This grape salad recipe is a creamy fresh fruit salad with a crunchy topping.
Fresh grapes are tossed in a simple sweetened cream cheese mixture and topped with crushed pecans and brown sugar.
This dish is best made ahead of time so it’s great for almost any gathering.
An Easy Dessert Salad
Grown-ups and kids alike love this sweet, crunchy, fruit-based salad!
- Six ingredients and three steps? Yes, please!
- Grape salad is ready in one bowl in less than 10 minutes!
- Serve it as a side dish or a dessert.
- This recipe is potluck perfect since grape salad is best made ahead of time.
Ingredients in Grape Salad
Grapes – Choose seedless red grapes or green grapes (I use both if I can find them). We prefer smaller grapes for this recipe, if the grapes are really large cut them in half.
Dressing – The grapes are tossed in a sweet creamy dressing. We find full fat cream cheese gives the best flavor. Brown sugar adds sweetness while whipped topping lightens the texture. Fresh whipped cream can be added in place of whipped topping.
Garnish – Finely chopped pecans (and a sprinkle of brown sugar) add a nutty sweet crunch to this grape salad. Swap them out for Walnuts (or any kind of nuts you have) if you’d prefer or use candied nuts, no brown sugar needed.
Variations
- Swap the whipped topping for marshmallow creme or even vanilla yogurt with a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar mixed in!
- For a less sweet salad, replace the whipped topping with Greek yogurt.
- Try other extracts in place of vanilla extract (maple or rum are great choices).
- Add in some chopped candy bars like Snickers or Butterfingers if you’d like.
How To Make Grape Salad
- Mix cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Stir in whipped topping, brown sugar, and vanilla per the recipe below.
- Toss with grapes and refrigerate.
- Sprinkle with the topping before serving.
Kitchen Tips for Grape Salad
- Use seedless grapes.
- If the grapes are very large (or if you will be serving kids) cut the grapes in half lengthwise.
- Ensure cream cheese is at room temperature ad mix with an electric mixer for best results.
- If time allows, toast the pecans in a dry non-stick pan until golden and fragrant. This adds extra flavor.
Got Leftovers?
Grape salad tastes best when it’s chilled, so keep it in the fridge until ready to serve. If using whipped topping or yogurt, then leftovers will keep up to a few days in the refrigerator.
If using real whipped cream, this salad is best served the same day. While the salad will still taste great, the whipped cream may not hold up and it can get watery.
More Dessert Salad Recipes
Did everyone love this Grape Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Creamy Grape Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups seedless grapes green, purple, or both
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans
Dressing
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon maple extract
- 1 cup whipped topping such as cool whip
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla with a hand mixer on medium until fluffy. Mix in whipped topping.
- Add grapes to the cream cheese mixture and stir to combine.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Top with pecans and additional brown sugar if desired.
Notes
- Make sure the grapes are seedless.
- If the grapes are very large (or if you will be serving kids) I would suggest cutting the grapes in half lengthwise.
- Ensure cream cheese is room temperature so it mixes smooth and fluffy.
- Mix the topping with an electric mixer for best results.
- Toast the pecans in a dry non-stick pan until golden and fragrant. This intensifies their flavor and makes them extra crunchy!
- This recipe can be doubled.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert, Salad, Side Dish
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This is the recipe I use. It’s amazing! The only difference is I sprinkle crushed toffee candy bars (Heath Bars) along with the toasted pecans on top of salad! DELICIOUS!
Hi Kellie, that sounds delicious! The Heath Bars must add the perfect touch of sweetness and crunch to the salad. I’ll definitely have to try that next time—thanks for sharing your twist!
because we have nut allergies in the family we always top this with brown sugar and crushed/broken pretzels in a side dish to be sprinkled on when served to provide a nice salty crunch to balance the sweetness…
That sounds delicious Bonnie! Thanks for sharing, I will have to try that.
I made this today. It was delicious, sweet and creamy. Thanks for the recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Leatha!
Very quick and easy and tastes great!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Sandra!
Delicious!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Nancy!
This recipe is just great as is. Have made this a couple of times and was a huge hit. I just forgot to comment. Will be making this forever. Thank you!
Just about all of these recipes sound too good!
Thank you Connie! Happy Cooking!
This is my favorite fruit salad ever. I took it to a potluck class reunion and it was a huge hit. You really must try it with the pitted cherries as it adds additional flavor to the salad. I can’t say enough about how wonderful it is.
I can’t wait to try it with cherries!
nice recipe! looks very delicious
I’m a wine lover. I think I want to try your recipe!
thanks for sharing!
Thank you Glorya!
A tip for cutting the grapes. Take a plastic container lid, place grapes on it in a single layer, top with another plastic container lid. With your hand holding the top lid down gently, use a serated knife to cut the grapes in half. This also works for cutting cherry tomatoes.
Thank you for sharing your tip Heather!
Been making this for years & never cut the grapes. Leave them whole so juices don’t water down the creamy mixture. Lasts longer in the frig, too!
I would think that kids would love this sweet grape salad so I would definitely cut the grapes in half to prevent possibility of choking.
Hi Holly; Here are some variables that would work with your fruit salad.
Fruit Salad
Dressing #1
With electric beaters whip 12 oz. heavy whipping cream too soft peaks with 1 tsp. coconut extract and 2 Tbsp. sugar. Then add a small pkg. (3 1/2 oz.) of cream cheese cubed. About 1/2 or a little more of a 22 oz. container of Real Cream of Coconut, and about 1/2 of a 14 oz. pkg. of shredded Coconut. Continue to mix with beaters until well blended. This should make about 1 quart of dressing. Gently mix to taste into fruit of choice. If you haven’t used Real Cream of Coconut before you will find it next to the wine in the drink mix section.
Dressing #2
Mix a 6 oz. pkg. of COOK & SERVE pudding mix with the juice from a 20 oz. can of Pineapple Tid Bits, cook until thickened. Then gently blend with fruit of choice. You can use any flavor of COOK & SERVE pudding to go with your fruit but if in doubt use Vanilla. I like Butter Scotch.
Now the fruit
You can use just about any fresh or well drained canned fruit cut to bite size. Grapes are always good. Core your apples but don’t peal. Cantaloupe and Honey Dew are exceptionally good and of course all kinds of berries. Bananas are very good but begin to oxidize if held more than two days. Chopped Walnuts or Pecans are also a good choice.
You will need about 1 cup of fruit per serving and the Dressings as listed will dress about 6 to 8 servings (Depending on who you are feeding, Some of us eat more than we should). The salads are best if allowed to rest in fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
Both of these dressings sound delicious for fruit salad Billy! Thanks so much for sharing them and I am going to try your second dressing with butterscotch, that sounds really yummy!