Healthy Sour Candy Frozen Grapes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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. Enter healthy green grapes frozen with a Sour Patch twist! I kid you not…these candied grapes taste identical to Sour Patch Kids, but are way healthier! Trust me, I don’t mess around about candy…or my beloved frozen grapes!
With the added crisp from the freezer, these candied grapes are such a delightful, sour treat with a fraction of the carbs & calories. The best part about this recipe is it is 100% kid-friendly. Both of my girls can’t get enough!
This post was originally posted in 2020 and updated in October 2021
Why This Recipe Works
Frozen grapes are delicious on their own. They’re sweet, crunchy, and satisfy that cold dessert craving in a much healthier way. Sometimes, a sweet treat is needed, and I’m a big fan of healthy swaps!
This candied grape recipe works because of the tartness of the green grapes + the lime juice + the monk fruit sweetener = a juicy, Sour Patch knock-off that I cannot live without! Making the grapes frozen adds that “can’t live without this” dessert feeling.
Ingredient Notes/Substitutions
green grapes: I prefer green grapes because their natural tartness goes perfectly with the lime to give these candied grapes that sugary sweet and sour mixture like real Sour Patch Kids. You might also try Cotton Candy grapes, which are green grapes that actually do taste like cotton candy! With Cotton Candy grapes, I imagine these might turn out more like a sour-ish jolly rancher!
monk fruit sweetener: This is my favorite sweetener to use because I feel like it has the closest taste to sugar. It also doesn’t have a 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. See my tips below for sweetener swaps.
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.
How To Make Candied Grapes
Follow these super easy steps to turn regular old grapes into frozen sour candied treats!
Prep
- Cover a large baking dish with parchment paper.
- Wash and dry the grapes.
- Place the 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 into a medium bowl.
Make
- 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!
Peachy Tips & Tricks
Freezer: Keep your finished sour candied grapes frozen until you’re ready to eat them. Make sure not to thaw them out! You can store them in the freezer for up to one month for optimal freshness.
Kid-friendly: I add these frozen grapes to portioned baggies and allow my girls to go out to the freezer and grab a bag for a mid-afternoon treat. 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:
Common Reader Questions
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 these grapes frozen with Jello or Corn Syrup, however, I prefer to make them without added sugar, which is why I use monk fruit sweetener.
Actually, no! Cotton Candy grapes still have all the health benefits of regular green grapes, and only 12% more sugar. 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!
Related Recipes
Pin this Recipe
Sour Candy Frozen Grapes
These kid-friendly candied grapes are the perfect Sour Patch swap! Satisfy your cravings with healthy green grapes frozen & turned into nostalgic sour candies! Paleo & Family-Friendly!
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups green grapes (cleaned)
- 3/4 cup Monk Fruit Sweetener (granulated)
- 2 limes, juiced
Instructions
- Cover a large baking dish with parchment paper.
- Clean and dry the grapes.
- Place 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 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!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Snack/Dessert
- Method: Freezer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 67
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 2.7
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Protein: 0.8
Keywords: Candied Grapes, Sour Patch Grapes, Frozen Grapes, Sour Candy Frozen Grapes, Healthy Recipes, Paleo
Would granulated xylitol be a good sweetener for this recipe? I bought a big bag to make toothpaste and need to use it!
★★★★★
Hi Melanie,
I’m sure any personal sweetener of choice would work. Let me know who that worked for you. Thanks for your kind support.
What are some other options to coat these with? We have to stay super clean and stay away from preservatives.
Thanks,
Sara
PS- I have really enjoyed making recipes from your cookbook!
Monk Fruit that I used to coat the grapes is a natural sweetener and does not contain preservatives. If you don’t want to use that you can use real sugar or cane sugar. Thank you also for buying my cookbook 😉