Healthier Homemade Gummy Worms (And Leeches)

Homemade gummy worms are surprisingly easy to make with just fruit juice and gelatin! You can customize the flavors and colors, make them sweet or sour, and even turn them into creepy gummy leeches for Halloween. Best of all, you don’t need special candy molds to make them.

I first started experimenting with homemade gummy worms years ago after seeing a tutorial that used straws as molds. The finished worms looked pretty realistic, but I wanted to make a version using fruit juice instead of artificial colors and flavors.

My first attempts didn’t go quite as planned. Filling the straws was trickier than I expected, and getting the gummies out was messy. Eventually, I experimented with a completely different method using an oven rack and aluminum foil.

That turned out to be my favorite way to make them! Depending on how thick you make them, you can end up with either traditional gummy worms or wider, flatter gummies that look surprisingly like leeches.

Ingredients

You only need two ingredients to make homemade gummy worms, although you can add a little sweetener if you prefer them sweeter.

Fruit juice or fruit purée: This gives the gummies their flavor and color. You can experiment with different juices to make worms in a variety of colors. I particularly like using red juices for creepy Halloween leeches!

Unflavored gelatin: This is what gives the gummies their firm, chewy texture. Make sure you’re using plain, unflavored gelatin rather than a flavored gelatin dessert mix.

Honey (optional): Depending on the juice you choose, you may want to add a little honey to sweeten the gummies. Taste the mixture before adding any sweetener, as some juices are already sweet enough.

For opaque gummies, you can also experiment with adding a little milk, coconut milk, or cream. This changes their appearance and makes them less translucent.

Procedure

Making homemade gummy worms is easy. The first step is to bloom the gelatin, which just means allowing it to absorb some cold liquid before heating it.

Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 cup of cold fruit juice and let it sit for about 5 minutes. As it absorbs the liquid, the gelatin will swell and soften, making it easier to dissolve.

Meanwhile, gently warm the remaining cup of juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the bloomed gelatin and stir until it has completely dissolved. Avoid boiling the mixture.

If you’re using honey, stir it in now.

Once the gelatin has dissolved, pour the mixture into your prepared molds. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or until the gummies are firm enough to remove.

The exact setting time will depend on the size and thickness of your gummies.

Making molds for gummy worms

You don’t need special candy molds to make homemade gummy worms! I’ve experimented with several methods over the years, from filling drinking straws to making my own molds using an oven rack and aluminum foil.

Each method produces slightly different results. Silicone molds make the most traditional-looking gummy worms, while my homemade oven-rack method is perfect for making wider, creepier gummy leeches.

Using straws

One popular way to make realistic-looking gummy worms is to use flexible drinking straws. By pulling apart the bendy section of the straw, you can create ridges that make the finished gummies look more like real earthworms.

At least, that’s the idea! Unfortunately, I found this method much trickier than I expected.

What didn’t work

I tried using different types of straws and experimented with both berry and lemon gummies. Unfortunately, I had trouble getting the gelatin mixture to fill the straws completely. I suspect the trapped air prevented the liquid from reaching the bottom.

Even when I tried wider, shorter straws, I still ended up with tiny worms that were nowhere near as long as I’d hoped!

Perhaps filling the straws individually with a syringe would have worked better, but I eventually found another solution…

What worked

I eventually realized that instead of trying to fill each straw individually, I could pack a bunch of straws tightly into a tall, narrow glass and fill the entire glass with the gelatin mixture.

This worked much better! The gelatin filled the straws, and I was finally able to make longer gummy worms.

Once the gelatin had set, I ran the outside of the straws briefly under warm water, being careful not to let water get inside. Then, I gently pinched each straw between my fingers and pushed the gummy worm out.

While this method worked, it wasn’t perfect. Quite a bit of gelatin ended up around the straws, and removing the worms was messier and more time-consuming than I’d have liked. The leftover gelatin was perfectly edible, but I wanted something easier and less wasteful.

That’s when I started experimenting with another method.

Using an oven rack

After experimenting with drinking straws, I wanted to find an easier way to make gummy worms without buying special molds. That’s when I came up with the idea of using an oven rack and some aluminum foil!

To make the molds, place a sheet of aluminum foil over a clean oven rack. Gently press the foil down between the bars to create long, narrow trenches.

As you work your way across the rack, hold the foil in the previous trench while pressing it into the next one. This helps keep the trenches deep enough to hold the gelatin mixture.

Once you’ve formed your molds, carefully pour the gelatin mixture into the trenches. You can use a dropper or syringe to make filling them easier and avoid spilling gelatin between the worms.

My oven rack was too big to fit in the refrigerator, so I left the gelatin to set on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes. Once it was firm enough to move without spilling, I carefully lifted the foil off the rack and transferred it to the refrigerator to finish setting.

When the gummies are completely set, gently peel them away from the foil. Thicker gummies are usually easy to remove with your fingers, but a spatula can help release thinner ones without breaking them.

Making gummy leeches

One of the things I love about this method is that you can make more than just gummy worms!

When I made the gummies a little thicker, they ended up wide and rounded on top but flat underneath. They reminded me so much of leeches that I decided to call them gummy leeches!

If some of the gelatin spills between the trenches, you may end up with a thin edge around the gummies. While that might seem like a mistake, I actually think it makes them look even more like leeches!

If you’d rather make traditional-looking worms, you can simply trim away those extra edges with kitchen scissors.

Using silicone gummy worm molds

The most obvious way to make some cute-looking gummy worms is to use gummy worm molds. I finally ended up buying some because my son was eyeing a “gummy candy factory” at a local store for quite a while. It must not have been very popular here because they drastically reduced the price to only a few Euros, and I happily bought it because the molds themselves would normally cost me more than that.

Gummy worm molds make the cutest, easiest worms, of course.

You don’t necessarily need molds designed for making candy, either! Before buying my gummy worm molds, I experimented with a silicone ice cube tray designed to make long, narrow ice cubes for water bottles. It worked, but the gummies turned out much thicker than traditional gummy worms. I probably could have made them look more realistic by filling the molds only partway.

Storage

Homemade gummy worms are best stored in the refrigerator. Unlike commercial gummy candies, these are made with fruit juice and don’t contain preservatives, so they aren’t shelf-stable.

For soft, pliable gummies, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. This helps prevent them from drying out and keeps their texture closer to when they were first made. In my experience, they generally keep for about a week in the refrigerator, although this isn’t a tested shelf-life guarantee.

If you leave the gummies uncovered in the refrigerator, they’ll gradually lose moisture and become firmer and chewier. This can actually be useful if you prefer a more candy-like texture or plan to coat them with a sour sugar mixture.

Keep in mind that drying them out doesn’t make them shelf-stable. They should still be refrigerated.

For the best flavor and texture, I’d recommend making them shortly before you plan to serve them. If you notice mold, an unusual smell, or other signs of spoilage, discard them.

Making sour gummy worms

Making sour gummy worms is as simple as coating them with a mixture of sugar and citric acid. At least, that’s what I originally thought!

Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that the citric acid draws moisture from the gummies. Before long, my beautifully coated worms were wet, sticky, and sitting in a puddle of syrup.

Luckily, I found a couple of ways to help prevent that problem.

The easiest solution is to coat the gummies immediately before serving them! That way, you get the sour, sugary coating without giving it much time to dissolve.

If you want to prepare them ahead of time, try leaving the gummies uncovered in the refrigerator for a day or two to help them dry out slightly. Then, use a coating with only a small amount of citric acid. I’ve had better results using around ¼ teaspoon of citric acid for every 4 tablespoons of sugar.

This helps reduce the sweating, although the coating may still become sticky over time.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Video

This post was originally published on October 21, 2013. It has been updated over the years with new photos, a video, and clearer instructions. It was most recently updated in October 2026 with new photo collages, improved instructions for making gummy worms and leeches, troubleshooting tips, and updated recipe information.