Expert Tips and Substitutions

• • Make Ahead: The day you make this salad is when it has its best texture. Pull the cream cheese out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you make it for easier blending. Add the nuts to the top right before serving.

• • Cream Cheese and Sour Cream: Full-fat cream cheese or low fat cream cheese and sour cream can work in this side dish. Vanilla yogurt or plain Greek Yogurt can also be used in place of the sour cream or cream cheese.

• • Grapes: You can use seedless green grapes, red, or black grapes depending on your preference; mixing different colors makes for a pretty presentation.

• • Sweetener: You can adjust the amount of sweetness and the sugar source however you'd like. Honey, maple syrup or sugar substitute are other ways to sweeten it.

• • Candied Nuts: If you don't have candied nuts on hand, you can also simply sprinkle the top of your salad with ½ cup brown sugar and 1 cup toasted chopped pecans or walnuts.

• • Nut Substitutes: If you have nut allergies, feel free to skip the nuts or use sunflower seeds for added crunch. You can also make Grape Salad with Graham Crackers and replace the nuts with crushed graham crackers.

• • Other Mix-Ins: Believe it or not, Grape Salad with Snickers is a popular thing in the south! Simply chop one or two Snickers candy bars and fold in the grape cream cheese mixture. Heath bars are a popular candy bar addition too. Grape Salad with Strawberries is another version that's delicious. Replace the grapes with however many chopped strawberries you'd like in your mix.

Storage

Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Day one is when grape salad is at its best texture, but stored properly, you can consume the salad up to 4 days. It might leach a little water, but it is still safe to eat. If you're preparing this ahead of time, assemble without the nuts and add them right before serving to keep their crunchiness intact.