Homemade Jello is incredibly easy to make in any flavor you desire. It’s a simple two-ingredient recipe with some extra options for increased flavor. This Homemade Jello has no added sugar. But it’s perfectly sweet and fruity and brings back all those fun childhood memories. Making Homemade Jello is a great healthy option to avoid extra additives like dyes, sugar, etc.
It seems like jello is one of those things you don’t see often anymore. I grew up with the boxed Jell-O flavors like most other kids I know and absolutely loved it!
When my parents started eating healthier, my Jell-O days were over, haha! However, my mom found a recipe using fruit juice concentrate and gelatin somewhere along the line.
From there, she was off and running with different flavor combinations, and we loved having jello in the fridge again. For several years it was one of our favorite afterschool snacks.
But somehow, her recipe was lost, and I haven’t had jello in over 15 years. So recently, I decided to re-create the jello molds my mom used to make from memory, and I hope you’ll enjoy these as well!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Fruit juice – the best option for flavor is frozen fruit juice concentrate reconstituted according to the can directions. It has the deepest most intense flavor, and makes way better jello than bottled juice. Look for frozen concentrate that is 100% juice with no other ingredients to avoid high fructose corn syrup.
- Gelatin – grass-fed gelatin is the best option, from Vital Proteins or Perfect Bovine Gelatin, but Great Lakes also makes great gelatin. Knox gelatin is readily available at most grocery stores and works just fine.
- Frozen fruit juice concentrate – or a touch of sweetener if desired. When I use bottled juice, I like to add a bit of frozen fruit juice concentrate to boost the flavor and add some sweetness. You can also add a touch of honey or maple syrup instead if desired.
How to make this recipe step by step
Step 1: Heat some of the juice and whisk it with the powdered gelatin. Let it sit for about five minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure all of the gelatin dissolves.
Step 2: Add the juice and a little fruit juice concentrate to boost the flavor. Or follow the instructions for using only frozen fruit juice concentrate.
Step 3: Pour the juice mixture into a Jello mold or a glass baking dish. The Jello will lightly stick to a glass baking dish, even if it’s greased, so you can also line it with parchment paper.
Step 4: Refrigerate for eight hours or overnight. When you’re ready to serve the Jello, briefly run the mold under hot water in the sink.
Step 5: Place the Jello mold on your serving plate. Then, crack the middle lid to see if it is ready to release from the mold. If it releases right away, it’s ready. If it doesn’t want to release from the mold, run it under hot water again once you secure the lids.
Ways to serve this
- Serve this as a side dish to your next holiday meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner for a classic retro menu.
- Make this homemade jello as part of your Weekly Meal Prep for a healthy snack.
- Serve this jello as a fun retro dessert that is secretly pretty healthy!
FAQ’s
You can make jello from scratch with just 2 ingredients: juice and gelatin. From there, you can add sweetener or fruit if desired.
Yes, you can bloom gelatin in juice. I skip the blooming in this recipe; instead, pour heated juice over the gelatin and stir until it fully dissolves.
Storing leftovers
- To store – store any leftover Jello in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days.
- Make ahead – Jello is the perfect make ahead recipe and can made up to three days in advance, just keep in mind the leftovers won’t keep as long.
Tips & Tricks
- Frozen fruit juice concentrate gives you the deepest flavor of any juice I’ve tried. You can also use your choice of bottled juice, but I recommend adding a little fruit juice concentrate for that flavor booster.
- My mom used to add fresh berries and sometimes a swirl of whipped cream to jello if she had any leftovers in the fridge.
- This does make it tricky to unmold if you use a jello mold, but it is really delicious. If you choose to add berries or whipped cream, the best option is to put it into a baking dish so that you can scoop it out in squares.
- Don’t use pineapple juice or papaya because they both contain enzymes that break down protein and are not a good choice for jello.
Jello flavors
- Cranberry Pomegranate makes a great flavor combination for the holidays, and it’s what you see pictured here. I used a pomegranate cranberry juice from frozen concentrate.
- Orange Creamsicle is another favorite from childhood. You’ll want to refer to the recipe notes for adding a cream layer to any flavor you try.
- Raspberry is another favorite, with fresh berries like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries added in.
- Any mango juice blend you like makes really good jello. I love a mango-peach combo myself!
- Grape juice is another great flavor for jello and brings back Grape Crush soda memories.
More Fruit-Based Recipe Inspiration
I really hope you enjoy this healthy Homemade Jello recipe! If you get a chance to make this, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Homemade Jello
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cups juice - 48 ounces, see notes
- 3 tbsp gelatin - + 2 tsp for a firmer jello
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat 1/2 cup of the juice in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling.
- Add the gelatin to a small bowl and pour the heated juice over the top. Whisk to combine, then let the mixture sit. Continue to stir ocassionally until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Add the remaining juice and whisk to completely combine. Pour the mixture into a jello mold, cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight until completely firm.
- Slice and serve. Or top with fresh fruit to match whatever flavor you've choosen.