Stone Fruit Salad Recipe

Is there anything better than summer stone fruits?! When the warm weather arrives, so do the plump and juicy seasonal stone fruits like peaches, plums, apricots, and nectarines. 

Named after the large stone or pit in their centers (yep, this means that fruits like mangos, cherries, and dates also qualify), stone fruits are a summer staple. 

While you can certainly eat ripe peaches over the sink with the juices running down your arm during stone fruit season (guilty), making them the star of your meal in a summer salad is also an excellent way to showcase the fruit. 

This stone fruit salad is loaded with antioxidants, a delicious sweet-and-salty combination, and a wonderful mixture of textures. It’s going to be your go-to summer salad, and it only takes minutes to prepare!

Stone Fruit Salad Ingredients

Peaches or Nectarines

Juicy peaches are the quintessential summer stone fruit—there’s truly nothing better! 

You  include one if that’s all you have, but both peaches and nectarines together are delicious in summer salads. 

Yellow peaches are the most common and well-known varietal. They’re the ones you think of when you hear “summer peaches.” Eat these raw, baked, or grilled—they’re delicious any way you could think of!

You may also see white peaches, which are often pale pink-skinned with pale yellow flesh. These tend to be softer than yellow peaches and do not hold up well to being baked or cooked. The best way to enjoy them is raw or lightly grilled. 

Surprisingly to many, nectarines are actually a type of peach.  

The main difference between peaches and nectarines is that the latter does not have the trademark “peach fuzz,” making it the perfect fruit for those prone to textural aversions. 

Nectarines can be yellow or white in the flesh and are often much firmer than peaches—sometimes resembling the texture of a crisp apple. However, this texture lends itself well to all types of recipes, both cooked and raw. 

Both peaches and nectarines are in season all summer long, with their peak ripeness typically coming in full swing in July and August. In fact, the United States celebrates National Peach Month all August long, with August 22 being Eat a Peach Day.

Plums

We love adding plums as our second stone fruit to this salad for their extra-juicy sweetness. 

There are many varieties, but black or red plums are the most common. 

Black plums have a deep red exterior (almost black) with red flesh. These are the sweeter of the two.

Red plums look pretty similar to some black plums, as they are also red on the outside. However, red plums have yellow flesh and are slightly tarter than black plums. 

Look for plums at your local farmers market all summer long, but especially in July and August.

Cheese

You can use any type of cheese you prefer, but we think it’s best with a crumbly one, like feta cheese or goat cheese. 

Some other good options would be large shavings or chunks of hard, salty cheese (such as Parmesan or Pecorino) or creamy cheese like burrata, fresh mozzarella, or ricotta salata. 

Of course, if you are dairy-free, you can easily omit the cheese or use a vegan option.

Nuts

Toasted hazelnuts are a unique addition to this salad, providing a much-needed crunch. Other great nuts in this salad could include pecans, slivered almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts. 

Arugula

We love arugula for its slightly peppery bite, which adds much more flavor than other greens. But if you don’t like arugula, feel free to substitute it for other leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, or a bag of spring mix greens. If you want to bump things up a notch, add some fresh herbs, like fresh mint leaves or basil. We just wouldn’t recommend lettuce (like romaine or iceberg) here. 

Red Onion

Another flavorful addition to this summer stone fruit salad is red onion, which provides a sharp and slightly sweet balance. 

If you are sensitive to raw onions, try using a mandolin to slice them ultra-thin—you’d be surprised at how much easier they are to tolerate this way! 

Heirloom tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes are another option for summer produce that would go excellent in this salad, as they also hit their peak season of ripeness in the summer months.

Homemade Dressing

We used the simplest homemade salad dressing there is: extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar! We like the ratio of 2 parts olive oil to 1.5 parts balsamic vinegar. For example, that looks like 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1.5 tablespoons of balsamic. Don’t forget to add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

What Fruits Are Considered Stone Fruits?

Many fruits are considered stone fruits, as the term simply means that there is a stone or pit in the middle of the fruit. You may also see stone fruits referred to as “drupes” which is their official botanical name.

The stone fruit family includes:

• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Apricots
• Plums
• Pluots
• Cherries
• Mangoes
• Dates
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Coconuts
• Lychee

There are a couple of fruits there that you may be surprised by, like raspberries and blackberries. But, yes, these berries are technically stone fruits with edible “stones.” Each berry is a little cluster of tiny stone fruits that contain pits—aka the small seeds that often get stuck in your teeth.

Summer Stone Fruit Salad Recipe

This stone fruit salad is loaded with antioxidants, a delicious sweet-and-salty combination, and a wonderful mixture of textures. It’s going to be your go-to summer salad, and it only takes minutes to prepare!

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Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American, Australian, Mediterranean

Servings 2

Calories 390 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 plums
• 2 peaches/nectarines
• 1-2 cups arugula
• ½ of a medium red onion, diced
• ¼ cup feta/goat/crumbly cheese (can sub dairy-free)
• ¼ cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts (or nut of choice)

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Wash and finely dice the stone fruit.
• Dice the red onion.
• In a separate cup or dish, whisk olive oil and balsamic vinegar well.
• Lay out washed and dried arugula.
• Top with diced stone fruit, nuts, and cheese.
• Top with dressing and salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 390kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 7gFat: 28gSugar: 25g

Keyword Salad, summertime

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Stone Fruit Salad FAQs