Grape Salad – refreshingly sweet, creamy side dish or dessert with juicy fresh grapes coated in a luscious yogurt dressing and sprinkled with brown sugar and pecans. An irresistible fruity recipe made in just 5-minutes. Wonderful for summer potlucks, backyard barbecues, picnics or even for regular days lunch and dinner. Quick, easy and addicting!
When was the last time you had a salad with no chopping?! Ahhh, this Grape Salad guarantees that ZERO chopping and more like of a toss-mix-serve kind of salad. It’s the perfect last-minute lazy dish to bring to a potluck yet everybody would still chow down on this.
I’m so glad that I’m in California where grapes are pretty abundant (largest grape producer in the U.S.) and sweet. One of the top reasons on why I can’t just leave Cali and be with most of my family and relatives in the South or Midwest is because it has a vast choices of grape vineyards that we can visit for wine tasting or grape picking. It’s like every wine lover’s heaven! I wouldn’t call it a day without my glass of wine. Period.
What’s in a Grape Salad?
Since grape harvesting season is just around the corner, and with 4th of July next week, I decided to share this easy yet addicting salad that adults and kids would absolutely love. Like many other salads, there are many variations to this grape salad, too, but they mostly include this base with variations in quantity:
- grapes
- cream cheese
- sour cream
- granulated white and brown sugar
- vanilla extract
- pecans or walnuts for toppings
Oh my, how can you resist that sweet, creaminess with a hint of tanginess coating in each grape? The cheesecake-like dressing is decadent enough that you’ll want to stick your finger out and eat it on its own! Uggghh… And the best part – you won’t have to worry the grapes getting soggy. It’s the perfect make-ahead side dish or dessert!
What Grapes Are Best For Grape Salad?
Don’t you know that are over 10,000 ( yesss… 4 zeros) variety of grapes? How mind-boggling is that? Luckily, you won’t have to go into the trouble of getting to know each and every one of them just to pick the best grapes for this grape salad recipe.
Grapes aren’t just red, green or black. They are actually categorized into three major groups:
- Table Grapes – with thin skins and ideal for snacking and best enjoyed fresh
- Juice Grapes – with thick skins that peel off easily which is why they’re commonly used for making jelly or jam. Yum!
- Wine Grapes – extremely sweet (sweeter than table grapes) with thick skin and lots of seeds and best for, obviously, wine-making.
Now, my choice for this salad is going with half green and half red seedless table grapes which you can easily find at your grocery stores. Of course, it doesn’t hurt if you use variety of grapes which make this salad more colorful and interesting with its variety of textures and sweetness.
Tip: When finding the best grapes, choose those that are plump with a consistent color. Make sure to keep them in the fridge as well after purchasing to remain fresh. For extra grapes, you may also freeze them.
What Else Can I Add Into This Salad?
This Grape Salad recipe here is simple but I find the possibilities in customizing it limitless. Here are just a few other ingredients that you add in this salad recipe:
- shredded cheddar cheese
- toasted coconut
- blueberries
- pineapple
- strawberries
- butterfinger
- marshmallow
How Long Does Grape Salad Last in the Fridge?
Salads, in general, are best served when chilled for at least an hour. For this grape salad, I prefer chilling it overnight to let the flavors meld well and for juicier grapes in every bite. The longer, the better. It stays crisp and better the following day. Indeed a wonderful make-ahead potluck recipe.
What To Serve with Grape Salad?
Grape salad is a refreshing and light salad that can be enjoyed on its own for lunch, snacks or dinner any time of the year. But since it’s on the sweet side, I suggest pairing it with something savory like this Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast, Grilled Lamb Chops and Grilled Flank Steak. This smokey grilled meat balances out the sweetness in this easy make-ahead salad.
Looking for Easy Potluck Recipes?
- Shrimp Salad
- Squash Casserole
- Three Bean Salad
- Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
- Broccoli Salad Recipe
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Macaroni Salad
How To Make Grape Salad
Wash and drain grapes, place them in a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, vanilla extract and brown sugar until fully blended.
Pour the cream cheese mixture over the grapes, toss until fully combined and all the grapes are coated with the cream. Transfer grape salad to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving, about 1 hour. Top with brown sugar and chopped pecans just before serving.
Grape Salad
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Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) seedless red grapes
- 1 pound (450 g) seedless green grapes
- 4 ounce (120 g) cream cheese , softened
- 2-4 ounce (57- 113 g) sour cream
- 1 cup (245 g) yogurt vanilla
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (38 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (27 g) chopped pecans
Instructions
- Wash and drain grapes, place them in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, vanilla extract and brown sugar until fully blended.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture to the grapes, toss until fully combined and all the grapes are coated with the cream.
- Transfer grape salad to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving, about 1 hour. Top with brown sugar and chopped pecans just before serving.
Tips & Notes:
- When finding the best grapes, choose those are plump with a consistent color. Make sure to keep them in the fridge as well after purchasing to remain fresh. For extra grapes, you may also freeze them.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Teresa Gray says
Could you use any other topping of your choice? Such as Granolas. Not a fan of nuts with things per say.
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Teresa, you may use any topping of your choice 🙂
Michelle says
Made this today for a luncheon. It was delicious! Have saved several of your recipes can’t wait to try them all!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Michelle. I am happy you loved it! Looking forward to your feedback when you try the other recipes. Thanks for stopping by!
Charlotte Butler says
Quick, easy, and delicious
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Happy to hear it worked out well for you.