It’s the last few weeks of delicious peaches and I’m trying to maximize all the peach recipes. This Grilled Peach Salad is a wonderful mix of fruits, vegetables, and creamy burrata cheese.
It’s also just kind of a show-stopper side dish once it’s all laid out on a big platter! Who wouldn’t want to dive into this salad?
Grab some fresh peaches this week (or over Labor Day) and light the grills and get this salad going!
How to pick ripe peaches
Picking ripe peaches is really easy. A good peach should give to a little pressure with your thumb, but not be completely mushy or rock-hard.
For grilled peaches like in this summer salad, it can actually help to have peaches that are on the slightly unripe side – a little more firm – because they will be easier to flip on the grill. If you start with very ripe peaches, they will turn to mush on the grill.
Save those super-ripe peaches for eating fresh, ideally over the sink!
How to grill peaches
Grilling peaches is a great way to start a grilling meal. To do it right, halve the peaches and remove all the pits. Then drizzle them lightly with extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil and a pinch of salt.
Preheat your grill, getting it really hot, and make sure your grates on the grill are super clean. Any debris on the grill will mean your peaches will just stick to the grill.
Place the peaches on the very hot grill with the cut-side down and let them grill for 2-3 minutes until they get grill marks. Sometimes you’ll get really nice grill marks and sometimes they will be less prominent. Don’t worry about it!
Don’t over-cook the peaches in an effort to get picture perfect grill marks because then your peaches will be too mushy.
Remove the peaches – you don’t have to flip them and grill them on the second side. Let them cool before serving!
What is burrata?
The grilled peaches are the start of this salad, but the burrata is second in line. Burrata is a fresh mozzarella cheese that is filled with fresh cream and cheese curds. It’s gooey, rich, creamy and I just love it with peaches.
If you can’t find burrata, you could use other cheeses like fresh mozzarella balls, feta cheese, or even crumbled goat cheese would be great.
Other Ingredients for this Grilled Peach Salad
The peaches and burrata are the highlights of this salad, but there are other ingredients you need obviously!
- Baby Arugula. You could use baby spinach or any fresh green for the salad base.
- Blueberries. Sure you already have peaches, but fresh berries go really well in this salad. I like blueberries in salads because they don’t fall apart like raspberries.
- Grilled sweet corn. Since you have the grill on anyway, I recommend grilling some fresh sweet corn. It goes really great on this salad.
- Sunflower seeds. For a salty crunch, sunflower seeds are an easy addition to this salad. You could use slivered almonds, pine nuts, or pecans as well.
Don’t let this list hold you back from adding other things to this salad. The basic flavor of the salad goes with many vegetables and herbs. You could add cherry tomatoes, fresh peppers, and basil would all go well.
Making the Balsamic Dressing
This balsamic dressing should be on the thick side, almost like a glaze that coats the peaches and burrata.
Making it is very easy. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, lemon zest, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt. Done!
Don’t drizzle this on the salad until you are ready to serve it.
What to serve with this salad
I honestly ate this salad leftover for lunch one day and loved it, but it probably is best as a hearty side salad to accompany other items.
I think it would be best alongside grilled items like grilled fish, steakhouse burgers, or these green goddess burgers!
If you are looking for a dessert to go with the meal, you could serve my fresh peach sorbet to really round out the peach meal!
Storing this salad for later
To be honest, this peach salad breaks down pretty quickly in the fridge, especially if you dress it and then store it. I would probably just make what you intend to serve on the day of, even if it means cutting the recipe in half.
That said, if you do have leftover peach salad, I wouldn’t throw it out obviously. It’ll keep fine for a day or so and makes for a nice lunch.
Grilled Peach Salad
Ingredients
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ large lemon, zest only
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- Pinch salt
Peach Salad Ingredients:
- 4 peaches, grilled
- 1 ear corn, grilled
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 8 ounces burrata cheese
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high heat and clean grates well. Cut the peaches in half and remove pits. Oil the peaches with a little olive oil or avocado oil on the cut-side and sprinkle with salt. Grill the peaches over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Then remove them.
- While the peaches grill, also grill some fresh corn. I grill it out of the husk to get some char on the corn and it'll take 8-10 minutes to get nice and grilled.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt.
Reward James
This Grilled Peach Salad is the epitome of summer on a plate! The combination of fresh peaches, creamy burrata, and peppery arugula sounds like a flavor and texture explosion. I love how the writer emphasizes the visual appeal of the dish when laid out on a platter – it’s like a work of art! I’m definitely inspired to try this recipe before the peach season slips away. And the tips for choosing the right peaches for grilling are super helpful – I’ll make sure to pick slightly firm ones for that perfect balance. Time to fire up the grill and savor every bite of this delightful salad!