3-Ingredient Healthy Sour Candied Frozen Grapes
Published Oct 25, 2021 Updated Jun 27, 2024
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These frozen candied grapes are such a delightful, sour treat with a fraction of the carbs and calories of their candy copycat Sour Patch Kids. The best part about this recipe is it is 100% kid-friendly, all-natural, and absolutely delicious!
What Makes This Recipe Great
Sour Patch Kids is one of my all-time favorite candies. However, I try to stay away from them because they have SO much sugar. Instead, I make the most delicious treat out of green grapes frozen with a Sour Patch twist! I kid you not…this Candied Grape Recipe tastes identical to Sour Patch Kids, but is way healthier! Trust me, I don’t mess around about candy…or my beloved frozen grapes!
If you’ve never tried “crack grapes” or “jolly rancher grapes” you are in for such a treat. Frozen grapes are delicious on their own, and with this recipe, they become even better! These juicy grapes and sweet and crunchy, and satisfy that sweet tooth craving in a much healthier way. Sometimes, a fun treat is needed, and I’m a big fan of healthy swaps!
This recipe works because of the tartness of the green grapes + the lime juice + the monk fruit sugar coating = a juicy, Sour Patch knock-off that I cannot live without!
Ingredient Notes
- green seedless grapes: I prefer green grapes because their natural tartness goes perfectly with the lime to give them that sugary sweet and sour mixture like real Sour Patch Kids. You can also use Cotton Candy grapes, which would turn out more like a sour-ish jolly rancher candy. The kind of grapes you use is really up to you– red and purple will work as well.
- granulated monk fruit sweetener: This is my favorite sweetener to use because it has the closest taste to sugar. It also doesn’t have the bitter aftertaste that most other sweeteners have. It’s 0 carbs and 0 calories and doesn’t have the same effect on your blood sugar as regular sugar does. The monk fruit sugar coats the frozen grapes perfectly! You’d never know it wasn’t real sugar.
- lime juice: The lime juice in this recipe gives the grapes their sour candy tang. To make your grapes sourer try adding a TrueLime crystallized lime packet to the lime juice or a little citric acid. If preferred, swap this for lemon juice.
- citric Acid: is a weak organic acid that occurs naturally in citrus fruits like lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits and has a sour taste.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cover a large baking dish or baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash and dry the fresh grapes.
- Place the grapes in a large bowl along with the juice from 2 limes.
- Mix using a spoon and allow to sit in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the granulated Monk Fruit sweetener into a medium bowl.
- Remove the grapes from the fridge and roll each one into the monk fruit making sure each grape is completely coated.
- Transfer the coated grapes onto the parchment paper and freeze for 2-3 hours.
- Enjoy your new favorite way to eat grapes: frozen, candied, and sour!
Mac’s Pro TipS
Expert Tips
Citric Acid: This is used to add a punch of sourness to the grapes. It’s optional, but highly recommended. When combined with sugar, citric acid can create a flavor balance known as a “sweet and sour” taste. The sugar provides sweetness, while the citric acid adds sourness, creating a more complex and enjoyable flavor experience.
Kid-friendly: I add these frozen grapes to a portioned freezer baggie and allow my girls to go out to the freezer and grab a bag for a mid-afternoon snack. They feel like they’re eating candy, but Mama knows that nasty sugar rush won’t follow! They literally call them Sour Patch grapes. I love it!
Other Sweeteners: Many readers ask if they can use something other than Monkfruit for these candies. Yes! Here are some other sweeteners that will work:
Jolly Ranchers: If you prefer the flavor of Jolly Rancher candies over Sour Patch Kids, I recommend using Cotton Candy grapes and a simple sugar syrup mixture instead of the lime juice. Follow all of the same instructions just swap the lime for simple syrup and the grapes for cotton candy grapes. Dip into the granulated sugar and freeze!
Storage Tips
Keep your sour candied grapes frozen until you’re ready to eat them. Store them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to one month for optimal freshness.
Make sure not to thaw them or leave them at room temperature or they will become sticky and squishy.
Recipe FAQs
Try adding a TrueLime crystallized lime packet to the lime juice or a little citric acid. That should make your candied grapes pretty sour!
Many people make variations of these grapes with different Jello flavors, Kool-Aid powder, or corn syrup, however, I prefer to make them without added sugar, which is why I use monk fruit sweetener. Even better, you typically have to boil those versions in a saucepan to get the candy coating and that takes more time than my simplified and healthier version.
Actually, no! Cotton Candy grapes still have all the health benefits of regular green grapes and only 12% more sugar. If you can find them at your grocery store, go for it! They’re still a healthy option for this sour candy!
If you’re not a fan of sour candy and can’t stand the idea of your grapes sour, or if you want more of a mild sour taste, use equal parts water and lime juice. If you want no sour at all, you can make a simple syrup from the monk fruit (equal parts sugar and water on the stove) and then let it cool. Follow the same instructions as the lime above once cooled.
For a 1/2 cup of my sour candied grapes, there are only 67 calories! Compared to 110 calories in just 12 pieces of Sour Patch Kids, these really are the healthier option!
When combined with sugar, citric acid can create a flavor balance known as a “sweet and sour” taste. The sugar provides sweetness, while the citric acid adds sourness, creating a more complex and enjoyable flavor experience.
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3-Ingredient Frozen Candied Grapes
Ingredients
- 4 cups green grapes cleaned
- 1 cup Monk Fruit Sweetener granulated
- 2 limes juiced
- 2-3 tsp citric acid (or more to taste) (optional)
Instructions
- Cover a large baking dish with parchment paper. Clean the grapes.
- Place the clean grapes in a large bowl along with the juice from 2 limes.
- Mix together using a spoon and allow to sit in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the Monk Fruit sweetener and citric acid into a medium bowl.
- Remove the grapes from the fridge and roll each one into the monk fruit mixture making sure each grape is completely coated.
- Transfer the coated grapes onto the parchment paper and freeze for 2-3 hours.
Notes
Expert Tips
Citric Acid: This is used to add a punch of sourness to the grapes. It’s optional, but highly recommended. When combined with sugar, citric acid can create a flavor balance known as a “sweet and sour” taste. The sugar provides sweetness, while the citric acid adds sourness, creating a more complex and enjoyable flavor experience. Kid-friendly: I add these frozen grapes to a portioned freezer baggie and allow my girls to go out to the freezer and grab a bag for a mid-afternoon snack. They feel like they’re eating candy, but Mama knows that nasty sugar rush won’t follow! They literally call them Sour Patch grapes. I love it! Other Sweeteners: Many readers ask if they can use something other than Monkfruit for these candies. Yes! Here are some other sweeteners that will work: Jolly Ranchers: If you prefer the flavor of Jolly Rancher candies over Sour Patch Kids, I recommend using Cotton Candy grapes and a simple sugar syrup mixture instead of the lime juice. Follow all of the same instructions just swap the lime for simple syrup and the grapes for cotton candy grapes. Dip into the granulated sugar and freeze!Storage Tips
Keep your sour candied grapes frozen until you’re ready to eat them. Store them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to one month for optimal freshness. Make sure not to thaw them or leave them at room temperature or they will become sticky and squishy.Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Such a simple and yummy idea! I ended up eating more of them as I was making them 😋
Thank you so much.
I’m excited to try this, I have had the jello ones and they are nice, but these sound better (and won’t dye your fingers red!) My question is with the TrueLime or the Citric acid… Won’t putting that on it cover where the sweetener is supposed to go? Like if you put on TL or CA powder the grape will no longer be limey wet. Am I wrong? How do you do it?
(Ps- your blog visually is a real stunner. I love your fonts and layout!)
You can mix the True Lime or citric acid with the monk fruit then add it to the grapes. Thanks so much
Thanks for such a fun and tasty recipe! My girls and I loved making and eating these. We doubled the batch a shared with their cousins. They are obsessed with both fruit and sour patch kids so I love having a healthy treat to give them this summer!
YOU HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE! 🙂 Wow! These are amazing!! I had to comment, because I am so grateful. I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis among some other health problems, and I know when I eat a lot of processed sugar I have so many flare ups.
It’s a process trying to cut out sugar as well as gluten and some other big triggers for me. During this quarantine I have been emotionally eating A LOT. It’s been so hard. And one of those comfort foods? SOUR PATCH KIDS! They have comforted me since childhood – always a grab when I was at the movies, a gift from a friend ’cause I loved them so much, or just a treat for myself when I wanted. So – they bring up all these nostalgic good memories. When my naturopath asked about my diet I was honest and told her my addictions to Sour Patch & some other processed things 😛 She told me to look online and guaranteed there is a DIY for my addictive snacks that is healthier and still yummy.
I had to look and am so glad I did, because these taste SO CLOSE to the original. So now if I feel like emotionally eating I will remember this recipe again as I feel completely guilt-free and no flare ups after!! And even brings back some good memories since it tastes so close :). I don’t know how you did it, but thank you thank you thank you!
I also wanted extra sour for mine and so I sprinkled lime juice on top of some of them before freezing to see what it would do and it formed a little frozen puddle of lime juice and the sweetener & I dipped the ones that the sweetener got washed off into it as it melted 🙂 hehe, just thought I would share. I’m excited to receive your updates! Much love, gratitude, & blessings to you during this challenging time – I hope the your food-expertise is also helping you through!!! <3
This is so great. Happy to hear you loved them. Thank you
Sounds amazing! I know my 4 year old will love these and have fun making. I bet they would be extra sour if I sprinkled some citric acid on top! Yum!
Yes, that is a great idea!
These look great and better (and cleaner) than the jello ones! But she brings up citric acid, would rolling it in that first make it so the monk fruit sugar no longer has a place to stick) (same with the truLemom drink mix) what did you guys do?
Can’t wait to try!
Hi! what can I replace the monk fruit sweetener with? Can I use stevia or brown sugar?
You could use any of those!
Do these have to stay in the freezer until you’re ready to consume? Or how do you store what you’re not eating right away? Thanks for the fun idea!!
Yes, just keep them in the freezer. 😉
Would it be ok to substitute the monk fruit with allulose? Thank you! 😊
Absolutely!
Have you considered shaking clean grapes in powdered Jell-O before freezing? Eat while frozen because Jell-O gets globby.
I have heard other people doing that. I wanted to keep mine Paleo, so that is why I used Monk Fruit.
These were amazing! Such a good treat when craving a sweet. Thank you!
Yay! So happy that you loved them!
Could you mix some citric acid in with the monk fruit sweetener?
For sure!