Zucchini Gummy Candy – A Fun and Easy Zucchini Recipe
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Need a new easy zucchini recipe? Make some zucchini gummy candy! This zucchini gummy candy recipe is made without jello or pectin tastes like commercial gummy treats with no artificial flavors, colors or refined sugar.
I saw a recipe online that made them with drink mix and sugar, and coated them with more drink mix – more sugar and artificial color and flavor than I prefer. So I decided to experiment with a simpler version using fruit juice concentrate. It worked out great!
For those who are not familiar with fruit juice concentrate, it’s concentrated juice that gets mixed with water for drinking. I usually buy it in the frozen foods section, but sometimes you can find it in the juice section.
Naturally Sweetened Zucchini Gummy Candy Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups summer squash or zucchini, peeled, seeded and cut into roughly 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 can fruit juice concentrate (11.5 ounce)
- 1 can water
Directions
Prepare zucchini. This is a good use for overgrown garden zucchini – just cut around the seed cavity.
Place cubed zucchini in a large, nonreactive stockpot. (I use an 8 quart stainless steel stockpot.) Pour in juice concentrate and water.
Cook gently until translucent and tender, about 30 minutes. Drain in a colander, spread out on dehydrator sheets so the pieces are not touching. In the photo below I have three flavors (top to bottom): cranberry-raspberry juice concentrate, blueberry juice, and strawberry-kiwi juice concentrate.
Dehydrate at 135° F for 8-12 hours or until tacky but no longer moist. I usually do mine overnight. As you can see, they shrink dramatically. The dehydrator shown in the photos is my nine tray Excalibur, which I invested in a couple of years ago to keep up with the garden bounty. I also have an older Snackmaster dehydrator, which is a great beginner dehydrator for around $50.
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The original recipe I saw called for rolling these in powdered lemonade mix to do a sweet/sour gummy, but the juice provides plenty of sweetness for me. I’d suggest storing these in the fridge and eating them within a month, or freezing for longer storage. With the sugar content and water content, it’s tough to get them dry enough to ensure long shelf life without cooler temps.
And there you have it – summer squash gummy candy made with no artificial flavors or colors and unsweetened fruit juice.
How Many Gummy Candies can you make with one Zucchini?
One large zucchini will probably yield 8 cups with careful cutting. To get some different colors for the photos, I tried two different types of juice concentrate and plain blueberry juice (without added water).
You may notice that the blueberry gummies are less shiny than the other two. They were also less sweet. The texture and taste is amazingly similar to a commercial gummy candy. I used the leftover juice concentrate to flavor kombucha.
PrintZucchini Gummy Candy – A Fun and Easy Zucchini Recipe
This zucchini gummy candy recipe without jello or pectin tastes like commercial gummy treats with no artificial flavors, colors or refined sugar.
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Stove top Cooking/Dehydrating
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 cups zucchini or summer squash, peeled, seeded and cut into roughly 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 can fruit juice concentrate (11.5 ounce)
- 1 can water
Instructions
- Place cubed zucchini in a large, nonreactive stockpot. Pour in juice concentrate and water.
- Cook gently until translucent and tender, about 30 minutes.
- Drain in a colander, spread out on dehydrator sheets so the pieces are not touching.
- Dehydrate at 135F for 8-12 hours or until tacky but no longer moist. I usually do mine overnight.
- Enjoy right away or pack for snacking. For longer storage, place in a sealed container in the refrigerator and eat within one month. Makes around 2 cups.
Notes
This is a good use for overgrown garden zucchini – just cut around the seed cavity.
Please take a moment to “Like” or Pin the post if you’ve enjoyed it, and leave a comment below with your favorite ways to use up a bounty of zucchini or summer squash.
More Zucchini Recipes
You may also enjoy:
- Zapple Pie – Mock “Apple Pie” Made with Zucchini
- The Best Way to Use Up Extra Zucchini
- Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bread – Great with Fresh or Frozen Zucchini
- Mom’s Best Zucchini Bread Recipe – A Homestyle Country Classic
- Homemade Zucchini Relish Sweetened with Honey
If You You Don’t Have a Dehydrator
Check out “Home Food Drying – 6 Things You Need to Know to Dehydrate Food at Home” for an assortment of DIY dehydrator options. If you can get your oven cool enough (around 135° F), you could try trying these on cookie sheets, stirring every hour or so until dry.
This article is written by Laurie Neverman. Laurie grew up in the kitchen, learning baking and home cooking from her momma. At age 15, she and her mom and two sisters created Irene’s Custom Cakes & Catering, which was her summer job through most of high school and college.
Originally published in 2012, last updated in 2024.
I have a question related. Can you use cucumbers to do this with too? I have an abundance of those and if this works for those too, would be outstanding.
I’ve never tried it, but I suspect the texture and flavor might not work out quite as well. Squash tend to be more bland and a little mealy in texture, while cucumber have a more distinct flavor and crunchy texture. There’s only one way to find out for sure, by trying it. If you do, I’d be very curious to see how it worked out for you.
What is fruit juice concentrate? Is it that frozen stuff? I don’t think I have ever seen this before.
You can find it frozen, bottled or canned. What your looking for is juice with less later, because during the cooking process, quite a bit of water comes out of the summer squash. If you just use juice, it won’t give a strong flavor.
Thanks so much I just found this recipe this morning and I am going out now to get all the ingredients to make it. Also I got a dehydrator at a yard sale and there is no manual and the ones I found online don’t tell me what to set the vents on? Do you have any idea? I have a Ronco model 187-04. Thanks for your help and a great recipe!
I’ve never worked with a Ronco, but I notice they do have a Contact Us option on the lower left of their website, http://www.ronco.com.
Have you ever tried to cut the zucchini into thin planks and making the gummy that way? My cubes shrunk up into nothing so maybe next time I’ll try it that way.
I did cut it in strips the first time I made it, but it didn’t photograph well. Zucchini has a LOT of water in it, so keep that in mind for sizing. The only thing you really want to avoid is a huge mix of sizes, because then some will be dry and some won’t.
By the way these were great! I will have to borrow another dehydrator to make multiple batches! My 2 year old loves them!
Glad they worked out well for you. 🙂
Can you do this in an oven
Getting Started with Home Food Drying has information on DIY food dryers. If you can set your oven down cool enough, you could try making these on cookies sheets, stirring every hour or so until dried.
Oh my! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
You’re welcome.
I really want to try making these, but I do not have a dehydrator. Do you have any recommendations for making them using an oven? Thanks!
Getting Started with Home Food Drying has information on DIY food dryers.
i have 2 different type also a freeze dryer, you can get a dehydrator realatively cheap on ebay!!! and use the tar out of it its worth it!!!
I made these with pineapple orange concentrate, they are delicious. My husband thought that it was dried pineapple. The next batch I am going to puree in the ninja after they have simmered and pour them out to make leather. I see you have the calorie count down but dont see where it says what a serving is. I would be interested in that as they are addicting and I’m sure I’m eating more then I should. Thanks for such a great recipe.
The calorie count is automatically calculated by the recipe plugin, so I suspect it’s not very accurate. I’d enjoy like you would a dried fruit – in moderation.
I see it says per 1/4 cup serving
another excellent idea!!!!
Well done! Great idea.
I was wondering if you have ever tried this recipe using yellow squash. I didn’t plant zucchini this year but will soon have an abundance of yellow squash. I also have a 4 year old boy who loves fruit snacks, but I’ve been forbidding them lately, due to all the sugar and artificial additives. I’d love to try it out and use up some yellow squash. Think it would work?
Yes, the first time I made it I used yellow squash, and called it “summer squash gummy candy”, but more people recognize zucchini than the other summer squashes, so when I updated the photos, I changed the title.
What is a non-reactive pan? Thanks for the recipe!
I use heavy duty stainless steel. Glass, ceramic or a coated pan of some sort would be fine. I would not use an uncoated aluminum pan. The aluminum may react with acidity of the fruit juice to produce an “off” flavor.
Has anyone tried cranberry juice?
The brighter red ones are cran-raspberry juice.
What a great way to get the kids to eat some zucchini!
The boys are pretty good about eating their veggies, but this turns them into a treat!
What a fantastic idea! I’m swimming in zucchini! Thank you! Pinning and sharing on facebook.
Thanks, Misty! I always seem to find a few that missed picking the first time around that are perfect for this.
Is there any way to make your own fruit concentrate?
Thankyou for a great recipe! 🙂
If you had juice available, you could always cook it down gently to reduce the volume and concentrate it.
I make blueberry concentrate with a pressure cooker. Place 1/2 C water in the pressure cooker, then a steamer basket, then your blueberries. Cook on high pressure for about 1 minute and the berries will be juiced. If you use enough blueberries (about 4 pints) you get a strong juice. Works just as well with chili peppers to make hot sauce.
If I manage to have a bounty of blueberries some day, I may try this. Thanks!
Thanks Danno! im going to give it a try! i have lots of blueberries!!!!
They added water to the concentrate so couldn’t you just use juice and not add water?
When you mix concentrate into juice, you normally use 3-4 cans of water per can of concentrate. With only one can of water added, the concentrate is still concentrated, not the same strength as juice. You can use juice, but it will not give a strong flavor to the zucchini – unless you cook it down to concentrate it.
Say whaaaaaaat? Get out! These are the coolest, most creative thing EVER to do with zucchini! Totally going to give this a try!
Thanks!
lol – thanks, Jacquelyn. I wish we’d get some rain so my zucchini would get bigger and I could make some more to try and get prettier pictures. They look funny, but they taste really good!
Just found your site and am IN LOVE! So thank you. My question is, would the ratios be the same if using organic bottled grape juice versus concentrate? Thanks!
Welcome, Tami, and thanks for your enthusiasm. 🙂
The organic bottled juices I’ve tried have been fairly strong, so I think it would probably work, although I haven’t tried it. Drying will concentrate the flavor, and if that’s not enough you could cook down the juice a bit before cooking the summer squash in it.
Elaine – I believe that with the sugar soaking from the fruit juice, further reduction of sugar from cooking and the extended cooking time, the zucchini is serving as a carrier and no longer has real food value as a vegetable and should be treated as a candy treat, not dinner side.
Yes – this is true. Even though it’s not using artificial anything, it’s still concentrated sugars.
But when you have a sugar craving this would be the way to go!
these are great! i made both grape and apple and i did dust them with a store brand lemon drink mix which made them even better! i’m so excited that i now have a way to get my son to eat zucchini!
thanks for sharing
Elaine – glad that you enjoyed them!
I wonder if you could roll them in some citric acid, which is the main component of sour gummies.
My autistic son is a very oral child, and I am always trying things to fill his need to chew and not give him crap like licorice all the time. Raisins are his fave, but we will definitely try these.
You probably could, but if you’re dealing with autism, large amounts of citric acid may not be a good idea, as it can act as an excitotoxin.
Thankfully K is not into sour things, but for another child who it it may work. Or I might try it for myself as I have the occasional craving for sour patch kids.
I wonder if a flavored vitamin C drink mix would work, too? I just bought some in bulk from Frontier. I may have to try it.
Careful! Citric acid is now made from GMO mold. Some people are linking GMO’s with autism, although no human studies have actually been done, because the companies that hold the patents don’t allow human studies (but, tell us GMO’s are safe. Huh?) You will have to do your own research. Not enough room here. But, you might want to start with the film ‘Genetic Roulette’. Then do some web searches. Here is a link about citric acid and GMO’s.
http://www.nogmo4michigan.org/hidden_gmo_exposed_citric_acid
I’m curious if you’re using Paraflexx sheets in your dehydrator for this. I was trying to figure out from the picture. I’m drying tomato leather at this moment on parchment paper, which I’ve never done before, and I’m curious what you use for this situation. Also, I guess if you have any other thoughts on which method is best.
Thanks for the cool idea!
Sarah
I’m using the sheets that were listed on Amazon with the dehydrator, they’re not the Paraflexx. I’ve seen the material referred to as reusable parchment paper before, but it’s fiberglass coated with Teflon. Not great, I know, but I don’t cut on it and I don’t use it at high temps. The American harvest units have plastic inserts for small foods. You could probably dry it on the mesh safely, but some of my pieces were pretty small.
That is so awesome! Grape sounds perfect. I wonder if cherry concentrate (from a brew supply) would be good, too.
(Now if only our zucchinis will accept this morning’s rain as a sign to put out some fruit. )
I think any sort of strong flavored concentrate would work great. Something more bland like pear might still taste more like squash.
I made it with canned pineapple juice. no sugar and my family loves it