Cool and Creamy Grape Salad
The Best Grape Salad Recipe – Everyone loves this classic sweet, crunchy, cool, and creamy grape salad! It’s a deliciously fun side dish for picnics and potlucks or any casual gathering.
Why We Love This Recipe
Creamy Grape Salad is a very old-school southern side dish that falls somewhere in the family of deli case salads like Waldorf Salad, Ambrosia Marshmallow Fluff Salad, and Pineapple Cream Salad recipes.
It consists of fresh seedless grapes in any color or blend of colors, soften cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and a little vanilla extract. The cream cheese and sour cream create a super creamy sweet “dressing“ that coats the grapes. Then pecans are lightly toasted and then candied to sprinkle over the top to add a little crunch. (In a pinch, you can buy pre-made candied pecans to sprinkle over the top but it’s easy to do at home with very little effort!)
This fun salad is a great addition to any meal when you need a simple side dish, especially something a little sweet, a dessert salad. It’s a nice surprise and a true crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients You Need
- Seedless grapes – both green grapes and red grapes are best
- Cream cheese – softened
- Sour cream – or Greek yogurt
- Sugars – granulated white and light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract – balances the sweetness
- Pecans – chopped (or walnuts)
- Salt – just a pinch
How to Make Creamy Grape Salad
Remove the grapes from the grapevines and place them in a colander. Rinse well. Then gently pat dry with paper towels.
Place the grapes in a large bowl.
Set out a second medium-sized bowl. Add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high with an electric hand mixer until very smooth. Then beat in the sour cream. Scrape the bowl and beat again to make sure there are no clumps present.
Scoop the cream cheese mixture over the grapes.
Gently fold to coat all the grapes in the creamy dressing. Cover and refrigerate.
Get the Complete (Printable) Creamy Grape Salad Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!
Set a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped pecans, brown sugar, and a good pinch of salt to the skillet. Stir the pecans in the molten sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are very well coated.
Turn off the heat and allow the nuts to rest for a minute. Lay out a sheet of wax paper and dump the candied pecans out on the wax paper.
When they are cool enough to touch, break the candy pecans apart. Allow them to cool to room temperature, then place them in a Ziploc bag and store them until ready to serve.
When ready to enjoy, remove the fruit salad from the refrigerator and sprinkle the candy pecans over the top!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this sweet side dish with your favorite southern mains. It goes great with classics like Coca-Cola Baked Ham or Grilled Ham Steaks, Easy Smoked Pork Chops, Best Fried Chicken, or Slow Cooker Smoked Pulled Pork.
Bring a big bowl of chilled grape salad to go alongside other potluck and picnic favorites! Check out these old-fashioned recipes that are always a hit:
- Cheesy Hominy Casserole
- The Ultimate Southern Chicken Salad
- Best Macaroni Salad
- Fresh Corn Succotash
- Southern Coleslaw Recipe
- Retro Pineapple Casserole
Frequently Asked Questions
Well, no, not exactly. The grapes are full of healthy vitamins and minerals. And pecans are chockfull of heart-healthy fats and protein. But then there is a good amount of added sugar, plus less-healthy fats in the cream cheese and sour cream dressing. This salad isn’t meant to be healthy, it is meant to be delicious!
Yes! It’s great to prepare the night or two before or a few hours before you plan to serve.
Cover the bowl or transfer the salad to an airtight container. It keeps well for up to a week in the fridge.
Looking for More Fun and Delicious Salad Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Best Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Retro Cornbread Salad
- Southern Wilted Lettuce
- Best Potato Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill
Cool and Creamy Grape Salad Recipe + VIDEO
Ingredients
- 4 pounds seedless grapes green and red
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- Salt
Instructions
- Remove the grapes from the grapevines and place in a colander. Rinse well. Then gently pat dry with paper towels. Place the grapes in a large salad bowl.
- Set out a second medium-sized bowl. Add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high with an electric hand mixer until very smooth. Then beat in the sour cream. Scrape the bowl and beat again to make sure there are no clumps present.
- Scoop the cream cheese mixture over the grapes and gently fold to coat all the grapes in creamy dressing. Cover and refrigerate.
- Set a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped pecans, brown sugar, and a good pinch of salt to the skillet. Stir the pecans in the molten sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are very well coated.
- Turn off the heat and allow the nuts to rest for a minute. Lay out a sheet of wax paper and dump the candied pecans out on the wax paper. When they are cool enough to touch, break the candy pecans apart. Allow them to cool to room temperature, then place in a Ziploc bag and store until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve this grape salad, remove from the refrigerator and sprinkle the candy pecans over the top!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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As a special treat for those who don’t or can’t chew the nuts, I crush three butterfinger candy bars and sprinkle on top. My DIL gave me this recipe years ago and I love it!
We had a luncheon for my mother in law and this was a huge hit! I gave so many people the recipe, they loved it!
Never thought that grape salad could be this cool and creamy! I had fun making it and everyone in the fam loved it! New go-to recipe!
i made your recipe on easter and it was a hit! Making it again for our next family gathering.
I never knew that this was a dish, so of course I had to try it, and I absoluetely love this recipe! thank you so much for sharing this dish!