Grape Salad - a sweet and creamy potluck salad made with red and green grapes and topped with brown sugar and toasted pecans.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!
This post may include affiliate links. Please see my disclosure.
One of my favorite parts of summer is hanging out with family and friends up at the lake and sitting down to dinners where everyone brings a dish to contribute.
Whether I’m hosting or going to a cookout, this deliciously sweet grape salad often makes an appearance. . .and for good reason!
Grape salad is made with red and green grapes that are mixed with a sweet cream cheese dressing. Then it's topped with chopped, toasted pecans and brown sugar! It's SO good and super simple to prepare!
HOW TO MAKE GRAPE SALAD
To make this creamy grape salad, you'll need:
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Red & green grapes
- Brown sugar
- Chopped pecans
- Butter
To prepare the salad you'll need to begin by beating the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
It will be easier if you allow the cream cheese to soften first! You can do this by leaving it out for 30 minutes to an hour or using the microwave to soften it.
After you have a creamy mixture, add in your red and green grapes. If any small children will be enjoying the salad, you can slice the grapes into pieces before adding them in.
Stir in the grapes until they are completely coated.
Chill the salad in the fridge while you work on the nut topping.
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then mix the melted butter with the pecans. Microwave the buttered pecans for a minute, and stir.
After stirring, microwave your pecans for 1 more minute, and allow to cool.
Sprinkle the toasted pecans and brown sugar on top of the salad, then chill for 5-10 minutes before serving.
DO THE PECANS NEED TO BE TOASTED?
You could just top your salad with pecans, HOWEVER, toasting them in the butter makes them more flavorful. Doesn't butter make everything taste better?😉
DO I NEED TO USE PECANS?
Not everyone likes pecans, and that’s okay! You can switch out the pecans for walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts if you like. It's all personal preference!
HOW LONG SHOULD YOU CHILL GRAPE SALAD?
Because most of the ingredients in this recipe are already chilled, you won’t have to chill your grape salad long. In fact, just chilling it for 5-10 minutes should be perfect!
HOW DO YOU STORE LEFTOVERS?
Be sure to put any leftover grape salad back in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You can store leftovers for about 3 to 5 days.
LOOKING FOR MORE SWEET SUMMER SALADS?
- Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad
- Oreo Fluff Salad
- Snickers Caramel Apple Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Pineapple Pretzel Salad
- Triple Berry Shortcake Salad
Grape Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 pounds red grapes (seedless)
- 2 pounds green grapes (seedless)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Stir in grapes until they are completely coated.
- Transfer grape mixture to your final serving bowl.
- Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
For the Pecan Topping
- Just before serving, prepare pecans.
- In the microwave, melt butter in a microwave-safe dish and spread pecans on it.
- Microwave for another minute and stir.
- Microwave for one more minute and stir. Allow to cool.
- Sprinkle toasted pecans and brown sugar over top of grape mixture.
- Chill for 5-10 minutes in the fridge before serving.
Notes
- Let your salad chill in the fridge before serving.
- You can substitute your pecans for walnuts, almonds or even hazelnuts!
- Place leftovers in an airtight container and put in the fridge for up to five days.
WausauSue
This exact recipe was featured in Taste of Home on one of the two pages where your cousin, Bob, was featured in the first edition of “Man Can He Cook.” 😂
Sara
This is such a classic recipe and it's been around for ages! My husband's grandmother used to make it all of the time and I believe she got the recipe from her mother!