I have a terrible weakness for gummy bears. I will eat as many gummy bears as I can, which is why I haven’t bought any in years. Sugar free gummy bears are known for their unintended laxative effect, so I don’t buy those either.
Imagine my delight when I stumbled onto this lovely gummy bear recipe on the internet.
I immediately ordered a variety pack of True drink mix.
- Gelatin – check
- Water- check
- True variety pack ordered and received
- molds -check
Onward we go.
Don’t they just look lovely?
They taste like crap. Cold crap that’s been mixed with gelatin. There is this horrid chemical taste. I spat them out. And because I am an addict, I tried them two more times, thinking that maybe I am just mistaken. Nope, nasty every time.
Bleh. Maybe it’s because I used Lemonade pack. I mixed one of these packets with water and that tasted nasty, too.
I am crushed. They included one sampler of mango flavor, not lemonade, so I will try that today and report on the results.
Ain’t life grand, no sugar ? no way.
I’m baking the bread…
My hubby bought commercLly made sugar free gummies…. it was a very very unpleasant experience. The effect they had on his system was explosive. Run away!
I feel the same way about gummy bears. I can eat a whole bag of those 12 flavor gummies by myself. Then I feel sick because I ate a whole bag of gummies. It’s better to just not buy them.
Sometimes I add a tablespoon of powdered gelatin to hot drinks if I have a craving for gummies. It makes coffee and brewed cocoa (that’s where you brew ground cocoa beans like coffee. All the hot chocolate flavor, none of the sugar) taste so extra creamy, and kills the craving.
Elana’s pantry (blog) has a recipe for gummy bears. I don’t remember what she used for flavoring, but they looked good
The deal with all artificial sweeteners is that based on your personal genetic code, instead of stimulating the “sweet” receptors in your tongue, they may stimulate the “bitter” ones instead. Some people only react this way to one specific artificial sweetener but are able to find others that taste okay. Both I and my husband perceive all of the artificial sweeteners as bitter. Neither of us has ever been able to find one we could tolerate, so we avoid all sugar-free products like the plague. However, most people don’t have quite as extreme a reaction as we do, and can usually find something sugar-free that works for them.
Did you try Liquid Stevia, of which there are also flavored ones? Was told that Powdered is processed differently, could make for it to be that Bitter as perceived by many, but that the Liquid processing was an acceptable taste to my husband.
Yeah, me too. I could never figure out how anyone could use those variously colored packets. They all taste nasty to me. So do coffee and strongly flavored mint things. (Yeah, yeah, I’m weird. I’ve gotten over it.)
On the other hand, I don’t think cilantro tastes “like soap”, as some in my extended family do. In Texas, that’s important. You can always get sugar here, but food without cilantro can be hard to find, assuming you don’t live on fast food.
All in all, I’ll take it. (I actually don’t use sweetener of any kind in my iced tea anymore.)
As a diabetic who has a migraine trigger with synthetic sweeteners I sympathize.
P.S. love your stories, what happened when the cop realized he was busted?
The answer will probably be in their next book, Sapphire Flames. That was a snippet. It may or may not end up in the final version of the book, but it is my joy to look for snippets in the book to see how they (haven’t) changed.
I use the True Citrus packs in my water all the time. The Grapefruit and the Orange are particular favorites. I don’t use the sweetened ones, tho my son likes them. I haven’t found any artificial sweetener that I can stand.
I use wine when I make gummies…
I was going to suggest this. Of course you need to use wine you like the taste of.
Third this.
I’m not a gummy fan, and vegetarian gelatin is hard (cough expensive cough) to get a hold of, but wine gummies are delicious. We made some with Prosecco once, and it actually retained the bubble (don’t stir).
If I were to attempt this, I’d forget the packets of anything altogether and low boil the zest of a lemon or two (peel it rather than grate it) in the cup of water the recipe calls for, add whatever zero calorie sweetner that works for you, chill it to become the “cold water” that the gelatin needs to soak in and then follow the rest of the recipe instructions.
That would be the same for any citrus fruit, the oils in the zest are released into the water when you “simmer” it for maybe 5 minutes.
Wine gummies are the answer https://cookingwithjanica.com/wine-gummy-bears-recipe-red-white-rose/
O M G I really want to try these. Not even remotely sugar free, but if cooked low enough to retain the alcohol, who cares?!
1 – I’m so sorry to hear
2 – I completely understand the addiction and avoidance. I haven’t met a package I don’t consume.
3 – While sad, hysterical story such a set up with lovely pictures
Maybe try creating a variation with Sevia. The chemical alternatives are awful. The ‘cleaner’ you eat, the more sensitive you become to the chemicals. Maybe its a good sign of healthy eating???
Good luck on your quest!
I have been experimenting wothgummies because of a project I am working on. I found a great recipe. Use jello, Knox flavorless gelatin, citric acid… the recipe does call for a small amount of corn syrup (try using sugar free jello instead and skip the corn syrup). The ingredients aren’t expensive. Maybe give it a shot!
Up here in Canada we have this brand called SmartSweets which has just released 2 new varieties, so there’s 4 to choose from: sweet bears, sour bears, sweet fish, and sour blast buddies – which doesn’t include their special limited flavours. They’re delicious and sweetened with stevia. Amazon.ca sells them, and well.ca too. Hopefully you can get to try them!
I can live without gummy bears, but my weakness is orange jelly slices. I can’t chew them fast enough. Super orangey, the jelly texture, and of course the sugar coating. I have no control with them.
Oooo do you bite off a bit, scrape the sugar off with your teeth, then let the jelly part dissolve in your mouth… savor it, then do the same with the other half?
Wait, why are you looking at me that way?!? It is NOT weird!
Oh oh, and making a thick paste with chocolate milk mix and dipping the orange slices in that… soooooo yummy
I also scraped off the sugar before putting the orange slice in my mouth (this was a long time ago). I binged so bad on those that I had a very unpleasant experience with my intestines. 🙁 Then for the longest time I couldn’t fine them so I got out of eating them. Better for me that I don’t eat them now.
You do better than I do. I currently have two 5lbs bags of gummy bears. One for work and one for home. I think I may have half a pound left in each. I eat multiple handfuls at a time.
I’m sorry your sugarfree recipe didn’t taste good 🙁
Ugh. I got all excited for a minute, I followed the link and was all about trying it. Then I finished your blog entry to see what your evaluation of the product was… ew. I will stick with regular gummies and trying to eat just a couple at a time. I was really excited about making some and covering them in dark chocolate 😐
Every time a new “sugar substitute” product comes out I see people get all excited over it, and if I try it, it never lives up to the hype. I have found it is just better to use less real sugar when possible. I would rather have one really good tasting cookie than half a dozen low carb inferior ones.
Oh if you try the black cherry or raspberry and find it good, please let us know. Those are the flavors I probably would try first just because I am a raspberry addict and also rather fond of black cherry
The raspberry, only one man dares to have the raspberry ….Lonestar
While not sugar free the chocolate place up the road from me makes chocolate covered gummy bears……sooo good
Luckily I haven’t been able to find them anywhere but chocolate covered cinnamon bears are my vote for best gummies ever. Someone brought them to bookclub once. If I ever spot a bag, I’ll try to freeze some to ration them out in tiny portions.
My grocery store started carrying bulk candy and they have milk chocolate covered ones. The first time I relied them was at this candy store in Galveston, and they had dark chocolate covered one.. addictive
I’ve looked aroud and for sugar free homemade gummie bears, the best recepies are with 100% fruit juice (not from concentrate) or fruit puree. Other propose to use Xylitol which has a low sugar index and is OK to be used by people suffering from diabetes. Xylitol is made out of birch and you can find it in organic stores.
So here is the recipe I found:
150ml of fruit juice or 150g of fruit puree.
2g or Agar Agar (gelatin suitable for vegans)
optional: 50g of sugar or 2 tbsp of honey or 50g of xylitol.
Put the fruit juice and the Agar Agar in a saucepan (and the optional sugar if you choose to put some in). Bring to a boil. Then quickly pour the mix in your molds. If you have tiny molds, use a pipette.
Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Unmold carefully
Enjoy!
Hoe this helps all you gummy lovers out there! If you need a conversion site for the measures (I work in metric) here is a link:
https://converticious.com/
Unfortunately Xylitol can have a laxative effect on some people. I recommend proceeding with caution and starting with (eating) small quantities.
It is also poisonous to dogs, maybe cats too so beware!
Yes it is toxic to animals. I know someone who’s Pomeranian died from this by crewing on “sugar free” gum. The dog didn’t even swallow it. A few years ago some people and veterinarians had problems because drug manufacturers had changed to these fake sugars without publicizing and pets were poisoned.
I have to point out that fruit juice is not sugar free. It has no added sugar, but orange juice, for example, naturally contains 2.75g of sugar per ounce (roughly 30ml). So that 150ml of juice contains 13.75 grams of sugar. I don’t consider this a baad thing, but I’m not diabetic either.
There was only supposed to be one “a” in bad. I wasn’t making a sheep joke.
You have different types of sugars going here.
The “added” sugar is usually sucrose, which digests into fructose and maltose.
The sugar in fruit is fructose to begin with.
I am not diabetic, so it’s possible that the type of sugar makes a difference and I am too ignorant to say.
Supposedly – again, not an expert – maltose, which is the sugar from sprouting grain*, does not cause a sugar crash like fructose. It also does not taste as sweet. I keep meaning to try it, but never do.
*Think malted milk.
It’s also why the grain in beer is usually sprouted before being used. The extra sugar helps with alcohol production.
Sucrose does not consist of Fructose and Maltose. Sucrose is a disaccharide consisitng of the monosaccharides Glucose and Fructose.
Maltose is a disaccharide that consists of two monosaccharides Glucose.
If I remember correctly Fructose in normal doses is metabolised without the aid of Insulin. But Fructose in high doses has other negative effects on the metabolism, so a lot of Fructose is also not recommended for people with diabetes.
Xylitol is what makes everyone sick in the first place! You get very much of that in your system and you’re going to be on the toilet until it’s all back OUT, and probably for a while after.
You Know…you can make gelatin with anything. Mix it with fruit or just juice…it wil not be like gummy bears but it is good. Put it on sponge cake and it is just divine. Not sugar free but soo good.
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten gummies. Does sugar over corn syrup make a difference? Sweeteners are so nasty I finally got my mom off Equal, she now used Stevia in her “sweet tea” .
The laxative effect is hilarious, but at the same time seriously dangerous for people who suffer from constipation and are looking for some relief. It makes sense to me now that I see young women gobbling these gummies in my classroom.
Nice to know that those True (insert citrus flavor here) packs taste of chemicals. I had been tempted to buy them in bulk….
Most artificial sweeteners make me ill. So far stevia has been safe. Bonus, you can grow it and dry the leaves. I don’t like it much and usually don’t sweeten things, but I did find a sugar free gum with it instead of aspartame and no diarrhea! Just a thought.
I love sour gummies, but my biggest addiction candy wise is jelly bellies. I hate fake food including face sugar, so my solution was to buy a mini jelly belly coin activated machine. It takes any coin and then dispenses 4 (count them) jelly beans, then I have to turn the machine upside down and shake it to get the candy out of the tiny kid finger size slot/box the beans slide into. So it takes a lot of effort to get that candy and I have artificially controlled my non jelly belly friendly environment.
P.S. I bite the head of the cute little bears first, which is kinda disturbing.
Ah, so do I sometimes—head first, then the legs/arms one by one (very teeny bites used) and torso last. Second fave is to eat the bottom half then top part but eating head last…all while making muffled screams…. Yes, you’re right, not weird at all.
Ilona,How about using stevia to sweeten,then adding a drop of real flavor essence oil from the grocery like peppermint,cinnamon,oil of cloves and so on to your gellitan?
I’m sure you have gotten a lot of recommendations, but the Canadian company called Squish makes vegan and/or sugarfree gummies that are delicious! So far any that I have tried (*knocks on wood*) have not had a laxative effect.
Sucralose — “Look, it has to be ok, it’s made from sugar” – yeah, but now the chemical composition has been altered. It is no longer sugar, but a different entity.
In the 70’s when Tab was made with saccharine, we used to call the taste effect “afterburn”, a grimly humourous reference to rocket propellant.
(Tried the no-fat, no-sugar ice cream once. Was ill for three days.)
Hope you find a good substitute for your recipe!!
Sugar replacements all have problems, either in taste or in what they do to you,some of the artificial sweeteners have a high glycemic index while low cal, and many of them stimulate appetite.
Erythritol might work as a replacement, it has decent taste (it is a sugar alcohol i believe) and from what I have seen on sites like nutritionfacts.org, it is relatively safe. Its dowside is it needs to be dissolved under heat, but might work w unsweetened gelatin
I havne’t been a fan of the True water additives as they taste very bitter to me. I’ve had better luck with Crystal Light and with the off-brand Crystal Light versions offered by my local grocery chains (Meijer and Kroger). Maybe try Crystal Light instead?
1/4 Cup Water
3/4 teas Your Favorite Flavor of Mio/Dasani/Kroger Water Enhancer
18 g Unflavored Gelatin Powder
I put everything in a microwave safe dish for 30-45 seconds. Stir then back in for another 10-15 seconds – you wanna see it foam up but not boil. Then in the mold and the freezer for 20 min or so.
My diabetic family members love them.
I am sorry to hear that, although I will say the molds you used were lovely. Good luck with your search!
I use this recipe and it has been successful (as defined by happy consumption at preschool events).
https://abeautifulmess.com/2015/04/make-your-own-gummy-candy.html
I have only used normal jello, but they do have boxes marked sugar free.
🙂 Good to know we share some similar life experiences!!!
You were so happy and full of hope for this recipe, I hope your second recipe was better haha
Salt, Fat, Sugar, chemicals, and Texture are our most Taste-worthy tongue pick-ups, and the Gummies fall into the sugar and texture slot. How sad, for many of us. I’m partial to Organic Berry Patch Bunny Fruit Snacks. Years ago it was Twizzlers, but got wise to the GMO high fructose corn syrup thing. Wanted to try to make my own, but saw the effort to wait out the dehydrating of product and sugar issues, a bit daunting. You are brave to make a go of this.
The True Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, and Orange are fine, (unless they changed the formulation). They are just the juice and essential/volatile oils from the zest. Don’t use the lemonades, they have sorbitol/xylitol in them and taste terrible.
HAHAHAHAHAHA………
I do have to say, though, that those Haribo sugar free gummy reviews on Amazon are a treasure trove of stories. Won’t lie. If I ever feel down, I just read one of the reviews and know it’ll all be okay. 😉
I’d recommend TEA as the flavor in the gummies. Use a flavor of tea you like without sugar (green tea, mint, fruit tea blend… you got options). Then brew it slightly strong with the water called for in the recipe.
Forget the artificial sweetener too! Just use the smallest possible amt you can taste of maple syrup, molasses or dark honey. Do it right and even a full batch won’t wreck your diet.
Unintentional hilarity I’m sure, but I seriously cried (tears streaming) and damn near peed on myself from laughing so hard over the one sentence, “Cold crap that’s been mixed with gelatin.”
So sorry about your experience but you gave me the best moment tonight. Priceless humor!!
I am a gummi bear addict and I’ve tried stopping, or alternatives. No go. It’s been Haribo Gold Bears for many, many years. I just have to keep working on limiting myself. Especially as I have issues with corn syrup clogging up my throat. I binge more when I say I can’t have any at all. So I’m training mind and body for moderation.
And yes, I have the end of the super size bag on my home office desk right now. Sigh 😉
True drink mixes are just nasty to start with. If you don’t like them in water, you’re certainly not going to like them in gummy form. Maybe try subbing in a drink mix that you DO like. I know how nasty True is specifically because I’m allergic to aspertame and they don’t use it, and my favorites that Walmart made don’t seem to exist anymore, so I don’t have a recommendation for you. Most drink mixes have the nasty stuff in them. Typical, really. The moment I find something good, they take it away.
….Although, now that I think of it, maybe you could take unsweetened Kool-Aid and sweeten it with Stevia and try that.
I actually kind of love these sour gummies – https://smartsweets.com. I think Whole Foods carries them?
Nevada’s family did this in WILDFIRE! I was just rereading the books.
Amazon…
I just saw some interesting simple syrups in a catalog – could probably find some sugar free ones, too. They looked like something that would be great in gummy bears.
https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/flavored-simple-syrup-set
Chances are to get a gummy that tastes decent you will need the gummy ingredients (whatever those are which is probably something like gelatin), and either use erythritol for the sweetener and something that is fruity like lemon or strawberry or blueberries…I guess pectin would work also. If you wanted sugar free ginger ale tasting ones you could probably just try using diet hansen’s Ginger ale for the flavoring. You would have to keep adding the pectin or the gelatin until they firmed up though. And the erythritol would need to be turned into essentially powdered erythritol (I used my food processor for that) or sucralose (drops not powder). I don’t know if you would get true gummy bears but at least they would taste good. That’s better than gummy but horrible tasting.
Jolly Ranchers makes sugar free water pouches. And they taste exactly like Jolly Ranchers candy IMHO.
Perhaps you could sub out the nasty flavor packets you have for those?
I especially love the cherry flavor. I feel the taste is spot on.
I’m definately trying the wine gummies too.