Description
This refreshing Grape Salad combines sweet seedless red and green grapes with a creamy mixture of cream cheese and Greek yogurt, sweetened with brown sugar and brightened with lemon juice. Topped with crunchy walnuts and a sprinkle of light brown sugar, it’s a perfect make-ahead dessert or side dish that’s best served cold.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruits
- 3½ cups seedless red grapes
- 3½ cups seedless green grapes
Salad Dressing
- 4 ounce (½ 8-oz package) cream cheese softened
- 1¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 tsp lemon juice (about ½ of one small lemon)
Toppings
- 1¼ cups walnuts chopped and divided
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
Instructions
- Prepare Grapes: Place the red and green grapes into a strainer and wash thoroughly over the sink. Pat the grapes completely dry to ensure the salad mixture is not watered down.
- Mix Dressing: In a large serving bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, brown sugar, and lemon juice until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine Grapes and Dressing: Carefully add the dried grapes into the bowl and mix gently until all the grapes are evenly coated with the cream cheese mixture.
- Fold in Walnuts: Add 1 cup of the chopped walnuts to the grape mixture and fold them in carefully to distribute evenly without breaking the grapes.
- Chill the Salad: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the grape salad for at least 1 hour or up to overnight to allow flavors to meld and the mixture to thicken.
- Add Final Toppings: Just before serving, sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chopped walnuts and the light brown sugar over the top for added crunch and sweetness.
- Serve: Best served cold straight from the refrigerator as a refreshing dessert or side dish.
Notes
- Store leftover grape salad in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week to keep it fresh and prevent drying.
- Do not freeze grape salad as the texture will be compromised upon thawing.
- For extra sweetness and fun texture, add marshmallow cream or chopped candy bars such as Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, Rolos, or 3 Musketeers.
- Add variety by incorporating other fresh fruits like apples, strawberries, or bananas to the salad.
- Enhance the crunch and flavor by sprinkling graham cracker crumbs, chopped pecans, or crushed pretzels as a garnish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 210 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
