This Nectarine Salad is the perfect summer salad! This salad is great as a side or a main and it's so easy to make! With sweet nectarines, creamy blue cheese, crunchy walnuts, and tangy balsamic vinaigrette, this salad really has it all and it's always a hit!
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Why This Recipe Works
Perfect for the summer - There's no cooking involved in this recipe (unless you want to toast the walnuts) so it's the perfect salad for when the temperatures are scorching hot outside. Nothing beats juicy nectarines while they're in season and they truly shine in this salad!
Easy to make - This salad has 10 ingredients (including the dressing) and they're all simple and easy to find in most grocery stores and farmer's markets. The recipe comes together in about 20 minutes and it's super easy to make.
Great for grilling season - Whether you're grilling various meats, chicken, or burgers, this salad is a great side to serve! Any grilled meats go really well with the sweetness of the peaches and all the crunchy veggies in the salad.
Ingredients
- Mixed greens - You can use any greens you like. I like using prewashed mixed greens but romaine lettuce is also delicious!
- Nectarines - Juicy ripe nectarines while they're in season are the best here!
- Cucumber - Cucumber adds freshness and crunch. You can use regular English cucumbers or smaller Persian cucumbers. The latter is my favorite because they can be sliced into small slices that are easy to eat.
- Radishes - Red radishes are great here for added crunch and spiciness.
- Red onion - Thinly sliced onion adds crunch and flavor. You can soak it in cold water to remove some of its bite. Use thinly sliced shallots for a milder flavor.
- Blue cheese - I like using sheep or goat blue cheese but any creamy blue cheese you prefer works. You can also use feta if you don't like blue cheese.
- Vinaigrette - The dressing is made with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup. A touch of sweetener balances the vinegar and oil really well. You can also use honey or agave.
Variations and Substitutions
- Peaches - If you don't have nectarines, you can use peaches.
- Feta - Don't like blue cheese? Add feta instead! They are both great in this salad.
- Bell peppers - Peppers would be a great addition to this salad if you wanted to add even more veggies to the mix.
- Romaine lettuce - Mixed greens can be swapped for chopped romaine lettuce, just spinach, or any other lettuce you prefer and have on hand.
- Seeds - If you don't or can't have walnuts, add hemp seeds or sunflower seeds for added healthy fats and crunch.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the greens, nectarines, radishes, red onion, crumbled blue cheese or feta, and chopped walnuts to a large mixing bowl and toss together gently.
- In a separate bowl or jar, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Whisk together or shake in a jar.
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- Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss. The salad is best served right after it's tossed with the dressing to make sure the greens don't wilt too much.
Serving and Storing
Serving: Because of the leafy greens, this salad is best served right away once you add the dressing. If you're planning to make it ahead of time, I highly recommend keeping the dressing on the side. You can make it a few hours ahead and keep the two separate in the fridge in a closed container.
Storing: You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Keep in mind that the longer the salad sits, the more wilted the greens and the vegetables and nectarines will release juices.
FAQs
Feta cheese is a great option for this salad if you don't like blue cheese. The saltiness goes really well with the sweetness of the nectarines.
Yes! Peaches work just as well as nectarines here so you can either one you have.
Yes, just use vegan cheese or skip it completely.
This salad goes best with roasted or grilled chicken or turkey. You can also skip the blue cheese and serve it with grilled halloumi instead. Roasted salmon would also be a great option.
More Summer Salads with Fruits
If this was your first time adding fruits to salads, I highly recommend trying some of the four salads linked below too. Fruit adds an unexpected sweetness that goes really well with cheese, anything spicy, or savory. The strawberry goat cheese salad is my personal favorite!
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Cucumber Mango Salad
- Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Mango Quinoa Salad with Chipotle Dressing
To see all the latest salads, head over to the Salads category.
Print📖 Recipe
Nectarine Salad
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2-6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Nectarine Salad with balsamic vinaigrette is the perfect summer salad! This salad is great as a side or a main and so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 3 nectarines, pitted and sliced
- 2-4 radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese or ½ cup feta cheese
- ¼ cup roughly chopped walnuts (raw or toasted)
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the greens, nectarines, radishes, red onion, crumbled blue cheese or feta, and chopped walnuts to a large mixing bowl and toss together gently.
- In a separate bowl or jar, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together or shake in a jar and pour over the salad.
- Toss again and enjoy.
Notes
Wilted greens: If you’re serving the salad right away, I recommend whisking the dressing in the serving bowl and then adding all the ingredients on top and tossing them together to avoid having extra dishes. If you’re not, it’s best to mix the salad ingredients separately and then pour the dressing on top because the greens wilt very quickly.
Kale: Use massaged kale if you want the salad to stay fresh for longer, it doesn’t wilt as easily.
Add-ins: Roasted chicken or turkey would be great addition for added protein.
Storing: Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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Sophie says
I tried making it, and I'm absolutely in love with the combination of juicy nectarines, crisp greens, and the burst of flavor from the vinaigrette.
Tammy says
Bright, beautiful and refreshing! This salad has it all! Beautiful seasonal dish :D
Kristina says
This made a great dinner salad. I used feta rather than blue cheese and sprinkled in some sunflower seeds for extra crunchiness. It was delicious.
Madelyn says
This turned out to be a beautiful, tasty salad. Not a fan of radishes so I doubled up on the cucumbers and added in a handful of almonds with the walnuts. Turned out wonderful.
Erin says
It really does look like the perfect summer salad! I've never used stone fruit in a salad but I'd love to try it!
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
My kind of salad, my kind of recipe! I love cooking seasonally, and this salad, with the walnuts, and blue cheese, is all I needed for the perfect summer lunch. I also love combining sweet and savory. Thanks for this delicious recipe.
Susan says
This is perfect for my family. I almost always have nectarines on hand this time of year, and am making this tonight!
Claire says
This nectarine salad was the perfect summer side for last night's dinner! It was so fresh and I particularly liked how the nectarine flavor paired with the radishes.
Amy says
We had this delicious salad over the weekend. My husband loved the addition of the blue cheese and I loved the radishes. The whole salad had such great flavor.
Hayley Dhanecha says
This salad is so refreshing,perfect summer salad that goes with anything. I really enjoyed it as it is as a healthy snack.
Mandy says
Not a fan of blue cheese so I omitted that. I just love this salad for the summer!
Angela Campos says
This salad was amazing! I love the combo of flavors. I can't wait to make it again...YUM!!!
Marilyn says
I see Dijon mustard in the picture, but not the recipe. How much?
Veronika Sykorova says
It's 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard. All measurements are in the recipe card at the end of the post.
I will add it to the instruction in the body of the post above it as well. Sorry for the confusion, hope that helps!