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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Easy Elderberry Gummies
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.
Ingredients
- 2 cups homemade elderberry syrup*
- 8 tbsp. unflavored beef gelatin
Instructions
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In a saucepan on medium low, heat syrup and gelatin. Whisk frequently and heat until mixture is warm and gelatin is dissolved. DO NOT overheat or boil – this will affect how the gelatin sets and kill the raw honey enzymes.
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With an eyedropper, fill silicone gummy molds. If you have some extra mixture left, you can pour it into a flat tray and refrigerate, then cut into gummy cubes.
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Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, until gummies are firm.
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Once gummies have solidified, pop out of molds and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Gummies must be refrigerated. If left at warm temperatures, they may melt.
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Dosage Instructions for Kids —
For 5ml (large) gummies:
For prevention/immune support, take 1 gummy per day
For illness, take 1 gummy, 3 times per day
For 1 ml (small) gummies:
For prevention/immune support, take 3-5 gummies per day
For illness, take 3-5 gummies, 3 times per day
Dosage Instructions for Adults —
Double the dosage amount recommended for children above.
Recipe Notes
- Try these recipes for homemade elderberry syrup: classic, apple cinnamon, or Instant Pot syrup.
Will you try making elderberry gummies this year? If you enjoy this recipe, please leave a rating in the comments below!
Wow these look amazing, great job and thanks for the recipe and information!
Thank you so much Michala, please enjoy!
I a making these STAT!! Two of my kids will gobble gummies, so this will be so darn handy! Got my dry berries already, so I am off to the races!
Yay, Tessa! Hope your kids enjoy them (and grown ups enjoy them too)!
Do you sell any of your products?
Would love to buy the gummies.
I don’t sell them at this time, but you’re not the first person to ask me that. So I’m keeping it in mind for the future- who knows what will happen?
We have those same molds! My kids love them. Haha. I will definitely be trying elderberry gummies in them!
Haha that’s funny! They’re great molds. I think your kids will love the gummies.
LOVE this way to make such a great snack healthier!
Thank you, enjoy!
Perfect way to boost the immune system that will appeal to the kiddies!! Mine will never turn down gummies!
Yes! Kids definitely love them!
I don’t know that I’ve ever even tried anything with elderberries but now I’m really craving these gummies!
Hope you enjoy them like we do!
I need to make some of these for my family! We haven’t gotten sick in a while, and I need to stop taking that for granted 🙂
I love the cute shapes you made the gummies into! That makes them totally family friendly, and kinda reminds me of the Flinstones vitamins I used to take as a kid 🙂
Thank you! The gummy molds are definitely cute!
I’m going to make these, as cold & flu season is just around the corner and it would be great to have these ready!
They are definitely great to have on hand!
I have two gummy lovers who will gobble these up! And just in time for cold and flu season. And it is fantastic that they will last for 2 mo in the fridge. I am going to make a big batch this weekend!
Yay! Hope you guys enjoy them!
So great for this time of year! Love how different molds can make more appealing for the kids
The molds are definitely cute!
I love making gummies and my little boy loves eating them! These are a perfect way to get some elderberry goodness into him.
Yay, I’m so glad!
Right now, my 2 year-old son gets unsweetened elderberry syrup every night and he LOVES it. I bet he’d like these even more!
Wow, that’s impressive he likes it unsweetened! Awesome!
These look so amazing, and I love the shapes. So cute!
Thank you, enjoy!
I’ve never made these and have wondered how. I appreciate the dosage information; I wouldn’t have thought of that!
Thanks Megan! Enjoy!
Do you know about how many gummies this yielded?
I will try to pay attention to that next time- I think it was about 2-3 standard mason jars full.
I’m wondering what the texture of these gummies is? I made a different recipe and it turned almost rubbery and nothing like a gummy.
I’d say they’re close to a traditional gummy texture, but not quite as chewy and a bit more jelly-like. This is bc they’re made of all natural ingredients.
One of the ingredients is “unflavored BEEF gelatin”. That really confuses me. Unflavored and beef…do those 2 words go in the same sentence?
Yes, the gelatin is sourced from beef (it’s the collagen in beef bones that makes things gel). But it is unflavored so it won’t taste weird 😉
Thank you so much for the recipe My husband and I like gummies God bless you
I made a large batch but noticed they mold in the fridge after a time. Will be keeping mine in the freezer from now on.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.