Dye Free Healthy Homemade Jello Jigglers

Homemade Jello Jigglers with Fruit Juice – A Clean and Simple Alternative. Also gluten and dairy free and paleo friendly!

If you grew up on those wobbly, neon-colored jello cups from the store, you might be surprised to learn that making homemade jello is ridiculously easy—and way better for you. No artificial flavors, no mystery ingredients, and absolutely no weird food dyes. It’s also super simple to make, and only requires one more step than the box mixes.

This real fruit juice jello is made with just two ingredients: juice and beef gelatin. That’s it. No refined sugar, no corn syrup, and no long list of preservatives you can’t pronounce. You can even mix a few juices together or sneak in some vegetable juice.

Plus, beef gelatin has some great health benefits, it’s kind of a superfood in disguise. It’s packed with collagen, which is great for your skin, hair, nails, and joints—homemade jello is actually doing you some favors. Plus, it’s awesome for gut health and digestion, thanks to an amino acid called glycine that helps heal your gut lining. Read more about it here.

Beef gelatin is also a natural protein boost (without any weird additives) and can even help with muscle recovery after workouts. Glycine has been shown to calm the nervous system and promote better rest. So basically, this is health food that jiggles.😂🤣 For another great kid friendly snack, that they won’t even realize is good for them, be sure to check out this Brownie Batter Dip!

Ready to make your own jello? Let’s do it.

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Ingredients

• Fruit Juice- You want zero added sugar juice, just straight juice! We like combo juices like Blackberry Plum Cherry! Straight grape juice tasted a little too much like jelly for me lol! I think adding apple juice in would tone down the strong grape flavor, but my kids still loved it! I’ve read that pineapple, kiwi and mango may not work great because the enzymes can break down the gelatin so it won’t gel properly.

• Beef Gelatin- NOT COLLAGEN POWDER! Must be beef gelatin! Divided Sunset Brand is a cheap option from Walmart to try it out, but if it’s something you think you’ll use often the It’s Just Brand is a bulk option from amazon that is also grass fed! Soon I will also have a recipe for homemade marshmallows that are so fun to make with the kids that also use beef gelatin!

• Honey-Optional, if you are using a juice that is tart you may want to add a bit of honey

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Directions

• To prepare the gelatin, pour ½ cup of juice into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Evenly sprinkle the gelatin powder over the juice, then stir gently to mix. Let it sit for about 5 minutes while you warm up the remaining juice. During this time, the gelatin will absorb the liquid and thicken into a very thick, grainy texture—this means it’s ready to use!
• As the gelatin sets, pour the remaining 3 ½ cups of juice into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it’s steaming. It doesn’t need to reach a boil or even a simmer—just make sure it’s very hot before moving on to the next step.
  
• Add the bloomed gelatin and honey (if using) to the hot juice and stir to dissolve completely. Make sure it’s completely dissolved!
  
• Pour gelatin mixture into a 2-quart heat proof container or individual serving containers (perfect for lunch boxes) and cover with plastic wrap. It may be bubbly on the top, totally fine! Chill at least 3-4 hours or until set completely.
  
• Once it’s set you can serve the jello or store in the refrigerator. I would try to use it within 4-5 days or the texture will begin to break down.

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Yield: 8 Servings

Homemade Jello Jigglers – No food dyes here!

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Homemade Jello Jiggers with Fruit Juice and Beef Gelatin – A Clean and Simple Alternative. Dairy free and gluten free, also paleo friendly!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups: 100% Fruit Juice- no sugar added (pineapple, kiwi and mango may not set up well due to enzymes-not recommended)
• 4 tbsp: Beef Gelatin- NOT collagen powder, this WILL NOT WORK!
• 1-2 tbsp: Honey-Optional, especially good to use for tart juices

Instructions

1. To prepare the gelatin, pour ½ cup of juice into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Evenly sprinkle the gelatin powder over the juice, then stir gently to mix. Let it sit for about 5 minutes while you warm up the remaining juice. During this time, the gelatin will absorb the liquid and thicken into a very thick, grainy texture—this means it's ready to use!
   
2. As the gelatin sets, pour the remaining 3 ½ cups of juice into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it’s steaming. It doesn’t need to reach a boil or even a simmer—just make sure it’s very hot before moving on to the next step.
   
3. Add the bloomed gelatin and honey (if using) to the hot juice and stir to dissolve completely. Make sure it’s completely dissolved!
   
4. Pour gelatin mixture into a 2-quart heat proof container or individual serving size containers (perfect for lunchboxes!) and cover with plastic wrap. Chill at least 3-4 hours or until set completely.
5. Once it’s set you can serve or store in the refrigerator. I would try to use it within 4/5 days or the texture will start to break down.

Notes

For a more traditional, softer jello (not as much of a jiggler!) you can use 2 tbps of gelatin.

On the otherhand, If you increase the amount of gelatin too much, you can actually end up with fruit gummies!

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