Grilled Peach Salad with Curry Pecans & Honey Vinaigrette
Grilled Peach Salad is the ultimate summer side dish recipe. The peaches are grilled until smoky and extra sweet and served with arugula, blueberries, candied curry pecans, and a honey vinaigrette. Add some goat cheese or (paleo-friendly!) diced avocado and you've just made the best grilled salad ever.
Grilled Peach Salad – my new favorite summer salad recipe! It's sweet. It's summery. It's a little bit strange → I'm looking at you candied curry pecans. And it makes all things right in this world.
You'll love this grilled peach salad if:
- You can't get enough sweet peaches.
- You think nothing can beat a juicy, fresh peach but have an open mind and like to try new things. TRUST. You should do this.
- You love taking it easy and keeping it simple. (Hello, my kindred spirits!)
- You're all about maximizing summer cooking while you can. Bring on the BBQ!
- You know that a salad isn't a salad without something sweet in it.
- You love eating healthy food. (Me too!)
Warning: don't give in and try one of those grilled peaches before you put them in the salad. If you do, chances are you won't be able to stop yourself from eating all of them!
Grilled peaches are literally the simplest things ever to make.
- Cut your peaches in half (like an avocado!) and twist the halves off of the pit. Slice each half into three pieces and toss them in a tiny bit of oil
- Grill the peaches for a few minutes on each side.
- DONE!
See how easy that was?
There is one thing that will make your peach grilling life even easier: Grill Matts. (← affiliate link) Have you heard of them? Do you have one?
On a visit home this summer my mom was raving about hers. I bought one the next day and now tell everyone I know how awesome they are. Nothing sticks to them and your BBQ stays CLEAN!
You can definitely make this grilled peach salad without a grill matt but you'll want to make sure that your grill is well oiled before putting on the peaches.
The Best Candied Curry Pecans
That's what those little nuggets of joy up there should be called. They're sweetened with honey, have a gentle curry flavor and are begging to be eaten with smoky grilled peaches.
Making candied pecans might sound a little difficult, but it's super easy.
→ Put the pecans in a pan with some honey, curry powder, and salt and let the honey boil until the pan is dry and the pecans are coated in a sweet glaze.
→ Stir some butter through the pecans so they don't stick together and you're done.
See how easy it is to make the best grilled peach salad topper?
Peaches are grilled – ✔
Pecans are candied ✔
Arugula, blueberries, and goat cheese are on standby ✔
Now all you need is to shake the honey vinaigrette ingredients in a little glass jar (like a 1-cup mason jar) and you are set. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss, and eat!
The original picture of this Grilled Peach Salad (2014)
If you’re interested in learning a few tricks that I did to improve my food photography, check out the posts 10 Food Photography Tips for New Food Bloggers and The 10 Best Food Photography Props to Improve Your Food Photography and The Food Photography Equipment I Use.
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Fresh Summer Salad Recipes:
- Arugula and Fresh Cherry Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans
- Strawberry Avocado Grilled Balsamic Chicken Salad
- Summer Quinoa Salad with Cherries, Almonds, and Fresh Herbs
- The Best Greek Salad Recipe
- Avocado Cucumber Salad
- Grilled Broccoli Caesar Salad
Grilled Peach and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Sweet Honey Balsamic Dressing
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Prep Time: 15 mins
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Cook Time: 5 mins
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Total Time: 20 minutes
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Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Category: Salad
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Cuisine: American
Description
Grilled Peach Salad is the ultimate summer side dish recipe. The peaches are grilled until smoky and extra sweet and served with arugula, blueberries, candied curry pecans, and a honey vinaigrette. Add some goat cheese or (paleo-friendly!) diced avocado and you've just made the best salad ever.
Ingredients
The honey vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (use 1 tablespoon mayonnaise for paleo or dairy-free)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- A pinch of sea salt
The Candied Curry Pecans
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon butter
For the salad:
- 4 ripe but firm peaches
- ½ teaspoon avocado oil (or another neutral flavored oil)
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese (sub a diced avocado for paleo or dairy-free)
Instructions
- Place all the vinaigrette ingredients into a 1 cup mason jar and shake until mixed.
- Place the pecans, honey, curry powder, and sea salt in a small frying pan and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the pan is dry, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter to prevent the pecans from sticking together.
- Preheat your BBQ to high. Cut the peaches in half and remove the seeds. Then cut each peach half into three wedges. Place the peaches in a medium-sized bowl and toss with the oil. Grill the peaches for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove them from the grill using an offset spatula – I find this works better than a regular spatula and helps prevent the grill marks from being left on the grill.
- Place the arugula in a large bowl with the goat cheese, curry pecans, blueberries, and grilled peaches. Toss with the dressing and serve immediately.
Notes
A grill matt works really great for this recipe. If you don't have one, make sure to oil the grill well so you don't risk the peaches sticking.
Really appreciate the way you made this. I hope this will make my mom happy. Looking for more such delicious and healthy recipes in future,
★★★★★
Simply amazing
★★★★★
Wow, what a great recipe! I made it last night for company and everyone loved it (and asked for the receipt). I used nectarines instead of peaches, as the peaches in the store weren’t ripe and it turned out great. I also added some “Spring Mix” lettuce to the arugula and grilled the lettuces slightly – to the point where they were just beginning to wilt a bit – which added a touch more smokiness. Will definitely make this again!
★★★★★
This is really good! I used feta instead of goat cheese because it’s what I had, but I think goat would have been even better. I also had just turned the last of my blueberries into jam, so I used blueberry jam in place of the honey in the vinaigrette and it was very nice!
My pecans stuck to the pan when they cooled, even with the butter, so I think turning them into parchment paper to cool would have been a better idea.
★★★★★
This salad is amazing. My favorite!
★★★★★
Excellent combination! Omitted the goat cheese and it was still very flavorful.
★★★★★
Do you peel the peaches?
Unless you really don’t like them, I suggest leaving the skin on the peaches. It will help them retain their shape better when grilled. 🙂
The dressing really compliments the peppery, nutty arugula! I love the grilled peaches alongside the creamy goat cheese. This is a really well thought out recipe and something I think everyone will enjoy! Definitely make it this summer!
★★★★★
Thank you for the comment, Alixx! So happy that you liked the recipe!
Made the salad twice and absolutely loved the flavours. It paired perfectly with cheese, pate de foie and Port wine. Our guests enjoyed it very much. Trying it is adopting it.
Great pairing suggestions! So happy you like the recipe!
Is it okay to make the dressing a day ahead of time and keep on fridge?
Yep! The dressing will keep well for several days in the fridge!
please add the pecan directions into the body of the recipe you print!
★★★★
Done!
ok to grill, then chill the peaches several hours ahead of time?
It is!
It was really amazing ! Nice to change from basic salads
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear you liked the recipe!
This recipe is incredible! I added a little bacon cause I had some in my fridge that I needed to use but other than that made the recipe exactly as you’ve written it. I will be making this again!
★★★★★
Such a great idea to add bacon!!
Would feta be an OK alternative to the goat cheese? I will eat almost anything in this world, but I really hate the taste of goat cheese. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Oh absolutely!
um WOW those photos are gorgeous. I’m just staring at them and staring at them! Beautiful work!
★★★★★
Thank you so much!!