This Classic Grape Salad is an old-fashioned feel good recipe that always impresses! Both red and green grapes are coated in a smooth, sweet, creamy dressing, and it’s all topped with crunchy pecans for added texture.
Classic Grape Salad
If you’ve ever had the grape salad from Chicken Salad Chick and obsessed about it for the following week… you’re in a safe space! There’s really nothing better than a creamy, sweet, fresh grape salad with plenty of brown sugar and toasted pecans. It’s decadent enough to taste like dessert, but fresh enough to be a fruity side dish. I’ve brought this quick and easy salad with me to plenty of potlucks, served it on major holidays, and made it for my favorite occasion of all – just because I craved it. It hits the spot every single time!
Check out more of my favorite fruit salad recipes like strawberry broccoli salad, watermelon salad, and cranberry salad.
Why use both red and green grapes?
Besides being visually pleasing, the two different colors actually make the flavor of the salad more balanced! Green grapes tend to be more tart, while red grapes are on the sweeter side. You can use all green or all red, but you won’t have that nice balance of sweet and tart flavor.
How to Make Classic Grape Salad
- Make the dressing. Beat the cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth. You MUST mix the dressing before adding the grapes!
- Add grapes. Gently fold the grapes into the cream cheese mixture until evenly coated.
- Let it chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. This gives the dressing enough time to firm up and cling to the grapes.
- Make the topping. Combine all of the topping ingredients together.
- Enjoy! Sprinkle it evenly over the grape salad just before serving.
Storing and Make Ahead
Once the grapes are tossed with the creamy dressing, your salad will keep in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to 2 days.
If you plan on making it ahead of time, store the creamy dressing by itself! Also, don’t garnish the grape salad until you’re just about to serve it, so the sugar and pecans all maintain their texture.
Ingredient Notes
- Cream Cheese – Make sure it’s completely softened so it blends well and you don’t end up with big chunks of cream cheese in your dressing!
- Sour Cream – You can swap this with plain Greek yogurt if you need to. Note that it will be a bit tangier than sour cream. Full-fat sour cream/Greek yogurt will give you the richest results.
- Sugars – You’ll need both light brown sugar AND granulated sugar for this recipe! The granulated sugar adds a simple sweetness, while the brown sugar enhances the overall flavor with some depth from the molasses.
- Vanilla Extract – Don’t skip this! It gives the dressing a lovely aromatic quality.
- Cinnamon – The tiniest pinch works with the brown sugar to create depth without making it taste too warm.
- Grapes – Make sure both the red and green grapes are well-rinsed and patted completely dry before using. They cannot have any extra moisture! If you plan on serving this salad to little ones, you can slice the grapes in half. Just note that the added liquid from the sliced grapes wil alter the consistency of the dressing.
For the topping:
- Pecans – Chopped toasted pecans are my favorite to use. Walnuts or almonds also get the job done if preferred. If you toast the pecans yourself, make sure to let them fully cool off before using.
- Light Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Salt
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Classic Grape Salad
Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Cream cheese softened
- 1 Cup Sour cream
- 1/2 Cup Packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 Cup Granulated sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 2 Pounds Red seedless grapes washed and dried
- 2 Pounds Green seedless grapes washed and dried
Topping:
- 1 Cup Chopped toasted pecans
- 1/2 Cup Packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Gently fold the grapes into the cream cheese mixture until evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Combine all of the topping ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle it evenly over the grape salad just before serving.
Notes
This grape salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
