February 27, 2014

Sweet and crunchy snack: Crunchies grapes

The picture on the label is of fresh grapes, not what's inside the package.

When I was offered a sample of Crunchies grapes for review, I looked at their Web page and couldn't find any reason not to try them — they're gluten-free*, vegan, raw, non-GMO, freeze-dried with no added ingredients. I swear, there are so many labels applied to food indicating what's in them and what isn't, it's hard to keep track. The one thing I didn't notice at first was that they aren't organic, and I usually buy organic grapes. A couple of the Crunchies products are organic, and I may not have been paying close attention when I looked at the grapes. If you only eat organic food, I guess we're done here, but if you're curious about what Crunchies freeze-dried grapes taste like, read on.


At first crunch, I thought I was munching a piece of very sweet candy. As I chewed, I detected more of a raisin flavor, which makes sense since raisins are dried grapes. Crunchies are nothing like ordinary dried fruit, though — they are hard (but not too hard) and crispy. They crush easily in the mouth, and provide a sweet burst of flavor, almost like the sweet fruit equivalent of a potato chip, but without the fat. I liked them a lot.


The package says that freeze-drying "retains 90% of the nutrients" of the fresh fruit compared with "an average of only 45% maximum" for air-dried fruits. It says that "1/4 cup of fruit crunchies has an average of five grams of total sugar while 1/4 cup of dried fruit has an average of 25 grams of total sugar." A package of Crunchies grapes contains 1.2 ounces (two servings of fruit) and costs $5.49.

I'm including the nutrition label for you to see. I always get a little weirded out when nutrition labels contain mostly zeros except for sugars, but maybe that's just me. Have you tried Crunchies? How do you interpret nutrition labels like this one?

* The Crunchies are certified gluten-free but are packaged in a facility that packages milk, eggs, wheat and soy products.

Remember to keep Crunchies grapes, and all grapes and grape products away from your dog. Ingestion of any amount of grapes or raisins can lead to sudden kidney failure in dogs. If your dog eats grapes or raisins, seek immediate veterinary care.


Full Disclosure: The Crunchies grapes were sent to me free of charge. I was not paid to write a review, and all opinions expressed here are my own.

23 comments:

  1. I've tried a number of these types of freeze-dried fruit snacks, but I've never seen grapes. That looks way more appetizing to me than the requisite apple slices; I'll have to keep my eye out for them.

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    1. They really did taste like candy at first, and the crunch was really appealing. I think you would like them.

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  2. Hmm. I'm not sure how I feel about freeze dried grapes. I've had freeze dried apple slices and they were great. Crunchy grapes just seems weird! If I ever see them I may give them a try, though. You did make them sound enticing.

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    1. Crunchy in a good way. The grapes were crazy sweet and very satisfying.

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  3. This just sounds so bizarre to me. But I guess they'd be a good travel snack.

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    1. It's just another way of preserving food — weird but tasty!

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  4. I am really curious to try these out. I must admit that I haven't seen them before, though.

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    1. I was curious, too, which is why I agreed to review them. They can be ordered online.

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  5. What an interesting product! I've seen freeze-dried strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries at Trader Joe's, but never frozen grapes. They look tasty and like they'd be yummy as a component in a trail mix maybe.

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    1. Maybe. Yes, why not? I just ate a few to see how they might be in trail mix, and I think they'd be a fun treat.

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  6. Those look delicious! And thank you for sharing the warning about dogs! Darrol basically feeds everything he's eating to Jenna, so now I know to quarantine her when I start feeding him things with grapes/raisins in them. YIKES!

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    1. When I take care of my grandson, and he's having lunch, Callie positions herself directly under the highchair, and this fact is not lost on the baby. I keep refreshing my knowledge of what foods are toxic to dogs. Just relearned about avocado.

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  7. Crunchy grapes? What a great idea! Hope to see them soon.

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    1. They are made in California so you'll probably see them first!

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  8. It's a lot of sugar rather eat frozen grapes so cool in your mouth

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    1. Frozen grapes are nice, but kind of hard to carry around with you. Since there's no sugar added to the dried grapes, the only sugar is what was in the grapes when they were fresh!

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  9. What a great review, at first I I thought it was awesome that you’re writing about one of my favorite snack foods - grapes! I’ve never tried freeze-dried grapes before, but I would love to try some!

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    1. Thanks! Freeze-dried grapes are really different from fresh ones, but are really delicious.

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  10. I have had the strawberries and i love them!

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    1. I'll bet the strawberries are really good!

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  11. Love the name Crunchies, it sounds and looks like an awesome snack! All of the zeroes in the nutrition label doesn't bother me. It just means there's no fat, cholesterol or sodium. And maybe the serving size is so small, none of the vitamins show up?

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  12. Grape crunchies look delicious, but I've never tried them, and I hope the don’t taste like the usual raisins. What I did try was dried green leafs, which were crunchy and delicious all the same. Who would've thought that aside from the usual fruits, leafy veggies can be frost dried and pigged out as snacks too! MoringaDelight.com

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