Creamy Grape Salad

This Creamy Grape Salad is a popular dish in our family! Perfect for a hot summer day when you don’t want to turn the oven on. We love the creamy goodness of the dressing with the sweet and tart grapes.

This salad will be a huge hit as a side dish or a potluck! The cream cheese dressing gives it the perfect flavor and compliments the crisp grapes and crunchy pecans. It really is the best grape salad, give it a try and you’ll love this delicious recipe.

​Recipe Ingredients

To make our creamy grape salad, you need the following ingredients:

• Seedless Red Grapes
• Seedless Green Grapes
• Cream Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Sugar
• Chopped Pecans
• Vanilla
• Brown Sugar

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

• Mixing Bowl (Large)
• Cutting Board
• Chef Knife

How to Make Grape Salad

1. Wash fresh grapes and dry with paper towel, set aside. Soften Cream Cheese to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl mix cream cheese and sour cream together. Then add sugar, 1/3 cup pecans, and vanilla.
3. Gently stir in ⅛ cup brown sugar into the cream cheese mixture.
4. Add the whole grapes and stir gently into the creamy dressing until mixed in well.
5. Sprinkle with remaining pecans and brown sugar.
6. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

How To Pick The Perfect Grapes

When buying grapes at the grocery store, you can use your senses to select good juicy grapes based on their appearance, smell, and feel: 

• Sight: Look for grapes that are plump, round, and have a bright, vibrant color. Avoid grapes that are shriveled, discolored, or have brown spots. 
• Smell: Avoid grapes that smell moldy. 
• Touch: Grapes should be firm and heavy for their size, and need a gentle tug to remove from the stem. Avoid grapes that are soft, sticky, or easily fall off the stem. The stem should be green and pliable, not dry or brittle. You can also check for bruises or splits in the skin, but a white bloom is natural and can be washed off before eating. 

If your grapes are really tart feel free to sweeten this easy recipe with a little granulated sugar or a splash of vanilla extract. A red or purple grape are usually sweeter than a green grape. Try to make sure you have a variety of grape flavors for this salad.

Healthier Variations

I know what you are thinking… sour cream with grapes? Trust us on this one, these flavors complement each other and give it a tangy dressing.

For a healthier alternative to cream cheese and sour cream, try using low fat cream cheese and vanilla yogurt or plain greek yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt is full of protein and way less fat and calories than sour cream, but they taste almost identical.

Is This Recipe A Salad, Dessert, Or Both?

This recipe could easily be a dessert with the sweet taste, but you could also liven up a meal by having it as a side. The choice is up to you, but either way I don’t think anyone will be complaining. We usually make it as a side dish for potlucks or big family dinners, it’s such an easy fruit salad to throw together.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

Store any easy grape salad recipe leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. 

Unlike many other side dishes, this recipe requires no heat or baking. You could easily make this dish a day in advance and it would taste just as good, if not better, on day two. 

If you don’t have grapes you can easily substitute them for a different fresh fruit like strawberries, blueberries, or even apples. The possibilities are endless!

Enjoy More Delicious Fruit Salads

Want to add more fruits to your meals? Browse our comprehensive list of salad recipes.

• 5-Minute Pistachio Salad
• Ambrosia Salad
• Caramel Apple Jello Salad
• Honey Lime Fresh Fruit Salad
• Mandarin Orange Cookie Dessert Salad
• Mandarin Orange Pretzel Salad
• Mom’s Frog Eye Salad
• Orange Fluff Jello Salad
• Peach Jello Fluff Salad
• Pina Colada Fruit Salad
• Snickers Apple Pudding Salad
• Weight Watchers Jello Pudding Fluff