Homemade Elderberry Gummies

These Elderberry Gummies are a delicious alternative to elderberry syrup that both kids and adults will enjoy. Find out how easy it so to make, and how it can save money too.

Homemade Elderberry Gummies

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Walk through the supplement aisle of any grocery store or health food store, and you’re likely to see elderberry syrup, elderberry cough drops and even elderberry gummies. Why? There are so many elderberry benefits. Elderberries may help to support a healthy immune system, can be an excellent supplement to use for cold and flu season and during the winter months. 

I wanted to create an elderberry syrup gummies because I wanted to find an easier way for them to take supplements. They already love my homemade elderberry syrup and homemade gummies, so I got the idea to make elderberry gummy snacks as an easy way to take elderberry syrup. It’s fun to make gummy treats into fun shapes with different silicone molds (that you can use to make other homemade gummy bears). 

I’m not a doctor or health care professional, and this is not medical advice. This post is for educational purposes only, and you should follow up with your doctor for more information. 

Benefits of Elderberries

Elderberries, also known as sambucus nigra, are native to North America and have been used by Native Americans for hundreds years for medicinal purposes.

In recent years, there have been many studies that have shown elderberry extract can help to reduce cold duration and reduce the severity of flu and flu symptoms (like fevermuscle achescoughsnasal congestion, and headaches).

Elderberries are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, and may help with immune support. Elderberries are often taken with vitamin C and zinc as the combination may shorten the duration of colds and give relief from symptoms.

Why Make Your Own Elderberry Gummies

While you could buy elderberry gummies at the store, many of them have ingredients you may want to avoid like sugar, natural flavors, and preservatives. 

Here’s the ingredients label of a popular brand of elderberry gummies: 

Black elder extract, organic tapioca syrup, cane sugar, purified water, pectin, natural flavors, sodium citrate, citric acid, coconut oil, beeswax

Most of the ingredients look pretty good, but you may want to avoid excess sugar, tapioca syrup, and natural flavors. With this homemade gummy recipe, you control the ingredients and can use honey, maple syrup, or even molasses as the natural sweetener. 

Homemade Elderberry Gummies

How Much Does It Cost to Make Your Own Elderberry Gummies

Let’s break down the cost of making your own elderberry gummies:

  • Black elderberry extract – $4.25 ($17 for 8 oz)
  • Black cherry juice – $0.87 ($7 for 32 oz)
  • Grass-fed gelatin – $2 ($22 for 16 oz)
  • Raw honey – $0.62 ($10 for 16 oz)

That’s about $7.75 to make your own batch of elderberry gummies or $0.16 a serving.

Compare that to a popular brand of elderberry gummies that costs $21 for 60 gummies. At 2 gummies per serving, that’s a cost of $0.70 per serving – almost double the cost of the homemade version.

How to Make These Homemade Elderberry Gummies

This recipe is a combination of elderberry syrup, black cherry juice, grass-fed gelatin and raw honey. Just simply 5 natural ingredients.

Optional: You can add vitamin D3 and echinacea for extra support

Elderberry Gummies Recipe

About the Ingredients

About the Equipment

  • Small saucepan – to heat the mixture over low-medium heat 
  • Whisk or silicone spatula – to mix the syrup as it’s being heated
  • Gummy molds – this recipe will make 48 servings so be sure the silicone molds you’re using has 48 cavities to fill (ideally each cavity will hold 0.33 oz or just under 10 ml or use a mold with 96 cavities at just under 5 ml for each cavity)

Method

First, put the silicone molds on a baking sheet so it’s easier to transfer to the fridge to firm up into gummies.

Heat water and cherry juice in a saucepan over low-medium heat for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and add the honey, elderberry extract, vitamin D3, echinacea, and gelatin. Use a whisk or immersion blender to mix well. The mixture will start to thicken. Immediately pour mixture into the molds.

Or you could divide the echinacea and vitamin D3 into the 48 cavities in the mold so you’ve got a precise amount in each mold. Then heat the water and cherry juice in a saucepan over low-medium heat for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and add the honey, elderberry extract, and gelatin. Use a whisk or immersion blender to mix well, and the mixture will start to thicken. Immediately, pour the mixture into the molds.

Elderberry Gummies Recipe

Once the mixture is poured into the molds, refrigerate for 4-5 hours. When ready, pop out of the molds. They should come out pretty easily. Pop them in the freezer for a few minutes if they gummy snacks don’t come out easily.

How to Use

Take 1-2 gummies per serving. If you divide this recipe into 48 cavities in a silicone mold it will create 1 gummy per serving.

If you have a silicone mold with smaller cavities, you could create 96 gummies – which would be 2 gummies per serving. It will really depend on the size of the mold and the cavities in the mold. 

Serving Size

This recipe uses a brand of elderberry extract with 48 servings in 8 oz. My recipe uses 2 oz (or 1/4 cup), which according to the brand is 12 servings of 5,000 mg of elderberry extract per serving. However, that’s a lot, and I like to use about one-quarter of that amount, which is about 1,250 mg per serving. Different brands have different dosages – from 1,500 to 3,000 mg per serving. WebMD suggests 1,200 mg per serving. 

Personally, I chose to make this recipe at 48 servings of 1,250 mg of elderberry extract per serving. You can take more or less depending on your needs. For my own kids, I’ve given them half the amount (about 625 mg) up to 10 years old, and then a full serving for ages 11 and up. This is why I prefer to make 48 gummies with this recipe. 

Remember it’s best to avoid raw honey for babies under the age of 1. 

This is not medical advice. Please do your own research and talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about what they recommend especially for dosage with children. I’m sharing my experience and what I’ve used personally. Also, please be sure to talk to your doctor as elderberry can increase activity of the immune system, and may interfere with some prescription medication

Homemade Elderberry Gummies

Storage Tips

Store these elderberry gummies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7-10 days. After that, you may want to pop them into the freezer for longer storage, up to 6 months. 

We prefer to make 1-2 batches and consume them in the week for the whole family as needed. 

FAQs

Can I use elderberry syrup or elderberry juice instead of elderberry extract?

Yes, you can but you’ll need to modify the recipe a bit. You can use 1/2 cup of homemade elderberry syrup or if you use a store-bought one just check the label. The dosage can vary. This elderberry syrup for example has 24 servings of 100 mg of black elderberry per serving but it’s an 8 oz bottle. So this would increase the volume of the recipe quite a bit and you’ll need to use more molds. You may also need to adjust the honey in this recipe as elderberry syrup tends to be sweetened. You could omit the honey or reduce by 1/2 or 2/3 of the amount. 

My best tip is to read the label of the elderberry syrup to ensure you’re using the right amount based on the dosage you want. You can easily modify the recipe – adding a bit more gelatin powder (about 1-2 tsp) at a time to test the consistency of the homemade gummies. 

In addition, you can use elderberry juice instead of elderberry syrup or elderberry extract. One tablespoon is a serving, so you’d need about 3 cups (24 oz) to make 48 servings for this recipe. It would create a lot more volume and you’d likely need more gelatin and more gummy molds. For the price, elderberry extract would be more economical. 

Can I make these gummies vegan? 

Yes, you can use agar agar instead of gelatin (which is made from beef). You will need about 1 to 1.5 tbsp of agar agar (roughly 1/2 of the amount of gelatin powder) to make your own homemade elderberry gummies. You may need to experiment and do 1/3 of the amount of agar agar to get the consistency you like. 

Can I use a different juice?

Yes, you can opt for a different fruit juices instead of black cherry juice. Other options are apple juice, pomegranate juice, or tart cherry juice (which isn’t as sweet as black cherry juice). Personally, I prefer juice without added sugar. 

My gummies aren’t holding up. What do I do?

Depending on whether you used elderberry juice or syrup, your gummies may not have enough gelatin to firm up to the consistency you want.

Use more gelatin in the recipe. Here’s a rule of thumb when it comes to the ratio of gelatin to liquid:

  • For extra firm gummies (like gummy bears), add 1-2 tablespoons of gelatin per 1 cup of liquid.
  • For medium firm gummies, use 2 teaspoons of gelatin for 1 cup of liquid.
  • For softer gummies, use 1 teaspoon of gelatin for 1 cup of liquid.

More Natural Remedies You Might Like

Did you try these homemade elderberry gummies? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and comment below to let me know how it went. You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see what other fun things I’m getting up to.

Homemade Immune-Boosting Elderberry Gummy Snacks (for Cold + Flu) - DontMesswithMama.com
Homemade Elderberry Gummies

Elderberry Gummies

Don’t Mess With Mama
These Elderberry Gummies are a delicious alternative to elderberry syrup that both kids and adults will enjoy. Find out how easy it so to make, and how it can save money too.
4.98 from 81 votes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling time 4 hours
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 48 servings
Calories 6 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • This recipe is for 48 servings. Use a silicone mold with at least 48 cavities or even better 96 or more. This way you can use half the amount as needed.
  • Heat up 1/2 of the cherry juice and all of the water over low-medium heat.
  • Remove from heat. Add the raw honey, elderberry extract, echinacea, vitamin D3 drops.
  • Add the gelatin, and whisk or use immersion blender until there are no lumps. Add the remaining cherry juice and mix well. The consistency will thicken.
  • Pour the gelatin mixture into the silicone mold. Remember to pour into a silicone mold with 48 or 96 cavities.
  • Refrigerate for 4-5 hours. When ready, pop out of the molds. They should come out pretty easily. Pop them in the freezer for a few minutes if they gummy snacks don’t come out easily.

Notes

This recipe makes 48 servings of 1,250 mg of elderberry extract per serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 48gCalories: 6kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 0.4gFat: 0.004gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.002gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.001gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 7mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 5IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 0.04mg
Keyword elderberry gummies
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