I’ve seen various recipes for a grape salad and a creamy, refreshing grape dessert recipe making the rounds on Pinterest and Facebook over the last few months. The recipe seemed a little odd, but I pinned it anyway. Then, last summer my grandmother brought grape salad to a family gathering. My 2- and 6-year-old daughters loved it. My toddler asked for more and impressed us with her vocabulary when she remarked, “There’s liquid on these grapes.”

It really was a good dessert, and it was less guilt-inducing than, say, cake or cookies. It’s the perfect dish to bring to summer picnics but also good for upcoming holiday parties, where some lighter dessert options may be appreciated. You could make this refreshing grape dessert recipe and send it as a special treat in a grade schooler’s lunch box with an ice pack.

There are several versions of grape salad on the internet. Some call for sour cream, whipped cream, or powdered sugar. My toddler and I made the following recipe recently. Young kids love to help make this, by the way. They’re great at helping to pluck all the grapes off the stems and drop them in a large bowl. This grape salad is slightly dressed up, with a topping of crushed pecans or walnuts and a little brown sugar, but the topping is not necessary if you prefer to keep it simple … or if you have picky eaters who don’t like nuts. Also, the creamy mixture that coats the grapes seemed plenty sweet, so if you’re watching your sugar intake, you could experiment with using a little less sugar than what the creamy grape dessert recipe calls for.

Refreshing Grape Dessert Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 lb. green seedless grapes, picked off stems and washed and dried
• 1 lb. red seedless grapes, picked off stems and washed and dried (My grocery store sells grapes in 2-pound bags, so I only used red grapes in my salad.)
• 8 oz. fat-free Greek yogurt
• 4 oz. light cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping: 

• 2  tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I used pecans)

Directions:

Mix yogurt, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Stir in grapes.

Combine brown sugar and nuts. Sprinkle over the top of grapes. Chill until ready to serve. Hope you enjoy this refreshing grape dessert recipe!

 

 

While you’re here, you may enjoy these other posts:

Season of Gratitude: Learning to cook

Biscuit recipe: ‘Tis the season for baking healthy treats

Three recipes for overripe bananas

Chicken casserole from grandma’s kitchen

Category: Recipes

Tags: dessert