⏲️ 5-Minute Recipe: Easy Grape Salad (2024)

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This Easy Grape Salad recipe is loaded with fresh grapes, sweetened cream cheese, and a crunchy, nutty topping. It’s ready in just 5 minutes plus chilling time.

⏲️ 5-Minute Recipe: Easy Grape Salad (1)

Grape Salad another one of those classic Midwestern desserts that we pass off as a salad (similar to Snickers Salad or Strawberry Pretzel Salad). It’s a sweet and nutty side dish with a creamy sauce and a crunchy topping.

It’s easy to make: mix up cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla, then add chilled grapes and top with brown sugar and walnuts. That’s it!

It’s 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

  1. Recipe ingredients
  2. Ingredient notes
  3. Step-by-step instructions
  4. Recipe tips and variations
  5. Recipe FAQs
  6. Easy Grape Salad Recipe

Recipe ingredients

⏲️ 5-Minute Recipe: Easy Grape Salad (2)

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 won’t 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 toastedwalnuts are great in this salad, or try toasted pecans instead.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In a large bowl, add cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla and stir to combine.
⏲️ 5-Minute Recipe: Easy Grape Salad (3)
  1. Carefully fold in the grapes and gently toss until evenly coated. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix brown sugar and walnuts.
⏲️ 5-Minute Recipe: Easy Grape Salad (4)
  1. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top of the grapes. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve cold.
⏲️ 5-Minute Recipe: Easy Grape Salad (5)

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.
⏲️ 5-Minute Recipe: Easy Grape Salad (6)

Recipe FAQs

How do you soften cream cheese fast?

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.

How many cups are in a pound of grapes?

1 pound of seedless grapes contains about 2 ½ cups of grapes. If the grapes have seeds, 1 pounds of seeded grapes contains about 2 cups of grapes.

How do you serve grape salad?

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 don’t 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 with Bacon and Cheese

Salad Recipes

The Best Macaroni Salad

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⏲️ 5-Minute Recipe: Easy Grape Salad (11)

Easy Grape Salad

By Meggan Hill

This easy Grape Salad recipe is loaded with fresh grapes, sweetened cream cheese, and a crunchy, nutty topping. It's ready in just 5 minutes plus chilling time.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings 12 servings (1 cup each)

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Calories 341

5 from 147 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients

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 Video

Notes

  1. Cream cheese: If the cream cheese is not softened to room temperature, the cream cheese and sour cream won’t combine well (the mixture will be lumpy). If this happens, stir it quickly with a whisk.
  2. 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.
  3. Walnuts: Chopped and toastedwalnuts are great in this salad, or try toasted pecans instead.
  4. Yield: This recipe makes at least 12 cups Grape Salad, enough for 12 servings, 1 cup each.
  5. 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).
  6. 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 341kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 72mgPotassium: 400mgFiber: 2gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 475IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 1mg

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Meggan Hill

Website | + posts

Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

⏲️ 5-Minute Recipe: Easy Grape Salad (2024)

FAQs

What is grape salad made of? ›

This simple Grape Salad Recipe is full of fresh red grapes that are tossed in a sweet cream cheese dressing and sprinkled with brown sugar and pecans. It can be served as a side dish or dessert, and it's perfect for spring, summer, holidays, and parties!

How to make grapes taste sweeter? ›

with olive oil and salt. Roasting makes them sweeter. as they lose water.

What to do with grapes that are not sweet? ›

Natural sweeteners: One option is to pair the sour grapes with naturally sweet ingredients to balance out the tartness. You can serve the grapes with honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, or even a drizzle of fruit juice (such as orange juice) to enhance their sweetness.

What are the ingredients in a grape? ›

Grapes are a rich source of bioactive molecules including phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, stilbenes, and lipids. These are the compounds which contribute to the health benefits of grape and grape-derived products.

What ingredient is grape must? ›

“Must” is a term used to describe the natural, freshly pressed grape juice that is eventually fermented and turned into wine. The must contains the seeds, stems, and skins of the grapes. These solid components are called “pomace,” which refers to separating the fruit skins from the juice.

What makes grapes taste better? ›

"Just cut up grapes lengthwise and squeeze some lime juice over them," Wilson said. "You can add as much or as little as you want. I use green grapes since they're more sour than red grapes."

How to sweeten grapes at home? ›

Directions. Serve these syrupy grapes with cheese for dessert: Grease an ovenproof skillet with 2 tablespoons butter. Add 1 pound seedless grapes and 3/4 cup walnuts; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Roast about 25 minutes in a 500 degree F oven.

How do you get grapes to taste like cotton candy? ›

To make the Cotton Candy grape, Cain and his colleagues hybridized two grape species: a type of Concord-like grape (the grape used in Welch's jams, jellies and juices) and a variety of Vitis vinifera, a common grape found at grocery stores across the country, Cain told NPR.

Can dogs eat grapes? ›

When dogs eat grapes of any kind and in any form, they are at risk of kidney (renal) failure. All types of grapes, whether cooked, seedless, peeled, dried, or fresh, are toxic to dogs, even in small amounts. You should also avoid giving your dog any grape products such as raisins, juices, jelly, or jam.

What to do with old grapes? ›

For ripe or overripe fruit, jam is a common option, especially for red and purple grapes, as are pickles, co*cktail syrups and shrubs. Green grapes, which often carry a vegetal note, are great in salads or ceviches. Concords, popular for juice, make a lush filling for pie.

What to do with too many grapes? ›

  1. Roast them. Something about heat can bring a richer flavor to fruits, like grilled pineapple or baked blackberries. ...
  2. Freeze them. This is one of the easiest solutions there is, and we'll add that it's one of the best summer solutions too. ...
  3. Dehydrate them. ...
  4. Juice them. ...
  5. Use them in a recipe.
Aug 3, 2023

What can I add to salad to make it better? ›

Here are the top 20 healthy salad toppings.
  1. Chopped Raw Vegetables. A typical salad starts with raw greens, such as lettuce, spinach, kale, mixed greens or arugula. ...
  2. Nuts and Seeds. ...
  3. Dried Fruit. ...
  4. Whole Grains. ...
  5. Beans and Legumes. ...
  6. Fresh Fruit. ...
  7. Baked Tortilla or Pita Chips. ...
  8. Shredded Hard Cheeses.
Dec 17, 2018

What can I put in a salad to make it more interesting? ›

Add spices and flavours such as paprika, chilli flakes, curry powder, harissa or parmesan. Add acidity or sourness with vinegar, lemon juice or pomegranate molasses to transform your salad.

What can I add to salad to make it feel full? ›

Something sweet, such as apples, pears, grapes, pomegranate seeds, oranges, bananas, unsweetened dried cranberries, fresh berries, pineapple or mango.

Are grape stems made of wood? ›

The grapevine is a woody perennial plant (See Figure 1.1), which is differentiated into the above ground shoot system (e.g., trunk, leaves, flowers, and fruit) and the underground root system.

Why do people put grapes in salad? ›

Making grape salad is the perfect answer to a grape surplus. In addition to their delightfully sweet flavor and juiciness, grapes are rich in vitamins (like vitamin C), fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. Apple. While not traditional to grape salad, I love the burst of crispness that the apple provides.

What are grape stems made of? ›

Grape stems contain significant amounts of polyphenolic compounds, especially phenolic acids, flavonols, and flavanonols such as astilbin. The tannin content was characterized after the depolymerization reaction thiolysis.

What is salad made of? ›

Most leafy vegetables that can be eaten raw are used: all varieties of lettuce, garden cress and watercress, endives, cabbage, spinach, escarole, romaine (cos), arugula, and fresh herbs. Other vegetables, raw or cooked—tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers, beets, and so on—may garnish the green salad.

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