roughly chopped (any will work, but I prefer 2 red & 2 green), 1 can evaporated milk, 1/2 can of condensed milk, 2 gelatin packets — I believe that is 4 tsps, 1/4 cup water, 1 pinch salt. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it absorb. Add half your evap. milk into a saucepan and whisk in the gelatin, turn on the heat and continue stirring until the milk comes to a simmer and the gelatin has dissolved. Dump everything into the blender. Blend well, pour into a dish and let it set.

    For more fiber and apple flavor, you can peel only two of the apples and leave the other two unpeeled.

    Strawberries work splendidly too. You could omit the the dairy, add 1 can of coconut milk and some honey.

    — Don’t use raw pineapple or raw guavas. The enzymes won’t let the gelatin set.

  9. Rita Avatar

    5 stars
    Can I use Great Lakes gelatin with grape fruit juice mixed with tinned fruit i.e. fruit cocktail and tinned mandarins to make a jelly for a trifle I intend to make soon? Also, does anyone know how to make organic custard?

  10. Alarna Avatar

    Hi, I am keen to try a healthy version of Jelly, using good quality gelatine, but I was told pineapple and kiwi fruits can interfere with the setting of the gelatine. Is that so?

      1. Moriah lee Avatar
        Moriah lee

        Will cranberry juice also work? I’m wanting to tweak my grandmas *super delicious* cranberry jello salad to use the vital proteins gelatin instead of the store bought flavored stuff. Hopefully you see this before thanksgiving! ?? happy thanksgiving everyone!

        1. Barb Avatar

          Cranberry juice works wonderfully with gelatin. You would just have to use the juice instead of water and the gelatin powder, and use WM’s recipe (2 c. liquid : 1tbsp. gelatin). If it is unsweetened cranberry juice, I would also suggest a bit of sweetener. Otherwise, your end result might make everyone pucker! I would love it if you would post the recipe. It sounds really yummy!

  11. Cas Avatar

    Does anyone have any suggestions to make blue jelly? I am having a Frozen party for my girls and would love to have blue jelly, however I cant for the life of me think of a way to get flavoured white or clear jelly. I have an all natural blue food colour, so making it blue per say wont be hard. However plain water jelly is so far the only thing I can think of that would allow the blue colour to actually work.
    TIA

      1. Cas Avatar

        I hadn’t thought of coconut water, I might give that a try. I thought that the blueberries would turn purple as opposed to blue. And my personality wont handle if its purple ‘ice bricks’ that the jelly ends up, instead of blue lol

        1. Heather Avatar

          Adding baking soda to blueberries can turn them blue (or bluer). Perhaps you’ve already had the party, if not it’s something you can experiment with. It only takes a little and the reaction is not instantly complete. Have fun with it!

  12. Melanie Avatar

    Just curious – have you ever been to a food pantry where people go to get food for their families when they are desperate? Food pantries do NOT have a line for all organic food. While I admire your quest for excellence in health, I do not appreciate your judgement on people with limited income, resources, and time. While you may have the time and money to invest, others may not and pushing your opinions only makes them feel worse about their situation.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      I am not judging people over anything. I am recognizing the harm in non-organic food and giving an alternative. I do realize that some people simply cannot afford the alternatives, but I’d rather have them available to those who can do this, and I hope that for those people out there who are not able to do this now, that maybe they will see this as aspirational. I have not always have been able to buy organic, and I would never judge a mom who has to choose between putting *enough* food on the table and putting organic food on the table. By all means, feed your family!

  13. Letitia Avatar

    Wait… Why is the “certainly not an everyday snack” ?!?! I’m so confused

  14. Steve Avatar

    “Certainly, this still isn’t an everyday snack”. Why would you say that Katie? Everyday I consume fruit, juice, and beef gelatin powder in a smoothie. What’s the matter with that? Now I’m looking forward to making jello with the same healthy ingredients.

    1. Janet Avatar

      Fruit juice has a high sugar content that can throw you off. It’s best to eat the whole fruit and include the fiber, etc.

  15. Katherine Dordbic Avatar
    Katherine Dordbic

    Why shouldn’t be an everyday snack if it’s made without sugar, using fresh organic fruits and gelatin from healthy, grass fed cows?

  16. Sarah Seagraves Avatar
    Sarah Seagraves

    I wonder if Darren knows that the FDA considers sugar and fruit to be safe. There’s hypocrisy for you, if you’re looking for some to point fingers at. Anyone who asserts that synthetic “foods” are safe because the FDA says so, but simultaneously insists that natural foods that are also FDA approved are “bad” needs to reevaluate his thinking process. Whether I agree with him or not, he doesn’t agree with himself. Not to mention having a need to engage in a more productive hobby than visiting a website he knows he’s not going to agree with just to spend all day making a nuisance of himself for the dubious pleasure of being contrary.

    But the primary reason I’m commenting here is to ask whether anyone knows of a good way to make homemade gelatin (made by cooking the bones myself) work in a sweet jello recipe. I’d hate to cook the bones directly in the fruit juice (because who wants to cook the juice at all, much less for hours and hours?). I don’t know if mixing it 50% warm bone gelatin and 50% fruit juice would work, either to set the jello or to have a finished product that didn’t taste like fruity meat. Has anyone tried this? I’m having no success googling for this info. :/ But while the gelatin powder is very expensive, bone gelatin is practically free and easy to make, so I’d rather use that if it’s feasible.

  17. Ali Avatar

    5 stars
    Love this! My daughter has FPIES (a severe food allergy GI disorder) so she’s on a very limited diet. She only has 6 safe foods right now, so we used porcine gelatin and blueberry juice. It, of course, wasn’t as sweet as packaged Jell-O, but she didn’t mind! (I could add sugar, but she’s fine without it)

  18. Olivia Avatar

    Can you use the Gelatin in the green canister from this company for jello and gummies or is that one strictly for liquids?

4.16 from 116 votes (98 ratings without comment)

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