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This Easy Grape Salad recipe is loaded with fresh grapes, sweetened cream cheese, and a crunchy, nutty topping. Itβs ready in just 5 minutes plus chilling time.
Grape Salad another one of those classic Midwestern desserts that we pass off as a salad (similar to Snickers Salad or Strawberry Pretzel Salad). Itβs a sweet and nutty side dish with a creamy sauce and a crunchy topping.
Itβs easy to make: mix up cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla, then add chilled grapes and top with brown sugar and walnuts. Thatβs it!
Itβs kid-friendly, and I love it too because I can eat it as a dessert and still feel light and full of energy afterwards. What a great summer side dish!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cream cheese: If the cream cheese is not softened to room temperature, the cream cheese and sour cream wonβt combine well (the mixture will be lumpy). If this happens, stir it quickly with a whisk.
- Grapes: Chilled red grapes (the sweetest you can find), and preferably seedless. If you know small children will be eating the salad, consider quartering the grapes.
- Walnuts: Chopped and toastedΒ walnuts are great in this salad, or try toasted pecans instead.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large bowl, add cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Carefully fold in the grapes and gently toss until evenly coated. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix brown sugar and walnuts.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top of the grapes. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve cold.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes at least 12 cups Grape Salad, enough for 12 servings, 1 cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (the salad may get watery over time but is still safe to eat).
- Make ahead: This salad is best enjoyed the day you make it. However, you can get a head start by pulling the cream cheese out of the refrigerator a few hours before you make it.
- Grape Salad with Snickers: Yes, chopped up Snickers Bars are supposedly a must-have on this salad (reminiscent of Snickers Salad).
- Grape Salad with strawberries. Natural, good-for-you fresh berries tossed in with the grapes, how can that taste anything but excellent?
- Grape Salad with graham crackers. Crushed graham crackers as a topping on grape salad add a little sweetness, with or without the brown sugar topping.
Recipe FAQs
Unwrap your block of cream cheese completely (discarding the cardboard box and inner foil wrapper). Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for about 15 seconds per 8 ounces of cream cheese.
1 pound of seedless grapes contains about 2 Β½ cups of grapes. If the grapes have seeds, 1 pounds of seeded grapes contains about 2 cups of grapes.
This salad is at its best when placed on the table when its icy cold. Sprinkle the toppings on and serve with a spoon so everyone can help themselves. For a better topping-to-grape-ratio, assemble grape salad in a shallow casserole so people donβt fight for the crunchy nuts and brown sugar.
More summer sides
Salad Recipes
Easy Cold Pasta Salad
Salad Recipes
Easy Potato Salad
Salad Recipes
Broccoli Salad Recipe
Salad Recipes
The Best Macaroni Salad
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Easy Grape Salad
IngredientsΒ
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened (see note 1)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 pounds red seedless grapes chilled (about 10 cups, see note 2)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped (see note 3)
InstructionsΒ
- In a large bowl, add cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Carefully fold in the grapes and gently toss until evenly coated. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix brown sugar and walnuts.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top of the grapes. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve cold.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cream cheese: If the cream cheese is not softened to room temperature, the cream cheese and sour cream wonβt combine well (the mixture will be lumpy). If this happens, stir it quickly with a whisk.
- Grapes: Chilled red grapes (the sweetest you can find), and preferably seedless. If you know small children will be eating the salad, consider quartering the grapes.
- Walnuts: Chopped and toastedΒ walnuts are great in this salad, or try toasted pecans instead.
- Yield: This recipe makes at least 12 c. Grape Salad, enough for 12 servings, 1 c. each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (the salad may get watery over time but is still safe to eat).
- Make ahead: This salad is best enjoyed the day you make it. However, you can get a head start by pulling the cream cheese out of the refrigerator a few hours before you make it.
I would specify that in step one you only use the white sugar, and not the brown
Thanks, Ericka! β Meggan
Wonderful..I added some sweet apples,only because I wanted to use them up. Really a good salad, or a desert served with a homemade muffin. Thanks!
Iβm so happy you loved the grape salad, Cathy! Youβre welcome! β Meggan
I make this for every family event and it disappears! My daughter calls it βcheesecake grapes.β
I love it! Thatβs wonderful! I appreciate you sharing this with me. Take care! β Meggan
To say this was a hit at our communityβs Memorial Day picnic, is an understatement. Multiple people wanted the recipe and others raved about it! I used half red and half green grapes. I cut the grapes in half. As suggested by others, I served it in a 10 x 13 and I didnβt put the topping on it until I put it on the buffet table.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Lynda! Iβm so glad it was a hit! Take care! β Meggan
Great salad. Used pecans and added extra and made it a hit
Thanks Amanda! Glad you enjoyed. β Meggan
I have made this many times. I prefer to mix the brown sugar and nuts in with the salad for a more uniform taste. It is still crunchy and people seem to love it.
Thanks Sharon, that sounds great too! Glad you liked it. β Meggan
If I am making this the night before, is it best to wait to put the topping on the next day an hour before it is served? Wasnβt sure if the nuts would get soggy if left overnight?
Hi Tiffany, it should be fine but if you are worried about it you can add them right before. Hope this helps! β Meggan
Several years ago, the NYTimes ran an article that shared traditional Thanksgiving dishes from all 50 states. Minnesota was assigned this grape salad, saying it was traditional and everyone served it. Iβve lived in Minnesota my whole life and never had even seen grape salad at a church basement funeral luncheon, let alone Thanksgiving.
Clearly, the NYTimes got that all wrong and it should have been assigned to Wisconsinβ¦..
We had this exact recipe at a baby shower at my friends house in Hudson, WI and it was delicious. She used frozen grapes and it was so refreshing!
I have found that the brown sugar gets runny if you put it on when mixing. I usually let them put it on themselves. Especially if you are taking it somewhere & are unsure if Somerton has a nut allergy. I have been making this for years. Kids loved it & now grandkids love it.
Soo easy, soo tasty! Everyone loved it!
Hi Julie! Iβm so glad everyone loved it! β Meggan
Love this salad It is easy to make and is very refreshing. I have a question β do you think it could be frozen?
Hi Iris, Iβm so happy you love it! I donβt know for sure that it would freeze well due to the sour cream and cream cheese. Cream cheese definitely can separate some when it is frozen (I usually mix it well after Iβve frozen it to make it consistent and not lumpy.) I havenβt tried to freeze this, so I cannot say for sure it can. Sorry about that! β Meggan