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Jelly teeth
A set of jelly teeth grinning out of a pick and mix bag is hard to miss. Here is what jelly teeth are, what goes into a typical one, and what to look for if you avoid gelatine or have an allergy.
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Jelly teeth are novelty sweets moulded in the shape of a set of teeth, often white teeth on pink or red gums. They are often sold alongside jelly lips, and some makers produce whole jelly dentures. Novelty shapes like these are a mainstay of pick and mix and party bags.
What is in them
Recipes vary from maker to maker, but jelly teeth are built from the same basic ingredients as other gummy sweets: see what is in a jelly sweet?
As one example, the sweet maker Vidal describes its Teeth and Lips as foam and gummy sweets. A UK retailer, The Candy King, lists their ingredients as:
- Glucose syrup and sugar, the main sweeteners: see what is glucose syrup?
- Fruit juice from concentrate, from grape, pear, pineapple and peach.
- Gelatine, which gives the chewy set: see gelatine in sweets explained
- Sorbitol, a humectant that helps keep the sweets moist.
- Corn starch and pectin, which help set and shape them: see pectin sweets explained
- Citric acid and natural flavourings: see what is citric acid in sweets?
- Blackcurrant and carrot concentrates, for colour: see natural colours in sweets
- Coconut and palm kernel oil, and carnauba wax, a glazing agent that stops the sweets sticking together: see what is carnauba wax on sweets?
The Candy King marks these as gluten free.
Foam on jelly
Some jelly teeth combine two textures, like Vidal's foam and gummy sweets. Foam is made by whipping air into the sweet mixture, and two layer sweets are made by depositing one mixture on top of another in the mould, as with fried egg sweets: see what are foam sweets made of? and how are fried egg sweets made?
Gelatine and diet
Jelly teeth set with gelatine, which is made from animal skin, bones and connective tissue, are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans, and not halal or kosher unless the gelatine comes from a suitable source. If you avoid gelatine, look for sweets set with pectin or starch instead: see what sweets are gelatine free?
In our pick and mix
We sell 
Jelly Teeth by the 100 g. Recipes differ between makers, so the card opens up to show the full ingredients and allergens for the jelly teeth we actually stock.
Citable formats
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 teeth made of?
Recipes vary. One example, Vidal's Teeth and Lips, lists glucose syrup, sugar, fruit juice from concentrate, gelatine, sorbitol, corn starch, citric acid, pectin, flavourings, colouring concentrates, coconut and palm kernel oil and carnauba wax.
Are jelly teeth vegetarian?
Not when they are made with gelatine, which comes from animals. Some jelly sweets are made without it, so always check the ingredients of the ones you are buying.
Are jelly teeth gluten free?
Some are. The Candy King marks Vidal's Teeth and Lips as gluten free, but recipes vary between makers, so check the allergens for the sweets you are buying.
Sources
- Teeth and lips, Vidal, product listing, The Candy King
- Gelatin, Wikipedia
- Gummy candy, 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.
- Questions people askWhat are foam sweets made of?Foam sweets like foam shrimps are made like marshmallow: sugar and syrup whipped full of air with gelatine. Some use pork gelatine, so check the label.
- 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.
- 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.
- How it is madeHow are fried egg sweets made?Fried egg sweets are two layers in one mould: a white foam whipped full of air and a yellow yolk, deposited one on top of the other and left to set.
- 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.