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Jelly dinosaurs
Jelly dinosaurs turn a bag of sweets into a small Jurassic park, and they are sold as party bag fillers. Here is what goes into a typical jelly dinosaur, where the colours come from, and what to check if you avoid gelatine or milk.
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Jelly dinosaurs are gummy sweets moulded in the shapes of dinosaurs. They are sold loose in pick and mix, and in packs: the sweet maker Vidal sells Dino Jelly as a perforated sheet of six sweets that can be torn apart and shared, marketed for children and as party bag fillers.
What is in them
Recipes vary between makers: see what is in a jelly sweet? The retailer Sweets and Candy lists the ingredients of Vidal's Dino Jelly as:
- Glucose syrup and sugar, the main sweeteners.
- Gelatine, for the chewy set, and pectin, a plant gelling agent: see gelatine in sweets explained and pectin sweets explained
- Water and glycerol, which keeps the sweet soft and moist.
- Citric acid and flavourings.
- Fruit and vegetable concentrates, from safflower, lemon, radish, apple, pumpkin, tomato, blackcurrant and carrot.
- Colours E100, E133 and E160c.
Where the colours come from
Those colours are a mix. E100 is curcumin, the yellow colour of turmeric, and E160c is paprika extract. E133 is brilliant blue, a synthetic colour. The fruit and vegetable concentrates are coloured foods in their own right, used in place of some added colours: see natural colours in sweets and what are E numbers in sweets?
None of these three colours is one of the six that need the warning about children's activity and attention: see the Southampton six colours
Gelatine, milk and diet
Because the Vidal dinosaurs are set partly with gelatine, which is made from animals, they are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans. The retailer also warns that they may contain traces of milk: see milk in sweets
If you need a gelatine free sweet, look for one set with pectin or starch alone: see what sweets are gelatine free?
In our pick and mix
We sell 
Jelly Dinosaurs by the 100 g. Recipes differ between makers, so the card opens up to show the full ingredients and allergens for the jelly dinosaurs 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 dinosaurs made of?
Recipes vary. Vidal's Dino Jelly, as listed by one UK retailer, contains glucose syrup, sugar, gelatine, water, glycerol, citric acid, pectin, flavourings, fruit and vegetable concentrates, and the colours E100, E133 and E160c.
Are jelly dinosaurs vegetarian?
Not when they are made with gelatine, which comes from animals, as in the Vidal example. Check the ingredients of the dinosaurs you are buying.
Do jelly dinosaurs contain milk?
Not as an ingredient in the Vidal example, but the retailer says they may contain traces of milk, which matters for anyone with a milk allergy.
Sources
- Dino jelly sweets, Vidal, product listing, Sweets and Candy
- Gelatin, Wikipedia
- Curcumin, Wikipedia
- Brilliant Blue FCF, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- Diet, allergens and labelsWhat is in a jelly sweet?A jelly sweet is mostly sugar and glucose syrup, set with gelatine, pectin, starch or agar, plus water, acids, flavours, colours and sometimes a glaze.
- Diet, allergens and labelsGelatine in sweets explainedGelatine gives gummies and marshmallows their texture, and it melts below body temperature, which shapes how they feel in the mouth. Who avoids it.
- Diet, allergens and labelsNatural colours in sweetsSweets are increasingly coloured with plants: spirulina for blue, black carrot for red and purple, turmeric and paprika for yellow. How they are labelled.
- How it is madeHow are gummy sweets shaped?Gummy shapes are cast in starch, with a stamp pressing each shape into a tray of cornstarch for the hot gel, or poured into metal or silicone moulds.
- Parties, gifts and occasionsPick and mix party bagsPick and mix party bags: how much to put in each, which sweets to leave out for young children, and how to label them so parents can check allergens.
- Questions people askWhat sweets are gelatine free?Boiled sweets, rock and sherbet rarely need gelatine, and some chewy sweets have dropped it, from Fruit Pastilles to Percy Pigs. How to check.