These probiotic blackberry gummies are made with simple, healthy ingredients, and are sure to delight kids and grownups alike!
Originally published March 2019. Updated Sept. 2021.
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I've been on a mission to boost our immune systems lately. With the crazy swings in the weather, and all the Easter treats and excitement, I want to do everything I can to keep us healthy and active. We have gardens to plant, after all!
Last week we enjoyed creating our immune-boosting mango turmeric freezer lollipops, and this week the kids were excited to beta test some new healthy treats.
So we got out our silicone molds, and have been experimenting with making homemade gummies!
We've done gummies with vitamin powder, gummies made with mostly juice or mostly fruit puree, and gummies with probiotics galore.
These blackberry gummies made with both probiotic powder and naturally probiotic water kefir are some of our absolute favorites. My 3 year old would eat these for breakfast lunch and dinner if I let him!
Thankfully, the probiotics aren't the only healthy thing about this recipe. It uses grass-fed gelatin, which has been shown to promote better digestion, strengthen bones, improve sleep quality, and even boost mood. (Though I'm pretty sure those little ducks could improve anybody's mood based on cuteness alone!
For more about the healing benefits of grass-fed gelatin, this post is a good read, and it's full of links to some fascinating research! (This is my favorite grass-fed gelatin. And this is my favorite children's probiotic.)
This recipe makes a LOT of adorable gummi bears, ducks, bunnies, or whatever shape your gummi mold makes. Just for reference, it fills 4 of these large-capacity gummi bear molds.
Since I have a lot of different silicone molds, and we go through these gummies quickly, I really like the size of this recipe - it makes about 2 cups of mixture, total.
That said, if you only have one or two silicone molds, you might want to half this recipe and make a smaller amount at a time.
You can also pour any leftover mixture into a small bowl or pan. It lifts right out once it's set (I've never found a need to grease, though some suggest it.) Then you can easily chop it into little squares.
It's a quick and easy little recipe that sets up fast, and makes for some very happy kiddos without having to wait long! I hope your family enjoys these as much as we do!
Probiotic Blackberry Gummies
Equipment
- silicone gummi mold
- small pan
- food mill or seive (optional)
- whisk or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 10 ounces fresh or frozen organic blackberries
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 cup water kefir (or milk kefir, kombucha, or unsweetened fruit juice)
- 1/4 cup grass-fed gelatin
- 1 tbsp probiotic powder (or empty a few capsules to obtain a similar amount)
Instructions
- Add blackberries and honey to small pan, and simmer over low heat until blackberries have cooked and fall apart when stirred.
- Put the mixture through a food mill or sieve to remove seeds. You'll end up with right about a cup of thick liquid once the seeds are removed.
- Add water kefir, gelatin, and probiotic powder, and blend well with an immersion blender or whisk. If you're using a whisk, it works best to sprinkle the gelatin in slowly as you continually mix. If you're using the immersion blender, you can just dump it all in and blend.
- Once the mixture is smooth and well blended, pour it into the cavities of your silicone gummi mold. I find that transferring portions of the mixture to a small measuring cup with a spout makes it easy to fill those tiny gummi bear cavities without making a mess! Some folks recommend using an eye dropper to make this part easier.
- Allow the mixture to cool. They'll set just fine at room temperature, but putting them in the fridge or freezer for about 15 minutes speeds things up! I also find that the colder and firmer they are, the more easily they come out of the mold.
- Store refrigerated, in an air-tight container.
Nutrition
Vic says
I'm sure my kids are going to love this. I'm going to try this on the weekend. Thanks for sharing this recipe!