How to Make Quick and Easy Protein-Rich Homemade Jello

Homemade jello is the perfect kid-friendly snack or side dish anyone can enjoy. It’s made in five minutes or less and is a healthier, non-toxic swap to store-bought alternatives. With endless creative flavor combinations and gut-healthy benefits, you’ll soon love this protein-rich treat.

For me, this homemade jello recipe is like an old friend saying “welcome back”! Of course I’ve eaten countless servings of jello in my lifetime and looking back I recall making it years ago.

But for some reason, it got tucked away in the back of my recipe catalog until Valentine’s Day reminded me it’s just around the corner. I needed some red food inspiration for the holiday along with heart shaped possibilities. But instead of something sweet inspired, I wanted a healthy recipe for readers.

That, and maybe a reason to use up that little bit of elderberry concentrate and cherry cider from the fall taking up space in my refrigerator. So hello, jello! Plus I could cut heart shapes out of it for cute looking photos. Sounds like a perfect love match to me.

What I wasn’t prepared for though, was just how creative I could get with the basic jello recipe. Essentially, jello is simply the gelatin powder and any liquid you prefer. That’s it! It lends itself perfectly to fruity mix-ins too.

And gelatin powder is full of healthy protein too. One tablespoon has about 11 grams of protein per serving. This is great for anyone like me who has an allergy or sensitivity to eggs and needs another protein source. Combined with fruit juice and diced fruit pieces, one serving of jello is loaded with fiber and Vitamin C too.

Why You’ll Love Homemade Jello

Promotes gut healing – Homemade jello is protein-rich by nature because it’s made with gelatin powder. The protein in gelatin powder is made of the amino acids, glycine and glutamine. Both stimulate mucosal production which aids in repairing and sealing the intestinal walls. With a strong mucosal lining or barrier, leaky gut heals, overall inflammation reduces and immune responses to food decreases. In other words, food sensitivities or allergies go away.

Endless creative flavor combinations – With gelatin powder, any liquid turns into jello! Use up kombucha, homemade shrub, elderberry concentrate at the end of cold and flu season and leftover tea. Reap the benefits of homemade bone broth during the summer months by turning it into cold jello. That way you don’t need to drink it hot when it’s the last thing you want to do on a warm summer day. The possibilities are endless!

Kid-friendly, non-toxic swap – Mama’s, this is a perfect healthy, non-toxic swap to store-bought Jello for your kiddos. Use their favorite juice and fruit combinations for a tempting flavor and vitamin C boost. And confidently serve knowing their jello is free from artificial dyes and other unpronounceable ingredients tied to both short and long-term health consequences.

Helpful Hints

• The amount of gelatin powder used changes based on your needs. If you want to cut shapes with cookie cutters or pour into a mold, use the recommended amount in the recipe or more for a stiffer jello that’s easier to work with. For a softer jello simply served from a dish, you can cut the amount in half if you’d like.

• To create a clean release, rub a very thin layer of coconut oil on the inside and outside of the cookie cutters and inside of the mold.

• Similarly, to create clean straight lines when cutting squares, dip the tip of a knife into coconut oil or butter before cutting.

• To cut back on the amount of sugar in jello, dilute juice with water. How much is a personal preference, but I typically do a 1:1 ratio of juice to water. Or for an all-natural sugar-free alternative without unhealthy sugar substitutes, use herbal tea instead.

• Homemade jello lets you be as creative as you’d like to be with flavors and mix-ins. Keep reading down below for some ideas to start with.

How to Make Homemade Jello

What You’ll Need

Juice, tea or any liquid – Use straight juice or any creative combination of liquids you can imagine. Mix juice with homemade shrub or kombucha, tea, etc. See helpful hints above for more ideas.

Gelatin – Organic, grass-fed gelatin is the healthiest and cleanest for a non-toxic, nutrient dense side dish or snack. I use this brand here, but there are other available options as well including Azure Standard.

Herbs – Use any herbs or combinations to make an herbal tea for homemade jello.

Jam, fruit or other inclusions – Mix jam, pureed or diced fruit, yogurt or cottage cheese and any other inclusion you can think of into the warm liquid.

Jello molds, cookie cutters and glass dish – You’ll need a jello mold or 9×13 glass baking dish to pour liquid into. Use cookie cutters to cut fun shapes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Creative Flavor Combinations for Homemade Jello

Homemade jello is super customizable, culinarily creative and packs a lot of nutrition into a small amount. Here are a few ideas to start with.

• Herbal teas make excellent jello since they’re sugar-free, full of antioxidants and other beneficial properties and delicious! It’s a perfect way to use up a cupboard full of homegrown herbs and get protein at the same time. To start, try these peppermint herbal tea blends or make some of the following:
  • Raspberry leaf and lemon balm
  • Lavender and chamomile
  • Hibiscus
  • Elderberry concentrate

• If you have kombucha on hand to use up, make it in to jello! If it’s a little on the vinegary side, add some maple syrup or honey to sweeten or mix with fruit juice. Homemade shrub is another great option if you have some on hand. Yes, you’ll lose some of the probiotic benefits, but it won’t go to waste when cleaning out the fridge.

• Cider or fermented fruit that needs to be used up is another idea that tastes great, reduces waste and adds another protein-rich snack to your diet.

• Mixing in fruit with the liquid of choice is another way to boost Vitamin C and fiber. Avoid pineapple, kiwis, mangoes and papayas because they have enzymes that prevent gelling. Here are some ideas to get you started.
  • Lemonade with pureed strawberries or strawberry jam and fresh or dried mint
  • Grape juice with peaches or peach jam and rosemary
  • Pureed blueberries and raspberries
  • Pureed strawberries with rhubarb
  • Orange juice with pomegranates, rosemary and cinnamon

• Jello isn’t just for our sweet side. Try a savory option with tomatoes or tomatillos (or tomatillo jam), pureed garden huckleberries mixed with lemon juice or pureed cucumbers with fresh mint for a summertime twist.

FAQ’s

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Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

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Thanks for stopping by my blog! –Becky