diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/README.md b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/README.md
index 77f50a7f6192d..bc14307f4bd69 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/README.md
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/README.md
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@ const cluster = new neptune.DatabaseCluster(this, 'Cluster', {
   iamAuthentication: true, // Optional - will be automatically set if you call grantConnect().
 });
 const role = new iam.Role(this, 'DBRole', { assumedBy: new iam.AccountPrincipal(this.account) });
-cluster.grantConnect(role); // Grant the role connection access to the DB.
+// Use one of the following statements to grant the role the necessary permissions
+cluster.grantConnect(role); // Grant the role neptune-db:* access to the DB
+cluster.grant(role, 'neptune-db:ReadDataViaQuery', 'neptune-db:WriteDataViaQuery'); // Grant the role the specified actions to the DB
 ```
 
 ## Customizing parameters
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/lib/cluster.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/lib/cluster.ts
index afbcf91d73059..48ed396205cca 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/lib/cluster.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/lib/cluster.ts
@@ -267,6 +267,15 @@ export interface IDatabaseCluster extends IResource, ec2.IConnectable {
    */
   readonly clusterReadEndpoint: Endpoint;
 
+  /**
+   * Grant the given identity the specified actions
+   * @param grantee the identity to be granted the actions
+   * @param actions the data-access actions
+   *
+   * @see https://docs.aws.amazon.com/neptune/latest/userguide/iam-dp-actions.html
+   */
+  grant(grantee: iam.IGrantable, ...actions: string[]): iam.Grant;
+
   /**
    * Grant the given identity connection access to the database.
    */
@@ -360,15 +369,15 @@ export abstract class DatabaseClusterBase extends Resource implements IDatabaseC
 
   protected abstract enableIamAuthentication?: boolean;
 
-  public grantConnect(grantee: iam.IGrantable): iam.Grant {
+  public grant(grantee: iam.IGrantable, ...actions: string[]): iam.Grant {
     if (this.enableIamAuthentication === false) {
-      throw new Error('Cannot grant connect when IAM authentication is disabled');
+      throw new Error('Cannot grant when IAM authentication is disabled');
     }
 
     this.enableIamAuthentication = true;
     return iam.Grant.addToPrincipal({
       grantee,
-      actions: ['neptune-db:*'],
+      actions,
       resourceArns: [
         [
           'arn',
@@ -381,6 +390,10 @@ export abstract class DatabaseClusterBase extends Resource implements IDatabaseC
       ],
     });
   }
+
+  public grantConnect(grantee: iam.IGrantable): iam.Grant {
+    return this.grant(grantee, 'neptune-db:*');
+  }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/test/cluster.test.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/test/cluster.test.ts
index 212a344d56131..109bae7c69db8 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/test/cluster.test.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-neptune/test/cluster.test.ts
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ describe('DatabaseCluster', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  test('createGrant - creates IAM policy and enables IAM auth', () => {
+  test('grantConnect - enables IAM auth and grants neptune-db:* to the grantee', () => {
     // GIVEN
     const stack = testStack();
     const vpc = new ec2.Vpc(stack, 'VPC');
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ describe('DatabaseCluster', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  test('createGrant - throws if IAM auth disabled', () => {
+  test('grantConnect - throws if IAM auth disabled', () => {
     // GIVEN
     const stack = testStack();
     const vpc = new ec2.Vpc(stack, 'VPC');
@@ -544,7 +544,81 @@ describe('DatabaseCluster', () => {
     });
 
     // THEN
-    expect(() => { cluster.grantConnect(role); }).toThrow(/Cannot grant connect when IAM authentication is disabled/);
+    expect(() => { cluster.grantConnect(role); }).toThrow(/Cannot grant when IAM authentication is disabled/);
+  });
+
+  test('grant - enables IAM auth and grants specified actions to the grantee', () => {
+    // GIVEN
+    const stack = testStack();
+    const vpc = new ec2.Vpc(stack, 'VPC');
+
+    // WHEN
+    const cluster = new DatabaseCluster(stack, 'Cluster', {
+      vpc,
+      instanceType: InstanceType.R5_LARGE,
+    });
+    const role = new iam.Role(stack, 'DBRole', {
+      assumedBy: new iam.AccountPrincipal(stack.account),
+    });
+    cluster.grant(role, 'neptune-db:ReadDataViaQuery', 'neptune-db:WriteDataViaQuery');
+
+    // THEN
+    Template.fromStack(stack).hasResourceProperties('AWS::Neptune::DBCluster', {
+      IamAuthEnabled: true,
+    });
+    Template.fromStack(stack).hasResourceProperties('AWS::IAM::Policy', {
+      PolicyDocument: {
+        Statement: [{
+          Effect: 'Allow',
+          Action: ['neptune-db:ReadDataViaQuery', 'neptune-db:WriteDataViaQuery'],
+          Resource: {
+            'Fn::Join': [
+              '', [
+                'arn:', {
+                  Ref: 'AWS::Partition',
+                },
+                ':neptune-db:',
+                {
+                  Ref: 'AWS::Region',
+                },
+                ':',
+                {
+                  Ref: 'AWS::AccountId',
+                },
+                ':',
+                {
+                  'Fn::GetAtt': [
+                    'ClusterEB0386A7',
+                    'ClusterResourceId',
+                  ],
+                },
+                '/*',
+              ],
+            ],
+          },
+        }],
+        Version: '2012-10-17',
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('grant - throws if IAM auth disabled', () => {
+    // GIVEN
+    const stack = testStack();
+    const vpc = new ec2.Vpc(stack, 'VPC');
+
+    // WHEN
+    const cluster = new DatabaseCluster(stack, 'Cluster', {
+      vpc,
+      instanceType: InstanceType.R5_LARGE,
+      iamAuthentication: false,
+    });
+    const role = new iam.Role(stack, 'DBRole', {
+      assumedBy: new iam.AccountPrincipal(stack.account),
+    });
+
+    // THEN
+    expect(() => { cluster.grant(role, 'neptune-db:ReadDataViaQuery', 'neptune-db:WriteDataViaQuery'); }).toThrow(/Cannot grant when IAM authentication is disabled/);
   });
 
   test('autoMinorVersionUpgrade is enabled when configured', () => {