How to Make Candied Grapes

Add a little flavor and variety to your snacking routine with these frozen candied grapes! These are quick & healthier snacks for after-dinner or even after-school snacks, just like our mini protein balls, peanut butter oatmeal bars, and peanut butter banana muffins.

The fresh, juicy grapes coated with the sweet sugary topping make this candy grapes recipe so good.

Today, we’re taking the candy-covered grapes one step further by making these frozen grapes with jello powder. Trust me – it’s the best.

Candy Grapes

Who knew that covering grapes with jello powder would make such a delicious & refreshing treat? The combination of the fruit with the jello powder is perfect for an anytime-of-day, anytime-of-year (hot days or even cold days) snack.

While I’ve heard of making candy grapes with Jolly Ranchers, I prefer to make them with sugar-free Jello, Stevia, or all-natural sugar for a healthy snack. Since this snack is entirely customizable to your taste, you can have sweet, sour, or just lightly-sweetened frozen grapes. You can even change the color!

It’s up to you! These grapes are bursting with flavor, and I can’t wait for you to try them!

I love hearing about weight watcher recipes like these frozen grapes or these skinny weight watcher ice cream sandwiches. With a few tweaks and adjustments, they quickly become a family favorite— a sweet treat with all the flavor, but none of the added calories.

You will need:

For this frozen grapes recipe, you only need two things:

• Two cups of seedless grapes (red grapes, cotton candy grapes, or green grapes – any variety will work)
• Two packages of sugar-free jello

Helpful kitchen tools:

• Colander
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Freezer Bags

Helpful Tips

• In a Rush?  If you are in a rush, you can skip the steps below about dipping the grapes one by one into a bowl of jello powder. Instead, you can dump the powder into a large freezer bag, then toss in your wet grapes. Shake VERY well. The only drawback is that you will have more jello clumps on the grapes instead of a nice, even coating.
• Freeze in a layer- Be sure to freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet to avoid having them stick together in large frozen clumps.  You can transfer them to a freezer bag once they are completely frozen (like ice cubes).
• How to make sugar grapes – If you don’t want to use jello powder, you can make sugar grapes! I suggest using the thicker natural sugar because it is more coarse so that the sugar won’t be completely dissolved.
• Thin vs. Thick – You can decide how much of a jello coating you want and then adjust from there. If you want the grapes to have a thick layer of jello, you may need to re-coat the grapes, whereas if you want a lighter flavor, a quick dip in the jello powder will be just enough.
• Customize your flavors- For today’s recipe (to get great pictures), I used a variety of our favorite flavors like strawberry, sugar-free black cherry, green apple, and sugar-free lime jello. Typically, our favorite recipes are made with black cherry sugar-free jello powder. It makes refreshing, sweet, but not overly sweet, jello grapes.

How to Make Frozen Jello Grapes

1. Remove stems and wash the grapes. I wash my grapes by mixing 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water in a large bowl. I let them sit for about five minutes.
2. Rinse the grapes in a colander. DO NOT dry the grapes.
3. Pour the jello into two separate bowls (one bowl per color) 
   • Time Saving Tip: If you are in a rush, see my tip above (under “Helpful Tips“) about dumping the Jello powder into a large freezer bag, tossing in your wet grapes, and shaking.
4. Dip the wet grapes, one at a time, into the Jello powder, rolling them around, so they are covered entirely.    
   • Tip: You’ll probably have to re-wet the ones that are waiting to be dipped.  
5. Place the jello-covered grapes in a SINGLE layer & put them in the freezer.
   • Tip: I usually put them on wax or parchment paper on a baking dish, then put them into the freezer like that. TIP: Using parchment paper keeps the grapes from sticking to the pan. It also eliminates the mess because you can throw away the paper in the trash when you’re done.
6. Store in the freezer until ready to eat.

How Long Does It Take for Grapes to Freeze?

It takes approximately four hours for grapes to freeze completely. Trust me, waiting for these candied grapes to freeze is worth it!

Our kids like to eat these before they freeze entirely, usually after 1-2 hours in the freezer.

However, you don’t want to let them thaw once they are frozen because they often become mushy, and the jello becomes messy (when it melts & stains your fingers!)

MORE FROZEN TREATS YOU WILL LOVE:

If you’re like me, you like to eat frozen treats all year round. While these frozen jello grapes are perfect on a hot summer day, I even make them in the middle of winter. A treat is a treat no matter when you make it. 🙂

• This frothy frozen strawberry lemonade is refreshing, delicious, and easy to make!
• If you are a chocolate fan, this 4-ingredient banana & chocolate ice cream (or should I say “nice” cream) is going to be a new favorite!
• This strawberry ice cream topping is delicious! While the topping might not be frozen, it does top all of the best-frozen desserts.
• Try these healthy coconut fruit popsicles if you want a healthy, refreshing treat that your family will love!
• Lastly, try this Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie if you want a rich flavor combined with a creamy, frozen, decadent treat.