Homemade Vegan Fruit Snacks

January 27, 2026 · Natalie 50 Comments

Discover how to make homemade healthy vegan fruit snacks in 4 delicious flavors: strawberry, blueberry, orange, and green! These 3-ingredient fruit-sweetened gummies are made with agar agar instead of gelatin, and are a perfect snack for kids and adults alike!

Originally post 12/27/2016. Updated on 1/27/2026.

Why You Should Make Your Own Fruit Snacks
Agar Agar Powder vs. Gelatin
How To Make Homemade Vegan Fruit Snacks
Serving and Storing Suggestions
Vegan Fruit Snacks Recipe FAQs
More Bite Sized Snacks You’ll Love

We’re basically turning juice into a bite-sized snack and not using gelatin to do it. This is homemade vegan fruit snacks UPDATED with more flavors and more sweetening ideas. Oh, and I did include a tested gelatin option too if that’s what you want to use. So basically the possibilities are endless and the results are delightfully fruity and chewy. My baby even took a little nibble of the blueberry ones and didn’t make a gross face (which is saying a lot for her). Let’s get into it!

Why You Should Make Your Own Fruit Snacks

More cost effective than store-bought healthy fruit snack brands
Healthier–better ingredients, rich in vitamin C, less sugar, no artificial flavors or colors
You can make any flavor or shape you
A clever way to sneak fruit into snack time

Agar Agar Powder vs. Gelatin

Agar agar is a powder derived from algae that is a great swap for gelatin to make vegan-friendly jello and gummy snacks. It is actually stronger than gelatin, so you only need about 1/3 as much per cup of fruit juice to make vegan gummies. For example if you are using 1 cup of fruit juice, you will need 1.5 teaspoons of agar OR 3 tablespoons of gelatin. It creates a chewy, slightly springy texture that is a little more jello like than your typical store-bought fruit snack (the lack of corn syrup affects that too). But once you get the right ratio, the possibilities of different fruit juice + jam/fruit flavor combinations are truly endless.

How To Make Homemade Vegan Fruit Snacks

You just need 3 ingredients, a couple of minutes on the stovetop, and then an overnight stay in the fridge–10 minutes of prep work, max. The basic process is combining everything in a saucepan, whisking until dissolved, and then simmering briefly to activate the agar agar. Depending on how you choose to sweeten, you may need a little bit of blending first. But we’ll break it down flavor by flavor…

Vegan Gummy Ingredients

Fruit juice: You can really use any variety, but some of my personal favorites are a berry blend, pineapple, apple, orange, and a sweet green juice.
Sweetener: I’ve included four different option–jam, jelly, agave or honey, or just fruit.
Agar agar powder: The vegan thickening agent (make sure you are using POWDER not flakes!)

Four Fruit Flavor Ideas

Strawberry. Or raspberry or cherry, but you have to have a red flavor in the mix. I used a mixed berry juice with strawberry jelly to sweeten for this flavor. If your jelly is smooth/seedless you can just whisk. If it has chunks of fruit I recommend blending with the juice first.

Green. I used a bottled green juice (kale, spinach, apple, celery, cucumber, lemon, ginger) and agave to sweeten this flavor. No need to blend, just whisk it all up. Honey or maple syrup could be used as the liquid sweetener as well.

Blueberry. This is the just fruit flavor of the bunch, so I opted for a sweeter juice: pineapple. Blended with fresh blueberries, and then optionally strained. They are a little less sweet than the jam/agave varieties, but still really delicious (and great for little ones!)

Orange. Orange juice alone makes a delicious gummy, but blend in some orange marmalade to sweeten and you get a really intensely sweet citrus flavor. This might be my favorite of the bunch! You will likely need to blend the juice + marmalade before boiling as most marmalades are pretty chunky.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Combine juice + sweetener. If your sweetener is a chunky jam or real fruit, combine in the blender. If your sweetener is a smooth jelly or liquid sweetener, whisk together right in the saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Simmer whisking constantly for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and pour into molds. I used a silicone ice cube tray as my molds, but you could use a true silicone gummy mold. Or just pour the entire mixture into a glass dish, and slice into squares after they are set.
Refrigerate until set (about 4-6 hours).

Serving and Storing Suggestions

Without any artificial ingredients or preservatives, these fruit snacks do need to live in the fridge. They can last a week or two in the fridge in an airtight container, but I do not recommend freezing them. You can also have them out at room temperature for a few hours without a problem, so feel free to pack them in a lunchbox or to-go container.

Vegan Fruit Snacks Recipe FAQs

My fruit snacks didn’t set right?

This is most likely a ratio issue, make sure you are using 1.5 teaspoons of agar agar per 1 cup fruit juice. Other things to consider–is your agar agar old/expired? Are you using agar agar FLAKES instead of powder? Did you boil for the full 2 minutes? Did you allow at least 4 hours for the gummies to set (or better yet, overnight)?

Can I use gelatin instead of agar agar?

Yes, replace the 1.5 teaspoons of agar agar with 3 tablespoons gelatin.

Can I use fruit puree instead of juice?

You could blend your own fruit puree, but I would recommend straining before using. Make sure you measure 1 cup after straining.

What are the best juices to use?

That’s up to your personal preference, but I like sweeter varieties like pineapple, orange, and apple.

What if I don’t have a silicone mold?

Just pour your hot gummy mixture into a square glass dish, and then cut into cubes after it is set.

More Bite Sized Snacks You’ll Love

If you try these Vegan Fruit Snack, let me know what you think by leaving a comment or rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for even more yummy recipes!