This classic Grape Salad Recipe is a spring and summer must make! Juicy green and purple grapes are tossed in an easy sweet and creamy dressing. So easy to make in just 10 minutes!
Get your fruit fix with more easy recipes like Creamy Fruit Salad, Grilled Pineapple and Banana Split Trifles.
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It’s my favorite time of year… Grape Salad season! Basically, any time the weather reaches over 20°C I get excited because this creamy fruit salad is the perfect warm weather dessert or side dish.
Red and green grapes get all dressed up with a simple medley of creamy, sweet ingredients to make the most delightfully simple salad.
This salad is an ideal picnic basket recipe! It also shines at potlucks, pool parties, or any other summer event you may have planned.
The best part? It’s SO easy to make in just 10 minutes!
Why we love this easy Grape Salad Recipe:
- Inexpensive: There’s a good chance you already have some of these ingredients ready to go in your kitchen now! If not, no worries – your shopping list is short and sweet. If grapes aren’t in season, you can substitute for most other fruits (see more details below)!
- Summery: Juicy grapes create the best fresh summery flavor!
- Easy: You only need 10 minutes of your time and a handful of ingredients to toss together this quick and easy recipe.
- Creamy: The cream cheese and yogurt (or sour cream) make this creamy grape salad so satisfying.
Grape Salad Ingredients Needed:
- Cream Cheese: Regular or low-fat cream cheese are both just fine!
- Sugar: Feel free to add more white or light brown sugar if you’d like this salad to be even sweeter.
- Pecans: You can omit the pecans, swap for another nut like walnuts, or opt for these Easy Candied Nuts instead if you’d like.
- Pretzels: These are optional, but trust me. The salty, crunchy pretzels really add something special to grape salad.
- Vanilla: This adds a touch of sweetness without taking things overboard.
- Yogurt: You can swap the plain or vanilla yogurt with sour cream if preferred.
- Milk: You can use any type of milk you like best. It just helps to thin out the dressing a little bit.
How to make Grape Salad
Take a sneak peak at how easy this creamy grape salad recipe is! For more information about the step by step process, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the yogurt or sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
- Beat everything together until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. If the mixture is very thick, add a tablespoon of milk to thin it out slightly.
- Toss with the seedless grapes and chill at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
Variations and Substitutions
- Fruit: This dressing would work well with a variety of fruit, so feel free to mix it up! Try it with pineapple, apples, berries, or whatever else you may have on hand (though if you’re using acidic fruit like pineapple, oranges, or kiwi, stir together just before serving).
- Pretzels: These are optional but highly recommended! They add such a nice crunch and a touch of salty flavor to the grape salad.
- Grapes: I like using a combination of both green and red grapes. You can use whichever you prefer, or a combo of both like me.
- Candy Bars: Oh yes. You can definitely top this grape salad with some chopped Snickers, Butterfinger or Heath bars to take it firmly from “side dish” to “dessert”!
How to store leftover Grape Salad
Store grape salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days. Note that after some time, the dressing will water down and not be as thick and creamy as it first was. You may also find that you need to add additional crunch before serving.
Can I freeze Grape Salad?
Grape salad is a recipe best enjoyed fresh! I do not recommend freezing it. (Though frozen grapes themselves are a tasty snack!).
Serving suggestions:
Grape salad is a fabulous appetizer, potluck offering or picnic basket staple — I recommend stocking your basket with The BEST Oven-Fried Chicken or Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, Easy Potato Salad Recipe (or this German Potato Salad if you don’t like the creamy variety) and some Homemade Lemonade.
It’s also a fabulous side dish next to something simple and tasty like one of these Grilled Chicken Recipes or Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs.
More salad recipes you’ll love!
- Easy Broccoli Salad — make ahead friendly!
- Hawaiian Fruit Salad — fresh and fun.
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad — another picnic basket fave.
- Southwest Potato Salad — with loads of flavor!
Grape Salad Recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 lbs seedless red and green grapes (about 5 cups)
- 4 oz cream cheese (125 grams or ½ package) room temperature
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream (to thin the dressing as needed)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon chopped pretzels (optional)
Instructions
- Wash grapes and let dry.
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the yogurt or sour cream, sugar and vanilla and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. If the dressing is very thick, add a tablespoon of milk to thin it out slightly.
- Toss with the grapes and chill at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
- Before serving, sprinkle with brown sugar, chopped pecans and pretzels if using.
Notes
- Fruit: this dressing would work well with a variety of fruit, so feel free to mix it up!
- Cream cheese: you can use light or full fat cream cheese in this recipe depending on your tastes.
- Sugar: the dressing is not overly sweet because we are adding a good sprinkling of brown sugar on top. If you find it’s not as sweet as you’d like, you can increase to 2 tablespoons.
- Pecans: you can omit the pecans, swap for another nut or crunchy food, or opt for these Easy Candied Nuts instead!
Nutrition Information
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Cynthia M Jones says
I have made this recipe many times especially during the summer months. It is always a huge hit.
I have used the candied pecans for a little sweet and crunchy flavor. I prefer those over the plain pecans chopped even toasted. Don’t forget the pretzels as they complement the sweet crunchy pecans. You get your sweet and salty.
I also cut my grapes in half one time and only once. Maybe it was my grapes but that made my salad a little thin or watery. I did add some confectionery sugar to thicken it a bit. Don’t use too much it will make it too sweet.
Love this fast go to recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Cynthia!
Trish says
I really dislike cream cheese. Can more yogurt be used instead of the cream cheese?
The Recipe Rebel says
Possibly, I just haven’t tested it out myself. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Cynthia M Jones says
Trish, cream cheese has the desired thickness to stick to the grapes. The yogurt is too thin with no weight and the entire mix will slide off the grapes and into the bottom of the bowl. I tried a little confectionery sugar to thicken the yogurt and it failed miserably. Good luck with whatever you try
Durinda says
Can the grapes be cut in two without a difference in the consistency?
The Recipe Rebel says
Sure!