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.
We make this a bit differently. We use two kinds of grapes. I love the idea of adding apples. We also use two crushed up butterfinger bars along with the chopped pecans and brown sugar mixture.
I am glad you liked this recipe! 🙂
Can this be made the day before? Thank you!
Absolutely; I think it tastes better the next day
Yes, you can make this recipe a day in advance. Keep it refrigerated in an air-tight container.
Do the apples turn dark?
The apples do brown, but it's not very visible under all that creamy sauce.
Does the dressing keep the apples from turning brown?
Can i freeze this dish for later?
I wouldn't freeze this, because that will affect the texture of the salad dressing.
Is it ok to cut the grapes in half? The grapes I have are so large.
Yes, cut them in half if they are large.
Can i make this 2 days ahead of time?
This salad is best to be served right away. Or, at least, don't add the dressing and pecans until right before serving.
My husband cannot eat cranberries. Can something else be substituted?
Yes, you can use dried cherries, raisins, or dried blueberries.
This is an easy and yummy salad/dessert for that last-minute potluck item. I have had friends and family request it for our Eastern Star dinners. Thanks for the great recipe!!
You're very welcome! So glad the salad was well-received! Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comment! 🙂
I made this for my daughters Highschool Graduation party it was a hit and I caught my nephew hiding some for later. I will be making this often it so GOOD!!!!!!
I am so glad this salad was a success! Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your comment!
This was a absolute hit!! Great recipe!
Thank you! So glad! 🙂
I make this often. You can omit the apples & cranberries. Last for several days in the fridge.
would your friut salad be ok if put in frig over night?
I used only half of the dressing and it is still too much. My saladlooks NOTHING like the salad pictured. How much did you actually use?
Looks so good. How many days in advance do you think you could make this? How many days does it stay fresh/taste good once made?
The salad is best served immediately, but my husband and I did eat it a day later, after it's been refrigerated for a day and it tasted great. The sliced apples will brown if the salad is not served immediately.
If you put 1 cup of water in a bowl with 1 Tbs of fresh lemon juice and drop Apple pieces in as you prep them it will help with the Browning issue . Just let them soak while prepping the other fruit.
You might want to clarify that you mean dried cranberries and not fresh cranberries. I almost used fresh ones until I saw dried ones in the pics.
Good suggestion! I updated the recipe to say "dried cranberries".