There are a very few simple recipes that I always come back to when I’m looking for a side dish to pair with dinner, and this peach spinach salad might just be my favorite.
I’ve always loved buying a big box of organic spinach every week to get more greens into our meals, and usually, I pack it in all of my smoothies, throw it in quiches, and of course, make big salads like this one.
I know many people aren’t into fruit on salads, but I’m begging you to give this recipe a chance! Tony even eats it for lunch alongside some sort of sandwich I make him, so you know it’s a hit. This gorgeous peach salad is just so refreshing and truly delicious. You’re going to fall in love!
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Everything you’ll need to make this peach spinach salad
This peach salad is one of those salad recipes that almost seems too easy to be good, but trust me when I say the combo is out-of-this-world delicious and oh so fresh. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Fruits & veggies: you’ll need spinach and peaches (of course), plus some red onion and avocado.
- Mix-ins: we’re adding crumbled goat cheese for a creamy tanginess, plus sliced toasted almonds for crunch. YUM.
- For the dressing: this easy balsamic is made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard, salt & pepper. Feel free to add a little sugar, maple syrup, or honey if you prefer your dressing a little sweeter.
Easy ingredient substitutions
What I love about this salad is that it’s completely versatile, so depending on what’s on sale and available in the grocery store, you can make super easy swaps. Here’s what I recommend:
- For the spinach: I think arugula would also be delicious, and would add a zippy twist to this salad!
- For the peaches: yes, you can swap out the peaches for strawberries or blueberries if you’d like! Or simply try my Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado
- For the cheese: I love the tangy flavor of goat cheese, but feel free to use crumbled feta if you like more of a salty kick.
- For the almonds: I think roasted pistachios, pine nuts, or even sunflower seeds would be delicious.
Try a creamier dressing
The balsamic vinaigrette pairs perfectly well with this peach salad, but if you’re looking for something a little creamier, I suggest my Tahini Poppy Seed Dressing!
How to toast almonds
You can easily toast your own almonds right at home, and there are two ways to do it: on the stovetop or in the oven!
- Stovetop method: Add sliced almonds to a skillet and place over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 2-5 minutes until almonds are slightly golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool before adding them to the salad.
- Oven method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place sliced almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until fragrant and golden brown, stirring once halfway through baking. Watch carefully so that the nuts do not burn!
Add a boost of protein
Looking to make this salad more of a main meal? Feel free to add your fav protein like:
- 1 cup of chickpeas or cooked quinoa to keep it vegetarian
- Grilled chicken (use the balsamic vinaigrette as a marinade!)
- Grilled salmon — I recommend this firecracker salmon that has a peach salsa!
Main dishes to pair with this peach salad
This fresh peach salad makes the perfect side dish with any of your fav summer main dishes! Here are some of our favs:
- Baked or Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
- Grilled Tahini Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
- The Georgia Peach Pizza
- Honey Lemon Garlic Salmon
- Greek Chicken Kabobs
- Chipotle Lime Salmon Tacos with Corn Avocado Peach Salsa & Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
Get all of my summer BBQ recipes here!
How to store this peach salad
Store this peach spinach salad in an airtight container in the fridge, without the dressing, for up to 4-5 days. Simply dress the salad as soon as you’re ready to eat it so that the spinach doesn’t get soggy. The dressing will stay good in a container in the fridge for up to one week.
More salad recipes you’ll love
- Peach Brussels Sprouts Crunch Salad with Creamy Tahini Poppy Seed Dressing
- Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto & Goat Cheese
- Herby Olive Italian Orzo Salad
- Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado
- Peach, Tomato & Corn Arugula Pasta Salad
Get all of my salad recipes here!
I hope you love this beautiful summer peach spinach salad! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Summer Peach Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups organic spinach
- 2 large peaches, sliced
- 1 avocado, diced
- ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
- ½ cup goat cheese crumbles (or sub feta)
- ½ cup sliced toasted almonds*
- For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- Optional: 1-2 teaspoon sugar, pure maple syrup or honey to sweeten dressing
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinaigrette: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, dijon and salt and pepper. Add a sweetener here if you'd like here too. I always prefer to!
- In a large bowl, add the spinach. Drizzle with desired about of balsamic vinaigrette and toss together to combine. Top salad with peach slices, diced/sliced avocado, red onion, goat cheese crumbles and toasted almonds. Toss very gently again. Serve immediately. Salad serves 4.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on August 9th, 2018, republished on July 24th, 2022, and republished with new photos on June 23rd, 2026.
Absolutely delicious. I made it three times this week.
I made this recipe today. We loved it! Even my 20 month old baby got a little bit of it. Thank you!
So happy to hear that!
Loved this! Simple and refreshing. Used toasted pumpkin seeds instead of almonds because it’s what I had, and skipped the avocado because I couldn’t find any ripe ones. Still a big hit!
Perfect! Glad everyone enjoyed!
What a delight! Quick, delicious, healthy – the trifector! Had this tonight and it was amazing. I also added grilled chicken, and I also grilled the peaches.
So fresh and delicious! Glad you enjoyed!
This was aaaabsolutely fabulous. The fresh juicy peaches with the creamy goat queso…just perfection. The only change I might make is to leave out the sugar from the dressing. It wasn’t bad per se, but it made it thick & syrupy (I only used 1 tsp). Balsamic is sweet on its own, then the peaches, I just don’t think any added sweetener is necessary for me.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Amazing and filling salad! I swapped almonds for walnuts and pumpkin and sesame seeds, and added a teaspoon honey to the dressing, So healthy and delicious,
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
This is my new favourite summer EASY salad,, so yummy – thanku,
Absolutely!
We had a dinner party for 12 guests and everyone raved over this salad. It’s a hit!
So happy to hear that!
Everyone loved it at our potluck!
So happy to hear that!
Loved this Salad. You’re missing out if you haven’t made it yet. Took it to a small group dinner, and everyone raved about it.
One of my favs, too! So happy it was a hit 🙂
This was really good! Will definitely make it again. Didn’t add maple syrup or extra salt but did add canned chickpeas, loved it, perfect refreshing meal for this heat wave.
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂
Yum this salad is delicious! The balance of sweet from the peaches and saltiness from the cheese is amazing. I think it might be my new go to summer salad 😋
I make this over and over all summer. My peaches were not ripe yet, so I used cherry tomatoes. Everyone always asks about the dressing – it’s so easy and so delicious. My favorite summer salad. I have even made in the winter with apples instead of peaches. Thank you, Monique.
Love that!!
This salad is so good! I love the peach and avocado combination.
Amazing! I am so glad you loved this combo and it turned out great for you!
My favirite salad – made it so many times. Had pears but no peaches and was delicious. Maybe I’ll try apples in the fall
YUM! Glad youre loving this recipe, Lori. Apples would also be a delicious addition.
This was delicious! Thank you for sharing! It is such a delightful way to use summer peaches. I added chicken to mine for extra protein and flavor.
This was super refreshing and delicious. I used honey for the dressing as the sugar option. I also used feta dice I’m not a goat cheese fan. I only had nectarines which I substituted for the peaches. Still so very good!
Yum! Love this so much, Julie. Glad you were able to adjust this recipe so easily and you enjoyed it!
Summer peach & spinach salad was wonderful. Love the balsamic vingarette. And it really as easy as you said!!
Yay! Glad you’re loving this salad, Katherine!
Amazing! This was a hit at dinner.
Our grocery store unfortunately didn’t have fresh peaches, so I substituted honey crisp apples and it was still delicious.
Thanks again, Monique!
Such a beautiful salad, and the peaches in it are so juicy and sweet. Peaches, avocado, toasted almonds, goat cheese, red onion, driving directions and a basic balsamic vinaigrette are just few of the ingredients in this salad. You will definitely find love!
Excellent salad and so easy! Will add to my rotation. Can’t wait to make it for guests!
So happy to hear that!
This salad is AMAZING!!! I used White Balsamic and the Trader Joes Honey Goat Cheese! YUM!!!
I am curious how the carb count is so high on it.
Oooh I LOVE that honey goat cheese! Happy you enjoyed it! And the carbs are from the peaches + veggies 🙂 Lots of it is fiber, though!
Just made the vinaigrette for this salad, will try the salad for my lunch tomorrow, Looking forward t dressing my salad with this, thanks for this super easy lunch.
This salad is delicious! I used a spring mix with 50% spinach and everyone loved it! I’ve made it several times in the past 2 weeks to make the most of the fresh peaches this time of year! Thank you for a hearty, yummy salad!!
So happy to hear that everyone loved it! And yes, we need to take advantage of peach season before it’s over haha! 🙂
Brought this to a dinner party at the pool – took about 5 minutes to prepare, and it literally stole the show. Everyone was raving about it! Thanks for making me look so good :).
Hahaha love to hear that!! Yay! Glad everyone enjoyed it 🙂
Make this now, favorite salad! Loved this salad so much, so great for summertime, I paired with steak and it was perfect! Will be making this on repeat!
Oooh that sounds like the perfect summer meal! Happy you loved it, Kendra 🙂
brought this to a friend’s for dinner and it was such a hit! perfect summer salad
Nice!! So glad that everyone loved it 🙂