Healthy homemade fruit snacks with veggies inside.
If you pegged me for one of those moms that would make her kid homemade fruit snacks, then you hit the nail on the head.
If you knew that I would not only make fruit snacks, but I would also find a way to incorporate vegetables, well, then, you probably know me a little too well.
The beautiful truth is that Camille has never had a fruit snack...until someone gave her a pouch at her school Valentine's Day party. She liked them (of course), but I waited a significant amount of time before making these at home. I wanted her little brain to forget the store-bought sweetness.
These healthy homemade fruit snacks have the same texture as the store-bought version, but are made with pureed fruit, vegetables, honey, and grass-fed gelatin. I'm pretty sure none of those ingredients are in the store-bought version!
I use Vital Proteins grass-fed beef gelatin to make these healthy homemade fruit snacks. I'm a big fan of all of their products (I don't go a day without adding their collagen peptides to hot tea), and incorporating their grass-fed beef gelatin into my kitchen was easy.
As you know, both Camille and I struggle getting enough protein in our diets. Neither of us love meat, and so I'm always looking for easy ways to boost our protein intake.
Grass-fed gelatin fruit snacks are a perfect protein-rich dessert for her lunch box.
My recipe makes a 9" bread loaf pan worth of puree with 5 tablespoons of gelatin in it. In the photos, you see two flavors: carrot-mango fruit snacks and strawberry-beet fruit snacks.
Here's the real deal on this recipe: you need to taste the puree after blending. Does it taste sweet enough that your kid would eat it? If not, add more honey.
I can actually get away with 2 tablespoons of honey for Camille. If your kiddos have had store-bought fruit snacks, the level of sweetness won't be enough for them. Add extra honey, one tablespoon at a time, until they taste right to you.
One time, I tried making these with just 1 tablespoon of honey, and they tasted a bit...vegetal. I ended up rolling them in granulated sugar before serving them to Camille.
You really need a high-speed blender to get the fruit the perfect consistency. Puree the mixture for at least 5 minutes, no chunks here! If you're having trouble getting the mixture smooth, add another tablespoon of water.
Adding the gelatin can be a strange process if you're unfamiliar with working with gelatin. It took me at least one dozen batches of homemade marshmallows before I became comfortable working with gelatin.
After the fruit mixture is smooth, pour it into a wide-bottomed pan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface (it's hard to cram 5 tablespoons over the surface area, but do your best!). Let the gelatin sit for 5 minutes. The mixture will start to look wrinkled, like this:
Once it's wrinkled, it's time to whisk the mixture while turning the heat to medium. Continue to whisk the mixture, and the heat will melt the gelatin. At first, there will be clumps, but they will dissolve as the mixture heats. Don't let the mixture boil, but do cook it while whisking until it is smooth.
After pouring the mixture into a parchment paper lined loaf pan, let it set for a few hours. I usually leave mine overnight. The next day, I use little pie crust cutters to cut out cute shapes.
What do I do with the scraps? Cut them into smaller pieces with scissors and mix them in! Don't waste the scraps; I just didn't photograph them this way because we live in a Pinterest world.
I hope you and your little loves these healthy homemade fruit snacks with veggies!
Healthy homemade fruit snacks with hidden vegetables. *Please add more honey to taste! If your kids like store-bought fruit snacks, these won't be sweet enough for them. Add honey until it tastes right to you.Healthy Homemade Fruit Snacks (with veggies!)
Ingredients
For the mango carrot fruit snacks:
For the strawberry-beet fruit snacks:
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
75
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 14Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g
Nat says
Can you give me an idea of other flavours? I’m buying the gelatine and some fruit to make these on my next shop but unsure of flavours. Thanks :-)
Meg says
When you let them sit, did you put them in the fridge overnight? I made the mango/carrot one last night and put it in the fridge overnight. When I took it out this morning, it was still liquid. Any suggestions?
Christina Lane says
Yes, fridge overnight, sorry! It sounds like your gelatin isn't as strong as the one I used (the green can). I've noticed that the vital proteins gelatin is more potent. Try adding an extra 1-2 teaspoons of gelatin. You can use the same batch, no need to start the recipe over.
Jenna says
Thank you for the recipe! Mine did not turn out like store bought texture AT ALL! They are firm enough to hold their shape but very mushy to taste. Any suggestions?!
Christina Lane says
Honestly, I think that's normal. They lack the chemicals and liquid sugars used to sweeten them, like the ones at the store. Sorry if you were disappointed. My daughter has never had a store-bought one, so she didn't know the difference, hah! But when I tried them, I noticed the texture was firm and mushy, but I liked it. Plus, I'm getting in a serving of fruit and veggies, so win? :)
Samantha says
If I don't want to use the grass-feed gelatin can I use regular. Also, where did you purchase the mini pie cutters?
Thank you!
Heather says
Definitely! We don't have a grassfed/organic/alternative suger budgwt and always substitute regular and store brand items in recupes that want honey or specialty items. There's never been a problem.
Jess says
how long will these keep for in the fridge?
Christina Lane says
3-5 days, tightly sealed :)
Shanelle says
Giving a baby under 1 honey can be deadly. It would be nice if you could put a notice in the recipes which contain honey stating that they are suitable for babies under 1.
Christina Lane says
You're absolutely correct, and this has been brought up and addressed.
anil kumar says
Very good post. It's interesting and useful.
Ellie says
Could you freeze these into portions for school prep?
Christina Lane says
I've never frozen them, I'm sorry, but gelatin does strange things when it's frozen, typically.
Brittany Manning says
When you say tightly sealed in the fridge do you mean just in a tupperware or a Ziploc bag or something?
Jodi says
My daughter loves green. Have you made any with spinach? I’d like to try that. Maybe pair it with pineapple. Just curious the amounts of the ingredients and if you have any suggestions.
Christina Lane says
Pineapple and gelatin are not friends. The enzymes in pineapple prevent gelatin from setting properly.
Nicole Strange says
5 tablespoons sounds like a heck of a lot of gelatine. Did you mean 5 teaspoons?
Christina Lane says
Nope :) 5 tablespoons, as written.