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Jelly babies
Jelly babies have been made in Britain since the 1860s and have been through several names, several makers and two famous fans. Here is everything in one place, starting with what three recipes sold today actually contain.
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Jelly babies are soft, baby shaped jelly sweets, dusted with starch. They were first sold in 1864 as Unclaimed Babies, made in Lancashire. Bassett's of Sheffield made them as Peace Babies from 1918 and renamed them Jelly Babies in 1953: see what were jelly babies originally called? and why are jelly babies called jelly babies?
Three recipes
Bassett's Jelly Babies, 400 g, as published by Chomp. Sugar, glucose syrup, water, gelatine, concentrated fruit juices, citric acid, flavourings, and colours from plant sources such as anthocyanins, paprika extract and curcumin. The list warns that they may contain wheat.
Haribo Jelly Babies, as listed by Haribo UK. Sugar, glucose syrup, gelatine, citric acid, fruit and plant concentrates from apple, aronia, bilberry, blackcurrant, carrot, elderberry, grape, lemon, mango, orange, passion fruit, radish, safflower, spirulina and sweet potato, sunflower oil, flavouring, beeswax as a glaze, caramelised sugar syrup and elderberry extract. Haribo lists six flavours: apple, blackcurrant, peach, lemon meringue, raspberry and pineapple.
Candy King Jelly Babies. Sugar, glucose syrup, water, modified starch, gelatine, citric and malic acids, natural flavourings, the colours carmine, vegetable carbon and curcumin, and safflower and spirulina concentrates.
What differs
- Colours. Bassett's and Haribo's use plant colours and concentrates. Candy King's adds carmine, a red made from insects, and vegetable carbon, a black: see what is carmine?
- Glaze. Haribo's are glazed with beeswax: see what is beeswax on sweets?
- Wheat. The Bassett's list carries a may contain wheat warning.
- Loose sweets. Candy King reminds shoppers that scoops are used in different boxes, so allergens can move between them: see pick and mix and allergies
All three contain gelatine, so none is suitable for vegetarians or vegans: see are jelly babies vegetarian? and are jelly babies vegan?
How they are made
Jelly babies are cast in baby shaped hollows pressed into trays of starch, which is where the dusty coat comes from: see how are jelly babies made? and why are jelly babies covered in powder?
Famous fans
In 1963, after George Harrison let slip that he liked them, Beatles fans pelted the band with jelly babies. Doctor Who's time traveller has offered them since 1968, most famously as Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor: see the Beatles and the jelly babies and Doctor Who and his jelly babies. Runners carry them for quick sugar, and some people with diabetes use them for low blood sugar: see why are jelly babies used by runners? and why are jelly babies used for low blood sugar?
In our pick and mix
We sell 
Jelly Babies by the 100 g. Recipes differ between makers, so the card opens up to show the full ingredients and allergens for the jelly babies we actually stock.
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For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to sweeties.net.
Questions and answers
What are jelly babies made of?
Bassett's, in one published list: sugar, glucose syrup, water, gelatine, concentrated fruit juices, citric acid, flavourings and plant colours. Haribo and Candy King recipes are similar, with gelatine in all three.
Are jelly babies vegetarian?
Not the recipes here. All three contain gelatine, which comes from animals, and the Candy King recipe is also coloured with carmine, which is made from insects.
What flavours are Haribo jelly babies?
Haribo UK lists apple, blackcurrant, peach, lemon meringue, raspberry and pineapple.
Why are jelly babies covered in powder?
The powder is starch, left from the trays of starch the sweets are moulded in. It stops them sticking together.
Sources
- Jelly babies, Haribo UK
- Bassetts Jelly Babies 400g ingredients, Chomp
- Jelly babies, product page, Candy King
- Jelly Babies, Wikipedia
- Bassett's, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- How it is madeHow are jelly babies made?Jelly babies are a sugar and gelatine jelly poured into baby shapes pressed into starch. The starch helps release them, and some stays on as dusting.
- 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 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 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.
- Stories, heists and recordsThe Beatles and the Jelly BabiesIn 1963 George Harrison let slip that he liked Jelly Babies, and fans pelted the Beatles with them. In America they threw hard jelly beans instead.
- Stories, heists and recordsDoctor Who and his Jelly BabiesThe Doctor first offered a jelly baby in 1968. Patrick Troughton started it, Tom Baker made it a trademark, and in 1996 Paul McGann offered one too.