These homemade gummy worms are made with just 4 ingredients and are so fun to make and eat!

They’re flavored with fruit juice, which naturally gives them a beautiful color.

Substitutions and Swaps

While I love this gummy worm recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand!

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

• Fruit Juice – I like using a bunch of different types of juice to create colorful gummy worms, including apple juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, pomegranate juice, and black cherry juice. Other juices that would work great are limeade, lemonade, or grape juice.
• Honey – If you don’t have honey on hand, you can use an additional Tbsp of granulated sugar or stevia sweetener in its place. You can also use maple syrup.
• Stevia / granulated sugar – Adding additional sweetener or sugar is optional, but I find these gummy worms taste better with more than just the honey. You can add another Tbsp of honey in place of the stevia / granulated sugar if you don’t want to add sugar. You can also use other types of natural sugar like coconut sugar.
• Unflavored Gelatin – I used packets made by Knox (each packet has about 2 1/2 tsp of gelatin), but you can also use gelatin from a larger container like this. Most large grocery stores carry unflavored gelatin, or you can order it online! To make vegetarian/vegan gummy worms, use 1 tsp of 100% agar agar powder like this. However, they won’t set quite the same as they do with gelatin.

Making These Gummy Worms Without a Silicone Mold

I made these using a gummy worm silicone mold, but you can make them in other ways, too!

The easiest method is to pour the jello mixture into a greased loaf pan and, once it’s set, use a sharp knife to cut it into strips.

You can also pour the mixture into plastic straws like this!

Filling These Molds Properly

It’s important to fill your molds up to the very brim to give your gummy worms a proper shape.

If you don’t, the back of each gummy worm will be quite flat, and it will be noticeably thinner than a traditional gummy worm.

Fill each cavity to the very brim, so that you can see the surface tension holding the juice in place. I like to do this slowly so that the molds don’t overflow.

As you fill the molds, take care not to squeeze air bubbles into the juice!

They will set inside or on top of the gelatin, making your gummy worms look odd when you pop them out.

Since we are filling these molds so full, I suggest placing the silicone molds on a baking sheet to make them easier to move into the fridge.

Making Different Flavors of Gummy Worms

Feel free to use different juices to create different flavors of gummy worms!

I used apple juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, pomegranate juice, and black cherry juice.

I love these juices because they create a beautiful spectrum of colors.

Other juices that taste great are lemonade, limeade, watermelon juice, carrot, and grape juice.

You can also add different flavors into the molds at the same time to give your gummy worms more than one flavor.

Just be sure to avoid pineapple, kiwi, mango, ginger root, papaya, figs, or guava juice. They contain an enzyme (protease) that can prevent gelatin from setting firmly.

Tips for Making the Best Gummy Worms:

• Get creative with the type of fruit juice you use to make a fun variety of flavors!
• Place your silicone molds on a baking pan to make them easy to move around without spilling.
• Clear out an area in your fridge to allow you to set the trays flat as they chill.
• After bringing your fruit juice mixture to a boil, let the juice mixture cool for about 3 minutes. This will help the gelatin set more firmly.
• Immediately add the bloomed gelatin (gelatin powder mixed with water) to your juice mixture, or else it will set firmly and be harder to mix in.
• Be sure to stir the fruit mixture and gelatin with a spoon or small spatula and not a whisk! A whisk will incorporate air bubbles into the mixture and make them harder to pipe into the silicone mold.
• Adjust the amount of sweeteners in this recipe to match your preference! You can add up to an additional Tbsp of granulated sugar or honey, or by omitting the honey and sugar or stevia altogether.

Storing These Homemade Gummy Worms

Leftover gummy worms can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. I recommend keeping them in the fridge to prevent molding.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this gummy worms recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below.

And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media!

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