Rinse and drain grapes. Gently remove from stems and pat dry. Set aside.
In a large salad bowl, mix or beat with a hand mixer together the softened cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until completely smooth.
Add the grapes into the creamy mixture and toss to fully coat all of the grapes.
Transfer to serving bowl if desired.
Just before serving, sprinkle brown sugar and toasted pecan pieces over the grape salad.
Notes
Greek yogurt makes an excellent substitute for the sour cream and might appeal to the more health conscious. You can even use a vanilla greek yogurt. The yogurt may be a bit thinner than sour cream, but the creamy sauce is thick and rich and I found no need to further strain the yogurt when substituting.
A reduced fat cream cheese can be substituted for a regular cream cheese.
You can use up to 5 pounds of grapes for this amount of cream base - it coats the grapes well.
Be sure the grapes are dried off pretty well so that extra water doesn’t thin out the creamy dressing.
The brown sugar will dissolve into the grape salad and the pecans will turn soft - it’s best to add these over the top just before serving. I found a tablespoon of brown sugar to adequately cover the top of the salad in a standard salad bowl, but you can certainly add more. Sprinkle just a bit of pecans over the top or add more!
Toasted pecans add some extra crunch and flavor. Spread pecans in a shallow baking dish and bake in a 350°F oven for 3-5 minutes until they become fragrant and begin to look toasted. Cool completely before sprinkling over the grape salad.