• RECIPES
    • All Recipes
    • KETO/LOW CARB
    • Appetizers/Drinks
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Main Courses
    • Soups
    • Side Dishes
    • Casseroles
    • HOLIDAYS/SEASONAL
      • Rosh Hashanah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Chanukkah
      • Christmas
      • New Year’s Eve
      • St. Patrick’s Day
      • Super Bowl/Game Day
      • Easter
      • Passover
      • 4th of July
      • Cinco de Mayo
      • Memorial Day
    • Jewish Recipes
    • Asian Cooking
    • INSTANT POT
      • All Pressure Cooking
      • Dump and Push
      • Pot in Pot
      • Freezer Recipes
    • AIR FRYER
  • SHOP ESSENTIALS
    • Shop All Categories!
    • This Old Gal Pressure Cooker Cookbook
    • Shop My Favorites
    • What’s In My Kitchen!
    • Instant Pot & Pressure Cooker Stuff
    • TOG’s Gift Guide
    • Shop My Amazon Store
  • GET NEWSLETTER
  • BUY MY COOKBOOK

Work with TOG

  • RECIPE INDEX
    • All Recipes
    • Keto & Low Carb Recipes
    • Holidays/Seasonal
    • Jewish Recipes
    • Asian Recipes
    • Freezer Meals
  • BY METHOD
    • Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker
    • Air Fryer
    • Slow Cooker
  • SHOP ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS
    • Shop All Categories
    • What’s In My Kitchen!
    • Shop My Amazon Store
    • Buy My Cookbook!!!
  • SELKATZ TONKINESE
  • WORK WITH THIS OLD GAL
    • Contact This Old Gal
  • ABOUT TOG
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions & User Agreement
    • Recipe Photo Use Policy
    • Website Accessibility Statement

↑

This Old Gal

Delicious homemade recipes with step by step instructions

Restaurant Quality Meals From My Home To Yours

  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Low Carb
    • Appetizers/Beverages
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Soups
    • Sides
    • Main Courses
    • Holidays/Seasonal
      • Rosh Hashanah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Chanukkah
      • Christmas
      • Super Bowl/Game Day
      • New Year’s Eve
      • Passover
      • Easter
      • St. Patrick’s Day
      • Cinco de Mayo
      • Memorial Day
      • 4th of July
    • Casseroles
    • Jewish Recipes
    • Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
      • Pot in Pot & One Pot
      • Dump and Push
    • Air Fryer
    • Freezer
  • Low Carb Recipes
  • Shop Essential Products
    • Shop All Categories!
    • Favorite Instant Pot Accessories
    • Shop My Amazon Store!
    • Favorite Pressure Cooker Accessories
    • Kitchen Tools Gadgets & Essentials
    • TOG’s Gift Guide
    • Instant Pot Mini 3 Quart Accessories
    • Favorite Baking Cooking Air Fryer Accessories & Bread Making Tools
    • Small Electric Kitchen Appliances & Pressure Cookers
    • Coupons, Brands & Reviews
  • About
    • Selkatz Tonkinese
    • Contact This Old Gal
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms & Conditions & User Agreement
    • Recipe Photo Use Policy
    • Website Accessibility Statement

Home / Recipes / Desserts / Creamy Grapes Salad

Creamy Grapes Salad

May 19, 2019 By Jill Selkowitz / 1 Comment Updated May 25, 2021 / As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs I earn from qualifying purchases; see all disclosures.

Jump to Recipe

Perfect for a summer gathering, Creamy Grapes Salad with red and green grapes is coated in cheesecake batter and topped with brown sugar and crushed pecans. A delicious dessert which is ready in about 15 minutes!

Luscious bowls of Creamy Grapes Salad on a green table setting with pink flowers

Creamy Grapes Salad

Summer time, picnics, gatherings, beach time and food!

Cold food to be exact.

Jump to Section

  • What is Creamy Grapes Salad?
  • Ingredients for Creamy Grapes Salad
  • Other names for Creamy Grapes Salad.
  • How to Make Creamy Grapes Salad
  • How to Remove Caviar from Vanilla Bean.
  • Can I Make Creamy Grapes Salad in Advance?
  • Why Use Whole Pecans?
  • When Do I Add the Pecan Topping?
  • What Can Replace the Nuts if I have a Nut Allergy?
  • Creamy Grapes Salad

What is Creamy Grapes Salad?

  • It is a sweet side dish made with grapes.
  • The sauce tastes like thick liquid version of my Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake.
  • Crunchy nuts and brown sugar make up the topping.

Creamy Grapes Salad is perfect to bring to summer picnics, Labor Day outings, 4th of July beach days and more.

It is very decadent; cold and creamy and sweet.

Definitely not low carb or keto because of the grapes. However, diabetics can use a sugar substitute and limit the portion of the fruit.

 

Cast of Ingredients for Creamy Grapes Salad

Cast of Ingredients for Creamy Grapes Salad

My recipe is a bit different than most of the ones you will find on line.

My Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar makes a HUGE difference in flavor.

This is your food, so totally do what you like. You don’t need to use Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar, the if you don’t want.

Ingredients for Creamy Grapes Salad

  • Cream Cheese
  • Sour Cream or Homemade Greek Yogurt
  • White Sugar
  • True Lemon or Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Vanilla Bean Caviar or Vanilla Bean Extract
  • Whole Pecans
  • Brown Sugar
  • Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar

This is not your regular old Creamy Grapes Salad.

But then again, most of my recipes are not your normal average recipes. If I am going to post a recipe, it needs to stand out from others and be the best ever!

 

True Lemon Granulated Crystals

True Lemon Granulated Crystals

I’m not affiliated with this company, I just love True Lemon so much.

The flavor is exactly like fresh lemons off the tree.

In my Elote {Mexican Corn on the Cob} recipe, I use True Lime for the very same reason.

Since, no liquid is added, the sauce in the Creamy Grapes Salad recipe (as well as my Elote recipe) stays thick and does not get watered down!

When the grapes chill in the fridge overnight, they tend to release juice, so I prefer not to add more liquid. 🙂

 

Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar

Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar

The other ingredient that takes this Creamy Grapes Salad up a notch is my Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar.

Seriously, the flavors of cardamom, cloves, star anise add a nice and subtle flavor.

For a stronger flavor, use more of my spiced sugar and reduce the white sugar!

Other names for Creamy Grapes Salad.

Grapes Rockefeller

Grapes Cheesecake Salad

Grape Salad

How to Make Creamy Grapes Salad

 

Blend Cream Cheese in Food Processor

Blend Cream Cheese in Food Processor

This is a super quick way to mix up the sauce and to make sure that it is nice and creamy and no lumps.

If you use a food processor, there is no need to worry about letting the ingredients come to room temperature.

In fact, for this type of “cheesecake” recipe, I prefer to start with cold cream cheese. Whereas in my Instant Pot New York Cheesecake, which is the most popular cheesecake recipe around, the cream cheese works better at room temperature. Cheesecake lovers cannot get enough of this cake.

Also, I’m so used to letting my food processor do all the heavy work.

 

Grate Lemon for Zest

Grate Lemon for Zest

Lemon Zest brightens the flavors in the Creamy Cheesecake Sauce!

A handheld microplane easily does the trick.

Make sure not to get any of the white pitch into the sauce. The pith is rather bitter and can easily ruin this recipe. Eureka lemons will give you the best zest.

 

Remove Vanilla Bean Caviar

Remove Vanilla Bean Caviar

How to Remove Caviar from Vanilla Bean.

  1. Take a small sharp paring knife.
  2. With the vanilla bean flat on a cutting board, use the tip of the knife and cut the vanilla bean from end to end.
  3. Be careful not to cut through the bean.
  4. Hold one end of the bean.
  5. Using the dull side of the knife, start at one end of the bean and firmly scrape the little moist seeds (caviar) from the bean.

Don’t throw out the vanilla bean. It still has a lot of life left in it!

Use it to make vanilla sugar or add it to a jar of my Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar recipe.

If you don’t have a vanilla bean in the house, just use vanilla extract. My Pressure Cooker Vanilla Bean Extract (recipe coming soon) is perfect for this task.

 

Stir in Lemon Zest, Adjust Sugar

Stir in Lemon Zest, Adjust Sugar

It is a good idea to start out with the lower amount of white sugar and Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar.

Sometimes the grapes are super sweet and less sugar is needed.

After blending all the ingredients, just do a taste test and adjust lemon zest and sugar(s) as needed.

 

Mix Cheesecake Mixture with Grapes

Mix Cheesecake Mixture with Grapes

Can I Make Creamy Grapes Salad in Advance?

  • Yes, absolutely. It is actually recommended that you make the salad the day before you need to serve Creamy Grapes Salad.
  • The cheesecake sauce will firm up a bit with an overnight chill in the refrigerator.

That being said, you certainly can enjoy Creamy Grapes Salad right away.

But, it is better after it is cooled, so that the sauce adheres to the grapes.

As I am a sourdough bread baker and use these food storage containers for proofing bread, I just used the tub to mix the sauce into the grapes.

It’s easily transportable and I can pour the grapes into a nice glass bowl (pictured in the final photo) and then add the topping before serving

 

Chopped Pecans

Chopped Pecans

Why Use Whole Pecans?

  • First of all, it is cheaper.
  • Whole Pecans will stay fresher if kept whole.
  • They are easy to chop with a good Santoku knife.
  • I prefer using food less processed, as who knows how well the chopping machines are cleaned.
  • I have OCD re cleanliness…. 😉

Well, maybe not an doctor diagnosis of OCD. It might be a control issue.

Since I can’t seem to control my weight (especially since blogging and cooking all the time) and I’m fat again, being clean is something I CAN control.

 

Pecan Brown Sugar Topping

Pecan Brown Sugar Topping

When Do I Add the Pecan Topping?

  • Get to where you are going and then top the Creamy Grapes Salad with the Pecan Brown Sugar Topping.
  • The pecans and brown sugar will add a nice crunch.

If you add the topping in early, the brown sugar will turn a bit liquidy, which is delicious as well.

What Can Replace the Nuts if I have a Nut Allergy?

  • I love to add some Grapenuts Nuggets too, for more crunch.
  • So, the nuts are easily replaced for those with nut allergies!

Another recipe where Grapenuts are used in place of nuts is my Slow Cooker Autumn’s Best Apple Crisp recipe. It is a fabulous recipe and I have replaced the walnuts for Grapenut Nuggets. We really love the topping with the Grapenuts.

 

Grapes Rockefeller

Grapes Rockefeller

I use my Bormioli Rocco Viva Salad Bowl for a beautiful presentation.

Knowing you will enjoy my version of Creamy Grapes Rockefeller, I suggest you also try my Red White and Blue Fresh Berry Cheesecake Salad. It is another perfect recipe to bring to picnics and gatherings.

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

  • J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
  • Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
  • Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
  • di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
  • My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
  • Microplane Stainless Steel Zester
  • Cuisinart Large Food Processor
  • Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar
  • True Lemon
  • Vanilla Bean

Caring is sharing! If you would like to support This Old Gal, please share this recipe on Social Media, so that I can continue to bring you more wonderful recipes! 

If you share a picture of something you make from our blog, tag it with #thisoldgalcooks so we can see it. We might feature it on Instagram! It makes my day when I see you’ve made one of our recipes!

Here is your handy printable recipe:

Grapes Rockefeller

Creamy Grapes Salad

5 from 1 vote
Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Desert, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: All types, American
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Resting Time: 4 hours hours
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 424kcal
Author: Jill Selkowitz

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Cream Cheese
  • 8 ounces Sour Cream or Yogurt
  • 1/4 cup White Sugar or more
  • 1/8 cup Cardamom Spiced Vanilla Sugar (or all white sugar)
  • 1 Vanilla Bean scraped (or 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract)
  • 1 teaspoon True Lemon (or 2 tsp lemon juice)
  • 2 teaspoons Lemon Zest
  • 4 pounds Green and/or Red Grapes stems removed, washed/dried

Topping

  • 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Whole Pecans chopped
  • OR
  • 3/4 cup Grapenuts Nuggets
US Customary - Metric

Recommended Products

Cuisinart Large Food Processor
Cuisinart Large Food Processor
J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef's Knife
J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef's Knife
Dry Measuring Cups
Dry Measuring Cups
Microplane Stainless Steel Zester
Microplane Stainless Steel Zester
Vanilla Beans
High Heat Resistant Spatula
High Heat Resistant Spatula

Instructions

  • In a food processor, add cream cheese, sour cream, sugars and vanilla (caviar or extract) and process until smooth.
  • Remove blade from processor, add lemon zest and mix through.
  • Taste and adjust sweetness, as necessary.
  • Pour over grapes and mix through.  Refrigerate over night, or until chilled.
  • Mix together topping and sprinkle over grape salad.

Notes

Wash the grapes with the stems on and then remove them from the stems.  This helps to keep water from getting into the grapes.  After washing the grapes, I place them in a bowl with a paper towel to help dry the grapes.
If you prefer, you can use all white sugar.  We all have different tastes, so do what you prefer.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Creamy Grapes Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 424 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 36mg12%
Sodium 143mg6%
Potassium 497mg14%
Carbohydrates 66g22%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 54g60%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 720IU14%
Vitamin C 7.1mg9%
Calcium 88mg9%
Iron 4.4mg24%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @ThisOldGalCooks or tag #thisoldgalcooks!
© ThisOldGal.com - Sharing the recipe link to any of my recipes posts are both encouraged and appreciated. Unauthorized and improperly attributed or non-attributed use of this material, including screen shots, copy/paste of full recipes to any social media site, website, mobile application or service (e.g., copymethat, recipe keeper, pepper) or cookbook, without the requisite attribution or otherwise with express written permission from Jill Selkowitz is strictly prohibited. You may share a photo with a link back instead.

PIN this Creamy Grapes Salad recipe!

Creamy Grapes Salad

Creamy Grapes Salad

Originally published July 22, 2018. Republished to add more information on May 19, 2019.

1.4K shares
  • 496

May 19, 2019

About Jill Selkowitz

Hi, I'm Jill. I'm a mom to Tonkinese cats and enjoy sharing restaurant quality meals, easily made at home. With my easy step by step photos and directions, new cooks will be able to follow along and cook like rock stars.

Comments

  1. Gerry says

    May 19, 2019 at 9:36 pm

    5 stars
    Can you use some cardamom dry spice in with the sugar and how much would you use? I’m going to use the vanilla extract and either sugar or Splenda. Looks great and refreshing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome To My Kitchen

An image of Jill Selkowitz
Hi, I'm Jill, cooking enthusiast. Here you'll find top chef quality recipes with step by step photos and directions. More About Me

Memorial Day Recipes

Grandma Rose's Jewish Noodle Kugel

Grandma Rose’s Jewish Noodle Kugel…

Instant Pot Rojo Fiesta Chicken

Instant Pot Rojo Fiesta Chicken…

Air Fryer Chick-Fil-A-Sandwich

Air Fryer Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich…

Fluffy Japanese Hokkaido Milk Hotdog Buns

Japanese Hokkaido Milk Hotdog Buns…

Air Fryer

[facetwp facet="air_fryer"]

Instant Pot

[facetwp facet="instant_pot"]

Main

[facetwp facet="main"]

Popular

Instant Pot Greek Yogurt (Thick and…

Instant Pot New York Cheesecake #1 Best…

Instant Pot No Boil Yogurt [Cold Start…

Instant Pot No Knead Bread (Dutch Oven)…

Latest

20+ Superbowl 2024 Instant Pot Party…

Instant Pot Low Carb Wonton Soup [Recipe…

Sesame Garlic Noodles [w/Asian Flair]…

Instant Pot Low Carb UNStuffed Cabbage…

Seasonal

Pressure Cooker Gefilte Fish [Jewish…

Instant Pot Bang Bang Chicken (Pressure…

Pressure Cooker Corned Beef with White…

Pressure Cooker Chicken Marsala Mushroom…

Featured on:

About | Contact | Work With Me | Privacy Policy | Sitemap
Copyright ©2025, This Old Gal. All Rights Reserved.
1.4K shares