Cool And Creamy Grape Salad Recipe Video

Why We Love This Recipe

Creamy Grape Salad is a very old-school southern side dish that falls somewhere in the family of deli case salads like Waldorf Salad, Ambrosia Marshmallow Fluff Salad, and Pineapple Cream Salad recipes. It consists of fresh seedless grapes in any color or blend of colors, soften cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and a little vanilla extract. The cream cheese and sour cream create a super creamy sweet “dressing“ that coats the grapes. Then pecans are lightly toasted and then candied to sprinkle over the top to add a little crunch. (In a pinch, you can buy pre-made candied pecans to sprinkle over the top but it’s easy to do at home with very little effort!) This fun salad is a great addition to any meal when you need a simple side dish, especially something a little sweet, a dessert salad. It’s a nice surprise and a true crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients You Need

Seedless grapes – both green grapes and red grapes are best Cream cheese – softened Sour cream – or Greek yogurt Sugars – granulated white and light brown sugar Vanilla extract – balances the sweetness Pecans – chopped (or walnuts) Salt – just a pinch

How to Make Creamy Grape Salad

Remove the grapes from the grapevines and place them in a colander. Rinse well. Then gently pat dry with paper towels. Place the grapes in a large bowl. Set out a second medium-sized bowl. Add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high with an electric hand mixer until very smooth. Then beat in the sour cream. Scrape the bowl and beat again to make sure there are no clumps present. Scoop the cream cheese mixture over the grapes. Gently fold to coat all the grapes in the creamy dressing. Cover and refrigerate. Set a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped pecans, brown sugar, and a good pinch of salt to the skillet. Stir the pecans in the molten sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are very well coated. Turn off the heat and allow the nuts to rest for a minute. Lay out a sheet of wax paper and dump the candied pecans out on the wax paper. When they are cool enough to touch, break the candy pecans apart. Allow them to cool to room temperature, then place them in a Ziploc bag and store them until ready to serve. When ready to enjoy, remove the fruit salad from the refrigerator and sprinkle the candy pecans over the top!

Serving Suggestions

Serve this sweet side dish with your favorite southern mains. It goes great with classics like Coca-Cola Baked Ham or Grilled Ham Steaks, Easy Smoked Pork Chops, Best Fried Chicken, or Slow Cooker Smoked Pulled Pork. Bring a big bowl of chilled grape salad to go alongside other potluck and picnic favorites! Check out these old-fashioned recipes that are always a hit:

Cheesy Hominy Casserole The Ultimate Southern Chicken Salad Best Macaroni Salad Fresh Corn Succotash Southern Coleslaw Recipe Retro Pineapple Casserole