There is no need to buy store-bought jello when you can make easy, healthy, homemade jello right at home.
While my husband and I generally eat very healthy, we do love dessert. It doesn't have to be much, just a little something sweet to finish off dinner.
So, when I read an article on how good gelatin is for you - Gelatin Health Benefits it sounded like a great addition to our diet!
The more I learned about it, the more I liked the idea of making homemade jello for our desserts. I could use organic fruit juice and keep it organic, use sugar-free fruit juice to keep it sugar-free, and use fruit juices like pomegranate and cranberry for their other healthy benefits!
Ingredients.
Juice - use your favorite fruit juice! I found this organic berry grape on sale at Publix and it made two batches of homemade jello!
Gelatin - you can use the Knox unflavored gelatin that is very easy to find at the grocery store. We try to eat grass-fed whenever we do beef products, so I found this grass-fed gelatin on Amazon. I'll link to it in the recipe card.
Instructions.
When I first took these photos, I was doing things a little differently. I poured 4 cups of the juice into a measuring cup and then poured a little of the juice (about ½ to ¾ a cup) into a small bowl, and sprinkled the gelatin over that.
I've since eliminated the small bowl. Pour 4 cups of juice into a measuring cup. Pour about 3 ½ cups of that into a small saucepan and then sprinkle the gelatin on top of the juice remaining in the cup.
You need to sprinkle the juice over a small amount of the juice, whisk it, and let it rest for about 5 minutes to bloom.
While the gelatin is blooming, heat the rest of the juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. It doesn't need to come to a boil, it just needs to be hot enough to dissolve the gelatin. I usually heat it until I start to see small whisps of steam coming off the juice.
Whisk in the bloomed gelatin.
I find it easier to pour the gelatin mixture into a measuring cup for easier pouring.
Again, since I took these photos, I kind of changed it up a bit. While these Weck jars are cute, they didn't have measurements. So, I was pouring ½ cup of liquid into the measuring cup and then pouring that into a jar.
I've since switched to Ball jars with measures on the side and I can easily pour in half a cup. This will make 8 ½ cup servings.
Cover with a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
We absolutely love this homemade jello! I love that I can make it organic and sugar-free. Now most fruit juices already have a lot of natural sugar, but this is only a ½ cup serving!
We have eaten some type of homemade gelatin every day since I first made this! I've tried lots of juices. I encourage you to try it with all kinds.
I think our favorite so far has been a pineapple coconut juice. It sort of separates and you get two layers.
I plan on trying cranberry or pomegranate to get all those extra anti-oxidants!
More ways to use your gelatin powder.
Recipe.
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Homemade Jello
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
- 4 cups fruit juice
Instructions
- Pour 4 cups of juice into a measuring cup. Pour about 3 ¼ cups of that into a small saucepan.
- Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the juice left in the cup. Whisk it until it dissolves. Let it rest (bloom) for 5 minutes.
- While the gelatin is blooming, bring the juice in the sauce pan to not quite boiling over medium-high heat. It just needs to be hot enough to dissolve the gelatin. I like to stop when I see a few whisps of steam rising from the pot.
- Whisk the bloomed gelating mixture (it will have thickened a lot) into the hot liquid in the pan, until it's dissolved.
- Pour ½ cup servings into small jars, or you can put it one big bowl to scoop out servings.
- Chill for 2-4 hours before serving.
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