Sour Patch Grapes are a great sour candy fix! With only two ingredients, they taste like you threw grapes into the machines at the Sour Patch Candy factory!
Sabrina’s Sour Patch Grapes Recipe
Tart and sweet flavors are a favorite of mine, and given a choice between a bowl of sour candy and ANY other dessert (ok 99% of other desserts) I would choose the sour candy. So when I stumbled across this idea on Pinterest, I had to try it! I knew I would work with my own flavors and recreate the original mix, but I wasn’t prepared for me and my family to all gather around the bowl and devour them with reckless abandon!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/3 box Jolly Rancher Watermelon Mix* , see note
- 1/3 box Jolly Rancher Green Apple Mix* , note
- 1/3 box Jello Lemon Mix
- 1/3 box Jello Orange Mix
- 3 pounds green grapes
- toothpicks
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Pour ⅓ of each flavor into small bowls.
- Poke a toothpick in a grape through the spot where the stem was attached.
- Using toothpick, dip in water and roll in mix. (Or just have a bowl of grapes sitting in water).
- Put in fridge for as long as it takes to chill them completely. You can also freeze them overnight.
- Once they are fully chilled or frozen remove the toothpicks.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Blue Berry
- Grape
- Watermelon
- Raspberry
- Black Cherry
- Cranberry
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
Of course, you can use any flavor of jello that you want, but the idea here was to capture the flavors of the candies and the colors. I have also tried other flavors like berry blue, raspberry or grape with awesome success, really you can’t go wrong so feel free to try your favorites. And since originally making this post, I’ve tried making them frozen and they get even better – they’re perfect for the summer!
Alternative Coating Methods
The directions are super simple but there are a few different ways to accomplish the same thing with some pros and cons of each way:
- Use my method with toothpicks
- Cons: My method takes longer than the others and uses toothpicks.
- Positive: Beautiful, even coverage, no messy hands.
- Rinse the grapes, put them in a ziploc back and pour desired flavor in, seal and shake.
- Cons: Messy uneven coverage, no beautiful presentation.
- Positive: Done in literally seconds.
- Roll each grape through the mix by hand after rinsing.
- Cons: Messy hands, imperfect coverage, still takes a heck of a long time, if not as long as mine.
- Positives: Prettier than #2
Ingredients Note
When I originally made this recipe, I used the special edition Jolly Rancher Jello flavors of watermelon and green apple because they add more punchy tartness and a bright color. However, they have since been discontinued, so you’ll need to substitute them. Jello makes a regular watermelon flavor but for the apple you can use lime to keep them green or just use another flavor you like.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, Sour Patch Grapes can be made ahead of time.
Nutritional Facts
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days.
- Freezing Option: You can also freeze them for a frozen treat. The texture will change slightly.
Related Posts
More Fun, Fruity Treats
The following photos were used in previous versions of this post:
Have you tried using sugar free gelatin?
Yes, and they were just as amazing!!
I absolutely adore this recipe since finding it! I LOVE sour candy and always feel guilty for eating it. For those looking for an extra sour kick (I know I did), add some citric acid to the jello powder. Just a sprinkle of CA will do as it’s very tart. I had some Citric Acid on hand because I use it for preserving/canning vegetables. You can usually find it in the preserving section of your local target or Walmart. Hope this tip helps those of you looking for your sour fix!
When you say a sprinkile you mean like 1/4 tsp? or less per pck of jello
Ron, what I’m going to try is just an 1/8 tsp per box, whisk up good, dip finger in water then in mix and taste, if it needs more, add another 1/8 and so on to your liking. Start really small, cuz remember, you can always add more in, but you can’t take it out 🙂
Thanks for the citric acid tip! This recipe attracted me immediately but sometimes even the sour candies aren’t sour enough for me, so I devour a ton at a time—then the guilt hits, LOL. Will definitely try with CA 🙂
I tried these because my kids love sour patch kids, but my kids didn’t like these. They just tasted like sugary powder on the outside. The look beautiful but we didn’t like them.
Love this idea, we are having a Watermelon theme party for my 1 yr old granddaughter next month, I am going to try green and watermelon colors and arrange in a bowl to look like watermelon.
Our Dillons didn’t have many Jolly Rancher flavors, but I went with a Jello Brand Berry Blue and it was by far our favorite! We also tried lemon, orange, cherry and Jolly Rancher Green Apple, and the best were Green Apple and Berry Blue. If we make again, will probably just use those flavors!
So much fun and easy !!! I used red grapes because of the resveratrol in the skin. Blue raspberry gelatin would be tasty. This recipe is great thanks for sharing it!!
It’s one of my favorite recipes! So glad you love it too!
Looks good, love grapes, but can’t have sugar. Would sugar free jello
work just as well?
I’ve never tried it so I can’t really say but as long as it has the same powdery consistency, I would think it would still work. Obviously, the taste will be a bit different because of being sugar free. Let me know if you decide to try.
I use sugar free jello. You have to use more jello packets because there is way less powder in the sugar free packs.
I like them 🙂
Thanks for the feedback!
Can you start this recipe with the grapes being frozen? I have a ton in the freezer and want to make use of them
I don’t think it would with them being already frozen. I would suggest just dipping your frozen grapes into the mix and treat it like FunDip, haha!
What a cute, quick, easy and unique recipe! This is great for parties and I love the comments about VODKA. I’d be lying if I wasn’t already thinking the same!
Planning to make these for my two-year-old’s birthday party this weekend. I saw you said they keep in the fridge in an airtight container for almost a week. Did you use a shallow container or is a deep one fine. I’m worried about them getting mushy and stuck together. Thanks for the idea. We’re going for a space themed party and my daughter will love eating these sparkly little “planets.”
Such a cute party idea!! We ate them so fast so the container was smaller because there weren’t many left. My suggestion would be to place parchment or wax paper between the layers if you’re using a larger container. That might help to maintain the coating and ensure they don’t get squished.
So as I’m sitting here eating my way through a bag of Jolly Rancher’s, I’m thinking I need to try these!!!
Do it!!! You won’t be disappointed….trust me!
The jello powder wasn’t sour at all unfortunately 🙁 so I added some citric acid powder… lol that soooooo solved it. Oh and frozen works great! I actually did this the first time with frozen because I ALWAYS have a huge bag of frozen grapes in my freezer and they get kinda sticky during the freezing process so it helps the coating stick and you can eat them frozen right away!
Nice save with the citric acid powder, Kylynn! So glad you enjoyed them!
These look super good! Gonna try them today 🙂 how long do they keep in the freezer? Not that i’m expecting them to last long or anything … 😉
We’ve kept them in there for a few weeks. For testing, haha. Usually they’re gone in a day or two!
Didn’t see the update about how the frozen grapes turned out. Are they better in the fridge of the freezer?
I love them either way but for summer, I think the frozen ones are spot on! Hope you enjoy them too!!
So glad I came across this awesome idea. My grandson asked me the other day if we could make sour candy. Since we are trying to keep him off candy, thisvis an excellent alternative. Making them this week with him.
It’s such a great alternative!
It would be interesting to try this with Cotton Candy grapes. I love them frozen! Guess I’ll have to wait until August to o try those also.
Ooooh, I may need to try that too! What a great idea!!
I am so going to try this with blueberries and serve them frozen! I’m so excited about this!! Thank you for the idea!!
I’d love to hear how they turn out with blueberries! Great idea!!
Wow!!!! I tried these with my boyfriend’s son this weekend. Talk about an instant hit! Even my boyfriend loved him- he said this is the most genious “healthy” snack he’s seen. Thanks so much for such an amazing idea!!!
What a great compliment!! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know what a hit they were!
I tried the toothpick method but couldn’t get the jello mix to stick like you did. Any suggestions
Was it patchy or just didn’t stick at all? I might try freezing the grapes a bit before rolling them in the mix (might make them a bit more firm to help with rolling in the mix). You also want to make sure your grape is completely wet before rolling and because the grape is more firm, apply a bit more pressure when rolling it to ensure it gets a good “stick”. If you want to trouble shoot more, feel free to email me at contact @ dinnerthendessert.com
Why did you say foam dinausors optional?
It was just a bit of humor. 🙂
I have a question….do u mix any of these together? If not, how do u get the sweet and the sour in one grape? Is the grape the sweet n each of the mixes r all sour! Would like to màke these with a little one next week over spring break.
You could mix them but I’ve found the the tartness of the jello mix with the sweet of the grape is the perfect combination for that sweet and sour taste. Enjoy!!
Got it. Ty….going to go make right now
I have tried this ten times, frozen grapes, refrigerated grapes, warm grapes. The jello either doesnt stick or sets and then gets mushy what is the Secret?????
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! You may be using too much water. Dip the grapes (room temp or fridge temp is fine), let excess water drip off then roll slowly. If you see it soak through the jello quickly its too wet. As you roll it you should see where the powder doesn’t soak through immediately. Then refrigerate until it completely dries out. I’m confused about the sets then gets mushy though, if you want we can troubleshoot via email too? contact @ dinnerthendessert.com
HI!
I was wondering how much sugar is in these?
I made small snack bags for my kids,
I did 1 tbsp of the powder and 10 grapes.
How much sugar is in the 1 tbsp??
Thanks!!!!
Sorry, I’m not sure how much sugar is in these. You could probably look at the back of the package and just divide it by how much you’re using to get a ballpark idea.
how do you make your blog so popular I have hade mine for two years and my friends and family only know about it
I actually have a whole section of my site dedicated to just that – tips on blogging success. I’m also working on an e-book on the subject which I’m hoping will be completed by early next year!
This is absolutely brilliant! These look so incredibly yummy! The kids will love these 🙂
I would like to add an alternate method. After rinsing the grapes in the colander, shake it a few times and pour the grapes onto a papertowel lined cookie sheet. Dry the colander well and pour the grapes back into it. Slowly sprinkle the jell-o over the grapes, stirring with a wooden spoon as you go. Remove the papertowels from the cookie sheet. Pour the grapes back onto the empty cookie sheet. Put in the freezer or refrigerator until chilled to desired temperature. Green grapes with pineapple jell-o is my favorite although the kids at our end of season lacrosse jamboree loved the TMNT booykasha berry and the watermelon jell-os on green grapes. Thank you for this amazing recipe!!!!
What an awesome idea! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Help! The jello isn’t sticking to our grapes. Has anyone else had that problem?
Add a bit more water to the grapes and roll a bit slower. I promise if you do that you’ll see it stick really nicely and you can even sort of mold it into a perfect coating.
I was wondering if these would work with sugar free gelatin?
Yes! Absolutely. I tried it recently with sugar free and it was delicious!
This would be great for a child diabetic snack made with sugar free jello. I have 4 type one diabetics…..3 children. great idea…….wonder how I could transport them? Thank you.
Thank you so much! I’ve never transported ours as they seem to quickly disappear before having a chance to even put them away, haha! My suggestion is probably keep them chilled in shallow type containers and transport them in a cooler depending on how long they’ll be out of the fridge. Let me know if how that works or if you came up with a better solution.
Oh my gosh these look so good!!! I love grapes this would be a great way to add in some extra flavor for ithem!
I love grapes too but the crunchy sour and sweet crust makes them another type of treat entirely!
Are these actually sour?
Yes! They are. The jello powder in its concentrated form is quite sour. It contains a form of citric acid (the sour stuff on sour patch kids) which is why in addition to the flavors, it tastes so similar 🙂
Where do you find the jolly rancher mix?
I found them at the local Safeway, but worst case scenario they are on Amazon (for way more than I would want to pay though!)
These are incredibly cute!
Aww thanks Katalina!
This is simply amazing – my kids would go crazy for these!
Mine did 🙂
This is so awesome!!!
Thanks Lise!
WHILE I Love your recipe idea is it wrong that I’m just as excited for the jolly rancher watermelon jello flavor? How did I miss that? I am going to the store right now as I have a bunch of grapes leftover from the New Years celebration and I can make them today!! Yay!
No! Not at all, when I tried the flavor for the first time I was hooked too! I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
I really like your method! Less mess is always a good thing! These look so yummy! The perfect snack. 🙂
Thanks Lauren!
Just finished making a batch of these and OMG I LOVE THEM!!!!! My boyfriend is a huge sour patch kids fan so i made up a batch for him as a Christmas present! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
I’m so glad you love them!! Thank you for coming back and letting me know 🙂
These look great on the table with all my Christmas baking and will be used with a fruit tray Christmas Eve. Thanks.
I hope your guests enjoyed them!
This looks Sooo awesome, I can’t wait to make them. Where does the sour flavor come from? Is it the green grapes that do the trick?
The jello/jolly rancher powder and the green grapes. Tart from the grapes and sour from the powder 🙂 If you want a more muted flavor you can totally use red grapes instead and the only sour flavor will be the powder.
These look beautiful, but I don’t understand what makes them sour. Is the Jolly Rancher gelatin a sweet/sour blend? If not, would Jello brand work? Thanks!
Both Jello and Jolly Rancher work equally well, I just really like the flavors of Jolly Rancher. They both have sour to them. I hope you love it!
Thanks for the speedy reply. I can’t wait to try them!
WOW!!! These loook amazinggg!!!!
Thanks!
How would you store them for later? Airtight container in fridge? I wouldn’t want to ruin them after all that work!
That’s exactly what I did with the second batch. I stored them successfully for almost a week (this was a trial run to know how long they would last). You can also freeze them. They were DELICIOUS frozen!
We tried this but used dry koolaid packets! Best snack ever!!!
Awesome! I haven’t tried with koolaid! What flavors did you use?
Tropical punch, raspberry lemonade and fruit punch
Oh heck yes, that sounds awesome! I have to try that now!
So.. I just gained 20lbs with the knowledge of this recipe!! Seriously.. This looks amazing .. I can’t wait to try it!!!
I loved sour patch candies as a child, brings back memories!
I’ve always loved sour candy and have to try this! Thanks!
Wow, fantastic idea Sabrina! Cannot wait to make it!
Perfect time of the year for this recipe. Grapes are so good and on sale everywhere now. I love that they are so colorful.
These are the cutest sour patch grapes ever ! Adorable and I want some !
omg this is DANGEROUS! (or is it? maybe it’s better for me than the usual candy I nosh, haha!) I am ABSOLUTELY trying this out ASAP.
Sour Patch Kids are basically my weakness. I LOVE sour candy. so these are a nice balance to the handfuls of sour candy!
What a colourful bowl of magic, unfortunately I am unable to get the ingredients for this otherwise I would definitely be giving it a try, so much fun!
These I have to make, my daughter would love them.