Grilled Peach Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Grilled Peach Salad with Basil Vinaigrette couldn’t be easier to throw together and it’s filled with flavor! It’s a perfect summer salad that works as a side dish or served as a main with grilled chicken or shrimp.

Grilled fruit is one of summer’s most delightful pleasures. They’re quick and easy and make a wonderful side dish or dessert. It’s not uncommon for me to grill some peach halves and add a little crumbled blue cheese and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. It’s such a quick an easy summer side dish for grilled chicken! They’re also amazing served with grilled pound cake and a scoop of ice cream.

The basil vinaigrette is also very simple and a wonderful way to use up a summer surplus of fresh basil. I usually double the batch as it can be used for other easy meals (see suggestions below).

Sometimes I’ll just break out my grill pan if I’m making this salad just for me or if it’s too cold for firing up the barbecue. Of course, the smoky flavor you get from the grill can’t be duplicated, but a grill pan does the job in a pinch.

The basil vinaigrette has just a bit of sugar balance the acidity. It makes a world of difference in the flavor of the vinaigrette. If you’re averse to using sugar, erythritol (such as Swerve) or stevia (such as Truvia) are great substitutes that don’t taste “fake”. Be sure to use fresh lemon juice, too, as it just won’t be the same without fresh ingredients.

Ingredients

Grilled Peach Salad

• olive or avocado oil
• tomatoes
• peaches
• red onion
• fresh corn
• arugula
• feta cheese (optional)
• salt and pepper

Basil Vinaigrette

• garlic
• lemons
• extra-virgin olive oil
• fresh basil leaves
• white balsamic vinegar
• sugar (can also use erythritol or stevia)
• salt and pepper

How to grill peaches

Grilling peaches is very easy and well-worth the small amount of effort.

It’s easiest to start with peaches that are ripe but still firm. Overripe peaches are much juicier and will almost fall apart when grilling, plus the juice will drip down and can cause flareups. Grilling the peaches softens them and adds a lot of flavor.

You can grill peach slices or halves. Grilling peach halves is the easiest and you can serve them as-is or cut them into wedges after grilling. The downside is that you won’t have the gorgeous grill marks on each wedge, but it does save a small amount of time. I prefer to cut each peach into 6-8 wedges before grilling.

Make sure you’re starting with clean grates! Preheat your grill to medium heat (about 350-375F). Brush each peach wedge with a little oil. Grill them over indirect heat for a few minutes on each side, just until each wedge has nice grill marks. If you’re grilling peach halves, add a minute or two to the grilling time for each side.

You can also use a grill pan if you’d prefer to grill the peaches indoors. Follow the same method as above.

Do you peel the peaches?

There’s no need to peel peaches before grilling.

Grilled Peach Salad Variations

• Add grilled chicken or shrimp
• If you’re not a fan of feta cheese, blue or goat cheese are substitutes. Small balls of fresh mozzarella works, too. Or skip the cheese entirely!
• Use a balsamic vinaigrette (this goes particularly well with blue cheese)
• Add other fruit such as blueberries or raspberries
• Add sliced avocado
• Add a handful of sugar snap peas
• Add toasted almonds, candied pecans, or pine nuts
• Skip the peppery arugula entirely or add even more. Fresh spinach is also very good (or a combination).

More ways to use the Basil Vinaigrette

The basil vinaigrette goes wonderfully with the grilled peach salad, but it can be made separately to use other ways, too. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Tossed with grilled or roasted vegetables, such as zucchini, asparagus, or corn on the cob
• Tossed with grilled shrimp or chicken
• Over a caprese salad
• As a marinade
• Mix some into mayonnaise and make chicken or pasta salad

If you have a lot of fresh basil on hand and make pesto often, check out these 25 ways to use basil pesto.

Continue to Content

Grilled Peach Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Grilled Peach Salad with Basil Vinaigrette couldn't be easier to throw together and it's filled with flavor! It's a perfect summer salad that can be a side dish or served as a main with grilled chicken or shrimp.

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Ingredients

Basil Vinaigrette

• 3 garlic cloves
• Juice from 3 large lemons
• 3/4 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 15 basil leaves
• 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• a few tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 3 summer peaches, cut into halves or thick wedges
• 3 thin slices of red onion
• 3 ears of summer corn
• 4 cups arugula
• 3 heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 3/4 cup high-quality feta cheese, cubed or crumbled

Instructions

Basil Vinaigrette

1. Place all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette into a high-powered blender. Blend until it's very smooth. Set it aside at room temperature while you prepare the salad.

Grilled Peach Salad

1. Preheat the grill to medium heat (350-375F).
2. Brush the peaches, onion slices, and corn with the olive or avocado oil. Grill for a few minutes on each side, until everything has good char marks and has softened slightly.
3. Remove the kernels from cobs; discard cobs.
4. Divide the arugula (if using) between 4 salad plates. Top with the peaches, onion, and corn. Add the tomatoes and feta cheese (if using) to each plate. Drizzle with the basil vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 626Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 198mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 7gSugar: 29gProtein: 6g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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