How to Make Cannabis Gummies | edibles.org (2023)

Actually, if you read this post from start to finish, you should be able to make your own classic, copycat Haribo, vegan, healthy, or simple gummies, infused with THC, CBD, anything else, or nothing. Because cannabis gummies might seem basic—but how you make them? Not so much.

See, there are lots of ways to make gummies, period, depending on what you want and need from them. And there’s even more than one way to add your medicine to your gummies of choice.

So we decided to just let you decide which way is best—and hit you with all of them. Just use our handy flowchart and skip to your gummy recipe!

But first, you’ll have to decide how to infuse them. So in this post, we’ll cover how to infuse gummies, how to make your own gummies at home with several different recipes, and then wrap up with some information about infused gummies generally.

How to Infuse Gummies

Whether you want to make classic full-spectrum weed gummies or you’re hoping to create a CBD gummy at home, you have to figure out how to add the cannabinoids to the gummies. There is more than one way to do it.

For a classic pot gummy, most people use infused coconut oil. Here’s our post on how we infuse coconut oil. If you decide to do it this, way, though, you will need to add lecithin.

Lecithin, an extract created from oils and other fats, helps bind together the gummy mixture and the cannabis infused coconut oil, ensuring the gummies won’t basically sweat out the THC once they’re made.

Lecithin is sold in liquid and powder form—and for gummies, liquid is a bit easier to use because it distributes through your gummy mixture more readily. The most common types are sunflower lecithin and soy lecithin, made from sunflower oil and soybean oil, respectively. Some forms of lecithin may come from animal byproducts, so if you don’t use animal products, watch the label. Look for lecithin online or locally in the cooking oil section of a health food or big box store.

You’ll need about 2 teaspoons of lecithin for every ¼ cup of infused coconut oil that you use. And that would be about what you’d add to one standard recipe.

Your alternative to infused coconut oil and lecithin is to use a concentrate such as hash oil, distillate, or isolate. And actually—this is our preferred method. It’s easy, less messy, and just creates a better gummy, to us. (Not to mention a potentially more potent gummy, if that’s your goal.) Here’s our post on infusing with concentrates, by the way.

We also recommend using a concentrate such as hash oil, distillate, or isolate rather than the oil if you’re making the vegan or the Haribo copycat versions in particular. That’s because the oil can make the gummy a little softer than the original. The vegan version is already softer because it uses agar agar in place of gelatin, and the Haribo won’t be a copycat if you change the texture.

How much concentrate should you add for one batch of gummies? This is easy with concentrate, because you just do the math. The hard part is that it depends on how many gummies you get from a batch—and that depends mostly on your molds, and a little on how you fill them.

These recipes usually yield 20 to 40 candies, depending on your molds, and on how you fill them. Regardless of the molds or recipe, gummies always shrink a little after they’re set, so do fill the molds more than halfway, although not completely to the rim.

But ultimately, whichever infusion method you choose, you can get a good result.

Cannabis Gummies Flowchart

First, decide how you want to infuse:

• Coconut oil and lecithin
• Distillate or isolate

Carry that through and add those steps to the recipe of your choice. To decide which that is, ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I a vegetarian, or do I otherwise want to avoid gelatin? If yes, go to [vegan gummies]. If no, go to question 2.

2. Do I insist that my gummies taste like Haribo, no matter how long it takes to make them? If yes, go to [Haribo copycat recipe]. If no, go to question 3.

3. Speaking of time, if you’re sick of these questions already and just want the easiest recipe, go to [simplest homemade gummies recipe]. If no, go to question 4.

4. For a classic look and flavor (including traditional artificial colors and flavors), go to [classic gummies].

5. And for the healthiest version of gummies possible, go to [healthy gummies recipe].

Once you have your recipe and those basic instructions, skip to the molding instructions, which are basically the same for all once you have things assembled.

Simplest Homemade Gummies

• 6 (¼-ounce) packages unflavored gelatin, 1.5 ounces total
• 1 (3-ounce) package flavored gelatin (like Jell-O)
• ½ cup cold water
• your infusion/cannabinoid source—whether it’s the infused oil/lecithin blend or the concentrate

1. If you’re using the infused oil/lecithin blend, start with that in a small saucepan, combined with the cold water. Stir over low heat until the infused oil is melted entirely and the mixture’s texture is consistent.
2. (If you’re using concentrate, skip this first step and instead start with the water and the two gelatins as follows.)
3. Add the unflavored and flavored gelatin (and water if this is where you’re starting) and stir them together slowly and carefully, avoiding adding in air bubbles. Stir the gelatin in carefully until it has dissolved and everything is well combined.
4. Over medium heat, stir the contents of the saucepan occasionally while the gummy mixture turns liquid. Just before removing the pan from the heat, stir in your concentrate if you’re using it.
5. Remove the pan from the heat once the gummy mixture is fully liquid, and pour the gummy liquid into a spouted container such as a measuring cup.
6. Taste a tiny bit of the mixture. If this doesn’t taste like enough flavor to you, add a Kool-Aid packet in the same flavor. If you need additional sweetness, we recommend corn syrup, honey, or agave for texture, but dry, granulated sugar works.
7. Bonus: if you leave out the plain gelatin powder and pour your mixture into little paper cups, you’ll end up with infused Jell-O shots.
8. Now jump to the molding instructions.

Classic Gummies

Why use corn syrup, you may wonder? Corn syrup keeps gummies stable, and adds chew and body without too much water. This means you can leave your gummies at room temperature without as much weeping or shrinkage.

But more importantly, sweetening with dry sugar alone can result in some very sad looking gummies, because corn syrup or other invert sugars prevent crystallization. Without them you might end up with crystallized gummies with hard, crunchy exteriors and rough edges—not that soft, tasty, fun experience everyone is hoping for.

This is because glucose makes corn syrup sweet, not sucrose, and glucose molecules break up and get in between sucrose molecules to stop those big crystals from forming. So to keep the gummies chewy and soft, you need corn syrup or some invert sugar like honey.

If you want a taste most like a regular old store-bought gummy bear, this is how you do it:

• 1.75 oz granulated sugar
• 3 (¼-ounce) packages unflavored powdered gelatin, .75 ounces total
• 1 – 2.5 oz portion Kool-Aid or other liquid flavoring such as sports drink or juice (for more flavor, use a whole packet of flavoring in just the 2.5 ounces)
• 3 oz corn syrup
• ¼ tsp citric acid or malic acid, depending on the flavor (citric acid for citrus fruits and malic acid for apple and berry flavors)
• Optional: 1 or 2 drops of fruit extract or candy flavoring for an intense gummy

1. If you’re using the infused oil/lecithin blend, start with that in a small saucepan, combined with just a tablespoon of water. Stir over low heat until the infused oil is melted entirely and the mixture’s texture is consistent.
2. In a heat proof, microwave-safe container, combine granulated sugar, gelatin, and flavored drink. Stir gently to combine—remember, you want to avoid air bubbles. Let your gelatin sit for 5 minutes to give it time to bloom.
3. Microwave the gelatin mixture for 30 seconds. Stir it gently. Microwave it in again in 5 to 10 second bursts, stirring after each time, until you don’t see any grains of gelatin and it is melted. This should not take longer than 1 and ½ minutes. Always avoid stirring in air bubbles by being slow and cautious as you work.
4. Add in the corn syrup and citric or malic acid, and extract or flavoring if you’re using it. This is also where you add concentrates if that’s your cannabinoid source. Stir gently to combine.
5. Let your gummy mixture sit so foam to collect at the top—this will take at least 10 minutes. You can later scoop away the foam.
6. Skip to molding instructions.

Haribo Copycat Gummies

The biggest ingredients in this recipe are patience and time. Otherwise, it’s basically very similar. For this version, we really recommend using concentrate or isolate rather than infused oil and lecithin, because the texture is so important to the result.

• 1/3 cup water
• 1 3-ounce package flavored gelatin (like Jell-O, and the classic Haribo flavors are raspberry, lemon, orange, pineapple, and either lime or strawberry)
• 1 7.2 gram package unflavored gelatin (like Knox)
• ¼ teaspoon citric acid
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• cannabinoid source

1. If you’re using the infused oil/lecithin blend, start with that in a small saucepan, combined with the 1/3 cup water. Stir over low heat until the infused oil is melted entirely and the mixture’s texture is consistent.
2. In a medium microwave-safe bowl stir to combine flavored and unflavored gelatin and citric acid.
3. Stir in the corn syrup with a spoon until all of the ingredients are blended together. Avoid working too quickly, as that can add air bubbles to the gummies. Let the gelatin bloom by allowing the gummy mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
4. Stir the mixture and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir it gently. Microwave it in again in 5 to 10 second bursts, stirring after each time, until you don’t see any grains of gelatin and it is melted. This should not take longer than 1 and ½ minutes.
5. Always avoid stirring in air bubbles by being slow and cautious as you work. Stir in your concentrate last, if that’s your cannabinoid source.
6. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, stirring it gently several times, and it should become more translucent. Carefully pour the gummy liquid into a spouted container like a measuring cup.
7. Follow these molding instructions, not the standard ones, because this is where things get more Haribo: Lightly spray the bear molds with cooking spray.
8. Carefully fill the bear molds most of the way to the top with the liquid.
9. Let the gummies sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
10. Place the molds into the refrigerator and chill for another 30 minutes.
11. Remove the candy from the molds when it is firm. They are now edible, but will be much less chewier than real Haribo gummies.
12. Stand the bears upright in a large storage container or on a baking sheet so they are not touching. This helps them start to toughen up and dehydrate to become chewy, and standing upright they have maximum exposure to the air. Leave them standing for two days, 48 hours.
13. Lay the bears down on their backs for another 24 hours. After this initial 72 hours of waiting, depending on your gummy mix and your climate, gummy bears may be Haribo-worthy. You can leave them out longer if they’re not, and change their position from time to time as they dry more. They will get chewier and chewier the longer you leave them out.
14. When the bears are the right level of jaw-popping chewy for you, seal and store them in an air-tight covered container or zip-top bag. If they are too sticky, toss them with a tiny amount of cornstarch.

Vegan Gummies

Start with this basic recipe for each batch in a single flavor or color:

• 1 cup apple juice
• 2 tablespoons agave syrup or honey
• 2 tablespoons agar agar powder
• your cannabinoid source

Then, choose add-ins to get your gummies to taste and look like you want them to. (Remember, depending on what you add in, you might change the final texture—and affect shelf life or need refrigeration.) Here are some ideas (and check out the Healthy Homemade Gummies, too):

Clear Gummies (usually taste like pineapple)

• Pineapple extract or flavor
• Pineapple drink mix
• Add a touch of citric acid or malic acid to the apple juice base

Yellow Gummies (usually taste like lemon)

• Yellow food coloring
• Small amount of turmeric
• Lemon drink mix
• Citric acid

Orange Gummies

• Orange food coloring
• Orange zest
• Orange extract or flavor
• Orange drink mix
• Actual orange pulp, blended smooth
• Citric acid

Red Gummies (usually taste like raspberry)

• Red food coloring
• Substitute sweetened cherry or raspberry juice for apple juice
• Grenadine
• Raspberry drink mix
• Actual raspberry pulp (strained) or cherry pulp
• Malic acid

Purple Gummies (usually taste like grape)

• Purple food coloring
• Substitute sweetened blueberry or grape juice for apple juice
• Grape drink mix
• Actual blueberry pulp

Blue Gummies (usually aiming for some kind of blue raspberry flavor)

• Blue food coloring
• Blue spirulina powder
• Blue raspberry drink mix
• Malic acid

Green Gummies (sometimes lime, sometimes apple, sometimes strawberry)

• Green food coloring
• Green spirulina powder
• Matcha
• Lime drink mix
• Citric acid or malic acid, depending on the flavor you’re going for

Taste as you go—you might need more or less sweetener in one variation compared to another.

1. First prepare your molds by chilling them. You’ll also need to spray them with cooking spray, but wait until you’re done chilling them to do this.
2. If you’re using the infused oil/lecithin blend, start with that in a small saucepan, combined with just a tablespoon of water. Stir over low heat until the infused oil is melted entirely and the mixture’s texture is consistent.
3. Carefully stir the juice, sweetener, and agar agar together in another saucepan, avoiding stirring up air bubbles. Also you should include any add-ins here—just wait until later for the concentrate if that’s what you’re using.
4. Bring the agar agar saucepan to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about five minutes, stirring constantly. You are aiming for a syrupy consistency, which means the agar agar is activated and will properly gel.
5. Stir in the cannabinoid source and ensure the mixture is well-mixed without adding air bubbles.
6. Skip to molding instructions.

Healthy Homemade Gummies

Start with this basic recipe:

• 1 cup fruit and/or vegetable juice, freshly juiced (if you buy it, ensure it is not from concentrate and 100% juice—juice and smoothie blends work well, but no kiwi or pineapple)
• ½ cup fruit and/or vegetable puree
• 4 tablespoons grass fed, plain gelatin or agar agar if you’re a vegetarian or avoiding animal products
• 2 to 4 tablespoons raw honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup
• your cannabinoids

Then make batches based on the colors and flavors you like. Here are some ideas:

Red Fruits and Veggies

Beets, bell peppers, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon

Orange Fruits and Veggies

Bell peppers, carrots, clementines, mangoes, oranges, tangerines, papaya, peaches, yams

Yellow Fruits and Veggies

Grapes, turmeric (no pineapple)

Green Fruits and Veggies

Bell peppers, celery, cucumbers, green apple green grapes, kale, spinach (no kiwi).

Purple Fruits and Veggies

Beets, blackberries, blueberries, concord grapes, purple cabbage

From there, go wild with add-ins based on flavor profiles you like or your nutritional needs. Here are some of our favorites:

• probiotics (for a healthy gut)
• vanilla extract (for taste)
• cod liver oil (to strengthen the immune system)
• elderberry syrup (to fight off a cold)
• lemon juice (inhibits mold, natural preservative)
• cayenne pepper (for circulation and pain relief)

1. If you’re using the infused oil/lecithin blend, start with that in a small saucepan, combined with just a tablespoon of water. Stir over low heat until the infused oil is melted entirely and the mixture’s texture is consistent.
2. Puree your whole fruits and vegetables in a blender.
3. In a second saucepan, gently stir juice and heat over medium low heat. Stirring constantly and carefully to avoid air bubbles, add the gelatin or agar agar. Bring the mixture to a near simmer so it isn’t bubbling, but is fairly hot. The juice and the gelatin should be completely mixed and dissolved.
4. In a spouted container, gently stir the hot gummy liquid, the puree, and the sweetener. If you’re using add-ins, mix them in now, along with either the concentrate or melted infused oil/lecithin mixture.
5. Read on for molding instructions.

Molding Instructions

Customize your awesome new cannabis or CBD gummies by choosing candy molds in whatever shapes you like and of course by hitting your flavors out of the park. The silicone candy molds that work best are easy to find online, from the classic little bear, to the cannabis leaf to anything in between.

If you don’t have a silicone mold, you can use a big pan of cornstarch—really! That’s basically how they do it in the factory. Just fill a baking dish with cornstarch, pat down and smooth the top, and use a measuring spoon or the cap to a bottle to make impressions in the cornstarch. These will be your molds.

You can fill each cornstarch impression with hot gummy liquid, and then sprinkle a little more cornstarch over all of them to cover them. These dry even faster than your regular molds because cornstarch absorbs moisture; it should only take about 15 minutes at room temperature for them to be done if you mold them this way.

You can also use silicone ice cube trays, smaller ones work better, if you don’t have candy molds, or just pour your gummy liquid into a greased baking pan and cut it into small cubes (or whatever you want!) after it is set.

But, assuming you do use standard molds, prepare them by spraying them with cooking spray once they are clean and dry. Set the molds on a baking sheet to avoid accidents.

Remember, you’ll be using a measuring cup, pitcher, or similarly spouted container to pour your gummies into their molds. Do not use the dropper or plastic pipettes that may have come with your mold, because they will fill your gummies with air bubbles that you cannot pop.

Carefully fill each hole in the mold almost all the way to the top with liquid. Halfway full molds will be too tiny, and overly full molds don’t look right either. Let the gummies sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator to set.

Once they are set, remove the gummies from the molds by gently pushing at the edges of the mold and pulling the sides of the candy toward the center and away from the molds.

Your gummies are done, but probably still kind of sticky. Let them dry on parchment paper, ideally in front of a fan, for a little while. You can also dust them with a little powdered sugar or cornstarch.

Store your homemade infused gummies in an airtight container lightly spray with cooking oil. Keep them at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks.

Tips and Tricks for Better Weed Gummies

Not quite happy with your product yet? There are ways to tweak it and make your cannabis gummies even better.

Flavor Beyond Jell-O

Jell-O is awesomely easy in terms of color and shelf life, but it may not be your favorite flavor. Replace the jello easily by increasing your plain gelatin or agar agar to account for the loss, and remember you’ll need to sweeten the gummies if you’re not using sugared Jell-O.

Use Good Gelatin (If You Eat It)

A good quality gelatin is healthier, and many gelatin fans swear by 100% pasture-raised beef gelatin products. Natural gelatin is a major source of collagen and amino acids that help strengthen the hair and nails, regulate the metabolism and hormones, and boast anti-inflammatory benefits. Gelatin is also known to improve digestion, and of course it’s loaded with protein.

DIY Flavors

If you skip Jell-O or just want more flavor, experiment with candy flavoring oil used in hard candy making; one type is made by the brand LorAnn’s. You can also use extracts and food-grade essential oils. And check out our vegan and healthy gummy recipes for ideas.

Sour Gummies

Add citric or malic acid for some sour kick in your gummies. These naturally occurring chemicals are found in fruits. Citric acid gives fruits like oranges and lemons their tart flavor, while you’ll find malic acid in candy that tastes like cherries, strawberries, peaches, and apples. One teaspoon in a batch is a good place to start; just remember that excessive citric acid can cause weeping.

Add Some Shelf Life

Adding a teaspoon of lemon juice fights mold in gummies naturally. We also recommend dusting your dried gummies in cornstarch or powdered sugar. And if you add just ¼ of a teaspoon of potassium sorbate, a common preservative, to your gummy mixture, you will increase their shelf life.

Final Thoughts on How to Make Cannabis Gummies

Keep these out of reach of any children and pets—and remember, kids will find these more appealing than, say, your infused carbonara sauce leftovers, so be vigilant.

If you are new to cannabis or edibles, and you’re not sure what dosage works for you, always start low and go slow. When people who are new to edibles ask me what I think about trying them, I tell them start with just 1 mg THC or CBD per serving, and only if you want to after that, increase your dose incrementally by 0.5 mg each time until it’s perfect.