DIY Gummy Worms
Make your own homemade gummy worms or creepy gummy leeches using fruit juice and gelatin. They're easy to customize, and you don't even need special candy molds!
Servings 40 gummies
Calories 9kcal
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups fruit juice or fruit purée
- 1 tablespoon honey optional, to taste
Instructions
Prepare the gelatin mixture
- Pour 1 cup of cold fruit juice into a bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the juice and allow it to bloom for about 5 minutes.
- Warm the remaining cup of juice in a small saucepan over low heat.
- Add the bloomed gelatin mixture and stir gently until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Don't boil the mixture.
- Stir in the honey, if using.
Prepare your molds
- Choose one of the following methods for making your gummy worms.
Silicone molds
- Use silicone gummy worm molds or other narrow silicone candy molds. No special preparation is needed.
Straw molds
- Pack drinking straws tightly into a tall, narrow glass. Pour the gelatin mixture into the glass, allowing it to fill the straws. Some of the mixture will also fill the spaces between them.
Oven rack mold
- Place a sheet of aluminum foil over a clean oven rack. Gently press the foil into the spaces between the bars to create long, narrow trenches.
Fill and set the gummies
- For silicone molds or the oven rack method, carefully pour the gelatin mixture into the prepared molds. A syringe or dropper can make filling narrow molds easier.
- Refrigerate the gummies until completely set, approximately 30 minutes, depending on their thickness. If the oven rack doesn't fit in your refrigerator, you can let the mixture begin setting at room temperature, then transfer the foil to the refrigerator to finish setting.
- Carefully remove the gummies from their molds.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for later.
Video
Notes
Choosing your juice: You can use different fruit juices or purées to change the flavor and color of your gummies. Avoid raw pineapple, kiwi, and papaya unless they've been sufficiently heated to deactivate the enzymes that interfere with gelatin setting. See my homemade gelatin dessert tutorial for more information.
Making the molds: Silicone gummy worm molds are the easiest option, but you can also use drinking straws or an oven rack lined with aluminum foil. The oven rack method makes especially convincing gummy leeches!
Adjusting the texture: For firmer, chewier gummies, leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for a day or two. They'll gradually lose moisture and become less soft.
Making sour gummy worms: Coat the gummies with sugar and a little citric acid immediately before serving. The coating can draw moisture from the gummies and become sticky if added too far ahead of time.
Storage: Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. In my experience, they generally keep for about a week, although this isn't a tested shelf-life guarantee. These gummies aren't shelf-stable.
Nutrition
Serving: 1homemade gummy worm | Calories: 9kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 12mg | Vitamin C: 4.7mg | Calcium: 2mg