Frozen Grape Jelly TikTok Needs Help
As usual, TikTok showcased a food concept that was both terrifying and intriguing. You may have heard of frozen Jell-O grapes before, but they just showed up on my desk last week. I admit, I was interested in trying this. Some TikTok cooking hacks are absolutely worth trying —ramen carbonara is great, and the scammers are damn good, too—but if you didn’t already know, you can’t always trust TikTok.
Frozen grapes in jelly suck. Here’s how to get them to suckle less.
What are Jell-O Frozen Grapes?
I don’t like to crap yums, but if I’m not happy with the method and the resulting taste, it’s hard to find a positive side. Frozen Jell-O grapes are fresh grapes dipped in water and wrapped in powdered jelly. Freeze them and then eat them out of the freezer for an icy sweet snack.
The problem is how much work needs to be done to deteriorate an already perfect fruit. Most recipes I’ve come across instruct you to separate the grapes from the stem, rinse them with water, and then, working one at a time, insert a toothpick into each grape to coat it in the jelly powder. The powder is designed to adhere to wet spots on fruit. I did about seven of these things. It’s a waste of time. (Read my tips to make this process easier and faster.)
After you dust them with Jell-O powder and give them an hour or two to freeze, the grapes should taste like cold candy. I thought maybe frozen concentrated jelly patches would make a difference somehow; they will probably become chewy, like jelly beans. No, it tastes like you’re eating Jell-O powder, and when undiluted, the taste of powdered gelatin is more noticeable than even artificial strawberry flavoring.
Improve them with acid
I was suddenly confronted with a bunch of frozen organic grapes covered in red powder, but I refused to throw them away. The only solution I could think of was that I needed to make them sour. Artificial berry flavoring does a good job of adding a sour flavor ( like dried fruit ) to most candies, so why not use it? I didn’t have citric acid on hand, so I did what any responsible adult would do and bought a small package of Sour Patch Kids. I poured them through a sieve and collected the loose acid and sugar in a bowl. I dipped frozen grapes in hot dust and, lo and behold, they got better. The taste of the gelatin had deteriorated significantly, and snacking on grapes was as enjoyable as sour powder makes anything fun to snack on.
I’ll never make this again, but if you must try frozen Jell-O grapes, make your experience better with these tips:
Keep them on the stem. There is no need to dip each grape individually. Pour half the packet of jelly into a wide bowl. Hold the grapes on the stem and rinse them with water or place them in a bowl of water. Without shaking off excess water, place the bunch of grapes in the bowl with the powder and use the other half of the bag to pour the powder on top, tilting the bunch to get the sides. Place the entire bunch on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat them, simply remove them from the stem.
Use citric acid to improve taste . You can buy a packet of citric acid or do what I do and use the excess that collects at the bottom of the bag of sour candy. Pour the citric acid into a small bowl to act as a sidecar while you eat. Once the grapes are frozen, dip the grapes you are about to eat into the powder before putting them in your mouth. Even if you’re a big fan of regular Jell-O grapes, you’ll still love their tartness.
Try a different liquid. Besides washing away stray leaves and dust, water helps the powder soak into something, but you don’t have to use water. You can add flavor using any drink you like. If you like, try apple juice, lemon juice, Gatorade, or Diet Coke. It won’t take long to finish, but you might like the extra hint of flavor.