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Fruit Juice Gelatin

August 26, 2008 by KimiHarris 32 Comments

Thanks for stopping by! If you're interested in healthy eating check out my free gifts! and subscribe to get regular email updates. *Some links may be affiliate.*
Thanks for stopping by! If you're interested in healthy eating check out my free gifts! and subscribe to get regular email updates. *Some links may be affiliate.*

I am still on the quest of finding new things to pack in my husband’s lunch. This recipe was actually an “old” recipe that I had forgotten about and rediscovered. It’s based off of a recipe shared by a close family friend growing up.

By the way, The Nourishing Portable Food Carnival is tomorrow, so get those ideas ready to share! As I have at least two more posts to share for the Carnival, I am getting a head start by sharing this one today.

Making your own gelatin desserts are very simple to make. There is absolutely no need to buy those sugary, fake flavored jello boxes! For a much more satisfying and natural snack, you can use fruit juice and fruit to make your own “jello”. It’s great for lunches, snacks, taking on picnics, and even as part of a dinner. Because it tastes so much better, and looks so much nicer, my family used to serve this often to relatives or guests and it always went over very well. It’s a more gourmet, nourishing choice, that also doesn’t take much more work than making jello! We also found that people not “into” health food loved this recipe. This recipe has really worked well for us! (This Post is also part of WFMW)

You can definitely play around with what type of juice you want to use. Obviously, since juice plays the main role, you want to pick one that is very flavorful. Growing up, we used apricot nectar. Although I don’t like apricot fruit that well, I love the juice. However, you do have to find a juice that isn’t full of sugar. I have found some very nice apricot nectar juices that were sweetened with other added juices, such as white grape, instead of sugar.

This time I decided to try a new flavor and used a papaya juice (which was also a cane sugar free juice mix) and I LOVED it. While I am sure there would be some juices that would taste bland made into a gelatin, there is plenty of room to experiment. We like to put berries in as well. Some little kids might not like that part as well, so consider the age factor for those you are making it for. But for us adults, it’s a wonderful addition.

Fruit Juice Gelatin


Using one tablespoon of gelatin gives a softer set, using two gives a firm set (more like jello). I choose to use one tablespoon for the softer set.

4 cups of juice (my choices- apricot nectar, or a papaya juice mix)
6 tablespoons water
1-2 tablespoon gelatin (see note above)
1/4 cup of honey
2 cups of berries, fresh or frozen (I used raspberries and blackberries)

1-Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Leave for 5 minutes to soften.
2-Meanwhile, heat about two cups of the juice and the honey on the stove and bring to a boil.
3-Place the gelatin/water mixture in a medium size bowl and add the hot water, stirring for one minute and the gelatin is thoroughly dissolved. Then, add the rest of the juice.
4-In 8 ramekins or a small casserole dish, place your berries and pour over the gelatin juice mixture. Place in the fridge overnight,or for at least 3 hours to set. When cool, you can cover with plastic wrap.

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KimiHarris

I love beautiful and simple food that is nourishing to the body and the soul. I wrote Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons and Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons as another outlet of sharing this love of mine. I also love sharing practical tips on how to make a real food diet work on a real life budget. Find me online elsewhere by clicking on the icons below!

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Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Sides, Snacks

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alison @ Pennythoughts

    August 26, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Kimi, what a cool idea! I am *definitely* keeping this recipe on hand for my future as a mother. This will be such a tasty, wholesome treat for little ones. I’m going to pass this on to some moms I know.

    I keep forgetting about the food carnival! And I didn’t realize it was tomorrow. For some reason, I kept thinking it’s on Friday. I’d better get my thinking cap on in a hurry. I look forward to hearing your ideas.

    Reply
  2. Kimi Harris

    August 26, 2008 at 6:03 pm

    Alison,

    Joel enjoyed his fruit gelatin immensely today in his lunch. 🙂 It was definitely a hit over here.

    Thanks for being part of the carnival! Looking forward to it!

    Reply
  3. Sarah

    August 27, 2008 at 6:49 am

    I’m definitely keeping this one bookmarked to make for my son! It’d be a great sweet treat! I am also thinking of augmenting a family recipe (cranberry salad) for Thanksgiving this year by using gelatin and fruit juice rather than the boxed Jello (yuck!). Wish me luck!

    Best,
    Sarah

    Reply
  4. Wani

    August 27, 2008 at 9:07 am

    Great idea – sounds yummy!

    Reply
  5. Sherry

    August 27, 2008 at 9:12 am

    Great idea! I’m going to try this hopefully next week. 😀

    Reply
  6. Jeni

    August 27, 2008 at 10:18 am

    I absolutely love this idea!! Thank you for sharing and I can’t wait to try it out for my colleagues at work on one of our food days.

    Reply
  7. sarena

    September 24, 2008 at 3:31 pm

    I have always made my own gel desserts with agar agar. And the Ceres line of juices are really good!

    Reply
  8. annie

    January 19, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    I definitely want to try this…..thank you for sharing the link and the recipe! Where do you get the gelatin? Is it just the box of stuff in the grocery store in the baking aisle (where ours is…..knox is the brand, i think……unless i’m mixing it up with something else)? Thank you!

    Reply
  9. nancy

    March 3, 2009 at 9:41 am

    This is a great recipe!! But you also can pour the gelatin into wide mouth glass jelly jars and put on the plastic lids for easy transportation!!

    Reply
  10. Helen

    May 12, 2009 at 5:39 pm

    I have lost count of how many times I have made this for my family now 🙂 My 2 boys are always trying to think of new juice and fruit combinations and we even made it in silicon ice cube molds so they were like bite size little candies…very cute.

    Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  11. Adream

    May 18, 2009 at 5:58 pm

    I made this Fruit Juice Gelatin for my husband and I twice now. We really enjoyed it. Made it with lots of different fruits and juices and with one tablespoon of gelatin it comes out tasting great every time. This is a keeper.

    Reply
  12. Sarah

    October 8, 2009 at 10:32 am

    I think there is a typo in step 3 dealing with pour the hot water into the gelatin/water mixture. I assume you mean the hot juice and honey mixture? It looks like a great recipe though and I am excited to try in out on my trip with my husband to Madison, Wisconsin. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Liz T.

    January 16, 2010 at 9:55 am

    This recipe is amazing! I’ve been avoiding Jell-O for quite some time due to the sugar, and now that I’ve found this recipe, I don’t think I’ll ever go back! I made mine with grapefruit juice and nectarines… can’t wait to try more combinations! Thanks for another great recipe!

    Reply
  14. Sarah Bearden

    July 3, 2010 at 9:04 am

    Hi Kimi:

    Great idea! Have you ever had a problem using certain fruits and getting the gelatin to set? I read somewhere that certain fruits like pineapple have enzymes that hinder the setting (gelling) process. Just wondering as I would love to try a variety of fruits! Thanks!

    SarahB

    Reply
  15. Mary Jo

    July 3, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    Hi Kimi:

    I use the Gelatin and fruit juice to make finger jello. I started taking it camping and now it is a tradition. The only juice that you have to make sure is cooked is pineapple, the rest can be fresh juices.
    To make the finger jello ;
    4 pkgs gelatin (4 Tbs)
    1 cup cold fruit juice
    3 cups juice boiling.
    1/4 c honey (optional for sweeter)
    Sprinkle gelatin on cold juice and let set 2 minutes.
    Add boiling juice (w/honey added optional) to cold mixture and stir til disolved then pour into pan and refrigerate til set. cut into small cubes and enjoy.

    Reply
    • Kenechi

      December 10, 2015 at 12:26 am

      Dear Mary,
      I have been making this fruit juice just the way u said it. I thought I was doing it wrong. Thanks for sharing

      Reply
  16. Leah

    July 13, 2010 at 9:26 am

    I’m making this for a BBQ tonight. I used Mango nectar. For the fruit I used sliced bananas. I topped it all off with whipped coconut milk (like whipped cream). It will be a good tropical dessert for this hot July day!

    Reply
  17. Mary C.

    March 17, 2011 at 8:28 am

    Step three is confusing me, lol. I’m guessing I’m supposed to put a couple cups of hot juice mix in with the gelatin, until it’s dissolved, then add the rest, then pour into ramekin dishes?
    Thanks! LOVE your website!

    Reply
  18. Erin C

    July 1, 2011 at 10:22 am

    What type of gelatin do you use?

    Reply
  19. Chris Lawson

    July 1, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    My grandkids love jello but don’t need the dyes and sugar in the packaged type, and this sounds so much tastier. We’ll give it a try soon, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  20. Rachel J

    July 8, 2011 at 8:17 am

    Great Lakes is considered to be a good brand. Personally I get the kosher as I’d prefer not to have my gelatin from questionable pork. I know that the Weston A. Price Foundation has a few recommendations on their website.

    Reply
  21. Rachel J

    July 8, 2011 at 8:31 am

    Great Lakes is considered to be a good brand. Personally I get the kosher as I’d prefer not to have my gelatin from questionable pork. I know that the Weston A. Price Foundation has a few recommendations on their website.

    I’ve been making gelatin gummy “candies” with 3-4 TBS of gelatin per half cup of juice, sprinkled on cold juice, add honey to taste, then heat until dissolved. Then pour into candy molds, let set for a few minutes, and move to the freezer for 15 minutes. Not to sweet but very chewy and stable. We used bug molds and enjoyed eating our flies, caterpillars, moths and slugs 🙂

    Reply
  22. Denny de H

    August 20, 2011 at 9:45 am

    In Hawaii my mom made something like this using fresh passion fruit juice (lilikoi). She made it so it was very soft and loose, not firm. To serve we dipped the little Pyrex cups in hot water to loosen and slipped it over vanilla ice cream. EVERYONE loved it – kids, grown-ups, locals, visitors. It is possible in some places on the mainland to find a frozen concentrate that has very good fresh-fruit like flavor. I sometimes find the brand “The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley” at my local Whole Foods store. It a tart juice, but is best not sweetened much. Let the ice cream take care of that. Heavenly tropical fruit flavor and creamy ice cream! Ono!

    Reply
  23. Thor of the Forgotten Lands

    July 14, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    This recipe is great! Can’t wait to try it 😉

    Reply
  24. brooke

    July 20, 2012 at 7:20 am

    do you realize that if you use a bit of broth and no sweetener and add some blanches carrot , paprika and cauliflower you will bet a traditional german Sülze, which tastes great on a slice of bread with butter? I am still experiementing with the best veggie distribution and the texture..but it is VERY similar to this

    Reply
  25. nihan bayati

    September 29, 2012 at 6:57 am

    I want quanteties of gelatine and pectin for making fruit juice jelly and methods

    Thanks

    NIHAN
    IRAQ
    MOSUL UNV.
    DOCTORAL STUDENT

    Reply
  26. Mary McC

    November 8, 2012 at 4:25 am

    There’s a diff. version of this on the Nat’l Honey Board’ s website which uses apple juice, 1 pkt. Gelatin and 1/4 c. honey. Yup, that’s it. Sprinkle gelatin over fruit juice, whisk or stir while heating gently, once dissolved take off heat and add honey. I add shredded veg. Like carrots, finely diced apples and finely chopped nuts to up the nutritional profile. Made in lidded cups, it travels pretty well in the lunchbox.
    Love your blog, reading thru it all!

    Reply
  27. Cheryl

    April 15, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    Yes, typo in the recipe: “3-Place the gelatin/water mixture in a medium size bowl and add the hot water, stirring for one minute and the gelatin is thoroughly dissolved. Then, add the rest of the juice.”

    This should be “hot juice.”

    Reply
  28. Mitch

    April 20, 2013 at 5:45 pm

    I just bought some grass fed gelatin and am searching the Internet for some recipes. I will definitely save and use this one!

    Reply
  29. Maria

    January 4, 2014 at 9:48 am

    Can I make the recipe with 2cups coconut water 2cups pomegrante

    No honey no fruit

    Just gelatin water an juice? How would I need to adjust it leave out tablespoons of water?!

    Thanks

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Nourishing Easter Recipe Ideas says:
    April 9, 2009 at 8:28 am

    […] Fruit Gelatin makes a wonderful sweet side dish (so much better for you then Jello dishes). […]

    Reply
  2. A Healthy Mother’s Day Brunch says:
    May 8, 2009 at 9:31 am

    […] fruit inspired special treat around my house is Fruit Juice Gelatin The warmer the weather gets, the more we love […]

    Reply

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The information you find here at The Nourishing Gourmet is meant to help you become a better cook! This site is primarily for sharing family friendly recipes. It's not meant to give medical advice or to make any health claims on the prevention or curing of diseases.This site is only for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet. Also, any links to sponsors or affiliates (including Amazon) may give me a percentage of the sale or a pay per click. Thank you for supporting this site.

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