Southern Grape Salad with Pecans

Easy, Southern Grape Salad is full of plump, juicy grapes, covered in a tangy dressing made with cream cheese and sour cream, and topped with crunchy roasted pecans and brown sugar.

Like my Frozen Fruit Salad and Old Fashioned Ambrosia, this whimsical, make-ahead side dish can be served as a salad or dessert and only takes minutes to prepare.

Check out this reader comment from Shari: “Really easy to make, and the whole family loves it. I thought it was a big batch, but it disappeared like magic!”

Easy Grape Salad is a Southern classic. You can almost always find a big bowl at potlucks and backyard neighborhood barbecues.  And, this old-fashioned fruit salad is always one of the first dishes to be gobbled up.

Sometimes referred to as holiday grape salad, because it’s often served during the holidays, it also makes a lovely side dish for an Easter or Mother’s Day Brunch or ladies’ luncheon.

Served cold, this creamy grape salad makes a lovely presentation, and it’s a light and refreshing addition to any meal.

Jump to:

• Why this recipe for grape salad is the best:
• Ingredients – here’s what you will need:
• How to make grape salad:
• Is grape salad a dessert or salad:
• What to serve with grape salad:
• Recipe variations:
• What kind of grapes are best:
• Recipe FAQs:
• Sharon’s tips:
• More fruit salad recipes:
• 📋 Recipe:

Why this recipe for grape salad is the best:

1. Refreshing taste and texture, whether served as a dessert or a salad.
2. Super simple to make and no cooking required
3. It’s an appealing and flexible choice for a wide range of tastes. The whole family will love it.

Ingredients – here’s what you will need:

• Red and green grapes – grape salad is delicious with any kind of grape; half and half is more colorful, but feel free to use just green or just red.  
• Cream cheese – is the base of this dressing and provides a tangy creaminess. 
• Sour cream – combines with the cream cheese to make a luscious “cheesecake” like rich and creamy dressing.
• Granulated sugar – is also part of the dressing and is what makes it sweet. 
• Vanilla extract – enhances all of the other flavors in the dressing and brings them all together.
• Brown sugar – combines with the pecans to provide another layer of deliciousness to this dish.
• Roasted pecans – add a rich buttery crunch to the topping and, combined with the brown sugar, is what makes this salad so dreamy. 

How to make grape salad:

1. Rinse the grapes in a colander under cold water and spread them out on a clean kitchen towel to dry. Remove any bruised or damaged grapes. 

2. Add the softened cream cheese to another bowl and whip with an electric mixer until the cream cheese is smooth and creamy with no lumps. Add the sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla and mix until everything is combined. 

3. Spoon the cream cheese-sour cream mixture over the grapes and toss gently until they are coated.

4. Combine the brown sugar and toasted pecans and sprinkle evenly over the top of the grape salad. Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least one hour or until you are ready to serve it. 

Is grape salad a dessert or salad:

Grape salad is certainly more of a dessert than a salad. I’m unsure why it’s called a “salad” because it includes sour cream, sugar, and cream cheese.

But I’m more than willing to go along with it in the name of “health,” especially since grapes are nutritious.

What to serve with grape salad:

Grape salad is popular anytime dessert or salad, but it really shines in the summer at outdoor cookouts or neighborhood barbecues. Because it travels well and can be served cold or at room temperature, it is perfect for potlucks.

I like to serve it with grilled main dishes such as Grilled Ham Steak, Grilled Spatchcock Chicken, Grilled Pork Steaks, Grilled Half Chicken, Beer Can Chicken, or Grilled Flank Steak.

It also pairs nicely with fried seafood main dishes such as Fried Fish, Crispy Fried Grouper, Fried Crab Claws, Fried Spanish Mackerel, Pan-Fried Shrimp, Buffalo Fried Shrimp, or my favorite, Fried Oysters.

Recipe variations:

Although I think this is the best recipe, and it’s my favorite, there are lots of different variations. I have not tried any of these substitutions, but I’m listing them here in case you want to reduce the number of calories in this recipe or are out of an ingredient and need a substitute.

If you do try any of these variations, please leave a comment and let me know what you think. 

• I prefer regular cream cheese in this recipe. However, you can save a few calories by using reduced-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese. 
• For sour cream, I also recommend the full-fat version. Substitutes include reduced-fat sour cream, vanilla yogurt, or unsweetened Greek yogurt. You can also substitute frozen whipped topping or marshmallow cream. 
• Stevia or your favorite sugar substitute can be substituted for granulated sugar. 
• For the topping, instead of the brown sugar and pecans, you could try chopped-up Heath Bars or Snickers. You will also find quite a few recipes that use crushed Butterfingers as a topping. I have also seen recipes using granola.
• As far as nuts, I’m a pecan gal myself, but you could also substitute pistachios or walnuts.

What kind of grapes are best:

You can use any seedless grapes you like. I usually like to mix it up and use red and green grapes because it looks more colorful. But, you can use all red or all green or you could also use black grapes. The most important thing is to make sure they are seedless.

Recipe FAQs:

Sharon’s tips:

• This recipe, as written, makes twelve servings. Feel free to scale it up or down to suit your needs. 
• Occasionally, grapes, especially green ones, are a bit tart. If that’s the case with your grapes, feel free to add a tablespoon or so more granulated sugar. 
• If your grapes are large, cut them in half or quarters. 
• To soften the cream cheese, unwrap it, and place it in a microwave-safe container — microwave for about 30 seconds. 
• This salad can be made twenty-four hours ahead of time and is even better on the second day.
• To roast pecan halves, put them in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 350 °F. oven for 10-12 minutes. If in pieces, the pecans will cook faster, so only roast them for six to eight minutes. Check often and stir to make sure they don’t burn. I usually roast one pound of pecans at a time and then store them in the freezer until I need them.
• Since you only need a small number of pecans, you can also toast them in the microwave. To do this, place them in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave in one-minute intervals until they are browned and toasty, which takes four to six minutes. 

More fruit salad recipes:

If you like fruit salads, you might also like these popular recipes on my blog:

If you need more menu ideas or recipes, here is a link to all of my salad recipes.

★★★★★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

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📋 Recipe: