Elderberry Gummies

We love this recipe for Elderberry Gummies because it is so simple. It is a fun activity for my toddler to help with, and with just a little bit of work we create a fun new way to take our daily elderberry dose!

I don’t know about your kids, but mine loves gummy EVERYTHING! And while he rarely turns down a sip of Elderberry Syrup in the morning with breakfast, it can be fun to mix things up a little every now and then. So I started playing recipes for making our own Elderberry Gummies. 

Simple ingredients, and no preservatives

I love this recipe because it still keeps the ingredients simple. Our Elderberry Syrup contains just four simple ingredients: organic elderberries, water, Meyer lemon juice, and a touch of organic cane sugar. With this recipe, you’re just adding one or two other simple ingredients so you get all of the fun of Elderberry Gummies without any preservatives or additives.

Benefits of Elderberry Syrup

Elderberries are small berries packed with antioxidants. They have been used in herbal medicine for centuries for their powerful immune-boosting benefits. 

Medical research highlights the benefits of elderberry syrup, including its role in:

1. improving symptoms from cold and flu 
2. preventing cold and flu virus infections

Read more about the benefits of elderberry syrup here. 

Benefits of grass-fed gelatin

The primary additional ingredient in this recipe is gelatin. We use gelatin to give the Elderberry Syrup a solid, gummy texture. But, gelatin seems to be getting a lot of attention lately due to its own potential health benefits. Gelatin comes from collagen, which is the most plentiful protein in both humans and animals. Gelatin itself is almost pure protein and has been shown to bebeneficial for bone and joint health. Other studies indicate that gelatin and collagen may play a role in gut health, improved sleep, and other health benefits. 

Like with any animal products, we like to make sure we’re buying high quality. In the case of gelatin, I buy gelatin from grass-fed cows. Beef from grass-fed cows is higher in omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (a type of fat that may reduce heart disease and cancer risks) andantioxidant vitamins.

Great for the whole family

I started working on this recipe for Elderberry Gummies as a fun treat for my toddler, but as it turns out, the whole family loves them! Our Elderberry Syrup is lightly sweet, with just a touch of organic cane sugar. We often add a little maple syrup when we’re making this recipe to make our gummies a little bit sweeter. This recipe allows you to dial the sweetness up or down as much as you want, and you can use either maple syrup or honey - depending on your preference, and what you have on hand.

A note about consistency

This recipe makes gummies that are chewy (think Jello jigglers. Remember those?!). You can play with adding a little more or a little less gelatin to get to the consistency you like the most. (Maybe more like a Jello shot?⁠)

Elderberry Gummies

Ingredients

1/2 cup Commonhealth Elderberry Syrup⁠

2 tbsp gelatin 

1/4 cup hot water⁠

1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup, optional⁠

melted coconut oil to grease molds

Directions

1. Grease molds with coconut oil (a glass baking dish also works). 
2. Pour 1/4 cup of syrup in small mixing bowl, and whisk in gelatin quickly. 
3. Add hot water, and stir quickly until smooth. 
4. Add remaining 1/2 cup of syrup and stir well. 
5. Pour into molds or dish. 
6. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or until completely firm. 
7. Store in sealed container in refrigerator.

We love the simplicity of this recipe and the fun-for-all-ages treats that it makes. Enjoy!