Make delicious and healthy homemade jello with real fruit juice, grass-fed gelatin, and no added sugar! This easy recipe is free from artificial sweeteners and food dyes—perfect for kids and adults alike. Try different flavors for a fun, gut-friendly treat!"
Certain foods just tend to go with certain seasons. JELLO® is one of those that seems to work in perfectly with the summer months. But the exceedingly copious amounts of sugar are apt to spike our blood sugar, pack on pounds, decay our teeth, and reduce our immune system. Is there a better alternative? Certainly, there are store-bought sugar-free gelatin options, but they often contain questionable ingredients as well. A homemade stevia Jello is a refreshing option for these summer months.

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If you’ve ever browsed the grocery store aisles for jello, you’ve probably noticed that most options are packed with artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, and food dyes—not exactly the healthy snack we all want.
The good news is that you can easily make your own jello at home using real fruit juice, plain gelatin, and simple ingredients that nourish your body. This healthy homemade jello recipe is free from added sugar and full of great sources of protein like grass-fed gelatin or collagen peptides, both of which are known to benefit digestion, gut health, and joint health.
The best way to make fruit juice jello is by combining hot juice and bloomed gelatin, ensuring a perfectly smooth texture. Whether you use beef gelatin, agar for a vegan version or brands like Great Lakes or Vital Proteins, the key is to dissolve the gelatin mixture in a hot liquid and mix it with the remaining juice for a bouncy, delicious texture.
You can experiment with different flavors by using pomegranate juice, apple juice, orange juice, lime juice, or even coconut water. We've recently been struggling with a sickness so I added elderberry juice in our last batch. For a touch of natural sweetness, a little bit of honey or your sweetener of choice works wonders.
This great recipe is a fun food for kids of all ages and a great way to enjoy a yummy treat without the amount of sugar found in store-bought options.
Pour your jello mixture into a jello mold or use cookie cutters for playful shapes. This free jello recipe is endlessly customizable. Grab your measuring cup, heat up a small saucepan, and let’s make the best jello ever—naturally!
Ingredients
The best part of this homemade stevia Jello is that it can be tweaked in so many ways. It is a healthy homemade 'Jello' that is filled with healing ingredients. Lemon juice can be reduced if you prefer a less tart flavor. If you reduce the lemon juice by ½ cup, then add an additional ½ cup of water.
This recipe has a very firm texture. If you would prefer a more 'wobbly' texture, you can reduce the recipe to 8 or 10 tablespoons of gelatin. Play around and make it your own!
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- Lemon juice
- Water
- Gentle Sweet
- Gelatin
- Baobab
Instructions
Combine all ingredients except the gelatin with a whisk.
Heat until almost boiling.
Gently combine the gelatin with a whisk or a mixer.
Pour into 13x9 inch pan and place in the refrigerator until set.
Equiptment
- Wisk
- Mixing Bowl
- 9x13 dish
- Immersion Blender
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FAQ
What Sweetener is used in Sugar-Free Jello?
Sugar-free gelatin pre-made packages are typically riddled with hidden ingredients that are destructive to your immune system and health. Sugar alternatives like Maltodextrin, sucralose, and red and blue dye; are quite simply not healthy in the long run. Maltodextrin actually has a high GI index than table sugar!
Is Sugar-Free Jello Unhealthy?
If there are wholesome ingredients in a gelatin recipe it can be extremely healthy. Good quality gelatin can have 10 grams of protein in one serving. It is hydrophilic, which simply means it attracts water. When digested it adds a protective layer of mucus (my apologies for using that 'lovely word') to the digestive tract, which can be healing to digestion. The gelatin however is not as much of a problem as the sweetener!
Is Sugar-Free Jello a Good Snack?
A sugar-free Jello with stevia snack can certainly be healthy food if the ingredients are wholesome. The key to a healthy snack is wholesome ingredients.
This stevia jello is just that! I specifically used Trim Healthy Mama ingredients in this recipe, but there are many other wholesome and quality ingredients that can be picked up at most grocery stores. Truvia is a wholesome stevia alternative that is available at Walmart and Target. Great Lakes gelatin is a fantastic company that makes quality and healthy products. These are often also available in retail stores.
Can Jello be Healthy?
It can be easy to make a healthy homemade Jello with stevia. All you need is a bit of gelatin and a good foundation of ingredients. A healthy Jello made with stevia does not need to be hard to make. The hardest part is stirring the Jello into the hot liquid and then the cleanup of the gooey stuff afterward!
Healthy homemade 'Jello' can certainly be healthy when the correct ingredients are used.
Other healthy snacks, meals, and desserts can be found in the Healing Home Harvest cookbook that is FREE! Grab your copy today! You can also check out my newly released Healing Harvest Cookbook Skillet and Casserole edition which is available on Amazon. Click the image below!
What is the Healthiest Gelatin?
Quick research on Google will suggest that most healthy bloggers recommend "Great Lakes Gelatin" and I don't blame them. Great Lakes makes a stellar product and I have and would again buy their products including their gelatin to make some homemade Jello. They make their products GMO-free, kosher, and keto-friendly.
For this stevia jello, I think there is an equally excellent product out there that doesn't get enough attention. Trim Healthy Mama has a gelatin product that is made from pure ingredients. It is free of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, preservatives, and additives. On top of that, all the prices are extremely competitive with Great Lakes!
How do you Make Sugar Free Jello from Scratch?
Making sugar-free stevia 'Jell-O' from scratch does not have to be complicated. This healthy homemade 'Jello' recipe makes a full 9x13 inch pan and can be used throughout the week as a healthy snack to take on the go!
To make a 'Jell-O' from scratch the key ingredient you will need is gelatin. If you want to make it 'healthy' you will want decent quality gelatin-like Great Lakes or Trim Healthy Mama.
Stevia can be used as an alternative sweetener. I often grow stevia in my garden, so this is a completely wholesome ingredient. This recipe uses Super Sweet Blend from Trim Healthy Mama. It is a much sweeter form of stevia. Alternatively, you can use Gentle Sweet or Truvia. I recommend starting at ¾ cups of these if you do not use Super Sweet Blend.
How long does it take for Sugar-Free Jello to set?
It does not take any more time for sugar-free 'jello' to set than the traditional Jello. About 30 minutes in the refrigerator for it to start firming up, and a full hour for the gelatin to be completely set.
Trim Healthy Mama Gelatin Snacks
The Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle is a healthy way to live that focuses on healthy foods but sorts them in a way that supports certain seasons of life. During a season of needed weight loss, our foods can be sorted into fat-based meals or carb-based meals (S and E Meals). Each meal is anchored in protein. Separating our fuels, allows our body to burn fat!
This stevia 'Jello' based snack is a THM Fuel Pull recipe, which means that it does not have a significant amount of carbs or fats into. However, it does have gelatin, which is a protein source. It also has baobab, which is an excessively healing food. Baobab is rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber, and iron! Iron and vitamin C go hand in hand because you need iron to properly digest and use vitamin C! Baobab is one of my favorite ingredients to play around with in recipes. I find it especially helpful during pregnancy and post-partum. This healthy homemade Jello is an immune-boosting giant. It takes snacking to the 'next level' on the health scale!
Stevia Sweetened Jello
The Best Healthy Homemade Jello
This stevia Jello is a yummy alternative to pre-made gelatin snacks. The baobab immune boost makes it a healthy homemade Jello that sets it apart from the rest!
Ingredients
- 2 cups lemon juice
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup stevia
- ¾ cup gelatin
- 5 tablespoon baobab
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the gelatin with a whisk.
- Heat until almost boiling.
- Gently combine the gelatin with a whisk or a mixer.
- Pour into 13x9 inch pan and place in the refrigerator until set.
Notes
You can adjust the amount of gelatin used to make it more 'floppy.' Start with 8-10 tablespoon of gelatin and decrease the amount until you find your desired texture. If you choose to use a store bought stevia like Truvia or THM Gentle Sweet. Increase the amount of Stevia to ¾ cup. Super Sweet Blend is a highly sweet stevia blend.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 30Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 25mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g
Online nutritional calculators are only estimates.
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Donna Miller says
Rachael, this is a cool post and peaked my interest. I have never heard of Baobab powder before. I love jello and do use the sugarfree kind thinking I was better off than using regular jello. But you're right, there are all kinds of unheathy additives in it. I will need to try to make this. Thank you for this post and recipe. ❤
RachaelBelle says
I personally use 'sugar free' pre-packaged things occasionally, but try to stick with from scratch because of all the nasty stuff that is added in those pre-packaged stuff. It's all about balance. I hope you make it and let me know what you think!
Jessie | Pray With Confidence says
This looks amazing! Been looking up recipes and this is definitely being added to the list!
RachaelBelle says
It's soo good. My toddler has been gobbling them up. 🙂