This recipe was last updated and revised on September 13, 2023
Hey there, fellow cannabis cooks! Remember those delightful Sour Patch kids and gummy bears we couldn’t get enough of as kids? Well, it’s time for a grown-up twist!
We’re diving into the fun and vibrant world of gummies, but with a cheeky cannabis infusion, perfect for reliving those tangy childhood memories or just wanting a tasty way to enjoy your cannabis.
The star ingredient in this sour gummy recipe is citric acid.
Citric acid is a relatively weak acid, although it’s one of the most potent acids that are harmless for us to ingest.
Citric acid not only makes you “pucker up,” it enhances the fruit flavors of gummies.
Simple, delicious, and with a dash of nostalgia – let’s get started and make the best cannabis-infused sour gummy bears together!
Check out our beginner’s recipe for making basic Gummy Bears with Canna Oil or our regular not-so-sour Gummy Bears made with RSO/FECO recipes too.
Don’t be afraid to create your own version!
This recipe for cannabis-infused sour gummy bears makes approximately 120 bears or 96 square pieces from the molds mentioned in the equipment list. As always, I try to show the exact items and ingredients I use in my own kitchen.
This is the ingredient that provides the gummy texture to your gummy bears.
It’s a protein derived from collagen and gives structure and a pleasant, chewy feel to the gummies.
This ingredient provides the primary flavor and color for your gummies. With an array of choices available, Jello can let you experiment with a range of flavors, from tangy to sweet.
This recipe calls for a small 3 oz. box.
These are highly concentrated flavoring agents. Even in small quantities, they can impart a strong flavor, adding another layer of taste to complement your chosen Jello flavor.
The extra flavor will help mask the cannabis flavor.
To use Essential oils, make sure they are food-grade oils. Essential oils contain valuable terpenes, just as cannabis does.
To add these oils, remove the pan from the heat and add them at the same time or before the RSO mixture once the mixture cools a bit.
High heat destroys volatile terpenes.
The universal solvent! Water acts as the base liquid for dissolving and combining all the other ingredients.
A viscous sweet syrup, corn syrup lends a smooth texture to your gummies.
It prevents sugar crystallization, ensuring your gummy bears remain delightfully chewy.
Not everyone is a fan of corn syrup.
You can experiment with honey, brown rice syrup, agave, date syrup, or golden syrup.
Lecithin is used widely in commercial baking, but you often don’t hear it used in home baking. Lecithin comes in granules or liquid forms.
According to WebMD, “Lecithin is a mixture of fats that are essential to cells in the human body.
It can be found in many foods, including soybeans and egg yolks.”
Lecithin is an emulsifier, which is an ingredient that will help other ingredients not only mix well but remain mixed.
Since oil and water dislike staying mixed, we add lecithin to our gummy recipe.
I prefer liquid lecithin which is derived from sunflowers. You can use granules interchangeably with the liquid amount.
The soy-derived lecithin is known to be an allergen to some and avoided.
This recipe is very forgiving, so use the amount and type you are comfortable with.
There are both natural and artificial sources of critic acid.
Natural sources include tangerines, oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, and berries.
For hundreds of years, we have been lowering the PH of food to help preserve it.
Since citric acid lowers the PH, it may help keep your gummies from molding but will change the flavor if you add enough.
I’ve seen recipes call for anything from 1/4 tsp to 1 Tablespoon or more per batch.
So, if sour gummies are your jam, pucker up and add some citric acid.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any science on the minimum amount required to prevent mold.
I’m sure it would involve testing the PH level.
(If you are infusing with an alcohol tincture, most recipes advise skipping the citric acid.)
To save money, you can buy citric acid in bulk. Think you’ll never use it all? I love how it cleans my dishwasher.
Just fill your dispensing cup with a few ounces.
Read your manual for precautions. Lemi Shine is a brand of citric acid cleaning products, but you can easily DIY with some Google searches.
I never go without this ingredient anymore. Learning how to extend the shelf life of my gummies has been a game changer.
It’s pretty inexpensive and readily available from the LorAnn candy making supplier.
Potassium sorbate is a naturally occurring unsaturated fatty acid, although it’s most often man-made today.
It’s used in cosmetics and as a food additive to extend shelf life.
Cheese, yogurt, and dried fruits often contain potassium sorbate to extend shelf life, and these foods benefit from the neutral flavor to prevent an aftertaste.
Potassium Sorbate doesn’t offer any particular health benefits and is often used in minute amounts specifically to inhibit mold growth.
First, you need to know how much one batch weighs. That will depend on how you are infusing and your mold size.
This recipe will vary from 95 to 140 pieces!
A more accurate way to measure your batch in order to add LorAnn Mold Inhibitor is to take the average weight of your finished batches.
According to the LorAnn Oils website, you’ll need to add 2 tsp per 5 lb (total batch).
For example, a 10-ounce bag of Haribo store-bought gummies has approximately 120 bears.
Therefore, I estimated this recipe to need ¼ tsp of mold inhibitor.
A colorless and odorless liquid, glycerin provides a smooth texture to your gummies.
It helps retain moisture, ensuring that your gummies don’t dry out and remain soft.
I prefer adding my RSO to my glycerin to help carry it evenly through the candy.
Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) is a concentrated form of cannabis. Using a syringe ensures precision in dosage, letting you regulate just how potent you want your gummies to be.
I typically buy a 1 gram syringe and use half a gram per RSO gummy recipe.
Some people refer to RSO as FECO. Feco stands for “Full Extract Cannabis Oil“.
RSO allows you to make potent THC gummies with a great texture.
Here is my favorite method to add RSO into my cannabis infused sour gummies.
Combine:
Add the desired amount of concentrated cannabis (RSO or FECO). Choose THC, CBD, or any cannabinoid your dispensary offers.
You can make your own combinations or ratios!
Use a glass or metal measuring cup on an electric mug warmer to mix these ingredients on very low heat.
Stir often until the mixture is well combined.
Do not boil!
A mug warmer or candle warmer, as they are called, is amazingly handy for mixing cannabis oils at home. They are inexpensive, and I can usually find them in thrift stores!
If you don’t have one of these handy warmers, you’ll need a very small saucepan and stir the mixture constantly until you’re satisfied.
I prefer to heat these ingredients separately to limit my cannabis from extra heat, and this step helps to emulsify the oils into the main candy mixture.
You don’t want to overheat and degrade any of the cannabinoids.
Drying is said to improve texture and make them more like store-bought candy.
Since drying removes moisture, this step will naturally extend the shelf life.
To air dry, individually place each piece on a drying rack or a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Cover the gummies with a flour-sack towel or other breathable lint-free cloth and allow them to dry for 24 to 72 hours.
Turn pieces as needed.
Combine ¼ cup superfine sugar mixed with ½ -1 Tablespoon of Citric Acid or to your personal sour taste.
Do you remember eating Pixie Stixs as a kid?
These straw-filled sweets can be used to coat your sour gummies as well.
Did you make this recipe? Do you have any of your own tips and tricks?
I always try to have a batch or two of my RSO gummies around. Edibles are discreet, help me with chronic pain, and usually help me relax to sleep better.
I really hope this guide has been helpful. Please share with others and stay well, my friends!
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This is almost exactly the recipe I've used, only I hadn't tried adding the citric acid, which it why I searched it and found this post. Since I know this recipe (sans citric acid) works well, I just want to say I can't wait to try it with the citric acid added! Also, I use the MCT oil instead of glycerin but I have no doubt the glycerin provides a sweeter taste. At any rate I'm excited to try this with the citric acid; I'm sure it will be amazing!
I hope you return and let us know if you liked the addition of citric acid. I always felt that glycerin and and the tart addition of the citric acid were game changers!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ve been experimenting with gummies for a while and was trying to figure out how to make them more shelf stable. This is so clear and easy, thank you! I do have a question about the citric acid. I’ve read (and experienced) that it can melt? After you coat them and store them, have you experienced any melting or stickiness?
I'm so glad you found the recipe helpful, Amy!
Yes, any sugar coating and especially citric acid can melt if the conditions are right.
1.) Read the "how to air dry" gummies section. This will be very helpful step before shaking them in a sour sugar mixture. The perfect texture will come with experience. Too dry and not much sugar sticks. Too wet, and it may become moist and "melt".
2.) The weather! The weather can really effect baking and candy making. Humidty and heat will attack your candy.
3.) You may want to only coat a portion at a time since it makes so many. Just a thought.
4.) I have noticed that when I store mine in the refrigerator, the humidity in there makes my coating melt a bit. My bag from the dispensary isn't much better though! sticky! Obviously high heat isn't a friend either. Don't leave them in the car lol.
Happy gummy making,
Penelope :)