One of the Biggest Food Trends of the Year Is Already in Your Freezer

Whether you’re a fried chicken sandwich stan or potato chip connoisseur, it’s safe to say all of us appreciate a crunchy snack. According to Whole Foods Market’s trend forecast for 2025, we just might appreciate it more than ever, as the grocery chain deemed crunch the “texture of the moment.” As a food editor, this got me flipping through my mental Rolodex of popular TikTok recipes of the past year, and I realized that not only have crunchy foods been dominating our collective cravings lately, but specifically crunchy frozen foods—namely fruits.

The first example that came to mind (probably because I regrettably haven’t tried it myself yet) was the viral Fruit Riot sour grapes. When I tell you I would pay a premium to devour an entire bag of freshly frozen grapes coated in lemon juice and sour candy coating (there’s even a variety pack with mixed berry, green apple and lemon lime varieties, ICYMI), I mean it. Frozen grapes already have that juicy, burst-in-your-mouth quality (the feeling makes me think of the metallic goo in those ’90s Capri Sun commercials that would take over folks’ bodies after a sip). Add lip-puckering citric acid to the mix, and I’m fully drooling.

That got me thinking about those frozen Fruit Roll-Up covered grapes that took over the internet for a moment. (Remember that video by @golisdream of the Fruit Roll-Up-wrapped ice cream that went viral in 2023? I’d argue she’s at least partially responsible for this trend.) I can attest that the childhood snack turns shatteringly crisp in the freezer or simply when it comes into contact with ice cream, no freezer required. Paired with plump, succulent grapes, it’s no wonder these took off on TikTok (especially the cotton candy variety). I’m thirsting to try them drenched in Chamoy and dusted with Tajín.

While I was dreaming about my go-to vanilla bean encased in fruit leather, I remembered yet another fruity frozen treat that the internet went gaga over: Hong Qi ice cream. These ice cream bars, which are shaped like the fruits they taste like, were everywhere (read: my Instagram feed) for a few months, and they were perpetually sold out because of the hype. While they don’t offer the unfettered juiciness of frozen produce, I’d argue they still fit the trend, since they’re coated in a thick, crunchy layer of what seems to be white chocolate and reportedly taste like real fruit.

One on-theme frozen fruit trend I didn’t see coming this summer was grated tomato. I feel like every other video on my feed showed someone vigorously sliding a rock-hard tomato along a microplane, creating a flurry of blush-colored bliss atop dishes like fancy toast, ice cream or yogurt. Of course, tomato season is also stone fruit season, so there were also countless videos of folks using peaches instead.