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arugula peach salad with walnut dressing in bowl.
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4.86 from 14 votes

Arugula Peach Salad With Walnut Dressing

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.
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Vegetarian
Servings (change as needed): 4 -6
Author: Cheryl Avrich
US Measures - Metric

Ingredients

Salad ingredients

  • 2 -3 ripe peaches, sliced or cut in chunks no need to remove skin
  • 1 cup shredded celeriac (about 1/2 celeriac peeled and grated with box grater)
  • 4 radishes, sliced
  • 6 cups arugula or other lettuce greens Note 1

Garnish and add-ins (optional)

  • chopped/sliced avocado, feta cheese or goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, 1/2 cup/92 grams cooked quinoa, red onion, herbs, etc.

Walnut Dressing

  • 3/4 cup walnuts, Note 2 or even 1 cup/110 grams
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 small lemon or 1/2 large)
  • 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar Note 3
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • salt and black pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp pepper)
  • Optional: 1-2 tsp of chopped thyme or chives
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
US Measures - Metric

Instructions

  • TOAST WALNUTS: Do this first. While nuts are toasting, do your chopping and cutting. Heat oven or toaster oven to 350F/177C. Place walnuts in pan. Roast for 8-11 minutes until fragrant. Let cool.
  • ASSEMBLE SALAD: Place greens on a platter or wide mouthed bowl. Scatter peaches and radishes on top and any other garnish/add-ins you're using.
  • MAKE WALNUT DRESSING: Add all walnut dressing ingredients to food processor. Pulse until walnuts are coarsely chopped. If you don't have a processor, chop walnuts, add other ingredients except oil, then whisk in oil until well blended. Drizzle dressing over peach salad.

Notes

  1. Salad greens: Use peppery arugula or, instead, frisee lettuce, gem lettuce, baby romaine lettuce or spring lettuce mix. Actually, any greens will do.
  2. Walnut alternatives: If you don't have walnuts (or have an allergy to them), use pecans, skinned hazelnuts or macademia nuts instead. Toast them first.
  3. White balsamic vinegar alternatives: white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
  4. Make Ahead: 
    • The peach salad can be prepped ahead. Add the walnut dressing (which can be made several days ahead) just before serving to avoid wilting.
    • 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.
    • This salad is best served fresh and made on the day of serving. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container for no more than a day and expect them to be soggy (but still tasty!)
 
Nutrition values are estimates based on 4 generous portions and 3/4 cup walnuts. 
Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 232mg | Potassium: 470mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 4243IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg