Lucky Fruits to Eat for the New Year

“If you want to have a lucky New Year, I think you should add grapes to the menu,” my friend says.

I’ve just told her about our family’s usual New Year’s Eve spread of light appetizers and munchies.

“Grapes?” I ask. “Why?”

Grapes for Good Luck

Grapes are totally appropriate for a charcuterie board, but I’ve never heard them described as lucky. It turns out they’re a key part of a New Year’s tradition that originated in Spain sometime around the 1800s. You’re supposed to eat one grape with each chime of the clock at midnight. (That’s twelve grapes in total, one for each month.) They’ll bring you a prosperous and fruitful 2026!

The US grape season is done for the year, but there are still grapes to be found. The FruitGuys is sourcing imported grapes right now for schools and offices that need them. And if you want to add them to your New Year’s Eve spread at home, you can probably find some at the grocery store.

More Lucky Fruits for New Years

Grapes aren’t the only fruit said to bring good luck in the new year. Pomegranates, oranges, pummelos, and apples all have their own lucky legends. You can read all about them in our “Holiday Fruit Traditions from Around the World” blog.

To Grape or Not to Grape?

I’m not particularly superstitious, but it never hurts to have more luck. So if my wife and I make it to midnight—we have young kids, so that’s not a guarantee—then I’m down to give the Spanish tradition a try.

Whether you go for grapes or no grapes, I hope your New Year’s celebration brings you joy. I’m incredibly grateful for you, our fruit family, and a wonderful 2025. Here’s to an even more fruitful 2026!