Easy Vegan Fruit Snacks

these easy vegan fruit snacks are made from only 3 ingredients and they are actually made with fruit! we will make 3 different flavors: blueberry, strawberry, and peach. they are all made the same way and they are so delicious.

I think we can all relate to loving a little fruit snack of fruit gummy. To be honest I even look forward to my gummy multi vitamin. So, I really wanted to make a vegan fruit snack. I also wanted to make sure that by eating these we were actually getting in real fruit. These vegan fruit snacks use agar powder to create a fun texture and turn them into gummies.

the ingredients

• Fruit: for this recipe I am using blueberries, strawberries, and peach. Feel free to change up the fruit you use as long as you use ⅔ cup (100g) of fruit it should work out fine.
• Agar Powder: agar powder is a substitute for gelatin. There is no replacement and this ingredient is crucial as it creates the texture and helps to turn these from liquid to a gummy-like texture. you can find agar powder at most health stores, bigger food stores or online.
• Grade A Maple Syrup: this will be used to enhance the natural sweetness of the fruit. We only use 1 tablespoon per fruit so it is a small additional of natural sugar in each gummy.
• Water: this will help us to blend everything.

the first steps

The first thing you will do to make these vegan fruit snacks is cook your fruit with water and maple syrup. This will help to break the fruit down and get it softer. It only takes 5 to 10 minutes depending on the fruit. Things like berries and grapes will break down much quicker compared to something like a peach. Once you break them down you will add them into a blender with a bit more water and the agar powder.

straining and cooking

After you blend everything up you are then ready to strain. Certain fruits will break down better in the blender but I do think it is important to strain all of them. This will help to have smooth gummies without any pulp or seeds. You will be left with a fruit gel, you will the just cook that for several minutes. You have to cook it as the heat allows the agar powder to activate. Then you will be ready to go!

tips for making fruit snacks

If you want to make these into cute little shapes like I did all you need is a mold and droppers! I got this great set online that came with 4 silicone molds and 2 droppers. However, you can use any mold you like. There are all kinds of shapes and sizes. This mild was a bit on the smaller side but I do think they are similar to typical fruit snack sizes. The droppers are very helpful for ensuring things don’t get messy and makes for an easy transfer. I also found it very helpful to keep the fruit gel on the stove because as the agar cools it will thicken. Keeping it on the stove allowed the gel to say more liquid than formed making it easier for me to squeeze it into the mold.

how to make fruit snacks without a mold

If you don’t want to make these with a mold, which I totally understand not wanting to buy another kitchen item, there are a few fun ways to do it! First, you will need a sheet pan or a loaf pan and parchment paper or a silicone mat. You can spread the fruit gel over the mat to be about 1 inch thick or pour it into the loaf pan. Then you will let it set for an hour or until it is one solid piece. From there you can either cut it into squares or you can use a small cookie cutter to make shapes if you like. Then you will have fun fruit snacks to enjoy.

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fruit snacks faq

• Are these allergy friendly? Yes! No nuts, gluten or soy is involved.
• How long do these last? Up to 1 week in the fridge. It is important to keep in mind the longer they sit they do start to get a bit of liquid developing in the container.
• Can I freeze them? While I didn’t try I actually do think it would be okay to freeze them and then thaw when you want to eat.
• Do I have to use agar powder? Yes, agar powder is a crucial ingredient there are no substitutions.
• Do they have to be stored in the fridge? Yes as there are no preservatives.
• Can I use other fruits? Yes, the process will be the same ⅔ cup (100g) of fruit per flavor. If you are using a sturdier fruit like nectarines or apple use more water when blending.

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