Grape Salad

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This Grape Salad recipe is a delightful blend of juicy red and green seedless grapes enveloped in a creamy, sweet, and tangy dressing that’ll make your taste buds dance with joy. Perfect as a light dessert or a unique side dish, it’s quick to prepare and even easier to enjoy. Topped with an irresistible crunchy, pecan, and brown sugar mixture, this salad isn’t just a feast for the palate—it’s a feast for the eyes as well! Ready to impress your friends and family? I promise, everyone who tries this salad will be hooked!

This is a recipe my family has been serving for more years than I can remember. As the name implies, grapes are the main ingredient, making the salad a great source of antioxidants, fiber, and other good-for-you stuff!  Different types of grapes will add extra color, varying sweetness, and texture. My family loves it simply because of its fabulous flavor! The sweet cream cheese mixture over the fruit is absolutely to die for!

If you’re planning a holiday menu, be sure to browse my Easter Side Dishes for more fresh, crowd-pleasing recipes. And if you love easy cold salads like this one, I hope you’ll also try my Tomato Salad, Creamy Fruit Salad, and Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.

Pull out your favorite Tupperware to share this salad with your friends and bring copies of the recipe. They’ll want you to share! Let’s dive into the deliciousness!

Grape Salad Recipe Ingredients

Salad:

• Grapes: I prefer using a combination of green grapes and red grapes. Seedless, of course!
• Sour Cream: For the best flavor, I recommend using regular sour cream in this recipe. If you’d prefer, you can substitute the sour cream with Greek vanilla yogurt.
• Cream Cheese: As above, I use regular cream cheese, not Neufchâtel, the lower-fat version, for the best taste. Just one softened package cream cheese. If you forget to bring the cream cheese to room temperature, you can remove the foil wrapping, place it on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave it for 15 seconds. Check the texture and continue to heat, in 10-second intervals, until you reach the desired texture for easy mixing.
• Sugar: We use regular table sugar, also known as granulated sugar, in the salad.
• Vanilla Extract: I love the vanilla flavor that pure vanilla extract brings to the dressing of this salad.

Topping:

• Brown Sugar + Pecans: This creates an excellent textural crunch to this smooth and creamy salad. Please don’t skip it, it’s such a fantastic finish.

Tips For Making Your Grape Salad Even Better

• Wash the Grapes: Start by washing the grapes (4 pounds) thoroughly. Lay them out on paper towels, turning them over at least once, to ensure they dry completely. This step is crucial for a crisp salad!Grapes: You can make a red grape salad or use a combination of red and green grapes. Alternatively, feel free to try this recipe with any fun varieties you find in your grocery store, such as tiny champagne grapes or tear-drop-shaped ones (sometimes called “witch fingers” or “chili pepper” grapes).
  • Just make sure they’re completely dry before you toss them with the dressing. If they’re wet, they’ll water down the creamy coating and keep it from clinging to the grapes like it’s supposed to.
• Make It Lighter: If you’re looking for a lighter version, try using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. This will give you a similar creaminess with added protein and fewer calories.
• One-Dish: I make the dressing in a large enough bowl to hold the grapes as well. That way, once the dressing is mixed, you can toss the grapes directly into the same dish. We all appreciate having fewer dishes to wash, so be sure to grab a large bowl!
• Pecans: Toasting the pecans just until they’re fragrant brings out their extra flavor, so try to plan enough time to do so (I usually toast them while the salad is in the fridge).
• Toasting can be done on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about five minutes or in a skillet over medium heat for one or two minutes. Just watch the nuts carefully so they don’t burn.
• Another tip is to toast more nuts than you need. Since the oven’s already on and you’re going to the trouble anyway, you might as well have enough leftovers for your morning bowl of oatmeal or late-night ice cream snack.
• Refrigerating: I recommend letting this rest in the fridge for at least a few hours. Overnight works just fine, too, if you’d like to make it ahead. Just don’t add the topping until right before you’re ready to serve; otherwise, you’ll miss out on the lovely, crunchy goodness! Be sure to give it a good stir before serving.
• Presentation Matters: Consider serving the salad in individual cups or jars for a fun and elegant presentation. This can also make serving easier at potlucks or parties.
• Storage + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Your salad will stay fresh and yummy for 3-4 days in the fridge. Store it well covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
• Can You Freeze This?  Unfortunately, this isn’t freezer-friendly, but it’s so easy to whip up.
• Make-Ahead Tips: This dish can be prepared a day in advance. Refrigerate it overnight without the toppings. Add the toppings when it’s ready to serve.
• Food Safety: For more information on food safety, please visit this link.

How To Make Creamy Grape Salad Recipe

1. Salad: Wash the grapes.
2. Using a handheld mixer, combine cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Add grapes and toss well.
4. Cover and refrigerate.
5. Topping: Combine brown sugar and pecans.
6. Spread the salad out in a serving dish.
7. Sprinkle the topping (brown sugar + crunchy pecans),  and serve.

***See the full instructions below.

Recipe Variations

1. Experiment with Flavors: Add shredded coconut, mini marshmallows, or diced candy bars for an exciting twist!  Many dessert salads add chopped candy bars. Snickers bars seem to be the most popular. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of adding them personally. I love how sweet the dressing and fresh fruit are all on their own. That said, a lot of people love this addition!
2. Add blueberries or strawberries:  I love this salad with 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries mixed in.
3. Apples, too: Adding chopped apples is not only delicious, but it also adds a nice, crispy textural change.
4. Toasted walnuts or slivered almonds instead of pecans.
5. Shredded coconut is always a favorite addition to make when you want to change things up a bit.
6. Lighter dressing: If you’d like a slightly lighter version of this salad, you can adjust the dressing a bit by making a Grape Salad with yogurt. Simply replace the sour cream with 8 ounces of vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt. If you do, you can reduce the sugar to ¼ cup (or less, depending on your preference for sweetness) and omit the vanilla extract, as it’s already present in the yogurt.
   • You can also use low-fat cream cheese and substitute honey or your favorite sugar substitute for granulated sugar.
7. Topping variations:  The topping in this recipe adds a crunchy, sweet element that really makes this dish, plus serves as a pretty enticing garnish. The dressing is already sweet, though, so if you’d like, you can omit the brown sugar completely and simply sprinkle the top of the salad with toasted, chopped pecans (or your favorite nutty substitute).
   • If you want to experiment in the sweet direction, you could try making this Grape Salad with Butterfingers or Snickers. Yes, the candy bar. Just crush four Butterfingers in a Ziploc-style bag (I like to use a rolling pin for this) or in a food processor, or chop the same amount of Snickers bars and sprinkle on top of the salad with the pecans.
   • If you add the candy bar, skip the 1 cup of brown sugar in the topping.

More Salad Recipes

• Ambrosia Salad
• Mediterranean Salad
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Three Bean Salad
• Carrot Salad
• Tortellini Salad
• Ina’s Potato Salad
• Strawberry Pretzel Salad
• 7-Layer Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Watergate Salad
• Frog Eye Salad
• Creamy Fruit Salad
• Frescas Con Crema

See All Our Pasta Salad Recipes HERE!

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Grape Salad

This grape salad is a yummy combination of red & green grapes with creamy, sweet, and tangy dressing, topped with sweet brown sugar and crunchy walnuts!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds red seedless grapes
• ▢ 2 pounds green seedless grapes
• ▢ 8 ounces sour cream
• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar packed
• ▢ 1 cup pecans chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Salad: Wash the grapes (4 pounds) then lay them out on paper towels, turning over at least once, to dry thoroughly.
• In a very large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, combine the cream cheese (8 ounces), sour cream (8 ounces), sugar (1/2 cup), and vanilla (1 cup) until smooth. Add grapes toss well to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
• Topping: In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar (1 cup) and pecans (1 cup).
• Spread salad out on a large rimmed serving dish or a 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with topping and serve.

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Cranberry Fluff
• 
  Cranberry Jello Salad
• 
  Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
• 
  Strawberry Cheesecake Salad

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Notes

1. Grapes:  You can make a red grape salad, or use red and green grapes, or feel free to try this recipe with any fun varieties you find in your grocery store – tiny champagne grapes or tear-drop-shaped ones (sometimes called “witch fingers” or “chili pepper” grapes).
   • Just make sure they’re completely dry before you toss them with the dressing. If they’re wet, they’ll water down the creamy coating and keep it from clinging to the grapes like it’s supposed to.
2. Pecans:  Toasting the pecans just until they’re fragrant brings out the extra flavor, so try and plan enough time to do that (I usually toast them while the salad is hanging out in the fridge).
   • Toasting can be done on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about five minutes or in a skillet over medium heat for one or two minutes. Just watch the nuts carefully so they don’t burn.
   • Another tip is to go ahead and toast more nuts than you need. Since the oven’s already on and you’re going to the trouble anyway, you might as well have enough leftovers for your morning bowl of oatmeal or late-night ice cream snack.
   • One-Dish Dish:  I make the dressing in a bowl large enough to hold the grapes as well. That way, once the dressing is mixed you can toss the grapes directly into the same dish. We all appreciate having fewer dishes to wash, so make sure you grab a big mixing/serving bowl!
   • Refrigerating:  I like to let this rest in the fridge for a few hours minimum. Overnight works just fine, too, if you’d like to make it ahead. Just don’t add the topping until right before you’re ready to serve it, otherwise, you’ll miss out on the lovely crunchy goodness!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 735kcal | Carbohydrates: 114g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 792mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 103g | Vitamin A: 952IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 2mg

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