I’ve shared my recipes for chewable gummy vitamins and healthy fruit snacks before, and today I’m sharing a flu-busting combination of the two.

It seems that this flu season is going to be a bad one, and elderberry syrup is one of my favorite natural remedies for avoiding or beating the flu. These flu busting gummy bears combine the immune boost from elderberry syrup with the gut benefits of gelatin for a healthy and delicious way to beat the flu.

Elderberry Gummy Bears Recipe

My kids love these! In fact, that is why the ones in the picture above look a little rough — little hands kept touching them while I was trying to take pictures!

To make this recipe, you’ll need to make homemade elderberry syrup first (don’t worry, it is easy!) and then make them into gummy bears.

Cold and flu busting gummy bears- simple homemade recipe that kids love

Elderberry Gummies Recipe

Homemade gummy bears with a base of elderberry syrup help boost the immune system and are fun for kids (or adults) to take!

Prep Time 10

Total Time 2 10

Calories 17kcal

Author Katie Wells

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings

gummies

Equipment

Glass container or silicone molds

Ingredients

1 TBSP coconut oil
1 cup elderberry syrup
¼ cup gelatin powder
½ cup hot water but not boiling water

Instructions

Grease molds or glass pan with coconut oil to prevent sticking.
Place ¼ cup of cooled elderberry syrup in a 2 cup measuring cup and quickly whisk in the gelatin powder.
Add the ½ cup of hot (not boiling) water and stir quickly until smooth.
Add the rest of the elderberry syrup and stir or whisk until completely smooth.
Pour into molds and refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely firm.
Pop out of molds and store in airtight container with parchment paper between layers.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Elderberry Gummies Recipe

Amount Per Serving (2 gummies)

Calories 17 Calories from Fat 5

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.5g1%

Saturated Fat 0.5g3%

Sodium 2mg0%

Carbohydrates 2.7g1%

Fiber 0.1g0%

Sugar 2.3g3%

Protein 0.8g2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Take daily as needed to avoid flu or take every few hours to help beat the flu faster.

Will last up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container (could last longer, but I haven’t tried it since they never last that long at my house!).

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Ever tried to make homemade healthy gummy bears? How did they turn out? Share below!

This Flu Busting gummy bears recipe is made with homemade elderberry syrup and gelatin for an immune boosting, gut healthy treat for kids of all ages!

Sources

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

244 responses to “How to Make Flu-Busting Elderberry Gummies”

Judy

April 13, 2024

Is the recipe picky about which kind of gelatin to use? I just have Knox gelatin at home for example.

Reply
1. Jamie Larrison
  
  April 13, 2024
  
  Katie recommends gelatin from grass-fed and pasture raised animals for the health benefits. Here’s what she uses https://www.perfectsupplements.com/Perfect-Bovine-Gelatin-p/ps-gelatin.htm?Click=92884
  
  Reply
Sarah

December 5, 2022

What is the suggested usage for children and adults?

Reply
1. Jamie Larrison
  
  April 21, 2024
  
  This recipe makes 16-32 adult servings or 40-80 servings for children.
  
  Reply
Samantha

November 26, 2022

When making this recipe, do you let your gelatin bloom first before mixing it in with the other ingredients?

Reply
1. Jamie Larrison
  
  November 27, 2022
  
  I would to make sure it dissolves without clumps.
  
  Reply
Leigh Anne

January 9, 2022

I make a big batch of these gummies every week for my kids and my parents! I wanted my kids to drink echinacea tea but they didn’t care for it, so I just had the idea to use freshly brewed echinacea tea in place of the water in the recipe. They don’t taste it but they’re getting the extra health benefits in their gummies. Just wanted to share my hack ?

Reply
1. Gllena Deane
  
  September 10, 2023
  
  Thank you! I’m going to try this.
  
  Reply
Gayle Schroeder

February 9, 2021

These were delicious and everyone loved them however after two weeks in the fridge they molded. Little blue green mold covering the whole gummy and I had to throw them out. Is there anyway to make them drier or mold proof? I really did not want to put them in the dehydrator after making them as they’re so much work

Reply
1. Katie Wells
  
  March 18, 2021
  
  There isn’t a way to make them mold-proof, but you can freeze them to keep them good longer.
  
  Reply
2. Vanessa N
  
  October 27, 2024
  
  When making elderberry syrup, I add 1/4 cup of vodka. This actually helps with the flu and increases its shelf life by a lot! I’m going to make these tonight with my homemade syrup and let you know how it goes. (The added alcohol is only around 6% of the total syrup so children can still consume.)
  
  Reply
Linda T

November 22, 2020

How is the best way to oil the small gummy bear molds?

Reply
Melanie

November 2, 2020

What did I do wrong?? My gummies didn’t solidify. ? I had them in the fridge all night. I made the elderberry syrup , used warm water, unflavored gelatin. Although my elderberry syrup was cold since it was from the fridge, was the temperature of the syrup my error?

Reply
Caori

September 25, 2020

Great idea! I made the syrup but one child refuses to take it. They’re just getting over a cold and I wondered how often I should give children the syrup or gummies. Thank you for sharing

Reply
Jennie P

September 16, 2020

Thank you Katie for sharing this recipe. I tried this but taste is only my concern. How to get citrus taste because my kids prefer such taste.

Reply
Patti

September 9, 2020

I just made a batch and they set up so quickly I couldn’t even get them into the molds I got about half the molds filled. Do I need to heat all of the elderberry juice so it stays a little warmer?? Suggestions please

Reply
1. Katie Wells
  
  September 23, 2020
  
  That can help. This is very temperature dependent so if it’s even slightly cooler it will set quickly.
  
  Reply
Ariel

June 28, 2020

Thanks for changing the recipe and not saying anything…I make this recipe all the time and have never had any issues, but this time I’ve had to throw away TWO BATCHES of gummies because of it! What a waste ?

Reply
Sonia

June 22, 2020

What size are your molds and how many gummies a day do your kids take? I’ve been using your syrup recipe for a couple of years and am switching to gummies because it’s easier. Just wondering about dosage. Thanks!

Reply
Annie

March 29, 2020

Mine didn’t solidify enough, any idea why? Thanks for sharing!

Reply
Susan

March 15, 2020

I know this sounds like a silly question but can you freeze the elderberry gummies? I want to make them but am certain I can’t eat them all in 5 days. Maybe making a smaller batch would be a better idea.

Reply
1. Karen Boyd
  
  August 29, 2020
  
  I froze a lot of them last year. It changed the consistency a little when they were thawed, but we discovered we loved eating them frozen!
  
  Reply
Patty

March 9, 2020

I feel like I’m going crazy…I have made your elderberry syrup and gummies for months now, but tonight I realized it only says 2T gelatin…I swear I have been using 1/4 cup. Maybe I used a different recipe in the past? But mine didn’t turn out tonight, they didn’t come out of the molds, and were much flimsier than usual (using 2T). You didn’t by chance change it, did you?!

Reply
1. Katie Wells
  
  March 13, 2020
  
  I did adjust the recipe and will add more explanation to it. There are differences in gelatin types and some people were having trouble with it getting too thick too fast so I adjusted the recipe. You absolutely can make with 1/4 cup.
  
  Reply
Marcie Lear

March 3, 2020

I’m getting ready to travel abroad (Germany, Czeck Republic, Switzerland, France) with a group of high school students and want to take some elderberry syrup or gummies with me to keep healthy while traveling. Any advice which would be better for taking through customs or keeping from spoiling? I will be gone two weeks and will have access to a fridge some of the time. The weather temperatures should be ranging between 30 to 60 at the highest. Any advice or ideas?

Reply
Denise

February 25, 2020

They are too much like jello for me and not really gummy. Would adding more gelatin make them firmer?

Reply
Melissa

February 13, 2020

This worked perfectly for me and my gummies are a hit with my two year old who wasn’t drinking the syrup for me. I wish I could attach a picture, I used dinosaur molds and they are adorable!

If it helps anyone, I boiled water in my electric kettle and let it cool for a minute before using it in this recipe, so the water was quite hot.

Reply
Karrie Passmore

February 3, 2020

Can I use pectin instead of gelatin? Thanks!

Reply
1. Katie Wells
  
  February 22, 2020
  
  I haven’t ever tried, so I’m not sure but let me know how it goes if you try it.
  
  Reply
  1. Vin
    
    April 2, 2020
    
    I was trying to leave a comment but could only leave a reply.
    
    How many mg’s of elderberry in each gummy?
    
    Reply
    1. Katie Wells
      
      April 8, 2020
      
      It depends on what type of mold you use, and other factors like how concentrated the initial syrup was.
      
      Reply
  2. Kacie
    
    June 28, 2020
    
    Mine never solidified. I followed the recipe exactly. Any idea why?
    
    Reply