Healthy Peach Salad (Paleo, Vegan)

This healthy peach salad is perfect for the summer! It's made on a bed of fresh arugula and topped with juicy, ripe peaches, sliced avocado, red onion, pistachios and then drizzled with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. This peach salad recipe is paleo, vegan, gluten free and whole30 approved.

I didn't think that I liked arugula, as I often find it quite bitter. However, after making this healthy peach salad I realized that it's all about the toppings!

This peach and arugula salad is not bitter or boring. It's full of flavor, texture and color. It has completely changed my thoughts about arugula and my skepticism towards adding peaches to a salad.

Peach Salad Highlights

Here's what you need to know about this summery peach salad:

• paleo friendly - made without grains, gluten, legumes, dairy or refined sugar
• whole30 and vegan - omit the honey in the dressing for a whole30 option, or swap it with maple syrup for vegan
• dairy free - no cheese is needed to make this a great tasting salad. However, feel free to add some if you aren't dairy intolerant.
• a great summer salad - perfect to serve at a family dinner or small friendly barbecue

Ingredients

Here's a list of what you need to make this vegan peach salad recipe:

For the Salad

• arugula - or your favorite leafy greens like spinach
• ripe peaches - slightly soft, but not overripe
• large ripe avocado
• pistachios
• red onion

For the Peach Salad Dressing

• olive oil
• balsalmic vinegar
• dijon mustard
• honey (omit for whole30, sub maple syrup for vegan)
• garlic powder
• salt

How to Make a Healthy Peach Salad

This simple peach salad is easy to make and takes just a few minutes to throw together. Here's what you need to do:

First, place the arugula in a salad or serving bowl. I used a packaged, pre-washed arugula.

Next, wash and slice the peaches, removing the pit. You can slice the peaches however you want, but I cut them in half, then into 5ths. I used about 3 small peaches, but you may use more or less depending on their size and your preference.

For the avocado, cut it in half, remove the pit and then cut it into cubes. I only ended up using half a large avocado, but you may use the whole thing.

Use either pre-shelled or shelled pistachios. Obviously, if you're using shelled pistachios you will need to remove the shells before adding them to the salad.

Lastly, slice the red onion. Unless you like a lot of onion with each bite, be sure to slice the red onion quite thin.

Top the arugula with the prepared peaches, avocado, pistachios and onion.

Peach Salad Dressing

For the dressing, simply whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle the amount of dressing you wish to use over the salad.

I don't recommend adding the salad dressing until just before serving. The arugula will wilt after a couple hours with the dressing.

Storage

Unfortunately, this salad does not store well. It is best eaten within a few hours after making. Leftovers won't keep, as the arugula wilts once the dressing is added, the avocado browns and the whole salad gets mushy.

Additional Salad Toppings

This simple peach salad is great as-is, but feel free to go all out with the toppings! Here are some additional topping ideas:

• fresh herbs like basil and rosemary
• nuts and seeds: almonds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds
• cheeses: feta, blue cheese, parmesan
• vegetables: cucumber, shredded carrots, tomatoes
• proteins: chicken, salmon, steak

More Healthy Salad Recipes

Print