Creamy Vanilla Grape and Apple Salad with Cranberries and Pecans - a delicious side dish for the Fall season.
Creamy Vanilla Grape & Apple Salad with Cranberries and Pecans - this salad is so good, you will want it before dinner, as an appetizer, and after dinner, as a dessert! With the holidays coming up, this festive fruit salad will look great on the Thanksgiving and/or Christmas menu!
The dressing is made by whipping together softened cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. It's so delicious, and tastes like a cake frosting! I had a hard time restraining myself from not eating the whole dressing while I was making it! That might also be the temptation you will face but stay strong! The dressing will taste even better once in the salad:
Enjoy!
Creamy Vanilla Grape & Apple Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 8 oz cream cheese , softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Salad:
- 1 pound red grapes seedless
- 1 pound green grapes seedless
- 3 red apples sweet, cored and diced
- ⅔ cup chopped pecans + extra
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
Dressing
- In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, blend the ingredients for about 2 minutes or until nice and smooth.
Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the grapes, diced apples, chopped pecans, and cranberries. Add the dressing and toss to coat.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. When you are ready to serve, top with extra chopped pecans and a small amount of brown sugar (if desired).
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I got great comments when I took this to a potluck. It was a little too sweet and way too much dressing for my taste. I will definitely make it again, but will cut back on the brown sugar and the amount of dressing ingredients by about half and see how that works.
Thank you, Louise, for your review and feedback - I appreciate it. 🙂
I love this recipe so much that I have made it 3 weeks in a row!
So glad it's a favorite, Diana!! 🙂
Here I am married 56 years and have never made grape salad. I will be making it this week. I may add some mandarin oranges and possibly some pineapple chunks. I may need to make extra "dressing" but that will make it extra creamy. Thanks for sharing. **
Judy, I love your additions. Might have to try them myself!
Can you make it a few days ahead?
Michele, you can make this 2 days in advance. I would add pecans right before serving to preserve crunchiness. The cut-up apples might brown so you might want to add those before serving too, even though with the creamy dressing the browning would probably not be noticable.
For the apples, You can add 2 teaspoons lemon juice to the apple help so they don’t oxidize to brown in color.
Frank, that's a great tip - thank you! 🙂
I'm going to try that little trick Thanks!
This is FANTASTIC! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Carol, I am glad you liked it, and thank you for the 5-star rating! 🙂
Easy to follow recipe and so seasonal, will add to Christmas eve dinner( if it lasts that long! ) That dressing is awesome.
Wendy, I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Merry Christmas!
Loved it so did grandkids. Added a little fresh lemon juice.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for the 5-star review - I really appreciate it! 🙂
Imake a grape salad. This is twist that I will try.
Enjoy! Grapes and apples go well together! 🙂
Easy but not a great flavor combo. Won't make again.
I love the cranberries and apples added. Just a perfectly delectable salad! Thank. You!!
Barb, you are very welcome! Glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
It looks delicious I'm gonna try it...thanks for the recipe
Enjoy!
Is there another nut that would be good in this salad? I have family that are allergic to walnuts and pecans
If you can eat cashews - they would taste wonderful in this salad!
Looks yummy. I love to add marshmallows to mine. Never tried vanilla in the dressing but sounds like a great add.
Adding marshmallows sounds delicious! Enjoy the recipe!