These Homemade Chia Seed Fruit Snacks are made with just a few simple ingredients and are such a fun snack for kids! They’re great for packing into lunchboxes, and snacks on-the-go, and you can easily turn them into homemade gummy worms or gummy bears using different molds. I’ve shared three flavour options to try, Classic Strawberry, Citrus Orange, and Mango.
Save this recipe!
Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll receive new recipes and feeding tips from me each week!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This comes at no extra cost to you. I am only an affiliate to brands and products that I use myself and truly believe in and align with. You can read more here on my Disclosures, Disclaimer and Privacy Page.
Table of Contents
Forget about kids for a second, fruit snacks are just as fun for adults! I LOVE fruit snacks, they take me right back to childhood. Now I'm not here to say we need to always make homemade and never buy packaged snacks - packaged snacks can be incredibly convenient and helpful. But making homemade versions of these childhood favourites can be a lot of fun. My older daughter loves helping pour the liquids into the molds and then seeing how they transform into a gummy like texture. And bonus, you can mix up the molds that you use - think heart shaped for Valentine's Day, or bunnies for Easter!
These homemade fruit snacks are part of my Homemade Snacks For Kids Copycat Favourites Series! Be sure to check out these yummy Chia Seed Fruit Rolls ups, or Oven-Baked Apple Chips, or my very popular Healthy Homemade Pop Tarts!
Ingredients for Homemade Fruit Snacks for Kids
Here is what you'll need to make these fruit snacks - flavour variations are provided below!
- fruit (strawberries, mango, or orange are the flavour options provided)
- orange juice (Freshly squeezed or good-quality store-bought)
- chia seeds
- honey*
- gelatin
*No honey for little ones under the age of one. This snack is intended for older toddlers and kids.
Pro Tip: If you have those mandarin orange fruit cups in the pantry, don't toss the liquid! You can drain the juice (make sure it is juice and not a syrup) from the cups and use it here. It’s a great way to reduce waste, and kids love the flavour.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for Fruit Snacks for Kids
Here is an overview on how to make these fruit snacks, or you can skip down to the recipe card.
Add the fruit (I used frozen) to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Pour the fruit purée into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the mixture reaches a gentle simmer, about 5–7 minutes, stirring often.
While the fruit is cooking, bloom the gelatin by sprinkling it over the orange juice in a small bowl and whisking together. Let it sit for 4-5 minutes.
Remove the fruit purée from the heat and allow the bubbling to stop. Add the bloomed gelatin mixture while the fruit purée is still warm (but not bubbling). Stir continuously, until the gelatin has completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the chai seeds.
Lightly grease the silicone molds with a little oil or non-stick spray. Carefully fill the silicone molds using a food dropper or squeeze bottle. Refrigerate for 1-1.5 hours or until fully set. Once firm, pop the snacks out of the molds.
You can enjoy them immediately. The fruit snacks will continue to firm up and shrink slightly as they are stored.
Hint: For the smoothest texture, "bloom" your gelatin in the orange juice before heating it, rather than adding it directly to the saucepan. Using juice instead of water to bloom the gelatin is an easy way to keep the flavour as concentrated as possible. When it comes to filling the molds, a food dropper or squeeze bottle is definitely the easiest method, but don't worry if you don't have one, a small spoon works just fine!
I also strongly recommend greasing the silicone molds with a non-stick spray or a little oil - this makes it so much easier to pop the fruit snacks out!
Substitutions
- Gelatin - Please note that gelatin is an animal-based product. If you are looking for a vegetarian alternative, you would need to use a plant-based thickener like pectin or agar agar. I’ve been testing these alternatives, but I haven't been able to master the consistency yet.
- Honey - You can use maple syrup if you prefer, but I find honey provides the best taste and texture for these snacks. Important Safety Note: Never give honey to babies under one year of age. This snack is intended for older toddlers and kids!
Variations
- This is the base recipe, but you can get creative with the flavours! I've provided strawberry, mango, and orange flavour options, but other fruits like blueberries make a fun colour twist that kids will love.
- The only fruits to be aware of when making gelatin-based snacks are pineapple and kiwi. These fruits contain natural enzymes (bromelain in pineapple and actinidin in kiwi) that can prevent the gelatin from setting properly. If you’d like to use pineapple or kiwi, simply boil the fruit for a few minutes first. This deactivates the enzymes and allows the gelatin to set as expected.
Equipment
- Food processor, blender, or immersion blender
- Silicone molds - I love this pack that includes gummy bears, hearts, and animals! This pack also contains two droppers to make it easier for filling the molds!
Here are the fruit snacks using the heart shaped mold.
Storage
Store in the an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze them! Place in an airtight container and freeze for a month. When ready to eat, let soften at room temperature for ~10 minutes first.
Toddler Tip
These fruit snacks provide about 4 grams of protein and nearly 3 grams of fibre per serving, making them a more satisfying option than many traditional fruit snacks. They can be enjoyed on their own or paired with cheese, a hard-boiled egg, or peanut butter crackers for a larger snack, depending on your child’s appetite.
Here is my daughter eating a few homemade fruit gummy bears with a muffin and some cut-up pineapple for a snack.
FAQ
Yes. These homemade fruit snacks should be stored in the fridge to keep their texture and freshness. Because they’re made without preservatives, they’re best kept in the fridge.
Yes! You can experiment with other fruits, although the flavour, texture and firmness may vary slightly. Most fruits work well once blended and gently cooked.
Fresh pineapple, kiwi, papaya and figs contain natural enzymes that can prevent gelatin from setting. If using one of these fruits, bring the fruit purée to a boil before adding the gelatin, or use canned fruit, which has already been heat-treated.
I also tested blackberries, but found the purée quite seedy. You can strain the blended purée through a fine-mesh sieve before cooking it for a smoother fruit snack (but we all know that's a lot of extra work).
I used frozen fruit in this recipe but fresh also works. It can be helpful for frozen fruit to let it thaw slightly before blending so it’s easier to purée.
Recipe
Homemade Chia Seed Fruit Snacks (3 Flavours!)
Equipment
- 1 Blender, food processor, or immersion blender
Ingredients
Base Recipe
- 1¼ cup fruit Strawberries or orange pieces, or mango cubes (I used frozen but fresh also works)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoon gelatin 2 packages
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Add the fruit to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Add the fruit purée and honey to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture comes to a simmer, (about 5-7 minutes), stirring often.
- While the fruit mixture is simmering, bloom the gelatin. Sprinkle the gelatin over the orange juice in a small bowl and whisking gently to combine. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes, until the gelatin has absorbed the liquid and thickened.
- Remove the fruit purée from the heat and allow the bubbling to stop. Add the bloomed gelatin mixture to the warm fruit purée. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes, until the gelatin is fully dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in the chia seeds.
- Lightly grease the silicone molds with non-stick spray or a little oil. Carefully transfer the mixture into the molds. A food dropper works well for this, although I often use a spoon - it’s just a little messier!
- Refrigerate for 1-1.5 hours, until fully set before removing from the molds.
- The fruit snacks will continue to firm up and shrink slightly as they chill in the fridge.
Notes
Troubleshooting Tips
My fruit snacks didn’t set. What went wrong?This can happen if the mixture was boiled after adding the gelatin, if pineapple or kiwi were used without boiling first, or if the gelatin wasn’t fully dissolved. Keep the heat low once the gelatin is added and stir until completely smooth. They’re too soft. How can I fix it?
Try chilling them longer, or slightly increasing the gelatin next time. Measuring the gelatin carefully also helps ensure the right texture.
Nutrition
Save this recipe!
Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll receive new recipes and feeding tips from me each week!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Heather says
Love this idea! We have a little silicone star mold that I've never found a use for before now. Would this be appropriate for a 16-month-old, or should we wait a bit yet? Thanks!
Ali Ellis, MSc., RD says
They are so fun! The star mold would work great. Texture-wise, these are not nearly as chewy as store-bought fruit snacks which can be pretty sticky, and so for kiddos who are able to manage a variety of textures already, they would be able to handle these. However, this recipe does include a little honey (which counts as added sugar), and many guidelines suggest keeping added sugars minimal or avoiding completely before age two, so this recipe is intended for older toddlers!