The BEST Creamy Grape Salad

Candy grapes, crunchy pecans, and vanilla bean bitter cream are mixed on this surprising and scrumptious creamy grape salad. My boys went nuts over this the primary time I made it and I couldn’t cease consuming bites of it myself.

I’ve made this easy grape salad with pecans numerous instances now and my youngest son nonetheless can’t get sufficient of it. Each time he sees grapes within the retailer or in our fridge, he asks if we will make “the actually good grape salad” once more. How might I ever say no to that?

Creamy Grape Salad

There’s no large secret right here. Simply tasty contemporary grapes and pecans lined in creamy, tangy, very calmly sweetened bitter cream. Generally the best recipes actually are the perfect!

This can be a widespread dish to deliver to gatherings with pals, but it surely’s additionally nice served with a sandwich or wrap for a straightforward household lunch.

Grape Salad with Pecans

Salads with grapes are traditional potluck and celebration dishes. In case you’ve by no means tasted one, this recipe is the proper one to make first.

Or, in case your experiences with grape salad bring to mind overly sweetened, gloppy dishes at household reunions or work picnics, I promise you this specific grape salad recipe is so good it is going to have you ever scraping the bowl and going again to the buffet desk for seconds.

The pecans on this recipe add nice texture and crunch to the salad. So far as I’m involved, they aren’t non-obligatory. In case you actually dislike pecans, slivered or sliced almonds may even work, although they aren’t my first selection.

I’d recommend swapping in walnuts earlier than almonds, however in my expertise, if somebody is averse to pecans, they nearly by no means take pleasure in walnuts. Simply use no matter nut you want finest for crunch right here, in the event you don’t care to incorporate the pecans.

Grape Salad Recipe With out Cream Cheese

This grape salad is NOT your common potluck dish. The recipe incorporates a calmly sweetened bitter cream dressing and I’m joyful to say that this salad trumps every other grape salads I’ve tasted.

Years in the past, we made variations of this salad with cool whip or vanilla pudding. They have been positive however nothing spectacular so I wasn’t in any rush to make them once more.

I’ve additionally tasted grape salads made with yogurt or cream cheese dressings. Once more, they tasted okay however didn’t depart any large impression. I might take them or depart them, actually.

Bitter Cream Grape Salad

Then, I found calmly sweetened bitter cream. A number of years in the past, I made these Layered Lemon Cheesecake and tasted sweetened bitter cream for the primary time. I used to be impressed by the distinction a tiny sprinkling of sugar made within the usually tangy (and bitter) cream.

In case you haven’t tried calmly sweetened bitter cream earlier than, you’re in for a enjoyable deal with. I’ve served this salad to a number of individuals who have been shocked that the creamy dressing was merely bitter cream.

Bitter cream with only a contact of sugar supplies the proper quantity of tangy and candy to go with the juicy grape taste on this salad. I’d fortunately eat this grape salad with bitter cream for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.

Salad with Grapes

Grape salads are simple hassle-free facet dishes. When grapes are tossed right into a fundamental backyard salad, they contribute an irresistible, contemporary, candy chew that I like.

Crisp broccoli is mixed with candy, juicy grapes, and crunchy bits of crimson onion simply earlier than being tossed with a tangy, candy balsamic dressing to make this Broccoli Grape Salad.

Chicken, fresh grapes, and crunchy walnuts are tossed in a tangy-sweet poppyseed dressing to make this Poppyseed Chicken Salad.

Candy grapes, candied walnuts, crisp greens, and nutty cheese are mixed to make this actually tempting Grape and Candied Walnut Salad. (Sure, I simply referred to as a salad tempting and I stand by that!) I like this salad a lot, I’ll fortunately eat it twice a day each time I’ve the elements in the home.

Tender bites of rooster, candy grapes, pasta, are mixed and tossed with a creamy poppyseed dressing to make this easy Poppyseed Chicken and Grape Pasta Salad.

Candy grapes and tender rooster in a tangy dressing come collectively as the bottom for a extremely tasty Cashew Rooster Salad.

Tart apples and candy grapes, bananas, and blueberries are tossed with crunchy pecans in a light-weight and creamy vanilla dressing to make this “crimson white and blue” Creamy Fruit Salad.

Grape Salad Elements

• inexperienced grapes
• crimson grapes
• bitter cream
• sugar
• vanilla
• pecans

Kitchen Tip: I take advantage of this set of mixing bowls to make and retailer this salad. (You possibly can see the bowls within the video on the prime of this submit. The precise sample has been discontinued, however I’ve linked the same set.)

Recipe for Grape Salad

After mixing collectively the bitter cream, slightly sugar, and aromatic vanilla, merely add a bunch of sliced inexperienced and crimson grapes to the bowl.

Throw in a beneficiant handful of crunchy pecans with the grapes and bitter cream dressing and you’ve got a scrumptious, calmly sweetened dish that’s able to serve.

You possibly can take pleasure in this Grape Salad instantly or retailer it within the fridge. In case you received’t be serving the salad inside a few hours, wait so as to add the pecans till simply earlier than serving in order that they don’t get smooth and mushy.

If you wish to make this recipe however solely have one number of grape in your fridge, go for it anyway! I just like the combo of inexperienced and crimson grapes for the good colour and taste selection it provides to the dish however it might additionally style good utilizing all inexperienced grapes or all crimson grapes.

It goes with out saying that it’s best to use seedless grapes on this recipe if in any respect potential. We wish the good crunch on this salad to return from the pecans relatively than from shock seeds hiding in every juicy chew of grape. Seedless grapes are additionally simpler to slice.

Substitute for Vanilla Bean

Sugar provides sweetness however what actually makes this bitter cream fruit salad dressing sing is the addition of vanilla. You should utilize both contemporary vanilla bean or actual vanilla extract so as to add the vanilla taste to the bitter cream.

Skyrocketing prices of vanilla and the issue of discovering contemporary vanilla beans in lots of grocery shops imply that I usually use vanilla extract once I make this recipe. It really works simply as effectively with out as a lot fuss or expense.

It’s simple and cheap to substitute vanilla extract for vanilla beans. One teaspoon of pure vanilla extract is roughly equal taste and aroma sensible to at least one vanilla bean.

I do know there are many vanilla purists on the market who argue that contemporary vanilla bean is at all times the higher choice in baking and cooking. I can’t say I at all times agree.

Whereas contemporary vanilla is superb it’s merely not handy or price efficient for many of us. The distinction in high quality of style and taste merely isn’t as vital because the distinction in expense for me.

Everybody has their very own choice, although, and that’s why I say use no matter mode of vanilla taste that’s finest for you.

In case you occur to have a contemporary vanilla bean mendacity round, undoubtedly use it! I LOVE what it provides to this recipe, however for the remainder of us, there’s our trusty vanilla extract. Each methods of including vanilla taste are scrumptious and actually improve this grape salad.

Sweetened Bitter Cream

I haven’t tried utilizing this sweetened bitter cream dressing on many different fruit salads but (it’s fantastic on this one though!) and I’m wanting ahead to experimenting with it on totally different mixtures of fruit.

It’s so creamy and lightweight that I wager it might style nice on numerous different fruit salads, along with being an awesome dip for strawberries or banana slices. In case you determine to play with the recipe, you’ll want to let me know what you assume and the totally different mixtures you provide you with!

initially revealed 5/16/14 – recipe notes and pictures up to date 6/29/23