✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos
This copycat Chicken Salad Chick grape salad is crisp red and green grapes in a sweet cream cheese dressing, under a crunchy brown sugar and pecan topping. There is no chicken in it: this is the sweet side, not chicken salad with grapes.
What Is Chicken Salad Chick Grape Salad? (Quick Answer)
It is a cold, sweet side of red and green grapes in a cream cheese and sour cream dressing, topped with brown sugar and pecans. To make it, beat 8 ounces cream cheese with 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla and lemon, fold in 3 pounds of dry grapes, chill for 2 hours, and add the topping just before serving.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Dry the grapes properly. Water left on the skins thins the dressing and leaves a puddle in the bottom of the dish by morning. I learned that one the sad way.
Why You'll Love This Grape Salad
- Cold, crisp and creamy the grapes pop and the dressing tastes a little like no-bake cheesecake.
- That topping brown sugar and toasted pecans give you crunch in every spoonful.
- No cooking to speak of the oven only comes on for 10 minutes to toast the nuts.
- Made for a crowd three pounds of grapes feeds 12, so it earns its spot at any potluck.
- Side or dessert it works next to sandwiches, and nobody complains when it shows up after dinner.
Grape Salad vs Chicken Salad With Grapes
Search for this one and you get both dishes mixed together, so here is the difference. This recipe is the sweet one. No chicken, no celery, no mayo.
| Grape salad (this recipe) | Chicken salad with grapes | |
|---|---|---|
| Main ingredient | Red and green grapes | Shredded or diced chicken |
| Dressing | Cream cheese, sour cream, sugar | Mayo |
| Topping or crunch | Brown sugar and pecans | Celery, often nuts |
| Tastes | Sweet, like a light cheesecake | Savory with a little sweetness |
| Served as | Side or dessert | Sandwich or main |
How I Get It Close to the Restaurant Side
My test for any copycat is simple: does it taste like the memory, and can a home cook make it reliably? This one comes down to balance. The dressing has to be sweet but still tangy, and the grapes have to be cold.
So I use full-fat cream cheese for body, sour cream for tang, and a teaspoon of lemon juice that you won't taste but you'd miss. Then the brown sugar and toasted pecans go on last, because that crunch against the cold, creamy grapes is the whole point.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Grapes: a half-and-half mix looks best. Red grapes bring sweetness, green grapes bring a little snap and sharpness.
- Cream cheese: the brick kind, full fat. Whipped tub cream cheese makes a loose dressing that slides off the grapes.
- Sour cream: this is what stops the dressing tasting like frosting. Full fat holds up best in the fridge.
- Brown sugar: light brown is my pick. Dark brown works too and tastes a bit more like molasses.
- Pecans: chop them by hand so you keep some bigger pieces. Toasting is the step I never skip.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Soften the cream cheese first. Leave it on the counter for an hour. Cold cream cheese leaves little white lumps that no amount of folding will fix.
- Use firm grapes. Give the bag a squeeze at the store. Soft grapes turn watery in the dressing and you lose the cold, crisp pop that makes this worth making.
- Top it late. Brown sugar melts into syrup after a few hours on the dressing. Tasty, but you lose the crunch. I keep the topping in a jar and scatter it on at the table.
- Toast the pecans. It takes 10 minutes and turns them from sleepy to deeply nutty. Let them cool first or they will soften the sugar.
- Taste before you chill. Grapes vary a lot. If yours are very sweet, I hold back a spoonful of sugar and add an extra squeeze of lemon.
- Give the kids a job. Lucy is in charge of scattering the topping, and Max keeps stealing grapes out of the colander, which is why I always buy a little extra.
Chicken Salad Chick Grape Salad
12
servings20
minutes10
minutes290
kcal2
hours30
minutesA copycat version of the sweet grape salad side at Chicken Salad Chick: crisp red and green grapes folded through a cream cheese and sour cream dressing, chilled, then topped with brown sugar and toasted pecans. There is no chicken in it. Serves 12.
Ingredients
- For the Salad
1 1/2 pounds seedless red grapes, stemmed
1 1/2 pounds seedless green grapes, stemmed
- For the Dressing
8 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- For the Topping
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 pinch fine salt
Directions
- Get the grapes ready
- Wash the grapes, then spread them on a clean kitchen towel and pat them completely dry. Halve any very large ones. Leave them to air-dry for 10 minutes while you make the dressing.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Toast the chopped pecans on a baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell nutty, then let them cool completely.
- Make the salad
- Beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until no lumps remain. Add the sour cream, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice and beat until smooth and glossy.
- Fold the dry grapes into the dressing with a large spatula until every grape is coated. Spread into a 9×13-inch dish or a wide serving bowl.
- Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, so the dressing firms up and the grapes get really cold.
- Top and serve
- Toss the cooled pecans with the brown sugar and salt. Scatter over the salad just before serving so the topping stays crunchy.
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More Sweet Salads for the Table
If you like a sweet salad at a potluck, try my ambrosia fruit salad or a bowl of pistachio Watergate salad. You'll find plenty more restaurant favorites in our best copycat recipes. Serving it the way the restaurant does? Add a scoop of my Chicken Salad Chick Classic Carol, the plain and creamy chicken salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there chicken in Chicken Salad Chick grape salad?
No. Despite the restaurant's name, grape salad is a sweet side made of grapes, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, brown sugar and pecans. If you want chicken salad with grapes in it, that is a different recipe.
What is grape salad made of?
Red and green seedless grapes in a dressing of cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla, finished with brown sugar and chopped pecans. I add a teaspoon of lemon juice to keep it from tasting flat.
Is grape salad a side dish or a dessert?
Both. It is served as a side at the restaurant and at most potlucks, but it is sweet enough to pass as dessert. I put it out with sandwiches at lunch and happily eat leftovers after dinner.
Can I make grape salad the day before?
Yes. Fold the grapes through the dressing and refrigerate them, covered, for up to 24 hours. Keep the pecan and brown sugar topping in a separate jar and add it right before serving.
How long does grape salad last?
Up to 3 days covered in the fridge. The topping softens and the grapes release a little juice, so give it a gentle stir. Do not leave it out for more than 2 hours because of the dairy.
Can I use something other than pecans?
Walnuts or sliced almonds both work. For a nut-free bowl, crushed graham crackers or toffee bits give you the same crunch against the creamy dressing.
Can I make it lighter?
You can swap the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt and use reduced-fat cream cheese. The dressing will be a little tangier and softer, so chill it for the full 2 hours.
Can young children eat grape salad?
Whole grapes are a choking risk for little ones. For children under about 5, quarter the grapes lengthwise before folding them in, and skip the chopped nuts.
