Easy Elderberry Gummies Recipe (perfect for kids!)

Name: Easy Elderberry Gummies
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 cups homemade elderberry syrup*; 8 tbsp. unflavored beef gelatin

September 16, 2019 by Mary 38 Comments

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Kids (and adults) love these SUPER easy elderberry gummies! Made with your stash of homemade elderberry syrup and gelatin, this recipe is so simple to make.

Elderberry gummies in a small jar with text overlay.

Two years ago I made my first batch of elderberry syrup, and last year I talked about how spoonfuls kept dripping all over my floor. This inspired me to create my thick elderberry syrup, which is a great solution and has been very popular on the blog.

This year, I decided to make a few new elderberry goodies including Instant Pot elderberry syrup, apple cinnamon elderberry syrup, and elderberry tea. All super immune-boosting and delicious. We are going elderberry crazy up in here!

But secretly, I think my favorite elderberry recipe of all has to be these adorable elderberry gummies.

Elderberry Gummies for Kids

One reason I love them so much (aside from how cute they are), is that they are so easy to take on the daily. No messing with a spoon and measuring amounts – just pop one into your mouth and go!

They’re absolutely perfect for kids, especially. Since these are so easy to take, I’m finding that we are more consistent with taking our elderberry on school mornings than we were last year (score!).

Also, some kids aren’t particularly fond of taking syrups (it’s reminiscent of medicine, I guess?). But all kids love gummies! So these are a no-brainer solution to get your child to consume something extremely good for them in a fun-to-eat package.

(Psst… grown ups can eat them, too!)

Elderberry gummies recipe benefits

If you’re unfamiliar with elderberry and wondering, “What are elderberry gummies good for?”, here’s some info:

Elderberries are a high-antioxidant berry with vitamin C which may help prevent and shorten the duration of cold and flu.
In an PubMed NCBI study with patients who consumed elderberry, “Symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo.”
Elderberry syrup is easy to make and much cheaper than store-bought. It’s even easier to transform your syrup into gummies.
For most kids, gummies are easier to take than syrup. No spoon mess, kids love gummies anyway, and just look at all the cute shapes!
Elderberry gummies contain all the healthy components of syrup, but also contain the healthy addition of gelatin. Gelatin is wonderful for joints, skin, hair, nails, and more.
For further reading on elderberry, check out this article from WebMD.

Dosage of elderberry gummies for toddlers & kids

Before giving these gummies to toddlers, please note that these are not intended for babies under the age of 1. Since they contain honey, which is unsafe for infants, please wait until your child is a bit older.

The dosage amount for elderberry isn’t completely straightforward, and it also depends on the size of the gummy molds you’re using.

There are some bigger molds which contain about 5 ml (1 teaspoon). There are also smaller molds which only hold about 1 ml. Look at your specific manufacturer to see how much liquid volume are in your molds.

In the pack of silicone molds I purchased, there are two trays for large gummies that hold 5-6 ml and three trays for small gummies that hold 1-1.5 ml.

Here are the molds I use, and they work great! They also came with two eyedroppers which are perfect for filling the molds.

Elderberry gummies spilling out of a glass jar.

Here’s the dosage for our family during cold/flu season —

5ml (large) gummies:

For prevention/immune support, take 1 gummy per day
For illness, take 1 gummy, 3 times per day

1 ml (small) gummies:

For prevention/immune support, take 3-5 gummies per day
For illness, take 3-5 gummies, 3 times per day

Adult dosage: Simply double the dosage guidelines above for best results.

How to make elderberry syrup gummies

The best thing about these gummies is how EASY they are to make! Here’s the step-by-step process.

Making elderberry gummies on the stovetop.

First, add 2 cups of your homemade elderberry syrup to a saucepan on medium low heat. You can use my classic, Instant Pot, or apple cinnamon version (recipe coming next week)! Today, I’m using apple cinnamon elderberry syrup to start with.

Whisking together elderberry syrup and gelatin to make gummies.

Heat gently and add unflavored beef gelatin, whisking frequently. For superior quality and the most health benefits, you’ll love the Perfect Supplements brand. It’s sourced exclusively from Brazilian non-GMO grass fed cows. For a budget option, try NOW foods unflavored gelatin.

You want to heat the mixture on medium low until the gelatin is just dissolved. DO NOT allow it to boil – this will alter the consistency of the gelatin and the gummies may not set properly. Heating too much also kills the beneficial enzymes in the honey from your syrup.

Pouring elderberry mixture into gummy molds.

Once the mixture is dissolved, use an eyedropper to fill silicone molds. Transfer to the refrigerator and allow to set for 1-2 hours until firm.

Close up view of how large elderberry gummies are in a person's hand.

Once gummies are firm, pop them out of the molds and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Don’t store them in a warm environment, since the gummies can melt in warm temperatures. That’s because we are using all natural ingredients and no stabilizers or waxes to prevent melting.

These elderberry dummies stay fresh up to 2 months in the fridge.