Grape Salad is a refreshing, sweet, and creamy dish made light using Greek yogurt. This easy-to-make salad is perfect for potlucks, barbecues, and celebrations. Sprinkle it with toasted pecans for a little crunch and you won’t be able to resist coming back for seconds!
Almost everyone loves grapes which makes this easy Grape Salad a great dish for serving at gatherings. It’s the perfect side dish that is for a barbecue or potluck. For more delicious and healthy side dishes, try Black Bean and Corn Salsa, Tomato Basil Bruschetta, and Summer Fruit Salad.
Easy Grape Salad
This is a classic refreshing potluck salad and is typically made with sour cream but I use Greek yogurt instead. Greek yogurt is just like sour cream but it’s packed with protein and you can find it in low fat to no-fat varieties. It makes this somewhat of a dessert type salad a little healthier.
How to Make Creamy Grape Salad:
- Toast the pecans in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until fragrant. Chop when cooled.
- Cream together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sugar, and vanilla.
- Fold the grapes into the creamy dressing. If not ready to serve yet, cover and refrigerate.
- When ready to serve, transfer salad to a serving bowl and top with pecans and brown sugar (optional). Serve.
How to quickly soften cream cheese:
Remove all packaging and place cream cheese on a microwave safe plate. Microwave at 50% power for 25 seconds, flip the block of cheese over and microwave it at 50% for another 20-25 seconds.
Do I really need to toast the pecans?
No, but I highly recommend it. Most grape salad recipes don’t but toasting the nuts enhances their nutty flavor and gives them such a great crunchy texture. It’s really so easy to toast them so I think it is totally worth it.
What type of yogurt should I use?
Plain Greek Yogurt. You can choose if you want to use full fat, low fat, or nonfat. My favorite is FAGE Total 0%.
If you choose to use vanilla yogurt you’ll want to omit the granulated sugar and vanilla extract.
Can I make Greek Yogurt Grape Salad in advance?
Yes! Make the creamy dressing and mix it with the grapes. Toast and chop up the pecans but wait to add them until just before serving.
How to Store Lightened Up Grape Salad:
If you know you will have leftovers, it is best to not mix all the pecans in with the salad because they will soften as the salad sits. That’s totally fine, but one of my favorite parts about the salad is the crunchy pecans.
Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
LOOKING FOR MORE POTLUCK SIDE DISHES? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Frog Eye Fruit Salad
- The Best Broccoli Bacon Salad
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Bacon
- The Best Buttermilk Cornbread
- Macaroni Salad
- Homemade Coleslaw
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS EASY GRAPE SALAD:
- Electric Hand Mixer– This is one of my most used kitchen gadgets. It’s great for frosting, whipping egg whites, cookie dough…
- Pyrex Mixing Bowls with Lids- I love my mixing bowls with lids because then I am able to stack things up with the fridge. Plus, glass is nice for when I need to microwave whatever is in it.
- Quarter Sheet Pan– I love this pan for when I only need to bake something small. It’s perfect for toasting nuts or baking use a few cookies.
Grape Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I use Fage 0%)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 pounds grapes, washed and removed from vine
- 4 teaspoons brown sugar, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread pecans on pan in an even layer and bake for 8-10 minutes until toasted and fragrant. Allow to cool and then chop. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth.
- Add the grapes and stir with a spoon or spatula until grapes are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Place salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped pecans and optional brown sugar. Serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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