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How are jelly babies made?
Jelly babies have been made in Britain since 1864, and the dusty coat on a British jelly baby is a clue to how they are made. Here is the process, what goes in, and how the babies got their different shapes and names.
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Jelly babies are soft sugar jelly sweets in the shape of plump babies, sold in a variety of colours. Like most gummy sweets, they are set with gelatine, and they are shaped in trays of starch.
What goes in
A published ingredients list for a 400 g carton of Bassett's Jelly Babies gives: sugar, glucose syrup, water, gelatine, concentrated fruit juices, citric acid, flavourings, and colours from plant sources such as anthocyanins, paprika extract and curcumin. Bassett's changed its Jelly Babies to use only natural colours and ingredients in September 2007: see natural colours in sweets
How they are made
- Cook the jelly. The sugar, glucose syrup, water and gelatine are cooked into a hot jelly, with the fruit juices, acid, flavours and colours added.
- Stamp the babies. Baby shaped hollows are pressed into trays of starch, the method a starch mogul mechanises: see what is starch moulding?
- Fill. The hot jelly is poured into the hollows and left to set.
- Release. The set babies are lifted out of the starch. The starch helps them release from the mould, and in Britain some of it is left on, which is the dusty coat you see: see why are jelly babies covered in powder? Jelly babies made in Australia generally lack this coating.
Shapes and names
For most of their history, every jelly baby was the same shape whatever its colour. Different shapes and names were introduced around 1989: see do jelly babies have names?
A short history
Jelly babies were invented in 1864 by an Austrian immigrant working at Fryers of Lancashire, and first sold as Unclaimed Babies. Bassett's of Sheffield was producing them by 1918, as Peace Babies, to mark the end of the First World War. Production stopped during the Second World War because of wartime shortages, and they were relaunched as Jelly Babies in 1953: see what were jelly babies originally called?
Diet
Because they contain gelatine, classic jelly babies are not vegetarian or vegan: see are Jelly Babies vegetarian?
Our pick and mix includes Jelly Babies.
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For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
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Questions and answers
How are jelly babies made?
A hot jelly of sugar, glucose syrup, gelatine, fruit juices, citric acid, flavourings and colours is poured into baby shapes pressed into trays of starch. Once set, the babies are lifted out. Starch helps them release from the mould, and in Britain some is left on as a dusting.
Why are jelly babies powdery?
The powder is starch, left over from manufacturing, where it helps the sweets release from the mould. Jelly babies made in Australia generally come without it.
Have jelly babies always had different shapes?
No. Different shapes and names were introduced around 1989. Before that, every colour of jelly baby was the same shape.
Sources
- Jelly Babies, Wikipedia
- Bassetts Jelly Babies 400g ingredients, Chomp
- Starch mogul, Wikipedia
- Gummy candy, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- Questions people askWhy are Jelly Babies covered in powder?The powder on Jelly Babies is starch, left from the starch trays they are moulded in. It stops them sticking. Australian ones usually come without it.
- Questions people askWhat were Jelly Babies originally called?Jelly Babies were first sold as Unclaimed Babies, made in Lancashire in 1864. Bassett's made them as Peace Babies from 1918, then Jelly Babies from 1953.
- Questions people askDo Jelly Babies have names?Yes. Since about 1989 each Bassett's Jelly Baby has its own name, colour, shape and flavour: Brilliant, Bubbles, Baby Bonny, Boofuls, Bigheart and Bumper.
- How it is madeWhat is starch moulding?Starch moulding shapes jelly sweets in trays of cornstarch: shapes are pressed in, hot syrup poured in, moisture drawn out, and the starch reused.
- Questions people askAre Jelly Babies vegetarian?Classic Bassett's Jelly Babies are not vegetarian, because they contain gelatine, which comes from slaughtered animals. How to find vegetarian jelly sweets.
- Questions people askWhy are Jelly Babies called Jelly Babies?Jelly Babies are named after their shape: plump little babies made of soft jelly. The name was in use by 1885, and Bassett's adopted it for good in 1953.