Like many other fruits, grapes mainly consist of water. The water content is about 80%, but that can significantly vary from one variety to the next. Grapes are liked by many people because they are highly nutritious, containing vitamin C and B-1, flavonoids, potassium, and manganese. These fruits are also sources of disease-fighting antioxidants.
However, grapes have a short shelf life and are seasonal. They are sold cheaply at the groceries when they are in season. The price can double or triple in other seasons. How do you enjoy the delicacy of grapes in such situations without feeling exploited? Can you freeze grapes?
Buy grapes in bulk when they are in season and freeze them. It is possible to preserve them for later use, and that is the focus of this article.
Recipe With Grapes
Grape lovers have many ways of enjoying the great treat of this juicy fruit. It can be used in different recipes, fresh or thawed. The following are some of the recipes that you can try with grapes:
Green Grape Salad Recipe
Ingredients
| Material | Quantity |
| Seedless green grapes | 4 pounds |
| Cream Cheese | 1 8-ounce package |
| Sour cream | 1 8-ounce container |
| White sugar | ½ cup |
| Vanilla extract | 1 Teaspoonful |
| Chopped pecans | 4 ounces |
| Brown sugar | 2 tablespoonfuls |
Instructions
Wash and dry grapes. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir thoroughly to obtain a uniform mixture.
Add grapes and continue mixing until uniformly mixed. Sprinkle brown sugar and pecans and then mix again.
Refrigerate until ready for serving.
White Chocolate Grapes Recipe
Ingredients
| Material | Quantity |
| White chocolate chips | 2 cups |
| Shortening | 2 Teaspoonfuls |
| Seedless grapes | 1 pound |
| Finely chopped and salted peanuts | 1 cup |
Instructions
Mix white chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-friendly bowl. Put in the microwave for 30 seconds, take out, and stir. Put it back again and repeat the steps until melted and soft.
Spread the chopped peanuts on a piece of waxed paper. Alternatively, you can use a dinner plate.
Dip clean, dry grapes in the chocolate and roll in the peanuts. Put on the waxed paper to dry. Warm the chocolate in the microwave as needed before serving to keep it liquid.
Grape and Avocado Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
| Material | Quantity |
| Chopped seedless red grapes | 1 ½ cups |
| Peeled, pitted, and diced avocado | 1 |
| Chopped yellow bell pepper | 2 tablespoonfuls |
| Chopped red bell pepper | ¼ Cup |
| Chopped sweet onion | 2 tablespoonfuls |
| Chopped fresh cilantro | 2 tablespoonfuls |
| Lime juice | 1 tablespoonful |
| Garlic salt | ½ tablespoonful |
| Ground black pepper | 1 pinch |
Instructions
Place the grapes, avocado, red pepper, yellow pepper, onion, and cilantro in a mixing bowl and season with lime juice, garlic salt, and black pepper.
Fold the ingredients together and ensure they mix well.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving
Do Grapes Go Bad?
Yes. Fresh grapes can only last between 5 and 10 days in a refrigerator. That means you cannot enjoy these delicious fruits for long, even if you bought a whole sack from the grocery. However, they can be frozen to last much longer. Details of freezing grapes are in the next section.
So, how do you know that grapes have spoiled and should not be eaten raw or cooked? Like any other food or fruit, grapes also give signs of spoilage. They will start turning brown, becoming soft and mushy, and juices begin to leak out of them. The grapes may also turn sour when tasted. In advanced grape spoilage stages, mold will grow on it.
Spoiled grapes are as poisonous as any other food. Discard them the moment you realize that they are not fresh. You should use your grapes as soon as you bring them home if you don’t plan to freeze them.
How Long Does Grapes Last?
The shelf life of grapes is about 5-10 days when stored in the refrigerator. However, that can be significantly affected if stored in the pantry. Generally, how long grapes last depends on the storage conditions.
Frozen grapes last much longer. If the freezing procedure is carefully followed, then they can last for up to 10 months. However, you should use your grapes as soon as possible because it degrades with time.
Can You Freeze Grapes?
Yes. You can increase the shelf life of grapes for up to 10 months by freezing them. Soft and/or bruised ones should be avoided. Freeze only high-quality ones and seedless grapes if possible. We are not saying that the seeded ones should not be frozen, but the quality of your thawed treat can deteriorate. Better still, you can cut the seeded grapes into halves to remove the seeds.
Frozen grapes are the best treatment among all other frozen foods and fruits. The quality and flavor don’t deteriorate that much, but you are better off eating them as soon as possible. Whether you need quick snacks or you want to prepare a recipe, frozen grapes will be suitable.
Some grapes varieties are known to even get better when frozen. Such grapes are commonly used for making wine. Fortunately, freezing grapes is also a breeze. So, next time you find grapes in your grocery store, don’t be afraid to buy as much as you can if you have a freezer. You can preserve them for future use through freezing.
How To Freeze Grapes?
Once we have answered your question on how to freeze grapes, the next question pops up. How can you freeze grapes? If you are familiar with food freezing, you will find it easy to freeze grapes as well. The method mainly remains the same, with just a few tweaks to suit the situation.
Step 1: Sort the grapes
High-quality grapes will give you a longer shelf life when frozen. That is the need for sorting. Peeled, bruised, and soft ones should be left out. Choose only fresh and healthy ones for freezing. You should remove them from the twig or branch. Proceed to the next step when done sorting.
Step 2: Wash and dry the grapes
Grapes come with dirt and pesticide residues from the vineyard. These should be washed away and the grapes dry. You can dry them with a kitchen or paper towel. If you have time, you can wipe the individual grapes to ensure no water droplets remains. This step also prevents the icicles formation when the grapes are frozen.
Step 3: Pre-freeze the grapes
Spread the grapes to one layer thick on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until frozen. Take them out for further processing.
Step 4: Packaging
Pack the grapes in a sealable freezer bag, ensuring that excess air is expelled from the bag. If you have many freezer bags and don’t intend to use the grapes all at once, you can pack them in different freezer bags. That ensures others are not disturbed when removing just a handful from the freezer.
Step 5: Label and freeze the grapes
You need to track the time the grapes take in the freezer so that you can use them when they are still fresh. The best way to do that is to label the freezer bags with the current date and time. The marker used should be permanent.
Put the packed and labeled grapes back into the freezer and maintain a constant low temperature.
Freezing Grapes Tips
To ensure that your frozen grapes last for as long as possible, consider using the following tips:
- Freeze only unpeeled and unbruised grapes. High-quality ones are likely to freeze better and last longer.
- Seedless grapes are preferred for freezing to seeded ones. You may consider cutting the seeded grapes into two sections to remove the seeds.
- Use only the recommended sealable freezer bags for freezing grapes.
- Don’t stack grapes on top of each other when freezing. You can also put small portions in different freezer bags.
- Squeeze as much air from the freezer bags as possible before sealing them.
How To Defrost Grapes?
Grapes can be eaten raw when still frozen. You can eat them as cold snacks for a hot afternoon treat. Or, add them to smoothies or toss them in your favorite fruit salad. However, you can also thaw them before use in some recipes.
Defrosting grapes is a quick and easy process. Take them out of the freezer and put them in a container in a fridge. It will take several hours before they are completely thawed. The best approach is to leave them there overnight.
The grape throwing process should be slow but steady to retain flavor and texture. You should be able to enjoy grapes after defrosting as much as you would when fresh.
Tips For Using Frozen and Thawed Grapes?
One factor that makes grapes the ideal fruits for freezing is that they retain their texture, color, and flavor more than any other food. That means you can still use the thawed grapes in many recipes. Most people prefer them as snacks, but you can also use defrosted grapes in the following ways:
- Make into green smoothies and slushie
- Serve with oatmeal and yogurt
- Use in baking, such as muffins, tarts, pies
- Throw in salads
- Atop of ice cream and cold desserts
Summary
Can you freeze grapes? Freezing grapes is the best way to preserve and use them later. If they are in season and/or their prices drop at the grocery, you can shop in bulk without any worries. All you need is a freezer and freezer bags, and you will be able to enjoy them several months later.
Unlike other frozen foods, grapes can maintain texture, color, and flavor for longer periods. However, you need to follow the procedure and only freeze high-quality grapes.
