Valentine’s Day Healthy Fruit Snacks

Valentine’s Day healthy fruit snacks are high in protein, naturally sweetened, and nutrient-rich. The perfect, nutritious, lunch box snack.

Valentine’s Day healthy fruit snacks are a nourishing high-protein snack. Packed with nutrients and healthy ingredients, homemade fruit snacks are a simple snack you can feel good about stocking your pantry with. They are a hit in our home with the whole family and perfect to pack lunches with this Valentine’s Day. 

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Benefits of Homemade Fruit Snacks

Commercial fruit snacks can be full of unnecessary ingredients such as food dyes and added sugar that have no nutritional value. Scanning nutritional labels of fruit gummies you will find the majority are loaded with gums, dyes, and high fructose corn syrup. We steer clear of these packaged snacks. 

My children love this homemade version which is a delicious alternative to store-bought fruit snacks. These healthy homemade fruit snacks for kids are made with organic cold-pressed juice, tart cherry juice concentrate, grass-fed beef gelatin, raw honey, and probiotics. In other words, they are packed with nutrition!

Juices

When looking at the ingredient labels on different types of juices I notice that many juices are made from concentrate. When juices are processed into a concentrate, this gives them a higher concentration of sugar.

I like to opt for fresh cold-pressed juices made from fresh fruit for the base of our healthy homemade fruit snacks or natural juices with the only ingredient being fruit juice. This is a great way to add in fresh veggie juices or fruit juice like we will be using in this recipe.

Cold-pressed juice is pressed from the juice without using heat. This helps the nutrients in the juice to remain and not be destroyed through the process of heating. Even when purchasing orange juice, I look for freshly squeezed or “not from concentrate”. 

The flavor is way better and the health benefits are exponentially better than the concentrated options.

For Valentine’s Day, I used a combination of grapefruit juice, tart cherry juice, and veggie juice that was red. Beet, pomegranate, and grape juice are all great options for that Valentine’s Day color in these Valentine’s Day healthy fruit snacks.

Lots of flavor options

There are so many different flavors you can make for this healthy homemade fruit snack recipe.

You can use any natural juices from veggies and fruit that are free from artificial colors, artificial flavors, and excess sugar for an optimal great healthy snack.

Antioxidants

When making this homemade fruit snack recipe, I like to incorporate tart cherry juice, pressed grape juice, or sometimes pomegranate juice. 

These juices are very rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help contribute to the elimination of free radicals in the body. 

Tart cherry juice also has the nutrients copper, manganese, magnesium, vitamin A, potassium, and iron. Adding antioxidant-rich juice to these healthy homemade fruit snacks gives these healthy snacks a nice extra boost of nutrition.

Probiotics

In addition to antioxidants, I occasionally will add a capsule of probiotics.

Probiotics are super important for gut health which contributes to overall health. I like to include probiotics in our diet in various ways. Adding probiotics to these fruity snacks is an easy way to do this. You won’t find this gut-healthy option in store-bought fruit snacks. 

Grass-fed beef gelatin

Gelatin is made from animal collagen protein. Gelatin also helps give the firm jello consistency in this gummy recipe. Opting for grass-fed gelatin means that the gelatin has been sourced from cows who have been raised on pasture instead of processed GMO corn and soy products. Grass-fed beef gelatin allows these healthy fruit snacks a boost of quality protein for snack time.

Raw honey

Raw honey is a natural sweetener that contains amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. We like to choose raw honey when we can.

As with cold-pressed natural juice, raw honey has only been strained and not commercially processed with heat to destroy nutrients within the honey. 

The way foods are processed and packaged is important for maintaining a higher level of nutrition in the food.

Substitutions for Valentine’s Day Healthy Fruit Snacks

Animal Product Free Version

If you avoid animal products in your diet you can substitute agar powder for gelatin and maple syrup for the honey. You may need to use less agar agar since this can be more potent than gelatin.

Making fruit juice at home

If you have a juicer, citrus press, blender, or food processor, you can easily make your juice using whole fruits and vegetables.

To do this, peel your fruits and veggies and add them to the blender or food processor. Blend well and strain off the juice through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Use this juice for your recipe.

For citrus fruits, a citrus press is another great way to make fresh pressed juices right at home.

Equipment for making Valentine’s Day Healthy Fruit Snacks

Small saucepan

Whisk

Silicone mold or candy mold- if you don’t have a mold you can use a muffin tin, loaf pan, or a baking dish lined with wax paper or parchment paper. You can then cut the gummy snacks to your preferred size after they have gelled. I like these little hearts and gummy bear molds (to look like gummy bears) for Valentine’s Day gummy fruit snacks. The little dropper is very helpful for control when pouring your fruit snacks.

Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth if making your own juice.

Valentine’s Day Healthy Fruit Snacks- Recipe

Ingredients for Valentine’s Day Healthy Fruit Snacks

Organic cold-pressed juice- you can find these juices stored in the refrigerator section of the grocery store or make your own. I opted for pink, red, and purple color juices for a Valentine’s flare.

Unflavored grass-fed beef gelatin- you can find grass-fed beef gelatin at most health food stores. I like to buy ours in bulk from Azure Standard (affiliate link). You can also use code: AmandaBrecto1 at azurestandard.com/start

Organic raw honey– you may need more or less depending on the juices you are using and the flavor you prefer.

Optional: 1 probiotic capsule (or 1 serving of your favorite probiotic powder). 

You can talk to your healthcare professional about what strains of probiotics you should be supplementing with if you are unsure where to start with probiotics. 

Step-by-step directions for Valentine’s Day Healthy Fruit Snacks

Step 1: Let the gelatin bloom

First, pour your 8 ounces of cold liquids into a glass bowl. 

Then, sprinkle gelatin powder over the juice to set for 5 minutes, allowing the gelatin to bloom. I notice the gelatin has set up/bloomed when the top looks wavy as the juice has been absorbed and the surface begins to firm up.

Step 2: Heat additional juice to steaming

Then, add your additional 4 ounces of juice to a saucepan over the stove. 

Heat the additional 4 ounces of juice over medium heat to just steaming. 

Do not let the mixture boil if you can help it. Too much heat can kill probiotics and destroy the nutrients we are trying to preserve.

Step 3: Remove from heat and combine

After the juice has reached the steaming point, remove it from the heat. 

Pour the juice over the gelatin mixture. Whisk the mixture until the gelatin has completely dissolved. If any clumps remain, I strain these through a mesh strainer.

Step 4: Add honey + probiotics

When the gelatin has dissolved and the mixture has cooled a bit, I mix in raw honey and a probiotic capsule.

If the mixture is too hot, the heat will kill the good probiotic cultures and possibly other heat-sensitive nutrients. Stirring consistently will help the mixture cool down enough to not damage the probiotics or other nutrients.

Step 5: Pour into molds

The next step is to pour the juice mixture into a parchment-lined baking pan OR pipe into your favorite silicone mold.

We like to use fun shapes for our fruit snacks but any shape will do. We have even just cut squares from the baking dish after refrigerating and my children love them just as well. These little heart molds are perfect for Valentine’s Day!

The only thing to be aware of is once the mixture reaches room temperature it will begin to gel so working quickly is important.

If you find that your juices have gelled too much, you can add them back to the saucepan to gently heat ever so slightly and bring them back to a more liquid state.

Step 6: Refrigerate

After distributing the juice into your molds, refrigerate for 3-4 hours. 

Step 7: Remove from molds + Store

Pop your healthy homemade fruit snacks out of the molds or cut them into little cubes and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How long do Valentine’s Day healthy fruit snacks keep?

I keep homemade fruit snacks in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Other homemade healthy fruit snack variations:

Tropical Healthy Homemade Fruit Snacks- a combination of mango or pineapple juice is a big hit in these gummies on a hot summer day.

Veggie juices– I use a variety of veggie juices in these delicious fruit snacks. I find that carrot and beet juices are wonderful flavors to pair with a favorite fruit juice when making healthy homemade fruit snacks.

If you have a picky eater or have a hard time with your children eating their veggies, making homemade healthy fruit snacks is a great snack to keep on hand for those extra vitamins.

Purees- If using different fruit purees or veggie purees, I recommend straining off the courser fibers for a nice consistency.

These snacks are delicious. The perfect addition to your snack time or lunch box preparation!

Have fun using a combination of fruits and let us know your favorite combination in the comments below!

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More easy recipes for lunch boxes or snack time

– Small Trifle Cups

– Sourdough Discard Lemon Berry Muffins