This beautiful peach salad recipe puts those juicy ripe peaches of summer in the spotlight and is easy to prep ahead. Just add the deliciously rich, nutty walnut dressing before serving.

The two main components for this peach salad are fresh ripe peaches and the walnut dressing. Beyond that, build in whatever you like or have on hand.

peach salad with walnut dressing on white plate

I use mixed greens, shredded celeriac and radishes as the base. Then add a couple of other things like avocado and goat cheese if I have them on hand.

If you’re not familiar with celeriac, it’s worth a try. Celeriac is a mild white root vegetable that is eaten raw or cooked. It tastes like a cross between celery and turnip. For this recipe, I cut off the knobby outside and ends, then grate it with a box grater. It compliments the peaches nicely and looks pretty.

The walnut dressing is delicious. Full of texture, richness and a touch of sweet and tartness. I’m pretty sure you will be looking for other ways to use such as drizzled over grilled veggies. And, like the peach salad, you can vary it to your liking. I adapted recipes for walnut dressing from Food and Wine Magazine and Epicurious.

I love to serve this peach salad with Canadian maple cedar planked salmon, lemon butter herb baked trout or marinated flank steak.

Tips

Hold out for ripe juicy peaches. Check out our peach halves on the grill post for how to tell a peach is ripe and how to ripen them quickly.
Resist the temptation to substantially increase the peach salad without increasing the walnut dressing. You want to keep the proportions about right. No need to obsess though. A bit more or less is not going to matter.

Tailor To Your Taste

Forage through your fridge and pantry to make the changes or additions you like. Here are a few suggestions.

Salad green options

Try arugula, frisee lettuce, gem lettuce or spring lettuce mix. Actually, any greens will do.

Nuts

If you don’t have walnuts (or have an allergy to them), try pecans, skinned hazelnuts or macademia nuts instead. Toast them first.

Peach options

OK, this is a peach salad, so I do suggest peaches 🙂 but you can try substituting them with apples or pears (cut near serving time so they don’t turn brown).
You can also use grilled peaches. Now that would be amazing!

Garnishes/salad fillings

Try avocado, feta or goat cheese, shaved pecorino, pomegranate seeds (more color!), fresh parsley or thyme.
I recently added cooked quinoa to the peach salad and reduced the greens. I served this more substantial salad with spicy honey lime chicken skewers and called it a day.

How to make peach salad with walnut dressing

Ingredients: Salad – salad greens, peaches, radishes. Walnut dressing – walnuts, lemon zest, white balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper.

celeriac with sides and stems cut away — Peel the celeriac.

sliced peaches, sliced radishes, shredded celeriac on cutting board — Slice peach and radishes and shred a cup of celeriac using a box grater.

walnut dressing in a dish — Pulse walnut dressing ingredients in a food processor until walnuts are coarsely chopped.

peach salad with walnut dressing on a platter 2 — Drizzle walnut dressing on the peach salad before serving.

peach salad with walnut dressing on white plate p

Shortcut

Skip the walnut dressing (if you must) and used a good quality bottled dressing like balsamic, pomegranate or honey dijon dressing.

Make Ahead

The peach salad can be prepped ahead. Just add the walnut dressing (which can be made several days ahead) before serving.
If you are using avocado, apples or pears and want to cut them up a couple of hours ahead, toss them with a bit of lemon juice to keep them from browning.

Other Peach Recipes

If you love peaches, here are a few other peach recipes to try.

Peach Salad Recipe With Walnut Dressing

Tips