Join the TikTok food trend by learning how to make Candied Grapes for a fun and yummy treat! With this easy recipe, you can make sweet or sour candy grapes.
This post, first published in December 2020, was updated in April 2025 with additional helpful recipe tips.
If you're looking for a fun snack - try these candied grapes! I love eating grapes all by themselves, but this recipe really takes them to a whole new level! Candy grapes are surprisingly easy to make and are totally worth the reactions your friends give you.
They are a great snack idea for birthday parties or as an after-school snack, along with other kid-friendly treats like cake pops Plus, they’re easy enough to make, so kids can make their own and choose their favorite flavor or color. They’re definitely unique, which is why they’re so fun in the first place.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Super quick to make: In just 5 minutes, you can have a batch of candy grapes ready to pop in the fridge or freezer. They taste even better when they're cold!
- Customizable flavors: Many of the other candied grape recipes on TikTok and the Internet make either sweet OR sour flavors. With this recipe, you can make BOTH!
- Fun food activity for kids: Kool Aid grapes are a fun birthday party activity, and of course, the kids get to eat what they make!
Ingredients
Whether you want the treat in sour or sweet flavors, you'll need just 2 ingredients!
- grapes: The larger varieties like globe grapes and cotton candy grapes don't work as well as the smaller varieties.
- Kool Aid powder: For sour candy grapes
- granulated sugar: For sweet candied grapes - You can use either coarse sanding sugar or granulated sugar.
How to Make Sour Candy Grapes
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Remove stems, then soak the grapes in water.
- Place Kool Aid powder in a large Ziploc bag.
- Add grapes to the bag and seal it up.
- Shake the bag to to coat the fruit with powder.
- Refrigerate until the powder is dry.
Making Sweet Candied Grapes
The process for making the sweeet version is very similar. The only difference is, instead of using a flavored powder to coat the fruit, use granulated sugar.
To add some "crunch factor", you can use coarse sanding sugar instead of regular granulated sugar.
To make your candy grapes freezer-friendly, you can coat the fruit in simple syrup.
To make a simple syrup, place equal parts water and granulated sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat on the stove. As it heats up, stir the mixture occasionally to help the sugar dissolve.
Liz's Tips and Troubleshooting
- Don't use grapes that are dripping wet. If the fruit is too wet, your candied grapes will be very sticky. When you pull the fruit out of the water, shake off any excess. You want them just wet enough for the powder to stick.
- Go with lighter coverage: If you don’t want such a thick layer of flavoring on your grapes, you can opt for dipping them one by one. Use a toothpick and dip them into the powder to control how much coverage they retain.
- Can I eat them right away? You can definitely eat them right away, although the Kool-Aid powder won't be completely dry. So, if you don't want to wait, I suggest using a fork or toothpick to eat them.
Storage
Storage: Store in a sealed container, in the fridge, for up to 6 days. After 2-3 days, the coating does begin to soften, but they still taste great!
Freezing: The Kool Aid grapes do not freeze well - the candy coating becomes gooey and sticky as it thaws out. However, you can freeze the sweet candied grapes. To make them freezer-friendly, boil them in a small saucepan with simple syrup instead of coating them with granulated sugar. Be sure to store them in freezer-safe bags to protect them.
Recipe Variations
Other Flavors and Toppings: I haven't tried making this with other candy but I think that Nerds, sweet or sour Jello powder flavors (for Jello grapes), crushed green apple Jolly Ranchers (or any Jolly Rancher candies) lollipop "dust", and Pop Rocks would all work! Really, any hard candy that you can crush down to a dust or powder should work. Even Fun Dip candy powder would be fantastic!
Candied Grapes Recipe FAQ
It typically takes about one hour for the flavored sugar mixture to dry.
Honestly, any flavor of Kool-Aid or Jello powder can be used! Strawberry, blue raspberry, lime, orange - you are only limited by the selection available at the grocery store!
Absolutely not! This delicious snack is beyond simple to make. Even if you use a sugar syrup, you won't need to monitor the temperature like you would for traditional candies.
Yes! Kool-Aid is already unsweetened, and you can use either sugar-free or a flavor of regular Jello powder.
Kick up your snack game a notch with these Candied Grapes, then let me know in the comments below if they were a win for you!
Other Snack Recipes to Try
Candied Grapes: Sweet or Sour
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups green grapes stems removed
For Sour Candy Grapes
- ½ cup Kool-Aid Powder red
For Sweet Candied Grapes
- ½ cup granulated white sugar or coarse sanding sugar
Instructions
- Place the grapes in a bowl and cover with water. Let sit for a minute or two.
- While the grapes rest, place the Kool-Aid powder (for sour candy) or sugar (for sweet candy) in a gallon size Ziploc bag.
- Drain the grapes and shake as much excess water off as possible without dabbing them with a paper towel.
- Dump the grapes into the bag with the powder or sugar. Seal the bag and shake all around until the grapes are coated.
- Remove the grapes with tongs or a toothpick, or dump them into a dry colander to remove them from the coating.
- Transfer to a plate or container and store in the fridge for an hour, or until dry.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Use other flavors - I liked using the red flavors as it made the color pop up better for photographs. However, you can use any Kool Aid flavor or off-brand powder you like.
- Go with lighter coverage - If you don’t want such a thick layer of flavoring on your grapes, you can opt for dipping them one by one. Use a toothpick and dip them into the powder to control how much coverage they retain.
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