Peach Mozzarella Salad

Why we love this recipe 🧡

I know, peaches plus cheese might seem a little out there, but trust me on this one…there is something about the combination of sweet summery peaches and creamy savory cheese with a little basil thrown in for good measure that is one hundred percent sublime.

It’s a perfectly perfect summer dinner party appetizer, in case you are having folks over for dinner. And speaking of, here is one of our very favorite house guests.

He is all kinds of delicious, and while he isn’t going to get any peach mozzarella salad, he might be getting an extra treat for being wonderful kitchen company and an all around Very Good Boy.

And as wonderful as this salad is for an elegant dinner party side dish, the Southern husband and I have been known to have it for dinner with a little peach sangria and to call that a night. 😍

So let’s start with the two main players in this conglomeration of deliciousness…the peaches and the cheese!

In an almost-not-a-recipe like this one, the ingredients matter even more than usual, so you want the very best peaches you can find.

How to tell if a peach is ripe 🍑

A perfectly ripe peach will have a little bit of give to it when you squeeze it ever so gently. If your peaches are still hard, they might need a few days out on your kitchen counter to keep ripening.

And (this is going to sound obvious but I promise it helps)…the best peaches smell wonderfully like a peach.

This works with strawberries too. If you take a good inhale and you don’t smell the wonderful aroma of peaches (or strawberries!), keep on looking for that perfect peach.

On to the cheese! I love making this salad with fresh mozzarella, but when I want to take it directly to the highest level of salad fabulousness I use burrata.

What is burrata cheese? 🧀

Burrata cheese is pretty much heaven in cheese form. It is basically a pouch made out of fresh mozzarella cheese that is filled with cream and soft delicate cheese curds.

Burrata means “buttered” so if you can imagine the best mozzarella you have ever had with a buttery, creamy inside, that’s getting close.

You can find burrata more and more frequently at your local supermarket (I get mine at Wegmans). Yay for burrata availability everywhere!

Ingredients you need 🌿

Ingredient notes and substitutions 📝

• Peaches: You do need fresh ones for this recipe. And while I don’t peel them for this recipe, you can if you want to!
• Basil: You can find this aromatic herb in the produce section of your supermarket – if you can find basil that still has the roots attached that’s the best kind.
• Cheese: This is the time to go for the fresh mozzarella (or burrata! or both!) in the fancy cheese section of your supermarket.

Here’s how to make this recipe 👩🏻‍🍳

STEP 1: Tear or cut a half pound of fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese into bite-sized pieces and divide among four salad plates.

STEP 2: Slice up four of the best peaches you can find and tuck the peach slices in and around the cheese.

STEP 3: Scatter some chopped basil on top, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, and serve it up!

Recipe FAQs 🧐

Oh, and if you have any leftover peaches, give this creamy peach ricotta crostini appetizer a whirl. It’s heaven on a plate.

Meantime, I will definitely go back to the more classic tomato and mozzarella and basil salad. One day. Maybe after peach season is over.

But for right now, I’m going to keep this peach of a salad on repeat!

Other peach recipes we love 💗