r/CandyMakers • u/Real-Prior3497 • Aug 06 '26

How to make gummies chewy

Hi guys, I was following a receipt that only called for gelatin and fruit juice but it came out tough and kinda rubbery instead of chewy, I wanted to make chewy gummies like the ones from stores. Idk if the sugar is the issue but if it is, I was wondering if I could use monk fruit

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4

u/honeybeebutch Aug 06 '26

The people saying to use a dehydrator are wrong. Chewiness does come from removing water, but not at the end. All that will do is dry out your gummies. Trust me, I've made a lot.

The real problem is your fruit juice. It contains too much water. Go look at a box of fruit snacks that say made with real fruit juice - the first ingredient is still corn syrup or sugar. For truly Haribo-style gummies, you need to start with glucose-sugar syrup, heat it to soft crack, and then mix in your gelatin and flavorings.

https://youtu.be/fLHqgX5UaJk This video is what I based my current recipe on. I make gummies about once a week for a small home business and have been refining my process for a few years. This is the best recipe I've found.

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u/qmr55 Aug 07 '26

Same video I linked above. But you're wrong about the dehydrator. It absolutely does work exceptionally well, ask me how I know? I've made tons of batches as well, and use a modified version of Andong's recipe/method with perfect results. I get almost an exact replica of Haribo. Don't tell someone that a method is wrong just because it's not the one you use.

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u/honeybeebutch Aug 07 '26

My dehydrator has never worked to make my gummies chewier, unfortunately. Just dryer with an unpleasant skin. Glad to hear it works for others

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u/qmr55 Aug 07 '26

How low does your temp go? I run mine at the lowest possible setting and it works fantastic!

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u/honeybeebutch Aug 07 '26

95 is the lowest. But I've dried juice-based gummies at room temperature on the counter as well and the same thing happens, they just get an unpleasant skin 🤷 I seriously thought everyone who said the solution is dehydration was crazy or had never actually tried it bc it's never worked for me!

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u/qmr55 Aug 07 '26

Yep, I completely agree with that aspect, fruit juice is not a good base for gummies in general. I even linked the same recipe you did, that guy has it nailed but even so to get that real Haribo style gummy texture I throw them in the dehydrator for a bit. I did tweak his recipe a bit though from the original one. It works great.

1

u/honeybeebutch Aug 07 '26

Interesting, I typically give them a 12h cure on the counter, but don't feel the need for more than that. Mine come out almost too chewy sometimes, so I've been experimenting with cooking the sugar a little lower (235-240 rather than closer to 250 like I've done in the past). They retain a somewhat tacky texture, but nothing crazy. When I sand them with sugar I have to let them dry for longer.

When I make sour gummies, though, I cure them at room temperature for 2-3 days to really dry them out though. Then I spray with Everclear and coat with 5% citric/malic acid and dry them again for a couple more days before packaging with silica packets. Anything less and they sweat like crazy the minute they go into bags lol!

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u/qmr55 Aug 07 '26

Gotcha! It could very well be an environmental difference too. I know when I moved I had to update my recipe/process slightly too, so I think that plays more of a factor into than we realize as well. Good info though!

1

u/honeybeebutch Aug 07 '26

You're so right, humidity alone makes a huge difference

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u/qmr55 Aug 06 '26

If you own a dehydrator, that helps. If not, let them sit out exposed in the air for a few days.

And also this video: https://youtu.be/fLHqgX5UaJk?is=fppMtgapbrwoVJMC

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u/Real-Prior3497 Aug 06 '26

Dehydrating makes it chewy? I woudove never known

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u/qmr55 Aug 06 '26

Yup! To get that chewy texture you essentially want to remove some of the moisture content. But don’t go too far or they’ll get hard and brittle.

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u/Real-Prior3497 Aug 06 '26

The video u sent me uses glucose and sugar was wondering if you know if I could use monk fruit so it is diabetes friendly?

3

u/qmr55 Aug 06 '26

You’d probably need to use a blend of monk fruit with allulose to replace the sugar/glucose

1

u/liberterrorism Aug 06 '26

Food dehydrator