Candy Grapes (Galaxy Grapes)

If you’ve seen the viral videos and wondered how to make CANDY GRAPES (or Galaxy Grapes), I’ve got you covered! This recipe is so fun and you can make them in any flavor/color combo your heart desires!

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How to make candy grapes:

You want to start with grapes that have been washed and dried. I chose green grapes because the red ones tend to bleed a bit of color in the hot sugar but you can use what you prefer.

Once your grapes are dry, you can skewer them. I let my kids Coco and Ash help with this part since they’re a little older now but you’ll definitely want to supervise. The skewer should be inserted as far as you can go without poking out of the top.

Now it’s time for the sugar mixture. It’s very easy but you do need a candy thermometer and you will need to keep an eye on the temperature as it cooks. You’ll just combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a pot and stir it together.

Once mixed together, you set in your thermometer. You don’t want it to be touching the bottom of the pot since this can throw off the reading of the actual sugar. You just want the tip of the thermometer to be inserted just into the sugar mixture. You’ll boil the sugar until the temperature reads 300 degrees then remove it from the heat. And you don’t need to stir it at all while it’s bubbling. Just let it do it’s thing.

After you’ve removed the sugar from the heat (be very careful!), you can stir in your flavoring, then the white food coloring. The white food coloring is what gives you a blank canvas for the other colors you’ll add. If you want to keep the sugar clear, you won’t need this. But the opacity that the white adds looks so pretty!

What flavors are best for candied grapes?

• Cotton candy
• Tropical punch
• Grape
• Caramel (taste like a caramel apple!)
• Watermelon
• Anything your heart desires!!

I use these candy flavor oils that are super concentrated. You can order them here on amazon or find them at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. They have so many flavor options!! We used bubble gum for this batch but honestly, I think the fruity flavors are even better!

I used neon pink and sky blue coloring for this batch but you can use any colors you like. Be careful adding too much though because the sugar can start to thicken. Just a few drops of gel coloring should be potent enough. After adding in your drops, just swirl everything together with a clean skewer or a spoon. Again, be very careful with the hot sugar!

As you swirl the grapes in the sugar mixture, you’ll want to work quickly. The longer the sugar sits and cools, the thicker it becomes and you just want a thin layer of sugar on each candied grape. And I forgot too take a photo but we did have a few sprinkles that we also added after swirling. Just be sure not to get the sprinkles in the sugar mixture. We just swirled, then dipped onto a plate of sprinkles quickly. You’ll then want to lay the grapes on a sheet of parchment paper or silicon mat to dry.

Tips for making candy grapes:

• Most importantly, be very careful with the hot sugar!
• Make sure your grapes are washed and completely dry before swirling
• Prep everything before cooking the sugar mixture
• Work quickly since the sugar cools quickly
• Pop them in the fridge to cool faster
• Remove the skewer after they’ve cooled

Print Recipe

4.58 from 7 votes

Candy Grapes

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Assembly time15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 25 grapes (approximately)

Author: Coco and Ash

Equipment

• 20-25 Skewers
• candy thermometer (find it here)
• parchment paper or silicon mat (find the mats here)

Ingredients

• 20-25 grapes washed and completely dried
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• white gel food coloring Find it here
• other gel colors of your choice (I used neon pink and sky blue)
• 2 teaspoons flavored oil of your choice These are what I use
• Sprinkles for decorating (optional)

Instructions

• Wash your grapes thoroughly by using a fruit wash or just soaking them in water with a splash of white vinegar for about 5 minutes. Rinse them well and dry completely.
• Insert a skewer into each grape and set them aside.
• In a sauce pan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup and stir to combine.
• Set the pot over medium to medium/high heat and insert the candy thermometer. The thermometer should not touch the bottom of the pan but just have the tip in the sugar mixture. Cook (not stirring) until the thermometer reaches 300°.
• As soon as the mixture reaches 300°, remove the pot from the heat. Stir in a few drops of the white coloring and your flavoring (I use an entire .125 ounce mini bottle of flavoring or about 2 teaspoons)
• Then add in 3-4 drops of your gel colors and swirl with a spoon or skewer. You could also do one solid color or more than 2 colors..it's totally up to you!
• Dip each skewered grape into the mixture while you spin the grape to coat it fully. Let the excess drip off and roll in sprinkles if desired.
• Place the coated grapes on a sheet of parchment paper or silicon mat to dry for about 15 minutes. You could also place them in the fridge for about 10 minutes to get fully hardened.

Notes

If you can't find skewers, you could use toothpicks in a pinch. Just be very careful because you don't want your hands touching the hot sugar mixture! 

To clean the pot once finished, just fill it with water and bring it to a boil while stirring. The sugar will lift right out of the bottom and dissolve and you can discard as you see fit. 

Some of the best flavors for this are:

• Cotton candy
• Tropical punch
• Grape
• Caramel (taste like a caramel apple!)
• Watermelon

You could also try dipping them in different color sprinkles, pop-rocks, sour powder...the possibilities are endless!