You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make delicious homemade fruit snacks that both kids and adults will enjoy.
Who else admits to loving fruit snacks as a grown-up? I’m guilty of buying them and stashing them away so the kids don’t find them. But making fruit snacks at home with real fruit and a short ingredient list is even better.
This recipe uses just five ingredients and about ten minutes of active work. I’ve made strawberry, peach, and cherry-berry versions, but you can adapt the method to almost any suitable fruit.
Testing homemade fruit snack recipes
I experimented with many versions before settling on this one. Many online recipes felt bland or lacked the sweet, concentrated fruit flavor I wanted. Fruit snacks should be bright, fruity and a little candy-like—sweet and satisfying while still made from real fruit.
After several trials I developed a recipe that balances sweetness, texture and pure fruit flavor. These fruit snacks are sweet, fruity and highly addictive, and they contain no artificial additives found in many store-bought brands.
Fruit Snack Ingredients
Fruit snacks are essentially fruit purée, a sweetener, and gelatin to set them. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Fresh or frozen fruit — Use strawberries, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, or similar. Avoid pineapple, mango and kiwi because enzymes in those fruits prevent gelatin from setting.
- White grape juice or apple juice — A neutral-flavored juice adds sweetness and helps the purée blend smoothly. You can use water if you prefer less sweetness.
- Granulated sugar — For that classic fruit snack flavor use granulated sugar. Honey or maple syrup can work but will change the flavor profile.
- Powdered gelatin — Gelatin provides the firm texture. Find it in grocery stores near gelatin or Jell-O products.
- Fresh lemon juice — Optional, but it brightens the flavor and balances sweetness.
How do you make homemade fruit snacks?
The process is straightforward. Follow these steps:
- Prepare all ingredients and equipment before you start; gelatin begins to set as it cools, so working efficiently helps.
- Blend the fruit with the juice until smooth. If you prefer a seed-free texture, strain the purée through a fine mesh sieve.
- Warm the fruit purée in a saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the gelatin gradually while whisking to prevent clumps. Do not boil the mixture — heat just enough to dissolve the sugar and gelatin.
- Pour the smooth mixture into a parchment-lined 9×5-inch loaf pan (or molds) and chill in the refrigerator for about one hour until set.
- Remove the set fruit snacks from the pan, peel away the paper and cut into pieces or pop out molded shapes. Store in an airtight container.
Additional tips
- This batch yields about 2 cups of fruit snacks. Make multiple small batches with different fruits for variety.
- If using candy molds, grease them lightly and wipe away excess before filling so pieces release easily after chilling.
- Store fruit snacks at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Recipe
Homemade Fruit Snacks
8 servings
5 mins
5 mins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups fruit, thawed if frozen (see Notes)
- ½ cup white grape juice or apple juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons powdered gelatin
Instructions
- Combine fruit, juice, and lemon in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a mesh sieve if you prefer a seed-free purée.
- Pour the purée into a saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Add the gelatin slowly while whisking constantly to avoid clumps.
- Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the gelatin is completely dissolved. Do not let it boil.
- Remove from heat, line a 9×5-inch pan with parchment or wax paper, and pour in the mixture.
- Chill in the fridge for one hour or until firm. Remove from the pan and cut into pieces or unmold.
- Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Most fruits work well, but avoid pineapple, kiwi, mango, ginger root, papaya, figs and guava. These contain enzymes that prevent gelatin from setting.
- This recipe yields about 2 cups of fruit snacks.
I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or share a photo on Instagram with the tag #completelydelicious.