Currants vs. Raisins: How to Use the Fruits When Cooking

Currants can refer to very small dried, seedless grapes that are similar to raisins, or to berries. Producers make Zante currants by drying the small Black Corinth grape, which results in a mild, sweet flavor. In the US, you can typically find Zante currants in grocery stores, where they are often labeled as “currants.”

However, the small dried Zante currants are not true currants—red currants, black currants, and white currants are actually berries that grow on bushes, similar to gooseberries, and are not grapes. True currants are usually available fresh, not dried, and taste slightly sweet and slightly tart.

Raisins are dried fruit made from a seedless variety of white grapes. The US (predominantly California), Turkey, Australia, and Greece commonly produce raisins. In the US, growers typically use Thompson seedless grapes for seedless raisins. During the drying process—which takes about three weeks—the grapes naturally dry in the sun and darken in color. Most raisins are slightly chewy, though they can become crunchy if they are old or stale.

Producers also use white-fleshed grapes to make golden raisins, or sultanas, but they dry them in dehydrators rather than sunlight, resulting in raisins that are not as dark as traditional raisins. A sultana is slightly sweeter and plumper than a regular raisin. Sometimes producers use sulfur dioxide, a preservative, on sultana raisins to maintain a softer texture than that of traditional raisins.

Cooks in the UK and Ireland, where true currants are popular, bake the fresh red, black, or white berries into scones and puddings or use them for jams, resulting in a sweet-tart flavor profile. In contrast, cooks use Zante currants—which you might see labeled as just “currants”—dried rather than fresh. You can use Zante currants and raisins (both of which are dried grapes) in sweet or savory dishes, such as sweet buns, cereals, granola, trail mix, or chutneys.

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