Li hing gummy bears are popular local snack in Hawaii. You can buy already made li hing gummy bears, or just make it yourself at home. So easy!
Li hing powder + gummy bears, mixed and ready for snacking!
Li Hing Gummy Bears
Making Li Hing Gummy Bears is super easy. All you need is two things:
- Li hing mui powder
- Gummy bears
You put both ingredients in a bowl and mix it with a spoon (or put on a tight lid and give a few good shakes). Then you just eat it!
One big scoop li hing mui powder, ready to mix with the gummy bears.
What Do Li Hing Gummy Bears Taste Like?
It's like regular gummy bears but so much better. It makes the gummy bears all tart and sour with this salty fruity note.
I imagine li hing gummy bears might sound unusual if you're not familiar with Hawaii, but this is a very regular, common local snack. You can purchase ready made li hing gummies at every market, drugstore, and even by the pound at candy stores (I like Carousel Candyland at Kahala Mall).
Funny note: a friend once asked me where she could find, "Hawaiian Candy." I was like, what are you talking about? What is Hawaiian Candy? I never heard of such a thing! Turns out she was talking about li hing mui candies/gummies.
What Is Li Hing?
Li Hing is a preserved, salted, and dried plum. Li hing originally came from China, but we embraced this as our own in Hawaii. Li hing is a big tasty deal in Hawaii. I have a whole post about li hing everything here (read this post first, then come back to this page to make li hing gummy bears)!
Li hing comes in multiple forms such as li hing mui and li hing mui powder...
Ling Hing Mui Versus Li Hing Mui Powder
Ling hing mui is the whole preserved fruit (usually with a seed inside).
Li hing mui powder is when the dried preserved fruit is ground into a fine powder. To make li hing gummy bears, we use li hing powder.
Half-pound bag of our go-to li hing mui powder brand.
Which Li Hing Powder To Get
There are several brands available, and "Enjoy" brand is most common in Hawaii supermarkets.
My Li Hing Powder Pick:
This is our go-to Li Hing Mui Powder brand. We use it for making everything from li hing gummy bears to li hing shave ice and li hing over fresh fruit!
Enjoy Hawaii Li Hing Mui Powder
Random: you can also buy li hing powder at Whole Foods Hawaii. They only carry natural li hing powder (photo of the powder in this post). Natural li hing mui powder doesn't have that signature red color. But upside is that it's li hing mui powder without aspartame (aspartame never bothered us as kids, but now we are older, it's perhaps maybe something to consider).
Example of ready made li hing mui gummies from the drugstore (we got these at Longs Drugs)
Li Hing On Many Things
An important thing to know is that you can "li hing" many, many things! We love li hing dusted over fresh apple slices, pineapple chunks. We love li hing in tart and cold and fizzy drinks...even li hing Icees! Don't forget li hing shave ice.
One bag of li hing powder goes a long way so have fun with li hing-ing different things.
Does It Have To Be Gummy Bears?
No! You can use any type of gummy candy. You can even use gummies that are already sour (like sour worms, which are truly super with li hing powder). Sour li hing gummies are off the hook.
You can also use any type of dried fruit. Dried strawberries tossed in li hing powder are a personal favorite. Li hing everything is heaven!
Just mix with a spoon till all the gummies are dusted (or super coated, up to you!) with li hing mui powder.
Li Hing To Gummy Ratio
In the recipe below, I suggested 2 teaspoons per every 5-ounce bag of gummy bears, but feel free to increase or decrease the amount of li hing powder to your preference. You can even do a giant heaping spoon if you want super intense li hing flavor.
"Wet" Li Hing Gummy Bears
After you try the "classic" li hing gummy bears, you might consider making a batch of "wet" li hing gummy bears. Now this is only for the pro/advance/locals who've been eating li hing stuff for a long time.
At local crack seed stores, many items come dry (which is the default/regular) or wet. For example: you can purchase li hing mui mango, or wet li hing mui mango. The wet version is more saucy...it's literally a bit wet. It's super good.
To make wet li hing gummy bears, all you have to do is first wet the bears. Put in a teaspoon or two of water and mix it with the gummy bears first. Then mix in the li hing powder. Lots of people like the west version because it is a little more intense, and more li hing powder clings onto the gummy bears. Sooo onolicious!!!
Li hing gummy bears, ready to eat ^_^
Li Hing Gummy Bears Recipe
"Recipe" below ^_^
Li Hing Gummy Bears
Li hing gummies are popular local snack in Hawaii. You can buy already made li hing gummies, or just make it yourself at home. So easy!
Instructions
- Put the gummy bears in a small mixing bowl. Add in the li hing mui powder.
- Mix with a spoon (or put a secure lid on top and shake around). Eat and enjoy ^_^
Mahalo for Reading!