I’ve shared my recipes for chewable gummy vitamins and healthy fruit snacks before, and today I’m sharing a flu-busting combination of the two.
It seems that this flu season is going to be a bad one, and elderberry syrup is one of my favorite natural remedies for avoiding or beating the flu. These flu busting gummy bears combine the immune boost from elderberry syrup with the gut benefits of gelatin for a healthy and delicious way to beat the flu.
Elderberry Gummy Bears Recipe
My kids love these! In fact, that is why the ones in the picture above look a little rough — little hands kept touching them while I was trying to take pictures!
To make this recipe, you’ll need to make homemade elderberry syrup first (don’t worry, it is easy!) and then make them into gummy bears.
Elderberry Gummies Recipe
Equipment
- Glass container or silicone molds
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- 1 cup elderberry syrup
- ¼ cup gelatin powder
- ½ cup hot water but not boiling water
Instructions
- Grease molds or glass pan with coconut oil to prevent sticking.
- Place ¼ cup of cooled elderberry syrup in a 2 cup measuring cup and quickly whisk in the gelatin powder.
- Add the ½ cup of hot (not boiling) water and stir quickly until smooth.
- Add the rest of the elderberry syrup and stir or whisk until completely smooth.
- Pour into molds and refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely firm.
- Pop out of molds and store in airtight container with parchment paper between layers.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ever tried to make homemade healthy gummy bears? How did they turn out? Share below!
You must not have oily skin or hair, water will not take oils off and I do not think baking soda will either. Have you ever heard of castile soap?
I’m allergic to coconut oil – do you know of a substitution for that in this recipe??
Oh boy, I don’t know what I did wrong! I followed the directions (or at least thought I did haha), but within a minute, it was already firm and I couldn’t even stir it anymore, let alone pour it into molds. And it was definitely not the right color. It was a gray color. The only thing I can think of is does the elderberry syrup still need to be warm? I got some out of the fridge that I had made earlier so it was definitely cold, but where your recipe said cooled, I figured it would be okay? Help! Haha
If the syrup was cold, that would explain it… It should be cooled (not still hot or boiling) but room temperature.
Can you take the syrup out of the fridge and let it come to room temp in order to make more gummies? My syrup always lasts longer than the gummies.
You can 🙂
Hi Katie, I just made the same mistake as Jessica. In reading the recipe, I think it would be much clearer if you said that the elderberry syrup should be room temperature. I love your recipes and have been using them for years, so don’t intend to sound too critical. However, I wasted 3 cups of organic elderberry syrup that I can usually sell to my customers (a $50 loss). Not the end of the world. 🙂 I think some people won’t be jumping from a warm batch of elderberry syrup right to making gummies, and many will be taking a cold elderberry syrup from their fridge instead (like I was). Thank you again so much! You are an incredible resource.
Hi Katie! I’m wondering
1. would I be able to use agar powder instead of gelatin
2. Do you think it would make a difference if I reheat my elderberry juice
3. If using a glas pan can I just pour the mixture in coll in fridge and cut in squares?
Thank you so much!!!!
I agree the recipe needs updated to show room temp. Cooled to me means refrigerated. I should’ve read the comments first.
That’s what happened to me too!!! It was so clumpy that I decided I would put it in the food processor to smooth it out – total mistake! smoothed out but quickly hardened so that I couldn’t even spread it in a pan, much less the molds. I’m afraid to make it again because I don’t know what I did wrong to correct it. I thought I followed the directions, except that mine was out of the frig too.
Help!
Do we know approximately how many mg are in these gummies?
That’s the same question I need answered, how many mg are in a serving (or the entire batch, I can do the math). But I can’t find my recipe I used last year for the grandkids, where I use the capsules emptied into the liquid instead of the syrup. It’s a lot less expensive. I need to find the ratio using powder. So if you find out, let me know please. Thanks.
Ingenious!
I am wondering if it’s ever been tried with Apple juice instead of the water?
I’m craving gummy bears now. Bad.
Hello, I’m just reading your post so on elderberries, have always bought the gummies and just made my first batch of the syrup. I have a 2, 4, and 6 year old- what are the serving sizes? I couldn’t find anywhere where you stayed it. Would it be 1tsp for the littles and more for my older kid?
Thank you
Stacy
Do you think you could add vitamin C powder to this recipe to increase health benefits and add to the shelf life?
The elderberries are naturally high Vit C content
how many molds do you need for this recipe? I only have one…should I half the recipe?
I used two molds with small shapes (dinosaurs and stars) and one bigger mold (flowers). You could always just put the extra in a pie dish (or other flat glass thing) and cut them into cubes- they just won’t look as cute.
Hey there – any suggestions for a workable vegan gelatin?
I love your site – a wealth of info! thanks!
Maybe try agar, made from red algae. I’ve never tried it myself, but I’ve heard it is a good substitute for gelatin.
Any luck with the agar? I had the same question…
I tried this recipe tonight with Agar Agar flakes. It turned out wonderfully. I halved the recipe just in case it didn’t work. I used 1/2 cup of Elderberry syrup, 1/4 cup of water, and 3 Tbsp. of Agar Agar Flakes. I mixed the liquids and warmed them in a pan and then added the Agar Agar flakes. I mixed for exactly 15 minutes. It came out great! I hope this helps.
What does “serve 6″mean?
I’m wondering how many molds I need for this sized batch?
I used three molds- two small and one bigger.
Do the gummies freeze well? Does the elderberry syrup freeze well? I have 3 little ones and do a lot of batch cooking.
I used 2 gummy molds from JoAnns but had lots of left over that I put in a glass pan. I’ll buy 2 more molds
Is this like a gummy vitamin, so that I should only allow one or two per day as a preventative or more if they are actually sick?
I was wondering the same thing. How many a day? I’m curious for my 4 year old and 2 year old.
Hi, I was wondering if you could freeze the elderberry gummies? I want to make a batch that will last at least a few months but I know they go bad after about a week.
I’ve frozen them and they’ve been just fine. When I’m ready to use them I just put them in the fridge for a couple of hours.
I just bought dried elderberries. How much water do I add to make gummies?
The dried elderberries need to first be made into syrup, then that syrup is used in this recipe.
Hope that helps!
Elderberry syrup recipe: https://wellnessmama.com/1888/elderberry-syrup/
The challenge has been going great! The forum has been awesome to connect with others & offer support (and get it!). Thanks for doing this…it has been wonderful. During these past weeks, I’ve been able to stay off of sugar, legumes, wheat, & dairy while focusing on all the things I can eat & enjoy. I threw out the scale, and will do my after weigh-in and measurements as the challenge comes to an end. It has been a fun experience & I feel so much better!
I’ve already switched to homemade toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant, so this hurdle is jumped… thanks in part to your recipes! I also don’t use soap when bathing, just water and baking soda if I’m extra smelly.
Next big thing is switching to homemade laundry soap and fabric softener. I’m part-way there — I only use Oxi-Clean powder and a tiny bit of liquid softener, but I’d love to make a complete switch.
My biggest challenge now is household cleaning, specifically in the kitchen. I really can’t find anything that cleans as well as I’d like, especially with all the cooking and raw meat handling that I’m now doing. Doesn’t help that we have white everything (including tile counters), which stains like crazy.
Try Shaklee’s Get Clean products. I’ve been using them for the past eight years and love them!!
Try Mrs Myers cleaning products. Smells divine and all natural cleans great!
But a warning is in order on those: the fragrance is very strong for sensitive individuals. If you have sensitivities to scents, you likely will not do well with these.
I use NORWEX products. The cloths have silver in them and you clean with water only. They work great!
I’ve used your elderberry syrup recipe for several year as well as the recipe for gummies and it always turns out perfectly! We use it during flu months and we have all managed to stay healthy aside from some sniffles and an occasional cough. My kids LOVE the syrup and gobble up the gummies. I’ve shared this recipe with so many people and am grateful you have shared it with us! Thank you!
White vinegar and baking soda is awesome in the kitchen! I add tea tree oil and lemon rinds in a spray bottle filled with vinegar and water. Works as a degreaser and removes turmeric stains no problem.
what is the recipe?
For my white tile and ceramic sink I sprinkle baking soda, then spritz with hydrogen peroxide. Allow to penetrate for 10 min to an hour (whatever works for your schedule) then gently scrub. The peroxide will whiten AND kill gross germs. The baking soda helps keep the peroxide in place and is a gently abrasive cleaner.
You can clean the counters with a peroxide spray:
1 (16 ounce) spray bottle
16 ounces peroxide (3%)
8 ounces water
5 drops tea tree oil
5 drops lemon oil
Pour all ingredients into spray bottle
Shake well
Spray on counter surfaces and wipe with a clean rag
Have you ever used Norwex? It is a cloth that has silver in it and you only clean with water. 🙂 Check it out on youtube.
🙂
:):):)LOL.
This is what I did wrong too. Will it still work can I salvage it? I put it all in the fridge. Should I warm my elderberry to room temp next time?
Actually Norwex is Amazing! If you haven’t heard about them or tried them you will at least love he cleaning cloths. They also sell natural spray cleaners, detergent, and tons of other chemical free agents. Check them out!
try lemon and eucalyptis essential oils in a spray bottle of water. It will kill the germs and make your kitchen have that clean smell. Depending on the tile you could possibly use hydrogen peroxide to get the stains out.
A simple cleaner that you may enjoy is 1 part white distilled vinegar (do not use apple cider as it is alkaline and you want the acidic value of white vinegar to kill germs), 1 part water, several drops of lemon essential oil. Shake well and clean away. Avoid wood, but most everything else goes. I have used this for years in cleaning my bathrooms, kitchen, appliances, doors, glass, walls. It’s simple, clean, inexpensive and works and smells great without dangerous chemicals.
As an added note, white vinegar is great for weed control and especially those pesky weeds that grow in our sidewalk cracks. Just don’t spray where you want plants to grow as it works by creating an unfavorable acidic environment.
I’ve just discovered the combo of spraying vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, one right after the other. Apparently it kills ecoli, salmonella, etc and performs as good as bleach! Look it up, there have been a couple of studies. Don’t mix them in the same container.
Use peroxide to clean and whiten. You can buy 17% online.