Homemade Fruit Gelatin (With Fresh Fruit or Juice)

Closeup of homemade pineapple gelatin in front of homemade watermelon gelatin.

Homemade Fruit Gelatin (With Fresh Fruit or Juice)

Enjoy the flavor of fresh fruit in a smooth, refreshing homemade gelatin dessert without artificial colors or flavors. Make it with fresh fruit or juice and adjust the sweetness to your liking.

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Low Salt

Keyword gelatin dessert, Jell-O

Special Diet Dairy free Recipes, Paleo

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

refrigeration time 2

Total Time 2 20

Servings 1/2 cup servings

Calories 29kcal

Author Tracy Ariza, DDS

Ingredients

2 cups fruit purée or juice including any added liquid
1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin
sugar (or honey, maple syrup, or another sweetener; optional, to taste)

Instructions

Making gelatin with fresh fruit

Peel the fruit and remove any large seeds, if needed. Blend until smooth. You can strain the mixture to remove small seeds or pulp if you prefer.
If the purée is too thick, add a little water, coconut water, or juice. You'll need a total of 2 cups, including any added liquid.
Sprinkle the gelatin over a small portion of the cold juice or purée, making sure there's enough liquid to hydrate it completely. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. If the purée is too thick, use a little cold water instead, counting it toward the 2-cup total.
Heat about half of the remaining purée in a saucepan over low to medium heat.
Add the hydrated gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. The mixture doesn't need to boil. If you're using sugar, add it now so it dissolves in the warm mixture.
Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining cold purée. Taste and adjust the sweetness if needed.
Pour into individual glasses or bowls and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until set.

Making gelatin with fruit juice

Measure out 2 cups of juice. Set aside a small portion while it's still cold.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the reserved juice, making sure there's enough to hydrate it completely. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Heat about half of the remaining juice in a saucepan over low to medium heat.
Add the hydrated gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. There's no need to boil the mixture. If you're using sugar, add it while the juice is warm.
Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining cold juice. Taste and adjust the sweetness if needed.
Pour into individual glasses or bowls and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until set.

Video

Notes

Fruits that need to be cooked first

Fresh pineapple, kiwi, papaya, figs, guava, and ginger contain enzymes that can prevent gelatin from setting. Mango may also cause problems.

If you're using any of these, heat all of the juice or purée first to deactivate the enzymes. Let a small portion cool before using it to hydrate the gelatin. Don't add any raw fruit or juice back into the mixture afterward.

You can also use canned fruit or heat-treated juice instead. Freezing the fruit won't deactivate the enzymes.

Gelatin sheets

You can use gelatin sheets instead of powder. Check the package for the amount needed to set 2 cups of liquid, since the amount can vary depending on the brand and strength.

Adjusting the texture

I use 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatin for every 2 cups of liquid to make a soft gelatin that's easy to eat with a spoon. Add a little more gelatin if you prefer something firmer.

Adjusting the flavor

Many fruits are sweet enough without adding anything else. Taste the mixture before adding sweetener. You can also add a splash of lemon or lime juice for a slightly tart flavor.

Vegan alternative

You can use agar-agar instead of gelatin, but the preparation is different. Agar needs to be boiled to work properly, and the amount you'll need depends on the type you're using. Follow the instructions on the package.

Nutrition information

Nutritional information is an estimate based on using 2 cups of watermelon juice without added sweetener. The actual values will depend on the fruit or juice you use.

Nutrition