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Jelly snakes
Long, bendy and brightly coloured, jelly snakes are sold in pick and mix, and some come over a metre long. Here is what goes into them, the difference between gelatine and vegan snakes, and the allergy points worth knowing.
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Jelly snakes are gummy sweets shaped like snakes, sometimes striped in two or more colours along their length. They range from bite sized snakes in a pick and mix bag to giants: one UK retailer sells giant jelly snakes, individually wrapped, each over a metre long.
What is in a jelly snake
Recipes vary between makers: see what is in a jelly sweet? As one example, the giant snakes listed by the retailer Sweets and Candy contain:
- Glucose syrup and sugar, the main sweeteners.
- Gelatine, for the chewy, stretchy set: see gelatine in sweets explained
- Glycerol, a humectant that keeps the sweet moist and soft.
- Citric acid and pectin.
- Flavourings and fruit and vegetable concentrates, from safflower, lemon, radish, apple, pumpkin, tomato, blackcurrant and carrot, for colour.
- The colours E120 and E133.
The same listing says they may contain traces of milk.
E120: a colour from insects
E120 is carmine, a red colour made from cochineal insects. Along with the gelatine, it means these snakes are not suitable for vegetarians, and some people are allergic to it: see what is carmine?
Vegan jelly snakes
Vegan snakes swap gelatine for plant based setting agents. The same retailer's vegan jelly snakes are made with glucose syrup, sugar, modified starch, wheat starch, pectin, citric acid, colours from turmeric, paprika and copper chlorophyll, black carrot juice, flavouring, coconut oil and carnauba wax: see pectin sweets explained
That recipe shows why the label always matters. The snakes are vegan, but they contain wheat, and the retailer says they are packed where wheat, gluten, soya, milk, peanuts and nuts are handled. Vegan is not the same as allergy free: see wheat in sweets and pick and mix and allergies
In our pick and mix
We sell 
Jelly Snakes by the 100 g. Recipes differ between makers, so the card opens up to show the full ingredients and allergens for the jelly snakes we actually stock.
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For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
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Questions and answers
What are jelly snakes made of?
Recipes vary. One giant jelly snake lists glucose syrup, sugar, gelatine, water, glycerol, citric acid, pectin, flavourings, fruit and vegetable concentrates, and the colours E120 and E133.
Are there vegan jelly snakes?
Yes. Vegan jelly snakes are set with pectin and starch instead of gelatine. One vegan recipe also contains wheat starch, so it is not suitable for people who must avoid wheat or gluten.
How long is a giant jelly snake?
Some giant jelly snakes are sold individually wrapped, with each snake over a metre long, according to one UK sweet retailer.
Sources
- Giant jelly snake, product listing, Sweets and Candy
- Vegan jelly snakes 1kg, product listing, Sweets and Candy
- Carmine, Wikipedia
- Gelatin, 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.
- Questions people askWhat is carmine?Carmine, E120, is a deep red colour made from cochineal insects that live on cactus. It colours sweets, drinks and lipstick. Why vegans avoid it.
- Diet, allergens and labelsPectin sweets explainedPectin sweets are set with a plant gel from fruit instead of gelatine. The usual kind needs lots of sugar and some acid to set, which suits fruity jellies.
- Diet, allergens and labelsWheat in sweetsWheat turns up in liquorice, wafer bars and malted centres, while wheat glucose syrup is exempt from gluten labelling. How to spot wheat and gluten.
- 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.