Keeping your kids away from sugars and dies? No need to go without fun snacks! Here are 30 delicious recipes for healthy homemade fruit snacks, gummy bears, and fruit roll-ups to stick your kid’s lunch box!

A childhood favorite.

Growing up my mom was pretty particular about the food she fed her family. While all my friends were getting lunchables and fruit snacks, I was eating homemade wheat bread with cucumbers and alfalfa sprouts on it. Not that I minded. I love(d) veggie sammiches. But I also love(d) fruit snacks….

I don’t think there was ever a time when my mom produced a little pack of fruit snack for me or my little brother, but whenever we’d get them at a friend’s house they were such a treat! We treasured them just as much as our weekly allotted piece of dessert. 

Because that’s basically what they were.

Dessert.

Gummies

Gummy Legos from Yang’s Nourishing Kitchen

There’s what in my fruit snacks?

That’s right, my friends. If you were under the assumption that those little store-bought packs of fruit snack were a healthy snack for your kiddos I’m sorry to break it to you, but they’re not. Just take a look at the ingredients in these popular Dora the Explorer ones:

“Fruit puree, corn syrup, sugar, modified corn starch, gelatin, concord grape juice from concentrate, citric acid, lactic acid, natural and artificial flavors, ascorbic acid, alpha tocopherol acetate, vitamin A palmitate, sodium citrate, coconut oil, carnauba wax, annatto, turmeric, red 40, and blue 1.”

In other words: fruit, sugar, sugar, corn, gelatin, artificial vitamins, artificial flavors, coconut oil (?!), turmeric (?!), food coloring… Um… nah. I’ll make my own thanks.

fruit snacks

Tropical Orange Fruit Snacks from Allergy Free Alaska

A healthier option.

I’m assuming that if you’re here, you’re going to do the same. And why not? Fruit snacks are pretty dang easy to make! Most of these recipes only contain a few ingredients. And if you’re already a whole-foods kinda person, you probably have them in your pantry already.

Fruit.

First off, homemade fruit snacks and gummy bears start with a good quality fruit or fruit juice. Strawberry, blueberry, and citrus are popular flavors, but there are a couple of squash ones sneaked in here as well!

Sweeteners.

Next, a healthy sweetener is optional. I always use honey in my fruit snacks and gummies when I think the recipe needs a little extra sweetening. If you’re trying to keep things lower on the carbs, stevia is my second choice. All of these recipes are either sweetened with only fruit, honey, or stevia. I like the organic stevia from Trader Joes, but SweetLeaf, NOW Foods, and NuNaturals are quality, too.

Gelatin.

And last up, though definitely not the least important, is a good quality gelatin. I love using Perfect Supplements gelatin because from grass-fed cattle, making it kosher, non-GMO, and of course 100% gluten-free. 

Molds.

Now, you can totally make your fruit snacks in a loaf pan or 9×9 inch dish and cut them out. No biggie. But if your kids are anything like mine, they’re gonna want the fun and fancy shapes! Here are some fun candy molds my kids love that work for great for gummies!

30 Homemade Fruit Snacks & Gummy Bears.

Got all your ingredients and equipment ready? Let’s dig in to the recipes! Whether you’re looking for fancy gummy bears, homemade fruit leathers, or just plain fruit snacks, everything you need is here…

Enjoy!

Kombucha Lemon Gummies from Raia’s Recipes

Fruit Snacks.

Apple Cider Fruit Snacks from Raia’s Recipes

Banana Creme Fruit Snacks from Raia’s Recipes

Cranberry Kefir Fruit Snacks from Raia’s Recipes

Easy Strawberry Fruit Snacks from Raia’s Recipes

Healthy Homemade Fruit Snacks (with veggies!) from Dessert for Two

Strawberry Orange Fruit Snacks from Little House Living

Tropical Orange Fruit Snacks from Allergy Free Alaska

Gummies

Blueberry Sour Gummies from What Great Grandma Ate

Healthy Gummies & Bears.

3-Ingredient Bedtime Gummies from Prepare & Nourish

Berry Blaster Gummy Bears from Fit As A Mama Bear

Blackberry Dragon Fruit Gummies from Happy Mothering

Blueberry & Lemon Gummies from Food Love Nourish

Blueberry Sour Gummies from What Great Grandma Ate

Concord Grape Gummies from Recipes to Nourish

Elderberry & Black Cherry Gummies from Happy Mothering

GAPS Intro Gummies in 3 Flavors from Eat Beautiful

Ginger Honey Gummy Snacks from Love/Love Thing

Grapefruit Gummies from Raia’s Recipes

Gummy Legos from Yang’s Nourishing Kitchen

Gummies

Homemade Gummies from Whole New Mom

Healthy Probiotic Gummies from Small Footprint Family

Homemade Gummies with Fun Variations from Oh, the Things We’ll Make

Homemade Gummies from Whole New Mom

Immune-Boosting Elderberry Gummies from Traditional Cooking School

Kombucha Lemon Gummies from Raia’s Recipes

Lemon Elderberry Gummies from Just Take A Bite

Mango & Cream Gummies from Prepare & Nourish

Mango, Lemon & Turmeric Gummies from Food Love Nourish

Pomegranate Gelatin Gummies from The Organic Kitchen

Pumpkin Pie Gummies from Raia’s Recipes

Raspberry Gummies from Food Love Nourish

Rose Petal Gummies from Oh, the Things We’ll Make

Strawberry Banana Gummies from Common Sense Home

Sugar-Free Gummy Bears – 4 Flavors from Low Carb No Carb

Vitamin C Gummies from Traditional Cooking School

fruit roll ups

Easy Strawberry Fruit Leather from Wicked Spatula

Fruit Leathers & Roll-Ups

Blueberry Fruit Leather from Low-Carb Yum

Easy Strawberry Fruit Leather from Wicked Spatula

Homemade Fruit Leather from Every Day Full

Rhubarb Leather from Healthy, Green, Savvy

Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups from Served From Scratch

Winter Squash Fruit Leather from Eat Beautiful

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