Ah, gummy candy! It’s sticky, chewy, and frankly, the bane of dentists.

Gummy candy is a popular candy that owes its distinctive, elastic, jelly-like texture to gelatin.

Here’s a quick summary if you’re thinking about making it:

🍬 The Essence of Gummy Candy
Main Ingredients:
Gelatin: This gives it the gummy texture. It’s made from animal collagen (most often from pork or beef), but there are also vegan versions made with pectin or starch.
Sweeteners: Sugar, glucose syrup (or corn syrup), or invert sugar syrup.

Flavoring and Coloring: Fruit flavors, cola, “medicinal” flavoring, and bright food coloring.
Acids: Citric acid, which gives the tart taste and helps balance the sweetness.
Texture: The gelatin syrup is evaporated, dried, and then often coated with a thin layer of wax (e.g. beeswax, carnauba wax) to make it shiny and non-sticky.

Best Known Form: The gummy bear (Haribo Goldbär).
Would you like a simple homemade gummy candy recipe (based on fruit juice and gelatin) or would you rather be curious about the history of gummy candy?