Fruit Riot Copycat Recipe(Frozen sour candy with real fruit)

When I saw Fruit Riot on TikTok, I was dying to get my hands on some! Frozen grapes are one of my favorite snacks, and I loved the idea having a sour candy-esque snack that wasn’t full of chemicals and calories.

To no avail, of course. Fruit riot frozen candy is pretty much sold out everywhere, and even if I could find it— it costs $7+ for an 8 ounce bag!

Looking at the ingredient list, I felt like I could easily make this at home anyway, and I think I found the perfect recipe (using the EXACT same ingredients!!)

If you’ve been wanting to get your hands on Fruit Riot as well, I’d highly recommend just making it at home! This recipe is super quick and easy and makes for a somewhat healthy snack that tastes just like sour candy.

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What is Fruit Riot?

Fruit riot is a frozen sour candy that is made of real fruit coated in a a sour sugar coating. It’s going absolutely viral on TikTok right now for the fact that it’s super delicious, made with real fruit, and is only 45 calories per serving.

The candy comes in grape, mango, and pineapple varieties, and boasts no artificial colors or flavors.

What ingredients do I need to make Fruit Riot at home?

Looking at the ingredients list for fruit riot, I felt like this would be super easy and inexpensive to make at home. All of the ingredients are easily obtainable at your local health food store or on Amazon (which is where I got mine).

Though, they’re probably not things you have laying around the house already unless you’re an avid baker or candy maker!

To make Fruit Riot as much like the real deal as possible, I followed the EXACT ingredients on the packaging. I’m going to list out each, and what it’s used for. I do think a few things could be skipped if you want to save a buck or two on supplies, so I’ll make note of that two.

Here are all of the ingredients found in fruit riot, and what you’ll need to make your own at home:

1. Fruit of your choosing:
   • Cotton candy grapes or regular grapes based on your preference (pre-washed, frozen, and de-stemmed)
   • Frozen mango chunks
   • Frozen pineapple chunks

The great thing about making fruit riot at home is that you can definitely experiment with other fruits you love! The ones listed are just the ones that Fruit Riot sells, however I think it could be so delicious to make these with strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, etc.

1. 🍋 Lemon juice: Lemon juice will help the sugar coating adhere to your fruits and add to the tangy sour flavor. I used lemon juice from fresh lemons for mine, but you can also use bottled lemon juice
2. 🍬 Sugar: Just plain white sugar you have in your pantry will do. This will be used for the sour coating mix.
3. 🍊 Citric acid: This is an ingredient that’s used in most sour candies and has a super sour flavor. It is derived from citrus fruits like lemons and limes. I got mine on Amazon.
4. 🍎 Malic acid:* This is another ingredient used in sour candies and has a really similar taste to citric acid. Fruit riot uses a mixture of both in their candy, which is why I got both. Malic acid is derived from apples, so it is supposedly sweeter and has a slight apple-y flavor. Upon taste testing, I felt they tasted really similar. Personally, I think you could choose one or the other if you don’t want to buy both. Also got this on Amazon.
5. 🌽 Soluble corn fiber*: I did not know what this was prior to making this recipe, but since it was on the ingredient list, I went ahead and ordered some on Amazon. Apparently, this ingredient is used to “thicken processed foods like cereals, baked goods, dairy products, protein bars.” I think you could probably skip it, but I actually liked it because I felt it helped absorb extra liquid and give a more crunchy texture! Also purchased on Amazon.
6. 🌽 Corn starch: Adding corn starch I felt helped the candy not stick together.
7. 🥥 Coconut oil*: Coconut oil helped the the candy form a shell around it, and also helped the sugary coating stick.

*ingredients I would say are optional for the recipe if you’re looking to save on costs

Products I used:

I bought my fruit at Whole Foods, and everything else I didn’t already have had 2-day shipping on Amazon!

How to make Fruit Riot at home

I had to re-do this recipe after the first attempt was a complete failure! So in my experience, this is the best way to make fruit riot at home:

1. Prep your fruit

If you are using grapes, wash them, de-stem them, and freeze them before you attempt to make your candy. Make sure they are completely frozen before you move on to the next steps.

If you are using pre-frozen mango or pineapple, there is no prep needed. The only tip I have is that you need to keep your fruit completely frozen before you start coating it. DO NOT leave it on the counter for even 10 minutes.

I made this mistake the first time and the melting juices/water really hindered the ability to achieve a sugary, flaky coating.

2. Prep your liquid mixture

In a large bowl, combine the following:

• 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
• The juice of 1/2 a lemon.

This liquid mixture will help the dry sour candy mixture adhere to your candy.

3. Prep your dry mixture

In a second large bowl, combine the following:

• 1 Cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/4 cup soluble corn fiber
• 1/2 table spoon citric acid*
• 1/2 tablespoon malic acid*

*holy-moley, this stuff is sour! I’m an avid sour candy lover and it caught me off guard how sour even small amounts of citric and malic acid made the coating. I recommend starting really small and adding more to taste!

This amount of coating was enough for me to cover a bag of frozen mango, a bag of frozen pineapple, and an entire box of grapes. Make more or less depending how much fruit you are covering. It is better to have extra coating than not enough!

4. Toss your frozen fruit in the liquid mixture

Simply add your fruit to the bowl with the liquid and toss it around with your hands or a large spoon. I combined my grapes, mango, and pineapple together and this worked fine for me.

You will notice the coconut oil starts to solidify as you toss it, this is normal.

5. Toss your frozen fruit in the dry mixture

Simply transfer the fruit over to the other bowl with the dry mixture, ensuring you leave behind any excess liquid that didn’t stick to the fruit

If your fruit is not properly coated, you may need to mix up more coating and add to the bowl.

6. Store in the freezer or enjoy!

You can enjoy your frozen treat immediately, or you can pop it back in the freezer in either a plastic bag or large bowl.

For best results, leave your candy out on the counter for about 5-10 minutes so it’s easier to bite into.

DIY Fruit Riot Recipe Card

OMG this stuff is amazing!!! As a sour candy lover, I now feel like I have the perfect guilt free way to enjoy my favorite candies without food dyes, chemicals, and extra calories. Of course, it’s not perfectly healthy, but it’s wayyyy better than the alternative!

Let me know what you think!!