Cotton Candy Grapes Are Back In Stores—And People Are Excited

Grapes that taste like cotton candy? Could it be true? Yes, and they’re back. Trader Joe’s and other grocery stores are once again stocking these sweet treats in their produce sections.

The fruit usually doesn’t appear until summer or even later, but it looks like cotton candy grapes are available everywhere now. You’ll want to go get them ASAP at your local store because they’re generally only available for a limited time.

The excitement began with an Instagram post from a Trader Joe’s in Florida announcing the return of the grapes:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BumnirRg7Ll/

Meanwhile, this Instagram post from a local open-air market in Portland, Oregon, explains how cotton candy grapes are the result of selective plant breeding. Cotton candy grapes are a natural hybrid of two grapes, with other genes mixed in.

They were invented by a team at International Fruit Genetics in Bakersfield, California, to have what the company calls a “toffee/caramel flavor” that’s sweet and not so tart. This post, shared on Instagram by Talarico’s Produce, says the grapes are “the product of some rigorous good old fashioned plant breeding.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvHWngiAyrd/

They seem to be just about everywhere. This market in Wisconsin tweeted that it also had the grapes available for purchase:

But they aren’t just popular in the U.S. You can even find them in Australia, at the supermarket Coles.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvGEer2HwAX/

If you’re having trouble finding them, check your local Costco, Sam’s Club, Trader Joe’s and Publix stores, all of which were dependable sources of the grapes in previous years.

Though they are totally fun to eat by themselves (we recommend freezing them), people are already contemplating how to incorporate them into recipes and communal food tables.

Don’t you want to be this Instagrammer’s co-worker?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvC5opEB_Ws/

Pastry chef Josip Franc of New Jersey hints that he’s also planning some dishes that incorporate cotton candy grapes. We can only imagine!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvFEKunH7dJ/

Naturally, people online are loudly proclaiming their love for cotton candy grapes. Several have shared where they found the coveted item, like Twitter user @LUUUZZZIEEE:

And some are registering a few complaints because they couldn’t get what they wanted:

https://twitter.com/IbiyinkaA/status/1106982780972470274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Now, here’s a really interesting idea from Twitter user @fijiwaterzone. How do we make this happen?

All I know is, I’ve got a hankering for cotton candy grapes now. Be right back, going to the store.