Grape Salad

Prep 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings

I developed this classic creamy Grape Salad with red and green grapes combined with a cheesecake-like dressing, and then finished it with a chopped pecan-brown sugar topping. Itโ€™s a crazy, delicious, and easy fruit salad that’s perfect for spring and summer that is loved by everyone!

Overhead view of a bowl of creamy grape salad.

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5 STAR REVIEW

Easy Grape Salad Recipe

This classic creamy Grape Salad combines both red and green grapes with a mixture of cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar thatโ€™s then topped with brown sugar and pecans. Though itโ€™s often served as a side dish, it sure tastes a lot like dessert! I love that itโ€™s sweet with just the perfect amount of tang from the sour cream and tartness from the grapes.

Quick, easy, requires absolutely no cooking or baking, and absolutely delicious, itโ€™s always a hit at get togethers and potlucks.

I buy extra green grapes and make these Caramel Apple Grapesโ€”such a fun finger food that tastes like a caramel apple in every tiny bite!

5 from 2

Grape Salad

Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
This creamy grape salad mixes red and green grapes with a rich, cheesecake-like dressing and a sweet pecan-brown sugar topping. Itโ€™s an easy, crowd-pleasing fruit salad, perfect for spring and summer.
See below the recipe card for step-by-step images.

Ingredients 

  • 8 ounce brick cream cheese, , softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ยผ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups small seedless firm red grapes, , washed and dried*
  • 2 cups small seedless firm green grapes, , washed and dried*
  • ยฝ cup chopped toasted pecans, (or walnuts), divided
  • ยผ cup light brown sugar

Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until well blended, creamy and smooth.
  • Gently fold in the red grapes, green grapes, and 1/4 cup of the pecans until everything is coated.
  • Cover and chill for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
  • Before serving, combine the remaining 1/4 cup pecans and the brown sugar; sprinkle over the top of the salad. Enjoy cold.

Notes

*You could use all red or all green seedless grapes, but I recommend using equal amounts of both. Sweet red grapes offer a nice balance to tart green grapes, plus they look prettier too. Choose fresh grapes that are firm and not mushy or soft.

Nutrition

Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 610IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

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How to Make Grape Salad Step by Step

Combining the ingredients for the dressing.

Make the creamy dressing: Beat together an 8-ounce brick of cream cheese, 1 cup sour cream, ยผ cup granulated sugar, and 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla until well blended, creamy, and smooth.

Adding grapes to the bowl of dressing.

Add the grapes: Fold in 2 cups of red grapes and 2 cups of green grapes, and ยผ cup of pecans until coated.

Covering the bowl of grape salad with plastic wrap.

Chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Overnight works too.

Close-up view of a bowl of creamy grape salad

Serve: Combine ยผ cup pecans and ยผ cup brown sugar. Sprinkle over the salad and enjoy.

Recipe Variations

  • Add Snickers or a Heath Bar. Yes really! Some people swear by adding chopped up Snickers bars to this easy fruit salad. Similarly, crushed-up toffee from a Heath or Butterfinger bar is a popular addition too.
  • Replace the sour cream with yogurt. If you’re not a fan of sour cream or want a healthier alternative, you can replace it with plain Greek yogurt or vanilla yogurt.
  • Add a graham cracker topping. Crushed graham crackers also make a great topping on grape salad, with or without the brown sugar.
A fork with a bite of grape salad over a bowl

How to Store

Grape salad is best when eaten within 2 days. For that reason, I do not recommend making it more than the night before you’ll be enjoying it. Be sure to keep it tightly covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should be enjoyed cold, but you can let it soften just a bit at room temperature, if necessary, and give it a stir before serving again.

Serving Suggestions

This salad is typically served in a large bowl, but we think putting it in a shallow casserole dish is ideal, so the brown sugar/nut mixture gets equal coverage over the salad and everyone gets some of that
highly coveted topping. Another option is to put the topping in its own separate bowl to the side of the salad and let people sprinkle it on themselves.

I like to offer this up at summer BBQs. It makes a great sweet side dish to Oklahoma Smash Burgers, or fun Spiral Hot Dogs. Pretty much anything else fresh off the grill will work well, too. Plus this salad is always a hit with both kids and adults!

Angled overhead view of a bowl of grape salad

More Creamy Summer Salad Recipes:

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About Amy Flanigan

Well, hey there! Amy here, founder and COO at BellyFull. If youโ€™re looking for tried and true, fuss-free, budget-friendly, delicious, every day recipes, youโ€™ve come to the right place.

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2 Comments

  1. Wendi says:

    5 stars
    This was a HUGE hit at a BBQ this weekend, everyone loved it! So easy too!

  2. Holly says:

    5 stars
    Love this salad so much! The brown sugar and nuts really take it to level 11.