Frozen Grapes

If you’re a parent, you’re probably aware of how particular kids can be about their food textures. My oldest kid will only eat fruit if it’s crunchy. Yes, that means things like apples, but also fruit that’s normally thought of being at its peak when softer, like peaches. I can’t say I see the appeal of rock hard-stone fruit, but we can’t all be born with good taste. (And no, my oldest isn’t a tantrum-prone 2-year old; he is 14.)

Grapes need to crunch in order for him to even tolerate the idea of eating them. I can’t tell you how many grapes have been left to languish in the fridge because they started to give at the slightest bit of pressure. So I did what anyone does when something is about to go bad in my fridge: I threw them in the freezer. Grapes go from soft and juicy to frosty and slightly sweet when frozen. What was once only fit for the compost in my kid’s eyes is now a fun frozen snack, without tons of added sugar. Just be careful if serving these to younger kids — grapes can be a major choking hazard, and freezing them until firm may be too much for little kids to safely handle.

You can use any kind of seedless grape you like to eat for frozen grapes. Both red and green table grapes are an accessible way to make this snack, but specialty grapes like cotton candy or seedless Thomcords would be great as well. 

While frozen grapes seem simple (and they are!), there are a few things that help make the process a little easier. 

• Stem your grapes. You can discard any particularly wrinkled or moldy grapes at this point too. If you’re in a hurry, you can definitely just put the whole thing, stem and all, in the freezer, but stemming them first makes them easier to eat once they’re frozen.
• Wash your grapes. A given, but it has to be said! It’s a little easier to make sure they all get a good rinse if you wait until after you’ve stemmed them. 
• Dry your grapes (if you want to). Drying your grapes before freezing gives best results, but a little water clinging to the grapes is hardly noticeable if you’re in a rush. If you have a salad spinner, this is a great time to use it. They may stick a little if they are a little wet when they go in the freezer, but they’re pretty easy to pull apart.
• Freeze them flat (or not). Again, you’ve got room to wiggle here. Well-dried, super fresh and crunchy grapes can go straight into a zip top bag and into the freezer. If they’re a little softer, pour them onto a baking sheet and freeze them flat first so they don’t get too banged up. Lining the baking sheet with parchment makes for easy cleanup, but it’s unnecessary, even if they are wet.

Grapes can vary a lot in size, but for larger ones, two hours is a good place to start. You can take them out at this point and eat them straight away. For frozen grapes you’ve stored for longer, it’s helpful to let them thaw for 10 minutes or so before biting into them. That way you’ll get a more flavorful, icy snack instead of just a rock-hard frozen grape.