This grilled peach salad with basil vinaigrette is the salad of the summer. Fresh peaches sliced and grilled, over a bed of arugula, with fresh burrata cheese, pine nuts, and a homemade basil vinaigrette. A refreshing salad perfect for utilizing fresh peaches and freshly grown basil.

Picking out peaches to grill

When picking peaches to grill, you want them to be slightly firm and not too ripe, or else they will get mushy on the grill. Soft ripe peaches are great for snacking on and using when baking desserts. Grilling peaches are the perfect way to utilize less ripe peaches. Avoid peaches that are bruised, wrinkled skin, or give too much when pressed, these are too ripe. The perfect grilling peach gives slightly with a gentle squeeze. 

How-to cut peaches

For this recipe we want slices of peach to grill. There’s two ways to cut your peach: You can cut around the pit and twist, like an avocado, then proceed to slice the peach. Alternatively, sometimes less ripe peaches are hard to twist open around the pit, so I just slice going around the peach as shown.

Why grill peaches?

When you grill peaches, the heat of the grill will caramelize the peach’s sugars and leaves the peach sweet and juicy with an extra layer of smokey flavor. There are so many ways to utilize grilled peaches (my favorite way being halved with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream on top), but in a salad is my second (more healthy) favorite way.

Grilling the peach slices

Fire up the grill to 450F and oil the grates (this will keep the peaches from sticking). Once to temperature, place each slice of peach on the grill. Grill for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, till peaches have grill marks. Remove from grill and set aside.

Basil Vinaigrette

Another summer staple besides peaches, is fresh basil. This basil vinaigrette is the perfect way to use your flourishing basil plant. This basil vinaigrette has: fresh basil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend in a food processor till basil is finely chopped, taste and adjust acid if desired. If not using right away, cover and store in refrigerator (oil will separate, give a quick whisk before serving).

Assembling the grilled peach salad

Once you have grilled your peaches and made the basil vinaigrette, it’s time to assemble the salad. Grab the rest of your ingredients: arugula, fresh burrata cheese, and pine nuts. If you want an extra layer of flavor, you can lightly toast the pine nuts in a skillet.

Place arugula at the bottom of the dish, take your ball of burrata cheese, and tear it into 3-4 pieces with your hands. Nestle the burrata cheese into the arugula. Place your grilled peaches around the salad and scatter the pine nuts. Spoon the basil vinaigrette over the salad and serve the rest on the side for those who want extra. I hope you enjoy this grilled peach salad with basil vinaigrette.

Making ahead/storing

This grilled peach salad with basil vinaigrette is best served fresh/right away because of the fresh burrata cheese. If you want to make ahead, refrigerate all components separately until ready to serve, the burrata and basil vinaigrette will wilt the arugula. Store basil vinaigrette in an airtight container for 2-3 days for optimal freshness, shake or whisk to reintegrate oil.

Looking for other summer dishes?

• Grilled Watermelon and Halloumi
• Herb Grilled Shrimp and Chorizo
• Grilled Corn and Halloumi Salad

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