Ingredients

You’ll love how short and sweet this ingredient list is! In fact, you only need three simple components:

• Grapes – You’ll need a mix of seedless red and green grapes for this recipe. Having both makes the dish more visually appealing and ensures each bite is balanced between sweetness and tartness.

• The dressing – To make the “dressing,” you’ll need sour cream, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Start with room-temperature cream cheese so it mixes easily, and opt for full-fat cream cheese for the best results.

• Toppings – Just before serving, sprinkle brown sugar and chopped pecans on top. Simply dust them over for a sweet nutty warmth you’ll love.

How to Make Creamy Grape Salad

This recipe is another super quick dish that’s ready in 1-2-3!

1. Prepare the dressing.

Mix softened cream cheese with sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Blend the ingredients until smooth.

I like using a hand mixer, but you can also do it by hand. It just takes a bit more elbow grease.

2. Add the grapes and refrigerate.

Add the grapes to the bowl, then stir with a spatula until they’re well coated.

Then, transfer the salad to a clean serving bowl, cover it, and refrigerate it.

It should chill for at least an hour, but four hours is better, and overnight is even better.

3. Add the toppings and serve.

When you’re ready, generously sprinkle brown sugar and pecans on top. Don’t stir!

Finally, serve and enjoy!

Tips for the Best Grape Salad

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Let the cream cheese warm to room temperature. I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again: cream cheese needs to warm and soften before using it. Otherwise, it’s very, very difficult to mix with the other ingredients, especially by hand.

• Use yogurt or marshmallow cream instead of sour cream. Yogurt is a healthier alternative, but marshmallow cream is sweeter. (You can omit the sugar if you go the marshmallow cream route.)

• Cut the grapes before adding them. We all know not to give whole grapes to small children. So, if you have kids (or elderly parents) eating the salad, cut the grapes in advance.

• Make sure the grapes are firm and ripe. If the grapes are already soft, don’t use them. They won’t be good in the salad, and the texture will be awful.

• Experiment with toppings. Some recipes use broken candy pieces instead of nuts and sugar. Try Heath bars, Twix, or another favorite candy. You can also substitute pecans with walnuts or pistachios.

• Let it chill in the fridge overnight if possible. The longer the salad chills, the better it is. Try making it a day in advance if possible.

How to Store Leftovers

As I mentioned earlier, the colder this salad is, the better it tastes. Fortunately, this means storage is not an issue.

Simply wrap the serving bowl tightly in plastic wrap and return it to the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can transfer it to an airtight container.

Either will keep it fresh for about a week. Just be sure to give it a good stir before serving.

Also, don’t add the toppings until you’re ready to eat!

Unfortunately, this dish doesn’t freeze well. But luckily, it’s so easy to make that you can whip it up at the last minute.