Grape Salad Recipe – Grape salad makes an easy and delicious side dish or dessert! Creamy, crunchy and made with just 5 ingredients! It is family favorite recipe!
Grape salad is one dish I could always guarantee would be served at our family reunions when I was growing up. Usually, it would be stuck on the backside of the long counter of the church fellowship hall beside the relish trays. But I have to tell you, it was one of the dishes that I looked for every year. I sought it out like my life depended on it. Creamy and delicious, each bite has a fresh burst of sweet grapes combined with the tangy dressing on the salad. It is always a family favorite!
Grape Salad Recipe
What is Grape Salad?
Grape Salad is a side dish or dessert made of fresh grapes, cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract, and then topped with a bit of brown sugar. If you like pecans, you can absolutely include those but if you aren’t a fan or are taking to a reunion, wedding or baby shower, picnic or potluck where someone may have a nut allergy, I would recommend simply omitting them. In place of the pecans, you could include toffee bits if you’d like.
For the grapes, I like to use a mixture of different colors of seedless grapes – red, green, and black. The key is to make sure that the grapes are as fresh as possible; yet as sweet as possible. That way, you can rely on the natural sweetness of the grapes rather than having to include a sweetener in the creamy dressing on the grapes.
You can use your grapes whole or slice in half. However you prefer makes for the best way! 🙂
How Do You Make Grape Salad?
Grapes. To make the grape salad, you’ll wash and dry your grapes and then add them to a large mixing bowl.
Dressing. In another smaller bowl, mix together your cream cheese and sour cream. Next, pour in a bit of vanilla extract. The vanilla adds so much flavor! Combine all of the ingredients and then add to your grapes. Mix well to make sure all of your grapes are coated and then cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for eight hours to chill and set.
Topping. Before serving, remove from the refrigerator and top with the brown sugar and optional toppings of pecans or toffee bits, if using.
Grape salad is best served cold which makes it a refreshing treat throughout the warmer months. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, making it a great make-ahead recipe perfect for serving at any gathering.
Here’s my recipe for Grape Salad. I hope you make it soon! It’s perfect for wedding and baby showers, tailgating, picnics, reunions, and everything in between!
Grape Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups seedless grapes, washed, dried, with stems removed
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar, depending on the sweetness of your grapes
- 1/2 cup roasted pecans
Instructions
- Add grapes to a large bowl. Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour over grapes and stir until well-coated.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator and top with brown sugar and toasted pecan pieces, if using. Serve cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Since you made this I have another salad I want to ask you about…did you ever eat pineapple cheese salad as a kid? My granny used to make it and now that I think about it, I can’t believe I ate it! I am not sure of the total recipe, and that’s why I’m asking. I think it was a piece of lettuce, a ring of pineapple, mayo, shredded cheddar cheese and a cherry on top. Ring any bells? This grape salad sounds like what my other grandmother used to make, so now I’m going to try it! So excited- bring back memories!
Oh my goodness, Melissa! I did eat it as a kid! We also still eat pear salad with the same thing – mayo, shredded cheese, and a cherry on top. It’s one of my brother-in-law’s favorite dishes.
What a perfect recipe for a hot summer day. I cannot wait to try it!
Thanks so much, Natalie. The hotter the weather, the better this salad tastes!
Robyn, this sounds fabulous! I am going to make for my kids this week, I am sure they will be thrilled!
I bet they will love it! My son gobbled it up.
Um, OKAY! This looks so so so good. Firm grapes are one of the treasures of life. You rock.
You are so right about being a treasure! Thanks so much, Karen.
this salad makes a yummy dessert too 🙂 great clicks…
YES! Great for snacks, desserts, side dishes, well…. anything. Thanks so much.
Grape Salad is a staple in our home for special occasions but I don’t think I could have it without the brown sugar/pecan topping. That is my favorite part. I’ve even had one where crumbled bacon was added to the topping. The salty-sweet combo was fantastic!
My Daddy was the same way, he loved the topping. I would scrape it to the side and he would eat mine. 🙂 Now, that bacon version could easily have changed my mind!
This salad is a staple at our family gatherings too…my husband’s cousin always makes it, no one else knows the recipe. Perhaps I’ll use yours, and casually show up with it at the next family event…surely no one will be offended? 😉
Well, this version is definitely a little different from the one that includes the pecans and brown sugar. So…. you could just say you made a “lighter” version. 🙂 Oh, and the honey changes it up a bit, too.
I’ve never heard of any such thing, but I love that it’s so different. I often get sick of the same old fruit salad again and again.
I hope you like it, Jen.
Yummm!! I remember my mom making a grape salad, that I wasn’t a huge fan of – but hers was really fussy … adding nuts and raisins. I’ll have to give your recipe a try, it looks so refreshing 🙂
My aunts included nuts and a brown sugar topping that I always picked off. It just seemed to take away from the grapes. Even as a child, I wasn’t a fan of the topping for this salad. I like this simpler version. 🙂 Hope you like it, too!
What a simple, yummy salad!
It is so very simple and perfect for warm weather get-togethers.