Chicken Salad Chick Grape Salad {Copycat Recipe} (2024)

Why This is the Best Recipe

It's no secret that I love classic sweet salads as part of our holiday menu. I love to sneak in Snicker Salad for Thanksgiving and Pistachio Fluff for Christmas.

This delicious grape salad with a sweet cream cheese dressing is a perfect addition to my repertoire because:

1. Filled with Fresh Fruit: Yes, it is more dessert than side dish, but it is loaded with fresh grapes so I don't mind one bit letting my kids enjoy it for a special meal.
2. Sweet & Juicy: The grapes pop in your mouth and are so juicy. This is the perfect complement to a savory dish on your menu.
3. Thick and Creamy: The cream cheese dressing is sweetened with sugar and vanilla and is the perfect addition to the grapes. If you want yours just a little less creamy, I recommend adding more grapes and increasing the ratio of fruit to dressing.
4. Perfect Crispy Texture: With fresh crispy grapes at the base and then crunchy pecans sprinkled over the top, this salad has the perfect texture.
5. Make Ahead Friendly: You can prep this dish up to 24 hours in advance with my easy prep tips listed below! This makes it great for getting some of the work done ahead of time before a holiday.

This delicious creamy side dish is made with just a few very simple ingredients:

• Fresh Red Grapes: I love the color red grapes add to the salad. You could do a mix of half green and half red if you want some variety. That could be a fun twist for Christmas!
• Cream Cheese: I used an organic full-fat cream cheese for extra richness for the holiday. You could substitute a low fat cream cheese if you want to lighten things up but the dressing won't be as creamy.
• Sour Cream: Same as the cream cheese, I chose a regular full-fat sour cream for richness for the holiday. Light cream cheese will also work but the dressing might be a bit thinner.
• Vanilla
• Sugar & Brown Sugar
• Chopped Pecans: These are a fairly essential part of the recipe for texture. You could substitute walnuts if you prefer.

Make the Cream Cheese Dressing

This recipe is so very quick and easy!

First, add the softened cream cheese, sour cream, white sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl.

Beat them together with a hand mixer on medium-high for 2 minutes.

Scrape the sides of the bowl as you go to make sure everything is incorporated well.

The dressing should get nice and smooth and thicken up as you beat it.

Add Fresh Grapes

Be sure to take the time to cut your red grapes in half lengthwise before adding them to the salad.

This makes the dish easier to eat for your guests and could also prevent choking if you have little kids at the meal.

Add the grapes to the cream cheese dressing and gently stir them in.

The grapes should all be nice and coated with the cream cheese.

I loved the creamy ratio you see here, but if this is too much dressing for you, add another cup or two of red or green grapes.

Top with Pecans and Brown Sugar

Transfer the grape salad to your serving bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.

Chill in the fridge until just before you're ready to serve it.

Then, crumble the brown sugar over the salad and scatter the pecans over the top.

This is important to do at the last moment to keep the nuts crispy and prevent the brown sugar from dissolving into the cream cheese dressing.

Make Ahead Tips

If you want to make the grape salad the day before your party, you have two fantastic options:

1. Assemble the Dressing

You could prepare the cream cheese dressing and pre-cut the grapes. Store them in separate air-tight containers in the fridge.

Then just stir them together and top with the brown sugar and pecans right before serving.

This is a great option if you want to try to make things 2 days in advance because the juices from the grapes won't thin out the dressing.

2. Assemble the Grapes & Dressing

Make the cream cheese dressing and cut the grapes. Stir them together and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Do this method only if you plan to serve within 24 hours so the juices from the grapes don't thin the dressing.

Top with the brown sugar and pecans right before you set the dish on the table.

Why Does the Brown Sugar Go on Top?

Honestly, I thought that part was a little odd. Why wouldn't the brown sugar be stirred into the cream cheese dressing?

It turns out, this little trick is brilliant.

I recommend sprinkling the brown sugar on top instead of beating it into the dressing because:

1. Pretty Presentation: Your guests will immediately know this is a sweet dish, not one made with mayo.
2. Texture & Flavor: The little bits of crispy brown sugar add a nice texture and sweet pop of flavor to each bite.
3. Color: The cream cheese dressing would end up a more yellow-toned dressing and the bright white creamy color is so pretty with the red grapes.

I'm pretty sure that Chicken Salad Chick added this popular grape salad to their menu because it is the perfect side dish to add to a festive brunch.

You could serve this for:

• Potlucks
• Bridal Showers
• Baby Showers
• Graduation Parties
• Easter
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas
• Mother's Day
• Or just about any time you want to serve your family something extra special

Serving Suggestions

For the rest of your menu, this sweet and creamy grape salad would be the perfect side dish to go along with my favorite chicken pasta salad. You could leave the grapes out of that recipe and all the crispy veggies would still be a perfect partner for this dish.

You could also serve this with a traditional party menu with finger sandwiches like cranberry chicken salad and egg salad.

For an Easter brunch, try serving it alongside my favorite egg and ham pie with a crispy wild rice salad on the side.

More Sweet Salads

Is the idea of serving a sweet salad new to you?

These are so fun to make for a holiday meal. If you love this grape salad, you won't want to miss my other sweet sides.

One part side dish, one part no-bake dessert. No matter how you serve these, they will surely be a hit at your party:

Chicken Salad Chick Grape Salad

This copycat of the famous Chicken Salad Chick Grape Salad recipe is the perfect dish to bring to a potluck or serve as a sweet side dish for Easter or a festive brunch. The sweet and creamy dressing is made with cream cheese and brown sugar and topped with crispy pecans for awesome crunch.

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