Easy Grape Salad with Cream Cheese is a true Southern classic. You can almost always find a big bowl at potlucks and backyard neighborhood barbecues. And, it is one of the first dishes to go. My sister Nancy first brought this “salad” to a birthday party for my daughter several years ago. I fell in love with it and have been making it ever since.
Is grape salad a dessert?
Grape salad is certainly more of a dessert than a salad. I’m actually not sure why grape salad is 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 it also includes red and green grapes!
What kind of grapes goes into a grape salad?
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. The most important thing is to make sure they are seedless.
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As if this Easy Grape Salad with Cream Cheese wasn’t decadent enough, I’ve also heard of other variations. These include adding a topping of crushed Butterfingers or Heath bars. I may get brave enough to try this one day. But, for now, I’m sticking with this creamy grape salad recipe which can be served as a side dish, “salad” or dessert.
This is a perfect side dish for an Easter or Mother’s Day Brunch or ladies luncheon. It is also a great make-ahead dish to take to a potluck or backyard barbecue.
How to make Easy Grape Salad with Cream Cheese!
Rinse and dry the grapes and put into a large bowl.
In another bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla and mix well with an electric mixer.
Spoon the cream cheese-sour cream mixture over the grapes and mix well.
Mix the brown sugar and toasted pecans and sprinkle evenly over the top.
Sharon’s Expert Tips:
- 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 ahead and is even better the second day after the flavors have had a chance to come together.
- Store this dish covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Do not freeze.
- To toast pecans, put your pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 350-degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Check often and stir to make sure they don’t burn. I usually toast one pound of pecans at a time and then store in the freezer until I need them.
**This post was originally posted on August 15, 2015. Reposted today to update the text, add step by step video, and update the images.
Easy Grape Salad with Cream Cheese - A Family Favorite
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green seedless grapes
- 2 pounds red seedless grapes
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans
Instructions
- Rinse the grapes and dry with a paper towel. Put the grapes in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Mix well using an electric mixer. Spoon over the grapes and mix thoroughly until all grapes are coated.
- Sprinkle brown sugar and toasted pecans (see notes) evenly over the grapes.
- Store covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Notes
- 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 ahead and is even better the second day after the flavors have had a chance to come together.
- Store this dish covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Do not freeze.
- To toast pecans, put your pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 350-degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Check often and stir to make sure they don't burn. I usually toast one pound of pecans at a time and then store in the freezer until I need them.
Really Easy to make and the whole family loves it. I thought it was a big batch but it disappears like magic!
Hi Shari, thanks so much for leaving a comment. I’m so glad you like the grape salad. It really is a fun dish.
All my best,
Sharon
First let me say that this was surprisingly delicious for a dish with so few ingredients. I made it for a Garden Club potluck, and I got great feedback from those who tried it. But the actual prep time was more like 45+ minutes. I bought red and green “seedless” grapes from my favorite grocery store. They were huge, so I decided to halve each grape, and I’m glad I did as they were far from “seedless.” The majority of the grapes (approximately 65% of the red ones and 95% of the green ones) had brown to black seeds. While these weren’t going to break anyone’s tooth, grape seeds are bitter, and this dish was designed to be sweet. So I removed the seeds, and it took at least 45 minutes to de-seed four pounds of grapes. Each seeded grape had 2-6 seeds. The result was delicious. So would I make this again? Yes. In fact, I’m making it again for a southern themed buffet for my bunco group next week. This time I’ll better know how much time to allow to prepare this great salad.
Oh, Susan, 45 minutes is crazy! Seedless grapes shouldn’t have seeds in them! However, saying that the last batch of grapes I bought that were labeled seedless had seeds in them so I don’t know if it’s some type of labeling or quality control issue or what’s going on. I’m so sorry it took so long. But I’m glad all of your hard work paid off and everyone enjoyed the salad. It’s one of our favorites. Thanks so much for leaving a comment!
As promised, I made this recipe again but this time bought the grapes from my least favorite place to buy groceries. What a difference in prep time! None of the red grapes had seeds, and only about 20% of the green grapes had them. My bunco group enjoyed the salad, and we’ll be enjoying the leftovers for a while.
Awesome! So glad it worked out better this time!
Sharon