Low Calorie Candy
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This low calorie candy is a simple homemade alternative made with just three ingredients. It’s soft, chewy, and can be customized with different flavors.
How this candy stays lower in calories
I’ve long had a soft spot for gummy candy, but most store-bought sweets are calorie-dense due to sugar and glucose syrup. To create a lighter option, I developed a version using fruit tea for flavor, a granulated sweetener, and gelatin for structure.
Because my recipe uses mostly flavored liquid, each serving contains significantly fewer calories compared to traditional candy or gummies, which can contain 200-300+ calories per serving.
Key Ingredients
My low calorie candy needs just three ingredients: concentrated fruit tea, allulose for sweetness (or another sugar free sweetener), and gelatin to hold everything together and give the candy an incredible texture. You can also add food coloring to intensify the candy’s colors.
How do you make low calorie candy
Start by combining your hot tea with the granulated sweetener until the sweetener has dissolved. Once the tea has cooled to room temperature, transfer it to a small saucepan. Sprinkle half the gelatin powder over the top and whisk very well, until mostly combined. Add the remaining gelatine and whisk well once more.
Now, place the saucepan over low heat and let it warm until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Remove it from the heat and, using an eye dropper or a small teaspoon, drop portions of the mixture into a candy mold until it is all used up. Place the filled candy mold in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.
Finally, once the candy has set, gently pop them out of the molds and enjoy.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Taste your sweetened tea before adding the gelatin. The tea should be extremely sweet, as once the gelatine is added, it loses much of its sweetness.
- How to add colors. Divide the mixture into four small bowls and add natural food coloring to each one for some fun variety.
- Fruit tea brands. I’ve found Celestial Seasonings produces a more concentrated flavor when steeped. Twinings was also pretty solid!
- Heat the mixture on low heat. When heating up the mixture over the stove, do not let it reach a simmer. It should be heated until warm enough to dissolve the gelatin.
- Firmer candy. For chewier candy, keep it in the freezer and enjoy it directly from there, letting it melt on your tongue.
Storage instructions
To store: Low calorie candy should always be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. Any longer and you risk the candy becoming too soft.
To freeze: Place leftover candy in a ziplock bag or shallow container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition values are based on ingredient weights and standard food composition databases and were analyzed by our in-house registered dietitian. Actual calories may vary slightly depending on your choice of sweetener and tea strength.
Low Calorie Candy
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup hot water 120ml
- 2-3 fruit tea bags
- 2 tablespoons allulose 24g, See notes
- 2 tablespoons powdered gelatin 14g, unflavored
- 1 drop food coloring optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the boiling water and the tea bags, and let the tea steep. After several minutes, add the granulated sweetener and let it dissolve. Remove the tea bags.
- Add the tea mixture to a small saucepan. Let the tea cool to room temperature. Add half the gelatin and whisk it into the tea mixture. Add the remaining gelatine and whisk very well.
- Place the saucepan over low heat and stir regularly until the gelatine has dissolved. Remove from the heat. If adding food coloring, divide the tea mixture among four small bowls and add a different color to each bowl.
- Using an eye dropper or a small teaspoon, add portions of the candy mixture into a candy mold. Once all of the mixture has been used, refrigerate the molds for 30 minutes, until set.
- Pop the candy out of the molds and enjoy.
Notes
- Serving size: 1/6 of the recipe. My candy made 36 pieces of candy, which works out to be 6 pieces per serving.
- Sweetener: Allulose dissolves the best, but I’ve had success with monk fruit sweetener and erythritol. The nutritional content remains similar.
Nutrition
More low calorie dessert recipes
- Low calorie cookies– Soft and chewy cookies that don’t need any chill time.
- Healthy mug cake– A single-serving chocolate cake that uses simple ingredient substitutions for a lighter option.
- Low calorie ice cream– A fruit-based frozen dessert that keeps calories lower while maintaining a creamy texture.
Originally published May 2021. Updated February 2026 to improve measurement accuracy and provide revised nutrition estimates.
Hello. Candy looks greta, but I do have 1 question about texture. Is it at least close to the sweets you buy at stores? Abit chewy at least? I trie making candy using some other recipe and it turned out very tasty, but it just didn’t have the texture – it dissolved in my mouth almost immediately. Does your recipe work better, what is texture of your candy like? Thank you in advance.
Hi! So this is like Haribo gummies, so they won’t dissolve in your mouth 🙂 More like chewy gummy candy!