Oh, gelatine. Our love affair isn’t dying down anytime soon. It’s a superfood and a miracle beauty product with quite a few simple DIY uses for both skin and hair. It’s not just associated with Jell-O anymore.
In the real food community, it’s a popular ingredient with excellent versatility as a binder and thickener, or its ability to transform the texture of a food just right. It adds a bit of healthy animal protein to the mix, too.
Some benefits of gelatine:
- It can be used to reduce anxiety.
- Its glycine content can promote restful sleep.
- It helps keep skin, nail and hair strong because of collagen.
- Collagen helps produce stomach acid thus aiding in healthy digestion.
- It’s fantastic for keeping bones strong.
Overall, gelatine is a GO in our books. You can read more about the health benefits here. Now, let’s talk about some awesome recipes you can use it in. Spoiler alert: there will be dessert.
1. Gut-healing key lime gummies from Happy Body Formula
Did we mention the awesome link between gelatine consumption and gut health? It’s a good excuse to make charming gummies full of nourishing ingredients and fresh citrus to pop when you need a boost.
Think of it like an all natural gummy multivitamin… for your health! Oh, and without the sugar. Get the recipe on the blog.
2. Strawberry panna cotta with balsamic vinegar from A Calculated Whisk
Perhaps the most underrated combo of foods ever is berries and balsamic. It’s brilliantly sweet with some bitter notes to balance it all out, and one of the best ways to enjoy it is in a decadent springtime panna cotta.
Get the recipe from A Calculated Whisk.
3. Mashed cauliflower breakfast bowls from Grass Fed Salsa
The secret to a good mash is clearly the texture, and gelatine brings that perfect bite to the mix with this creamy cauliflower mash.
It’s a lower carb alternative to mashed potatoes with a protein boost, so it’s a fabulous way to kick off the day. Check out more of our favorite savory breaky bowls, and snag this recipe from Grass Fed Salsa.
4. Blueberry cream pie from Get Inspired Everyday
A beautiful, warming cinnamon-infused crust makes the base for the cream filling and blueberries on top with a bit of lemon zest. The gelatine helps it set for a cheesecake-like texture.
Get the recipe from Get Inspired Everyday.
5. Antioxidant-rich berry gummies from Raising Generation Nourished
Antioxidants and gelatine together bring some nutrition to the table you’ll want to call home about. The deep colour in these is indicative of all the vibrant health in every bite, and they’re a wonderful way to get the kids excited about real food!
Get the recipe from Raising Generation Nourished.
6. Raspberry cream pie from Fresh Planet Flavor
This pie is grain-free and dairy-free with all that wonderful whimsy of the beautiful marriage between raspberries and chocolate… oh, and cream.
The centre is creamy and gelatine does a beautiful job at holding it together. Plus, altogether, this pie boasts minimal ingredients that you might already have handy. Get the recipe from Fresh Planet Flavor.
7. Key lime pie parfaits from Grass Fed Salsa
How gorgeous do these treats look?! You know you want to dig in. This healthy parfait is layered with a coconut and tigernut crumble making this recipe nut-free, and a stunning green layer with avocado in the mix. There are so many awesome ingredients here!
Get the recipe from Grass Fed Salsa.
8. Lemon custard berry parfait from Delicious Obsessions
When gelatine makes healthy custard a possibility, you know you need to stock up the pantry! These lemony parfaits with fresh summer berries are a fresh and light dessert.
Get the recipe from Delicious Obsessions.
9. Treasure chest cookie bars from Beauty and the Foodie
Can you believe these snack bars are paleo and low-carb?! It truly is a treasure chest of a recipe, and gelatine helps give them that classic chewy texture. Cranberries and chocolate chips pair up for deliciousness in every bite.
Get the recipe from Beauty and the Foodie.
10. Low-carb chocolate & raspberry cheesecake from All Day I Dream About Food
Here we have a chewy almond and cocoa crust, a nice layer of strawberry filling and to top it all off, dark chocolate whipped cream. This recipe is perfectly built for two. Built in portion control!
Get the recipe from All Day I Dream About Food.
11. Plantain waffles with berry compote from Pure and Simple Nourishment
If you don’t like waffles, we’re not friends. Just kidding, but they’re the quintessential ‘dessert for breakfast’ recipe, and topping them off with a berry compote is simply the way to go. Bust out the waffle iron for these grain-free stacks, made possible by magical gelatine.
Get the recipe from Pure and Simple Nourishment.
12. Lemon cream strawberry tart from Get Inspired Everyday
Berries and lemon are a clear winner for a sweet treat that feels ultra refreshing and even healthy. This beautiful pie is a great dessert to tote to a party or potluck to impress your guests without giving them a sugar buzz.
Get the recipe from Get Inspired Everyday.
13. Blueberry buttermilk ice cream from A Calculated Whisk
Buttermilk, grass-fed cream, raw honey and gelatine come together in this summertime recipe for one luscious scoop of wholesome, real food ice cream you won’t be able to get enough of.
Get the recipe from A Calculated Whisk.
14. Banana creme fruit snacks from Delicious Obsessions
Bananas and creme are a delightfully sweet combo in these heavenly fruit snack bites. Garnish with some desiccated coconut for the best results!
Get the recipe from Delicious Obsessions.
15. Paleo chocolate strawberry parfaits from Beauty and the Foodie
Layer up with this decadent cup of goodies! It’s like rich, homemade chocolate pudding layered with whipped cream, as coconut stands in for dairy in this paleo dessert.
It’s packed with real protein from both eggs and gelatine. Get the recipe from Beauty and the Foodie.
16. Mango strawberry yoghurt from Plaid & Paleo
Yoghurt shooters are already a healthy choice, but these layered cups with gelatine, strawberry and mango for a sunrise hue that’s as pretty as it is tasty.
Get the recipe from Plaid & Paleo.
17. Paleo cranberry grapefruit cookies from Grass Fed Salsa
These cookies are autoimmune protocol-friendly, making them pretty much entirely free of allergens or unhealthy sweeteners. Win! With gelatine in the mix, you can feel good about biting into one of these treats.
That also means they are nut-free, so you can send these off to school with the little ones. Get the recipe from Grass Fed Salsa.
18. Healthy Harry Potter butter beer from Today in Dietzville
You might be wondering how in the world this stuff is relatively healthy for you, but it’s true! Harry Potter health foodies – rejoice! You won’t find this in the wonderful world of wizardry, but this non-alcoholic beverage is perfect for a movie marathon at home featuring gelatine and simple real food ingredients.
It’s dairy and refined sugar-free, too! Get the recipe from from Today in Dietzville.
19. Apple chaider & gingerbread marshmallows from Real Food with Dana
These paleo bites would be perfect to top off a piping hot cuppa apple cider, herbal tea or hot chocolate with during the cooler months. They’re also great just snack on when you want something both sweet and warmingly spicy.
The kids will love these! Get the recipe from Real Food With Dana.
20. Mocha ricotta pie from A Calculated Whisk
I think the picture does this recipe justice on its own, but if you need more details, we’ve got a magnificent mixture of creamy coffee in the centre with a grain-free crust. Gelatine comes in to make the ricotta filling a bit creamier.
This dessert is pretty low-carb and low-sugar, too! Get the recipe from A Calculated Whisk.
21. Homemade s’mores bars from Recipes to Nourish
How LEGIT do these s’mores look?! The graham cracker base and the marshmallows feature magnificent and magical gelatine for some authentic ’round-the-campfire tasty eats, and these simple bites are actually good for you!
No grains or refined sugar to be found with plenty of healthy fats. Get the recipe from Recipes to Nourish.
22. Raw avocado lime tart from Wilderness Family Naturals
Put the lime in the avocado and mix it all up! This raw tart is packed with healthy fats, protein and gorgeous citrus notes you just can’t beat.
Get the crowd-pleasing recipe from Wilderness Family Naturals.
23. Green juice detox gummies from Grass Fed Girl
Would you rather eat than juice? Us, too! These gummies give you all those antioxidant-rich properties, colourful vitamins and minerals from your standard green juice toss-up in edible form with even more health benefits from the gelatine.
Get the recipe from Grass Fed Girl.
24. Raspberry chocolate freezer fudge from Recipes to Nourish
Freezer fudge is a wonder of the world, and it’s highly addictive with a decadent base and a crunchy topping. This is one of the easiest desserts to make – just try not to eat it all at once!
Get the recipe from Recipes to Nourish.
25. Coconut blueberry paleo oatmeal from Pure & Simple Nourishment
Turns out that gelatine makes grain-free oatmeal a real possibility. If you’re missing your bowl of porridge in the morning, this blueberry variation is paleo and AIP-friendly.
Get the recipe from Pure and Simple Nourishment.
Do you use gelatine? Let us know what recipe you’re most looking forward to trying!
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