It’s cookout season and if you’re looking for something NOT full of mayo that’s going to sit out in the sun, look no further than Grape and Blue Cheese Salad with Toasted Pecans.

This salad is light and fruity, with a delicious blue cheese tang and a sweet and sharp lemon vinaigrette. It pairs well with grilled entrees and adds a pop of color to your plate.

Plus, it’s SUPER EASY to make and other than toasting some nuts, you don’t have to cook anything!

Grape and Blue Cheese Salad — So quick and easy, this will be your new favorite salad.

Key Ingredients

Grapes – This salad looks best when red and green grapes are mixed, but hey, you do you – any seedless grape is fine! (Well, I’d stay away from the Cotton Candy grapes for this one…I dunno, might be a new taste sensation…)
Blue Cheese – I have a soft spot for Danish blue cheese, but use whichever blue cheese you like. (And if you don’t like blue cheese…just go).
Aw, Nuts – I use toasted pecans in this dish for some crunchy texture. Glazed pecans (or walnuts), or slivered almonds, would be great too!

Grape and Blue Cheese Salad Ingredients — Gather your ingredients…

The Process

The process here is simple:

Pluck the grapes (or buy them already off the vine), and give them a rinse.

Crumble the blue cheese, or purchase blue cheese crumbles.

Toast the pecans, or use a glazed nut instead.

Mix the dressing – Mix the salad – Serve!

I love to use this dish to balance out a more complicated entrée. When I’m babysitting something on the grill, bringing in a simpler side dish helps me save time and precious kitchen sanity.

Grape and Blue Cheese Salad

Light and fruity with tangy blue cheese and crunchy toasted pecans, Grape and Blue Cheese salad is perfect for your next cookout!

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Course Dinner, lunch, Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs seedless grapes preferably red and green grapes, mixed
½ cup chopped pecans toasted
4 oz blue cheese crumbled

Lemon Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Remove grapes from stems. Rinse under cool running water – drain well.
Place chopped pecans in a small nonstick skillet. Toast pecans over medium heat, stirring frequently. Keep a watchful eye on them to make sure they do not burn. Once the pecans are noticeably toasting and smell fragrant and nutty, remove from heat. Transfer to a paper towel and spread the nuts into a single layer to cool.
Crumble the blue cheese, if necessary.
Mix the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Alternatively, pour ingredients into a small jar with lid and shake to combine.
Combine salad ingredients and top with dressing just before serving.
Serve Chilled.
This salad will hold well for a couple hours but the longer it sits and the more it is stirred, the more the blue cheese will start to "smear" all over the grapes. (If that does happen, It's not the most visually appealing look, but it's perfectly fine to eat.)

Notes

I suggest mixing everything just before serving. Serve chilled.

This salad will hold well for a couple hours but the longer it sits and the more it is stirred, the more the blue cheese will start to “smear” all over the grapes. (If that does happen, It’s not the most visually appealing look, but it’s perfectly fine to eat.)

To save time, purchase grapes off the stem, toasted or glazed nuts, and crumbled blue cheese. Then all you have to whip up is the dressing.

Keyword fruit, salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Recipe Notes:

What can I serve this with? Grape and Blue Cheese Salad pairs well with grilled chicken and shrimp, and makes a wonderful stand-in for the typical fruit salad.
How long will this recipe keep? Unfortunately, this isn’t a dish that holds super well. It doesn’t go bad quickly or anything, it just starts to look a little funky because of the blue cheese. If that doesn’t bother you, it can be kept for 1-2 days, covered, in the refrigerator.