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    Creamy Grape and Apple Salad

    By Julia | Updated: Mar 17, 2023 | Published: Nov 17, 2016 | 58 Comments

    179.2K shares
    • Facebook1.3K
    Jump to Recipe Print SaveSaved!
    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

    Creamy Vanilla Grape and Apple Salad with Cranberries and Pecans - a delicious side dish for the Fall season.

    Autumn salad, Fall Salad, Winter fruit salad, grapes, apples, pecans, brown sugar, cranberries, cream cheese

     

    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!

    holiday salad, Thanksgiving Salad, Christmas fruit salad, grapes, apples, pecans, brown sugar, cranberries, cream cheese

    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:

    holiday salad, Thanksgiving Salad, Christmas fruit salad, grapes, apples, pecans, brown sugar, cranberries, cream cheese

    Enjoy!

    gluten free, healthy salad, fruit salad, holiday recipes, Thanksgiving recipes, Christmas recipes, Thanksgiving salad

    Creamy Grape and Apple Salad
    4.73 from 144 votes

    Creamy Vanilla Grape & Apple Salad

    Creamy Vanilla Grape and Apple Salad with Cranberries and Pecans - a delicious side dish for the Fall season.  Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve and other holidays!  Gluten free recipe. 
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 servings
    Calories per serving 324 kcal
    Author: Julia

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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 Information
    Creamy Vanilla Grape & Apple Salad
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    324
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    17
    g
    26
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    7
    g
    44
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    36
    mg
    12
    %
    Sodium
     
    96
    mg
    4
    %
    Potassium
     
    339
    mg
    10
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    42
    g
    14
    %
    Fiber
     
    3
    g
    13
    %
    Sugar
     
    36
    g
    40
    %
    Protein
     
    3
    g
    6
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    535
    IU
    11
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    5.6
    mg
    7
    %
    Calcium
     
    74
    mg
    7
    %
    Iron
     
    0.8
    mg
    4
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    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.

    Keyword grape salad, holiday side dish
    « Butternut Squash and Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Pomegranate
    Southwestern Spaghetti Squash with Chicken »
    179.2K shares
    • Facebook1.3K

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Louise

      April 20, 2025 at 1:08 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 08, 2025 at 6:26 pm

        Thank you, Louise, for your review and feedback - I appreciate it. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Diana Provenzano

      October 27, 2024 at 12:00 am

      I love this recipe so much that I have made it 3 weeks in a row!

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 28, 2024 at 12:55 am

        So glad it's a favorite, Diana!! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Judy

      April 22, 2023 at 9:18 pm

      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. **

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 07, 2023 at 9:45 pm

        Judy, I love your additions. Might have to try them myself!

        Reply
    4. Michele

      November 17, 2022 at 4:50 pm

      Can you make it a few days ahead?

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 18, 2022 at 2:53 pm

        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.

        Reply
        • Frank

          November 23, 2022 at 7:29 pm

          For the apples, You can add 2 teaspoons lemon juice to the apple help so they don’t oxidize to brown in color.

          Reply
          • Julia

            November 24, 2022 at 4:05 pm

            Frank, that's a great tip - thank you! 🙂

            Reply
          • Kim

            May 08, 2023 at 1:03 am

            I'm going to try that little trick Thanks!

            Reply
    5. Carol

      June 21, 2022 at 4:59 pm

      This is FANTASTIC! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 22, 2022 at 8:06 pm

        Carol, I am glad you liked it, and thank you for the 5-star rating! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Wendy

      December 24, 2021 at 3:04 pm

      Easy to follow recipe and so seasonal, will add to Christmas eve dinner( if it lasts that long! ) That dressing is awesome.

      Reply
      • Julia

        December 24, 2021 at 4:59 pm

        Wendy, I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Merry Christmas!

        Reply
    7. Heidi Neider

      September 14, 2021 at 9:09 pm

      Loved it so did grandkids. Added a little fresh lemon juice.

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 22, 2021 at 4:07 pm

        I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for the 5-star review - I really appreciate it! 🙂

        Reply
        • Chris Miller

          January 07, 2023 at 12:49 pm

          Imake a grape salad. This is twist that I will try.

          Reply
          • Julia

            January 07, 2023 at 7:41 pm

            Enjoy! Grapes and apples go well together! 🙂

            Reply
    8. Michelle

      February 03, 2021 at 1:22 am

      Easy but not a great flavor combo. Won't make again.

      Reply
    9. Barb

      November 29, 2020 at 9:30 pm

      I love the cranberries and apples added. Just a perfectly delectable salad! Thank. You!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 29, 2020 at 11:36 pm

        Barb, you are very welcome! Glad you liked the recipe! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Mpho8

      March 11, 2020 at 12:26 pm

      It looks delicious I'm gonna try it...thanks for the recipe

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 12, 2020 at 2:10 am

        Enjoy!

        Reply
    11. Teresa

      October 26, 2019 at 8:39 pm

      Is there another nut that would be good in this salad? I have family that are allergic to walnuts and pecans

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 30, 2019 at 8:57 pm

        If you can eat cashews - they would taste wonderful in this salad!

        Reply
    12. Hilda Bower

      February 12, 2019 at 4:39 pm

      Looks yummy. I love to add marshmallows to mine. Never tried vanilla in the dressing but sounds like a great add.

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 13, 2019 at 4:58 pm

        Adding marshmallows sounds delicious! Enjoy the recipe!

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Julia!

    I am a full-time food blogger living in beautiful Colorado. I focus primarily on savory recipes (protein-based & fiber-rich main dishes, pasta, salads) using fresh & seasonal ingredients. A food blogger since 2012, I help home cooks create well-balanced and visually appealing dinners (many of which are 30-minute ONE-PAN meals). Find out more about me and my cooking philosophy. 

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