This Grilled Peach Salad is one of my most beloved summer salads. Grilling peaches brings out their natural sweetness and caramelizes them. It’s pretty incredible.
This beautiful summer peach salad also has fresh blackberries, blueberries, feta cheese, candied pecans, and crisp mixed greens…all tossed with an easy balsamic dressing.
Quick Look: Summer Peach Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins, Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Method: Grilling
- Main Ingredients: Yellow peaches, berries, candied pecans, balsamic
- Flavor Profile: Caramelized peaches, sweet, savory, fresh
- Ideal for: Summer salads, cookouts
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh peaches: They should be ripe but firm. They need to be ripe for their natural sweetness to come out, but also relatively firm so that they don’t fall apart on the grill.
- Candied pecans: Basically, you need pecans and brown sugar for this. It’s super easy and really takes this grilled peach salad to the next level!
- Olive oil: Brushing the peaches with olive oil helps prevent sticking.
- Berries: Use any fresh berries of your choice. Blackberries are my favorite for this recipe.
- Mixed greens: Choose a variety of mixed greens such as baby spinach, arugula, and romaine lettuce for texture.
- Feta crumbles: Adds fresh savory flavors. Other great choices are goat cheese, gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, and burrata cheese.
- For the balsamic dressing: Balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, honey, dijon mustard, salt, pepper.
As always, ingredient quantities for this grilled peach salad recipe are listed down below in the card.
Substitutions and Variations
- Peaches: Nectarines, white peaches, apricots.
- Dressing: This creamy balsamic dressing is a great option! It’s made with Greek yogurt. Feel free to use your favorite store-bought dressing also.
- Greens: Baby spinach, arugula.
- Berries: Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries.
- Pecans: Walnuts or pistachios are great too!
How To Make Grilled Peach Salad
- Make the candied pecans: In a small skillet, melt brown sugar with the water over medium heat. Add the pecan halves plus a pinch of salt. Stir to coat for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
- Cut the peaches into thick wedges or halves, making sure they are about the same size. Tip: Don’t slice them thin, otherwise they won’t hold their shape.
- Grill peaches: Over medium-high, brush the grill pan with olive oil. Brush the peaches with oil (prevents sticking), and grill for 2-3 minutes per side, undisturbed, or until they get grill marks. Then, using a spatula, flip to grill the other sie.
- Make the dressing: In a mason jar, combine all the balsamic dressing ingredients. Seal and shake vigorously until well combined.
- Assemble: Arrange a bed of mixed greens, and top with the berries, candied pecans, feta, and the grilled peaches. Drizzle balsamic dressing over the grilled peach salad.
- Serve. There’s not need to toss the salad, just the dressing drizzled over the salad is enough, so as to keep a nice presentation.
Tip For Grilling Peaches
- Find peaches that are ripe but also firm. They need to be firm so they don’t get mushy, but also ripe for sweetness.
- Cut the peaches into thick wedges. This way, they will hold their shape well when assembling your grilled peach salad platter.
- Brush both the grill pan and the flat side of the peaches with olive oil.
- Preheat the grill pan well before grilling. This prevents sticking. I’d recommend medium-high heat.
- Let them grill undisturbed to get more defined grill marks. Check after 2-3 minutes and flip only when ready. They should release easily.
- It’s best to use a thin spatula to lift the peaches from underneath. Using tongs to flip peaches on the grill can sometimes rip the grill marks apart.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use frozen or canned peaches?
Frozen (thawed) peaches actually work really well, as they don’t get mushy when thawed. Just make sure to pat them dry well. I would not use canned peaches.
Do you peel the peaches?
I personally prefer to keep the skin on, but you can peel them off if desired. I provide instructions in my peach prep tutorial.
Can I grill peach halves instead of wedges?
Yes, that’s totally fine!
Do I serve grilled peach salad warm or cold?
Either way is fine. You can serve with the warm grilled peaches, or grill them ahead and serve it cold.
Make Ahead Tips
- Make the candied pecans the day before and let them cool on the counter overnight. Keep them in a container or in a covered bowl.
- Grill the peaches ahead: They actually keep pretty well, as long as you don’t over-grill them. Keep refrigerated for up to 1 day before serving.
- Make the balsamic dressing up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate. Before using, let it sit at room temp and shake again to re-emulsify.
What To Serve with This Peach Salad
Keep this grilled peach salad simple with my grilled lemon chicken breast or my easy pan-seared chicken breast.
Favorite summer main dish pairings:
More Fruity Summer Salads
Need more peach recipes? Try my Whipped Burrata with Peaches, or if you’d rather bake, my Peach Blueberry Muffins are amazing.
I’d love to hear from you! If you loved my recipe, please consider leaving a 5-star rating and a comment down below. Sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest
Grilled Peach Salad
This summer grilled peach salad is made with grilled sweet yellow peaches, blackberries, blueberries, feta, and homemade candied pecans. It's drizzled with an easy honey balsamic dressing and served on a bed of mixed greens.
Servings 6 people
Calories 362kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For the salad
- 4 large fresh yellow peaches - ripe but still a bit firm
- Olive oil - for brushing
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup fresh blackberries
- 5 ounces mixed greens
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Candied pecans
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup pecans, halved
- 1 tablespoon water - plus more as needed
- A pinch of salt
Honey balsamic dressing
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey - to taste
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Make the candied pecans: Heat a small skillet over medium heat, and melt brown sugar with the water. Add the pecans plus a pinch of salt to the skillet. Stir to coat the pecans in melted sugar for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let it cool.
- Make the balsamic dressing: In a mason jar, combine all dressing ingredients. Seal the mason jar with the lid and shake well until evenly combined. Adjust to taste as needed.
- Cut the peaches: Slice the peach in half by running a sharp knife along its natural seam, rotating the peach around the pit as you cut. Twist the halves apart and remove the pit. Then, cut each half into thick-ish wedges.
- Grill the peaches: Preheat grill to medium-high heat (it needs to be hot to minimize sticking) and oil the pan. Brush the peaches with oil as well. Grill each side for 2-3 minutes, undisturbed on each side, to allow grill marks to develop. Once ready, transfer to a plate. Tip: To flip the peaches, use a thin spatula and lift the peach from underneath to preserve the grill marks. Try not to use tongs.
- Assemble and serve: On a large platter, arrange a bed of mixed greens. Top with the grilled peaches, blackberries, blueberries, candied pecans, and crumbled feta. Drizzle with the prepared honey balsamic vinegar to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pick ripe but firm peaches: They should be ripe for their natural sweetness to come out, but firm enough so they don’t fall apart on the grill.
- How to prevent peaches from sticking to the grill:
1) Make sure the grill is preheated
2) Brush the peaches and grill grates with olive oil
3) Let them cook undisturbed until they get grill marks
4) Use a thin spatula (rather than tongs) to lift and release the peaches from underneath. This will help maintain the grill marks on the peaches. - Prep ahead: The dressing can be made up to 2 or 3 days in advance. The candied pecans can also be made up to 2 days ahead.
Store leftovers in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Peaches: nectarines.
- Berries: Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries.
- Pecans: Walnuts.
- Mixed greens: Romaine, arugula, or a mix of various greens.
Nutrition
Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 290mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 689IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 1mg
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Diana says
I made this salad yesterday changing some ingredients that didn’t have at home, but it was spectacular and flavorful! Thank you and God bless you. I’m going to upload the one I did to my recipe channels and I will tag you.
Bunny says
Can I grill peaches halves and then cut into wedges? Can I make peaches ahead of time?
Tania says
Yup, you can grill peach halves, and then cut into wedges if that’s easier. I’d recommend grilling them right before serving, but you can also grill them 1 day ahead and keep refrigerated.
Nicola Dennant says
Tastes really good.