Easy Grape Salad

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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.

A large serving bowl full of grape salad.

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!

Recipe ingredients

Labeled ingredients for easy grape salad.

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 toasted walnuts 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.
Cream cheese and sour cream mixed together for grape salad.
  1. Carefully fold in the grapes and gently toss until evenly coated. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix brown sugar and walnuts.
A large serving bowl full of grape salad without the sugar and nut topping.
  1. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top of the grapes. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve cold.
A large serving bowl full of grape salad.

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.
Small plates of grape salad with spoons.

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

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Easy grape salad in a serving bowl.

Easy Grape Salad

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
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 12 servings (1 cup each)
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Calories 341
5 from 100 votes

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 toasted walnuts 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
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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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.

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Comments

  1. 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!5 stars

    1. I love it! That’s wonderful! I appreciate you sharing this with me. Take care! – Meggan

  2. To say this was a hit at our community’s 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 didn’t put the topping on it until I put it on the buffet table.5 stars

    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Lynda! I’m so glad it was a hit! Take care! – Meggan

  3. 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.

  4. 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? Wasn’t sure if the nuts would get soggy if left overnight?

    1. Hi Tiffany, it should be fine but if you are worried about it you can add them right before. Hope this helps! – Meggan

  5. 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. I’ve 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 Wisconsin…..

    1. 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!

    2. 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.

  6. Love this salad It is easy to make and is very refreshing. I have a question – do you think it could be frozen?5 stars

    1. Hi Iris, I’m so happy you love it! I don’t 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 I’ve frozen it to make it consistent and not lumpy.) I haven’t tried to freeze this, so I cannot say for sure it can. Sorry about that! – Meggan

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