Recipe: Homemade electrolyte gummies
A fun way to eat your sports drinks
These gummies are made with electrolyte powder, in this case Frost Iceberg (blue) Gatorade powder. They’re intended as a mid-ride (or pre-ride/post-ride/anytime) snack full of carbs and replenishing electrolytes. If you don’t have any sports powders on-hand or prefer to make your own sports drinks, a ‘natural’ version of the recipe is just underneath this one.
Electrolyte powder gummies
Notes: These gummies are made using gelatine (sometimes spelled gelatin), so they aren’t vegan. Good news for non-vegans searching for an excuse to eat some gummies: The collagen in gelatine could help with recovery.
Many homemade gummy recipes use corn syrup to create a more firm and less Jello-o-like consistency. In this recipe we will replace that with a home-made syrup in an effort to get a bit more of the sodium, potassium and other electrolytes your sports powder of choice contains.
The sugar or sugar substitute in your sports powder will have an impact on the way the gummies harden. We haven’t tested every type of powder, but the worse case scenario is a gummy that comes out a little closer to Jell-o than Haribo. Regardless, they will probably still taste good.
If you use Gatorade for this recipe, all together the gummies you produce will contain the approximate equivalent of 600ml of liquid Gatorade. That’s about 160 calories (plus 20 calories for gelatine), 252.9mg of sodium (plus a bit more if you add salt), 38.6g of carbs, 80mg of potassium and 4g of protein from the gelatine.
Tools
-Measuring cups
-Measuring spoons
-Sauce pan
-Silicone gummy moulds*
*You can find these easily on Amazon or at a local craft store, Bulk Barn etc. If you don’t want to use moulds you can also use a very small walled pan and cut the gummies into blocks once they harden.
Ingredients
-2 1/2 tsp gelatine (1 packet of Knox gelatine)
-3/4 cup water- 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup
-4 tbs electrolyte powder-1/2 tbs and 3 1/2 tbs
-Citric acid (optional)
-Up to 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
Instructions
1. We’ll start by making the syrup. Combine 3 1/2 tbs of electrolyte powder and 1/2 cup of water in a small sauce pan. Adding citric acid at this point will give the flavour a bit more bite—we used three packets of True Lemon (~2.5g) but this is optional. If you can handle a bit of a noticeable salty flavour (see, Salted Watermelon Clif Bloks) you can also add up to 1/4 tsp of salt.
2. Simmer the mixture on medium-low heat for 20-25 mins. Stir frequently until all the powder has dissolved. Don’t let the mixture come to a boil. Keep any eye on to consistency—you want the liquid to thicken and burn off a decent amount of the water.
3. As the syrup is reducing, combine the remaining 1/2 tbs of electrolyte powder with 1/4 cup of water. Stir until the powder has dissolved then slowly sprinkle the gelatine over the liquid. Let it sit for one minute then stir it in gently. Let the gelatine mixture sit for five minutes.
4. Once your syrup has gotten to a sticky, thicker consistency remove it from the heat.
5. Prepare your silicone gummy mold or other gummy vessel by spraying them with a non-stick cooking spray and wiping down any excess. If you don’t have non-stick cooking spray, rub a tiny amount of coconut oil on each mould to prevent sticking.
6. Stir in the gelatine mixture to the hot syrup, ensuring that it dissolves completely.
7. Most gummy moulds come with an eyedropper that helps to fill the holes. Place the mould on a flat plate or pan, they’re flexible so you don’t want them spilling when you carry them to the fridge. Fill the holes up to the very top—the sticky mixture will hold itself in place.
8. Refrigerate the gummies overnight.
9. If you’re having trouble removing them from the moulds in the morning try popping them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
At this point your gummies are ready to go. If they feel too sticky, toss them in a bowl with a small amount of corn starch. If you want them to harden a bit, put them on a drying rack in a cool, dry place for a day. Store your electrolyte gummies in the fridge.
Natural electrolyte gummies
These bad boys are pretty much all-natural. The coconut water, salt and lemon provide some replenishing electrolytes and the ginger and honey add a delicious taste to the gummies. You can get creative with this recipe—the only important part is keeping the final mixture thick enough that it will eventually harden and to mix the gelatine with 1/4 cup of liquid before adding it in. Other than that, once you get the recipe down feel free to experiment.
Tools
-Measuring cups
-Measuring spoons
-Sauce pan
-Silicone gummy moulds*
*You can find these easily on Amazon or at a local craft store, Bulk Barn etc. If you don’t want to use molds you can also use a very small walled pan and cut the gummies into blocks once they harden.
Ingredients
-2 1/2 tsp gelatine (1 packet of Knox gelatine)
-1/4 cup of coconut water
-1/4 tsp grated ginger
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 lemon
-1/2 lime
-2 1/2 tbs honey
Instructions
1. Juice the lemon and half the lime into a saucepan with the honey. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the salt and ginger (fresh is best but pre-minced will work fine). Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Don’t let it come to a boil.
2. As the honey-lemon mixture simmers, sprinkle the gelatine onto 1/4 cup of coconut water (plain water could also work here). Let sit for one minute, stir gently, then let sit for five minutes.
3. Prepare your silicone gummy mold or other gummy vessel by spraying them with a non-stick cooking spray and wiping down any excess. If you don’t have non-stick cooking spray, rub a tiny amount of coconut oil on each mould to prevent sticking.
4. Once it has thickened a bit, remove the honey-lemon mixture from the heat and mix in the gelatine, making sure all of it dissolves into the mixture.
5. Most gummy moulds come with an eyedropper that helps to fill the holes. Place the mould on a flat plate or pan, they’re flexible so you don’t want them spilling when you carry them to the fridge. Fill the holes up to the very top—the sticky mixture will hold itself in place.
6. Refrigerate the gummies overnight.
7. If you’re having trouble removing them from the moulds in the morning try popping them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
At this point your gummies are ready to go. If they feel too sticky, toss them in a bowl with a small amount of corn starch. If you want them to harden a bit, put them on a drying rack in a cool, dry place for a day. Store your electrolyte gummies in the fridge.
