This Peach Avocado Salad tastes like summer in a bowl. Topped with fresh ripe peaches and a tasty sweet and tangy cashew mustard dressing.
A Sweet and Savory Salad to Help Celebrate the Summer
The thing I enjoy most about the summer is the abundance of all my favorite seasonal produce. And usually with all of that produce, I’m more inclined to eat a ton of veg very happily. So salads like these don’t only make me feel good this time of year, but also happen to taste incredible.
And outside of the incredible summer flavors in this Peach Avocado Salad, there are a bunch of reasons you’ll probably fall in love with this salad too.
- Balanced Flavors and Textures. I really love the warmth of the kale and chickpeas in this paired with the sweet and juicy fruit and the crunch of the onion.
- The Addition of Sweet Summer Fruit. This definitely helps to elevate an average salad
- Easy to Make. This salad has three main steps. Chop your fruits and veggies. Sauté your kale and chickpeas. Whisk together your dressing. Once those steps are completed, you just have to throw everything together in a bowl then enjoy.
- A Sweet and Tangy Dressing. A simple combination of cashew butter, mustard and maple syrup that works similar to honey mustard except it is the perfect creaminess.
Key Ingredients
- Kale: While I love a good massaged kale salad, I really wanted to sauté these greens to help break them down. If you want to skip this step, feel free to use something like lettuce, spinach or arugula if you prefer!
- Chickpeas: My protein of choice in this salad that we sauté in a few herbs and garlic.
- Peaches: Fresh peaches only for this recipe. Slice them thin and make sure they are ripe so they add a natural sweetness to them.
- Corn: Feel free to use fresh or frozen. I grilled the corn I used for this recipe, but you can also use frozen fire roasted corn as well and just thaw before using.
- Avocado: Make sure your avocado are ripe and slice them up as desired.
- Mustard: Love this mustard
- Cashew Butter: One of the base ingredients for our dressing that helps to make it super creamy.
- Maple Syrup: An easy liquid sweetener that blends really well into the dressing.
How to Make Peach Avocado Salad
Start by prepping the cooked elements of your salad. I like to sauté the kale first with a simple splash of olive oil, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove the kale from the pan after it’s done cooking and you can place it in the salad bowl you plan to use. Then sauté your chickpeas with a few different herbs and set that aside.
Mix your dressing ingredients together in a bowl and whisk together. If you desire a thinner dressing, just add a small amount of water at a time until your dressing is at your desired consistency.
Then assemble your salad. Top your kale with the chickpeas and other fruits and vegetables. Pour on some dressing and give it a good toss then serve with extra dressing as desired.
Tips for the Perfect Summer Salad
- Dry your chickpeas well to help crisp them up slightly as they cook on the stove top.
- Feel free to chop or cut your fruits and vegetables however you like for this recipe. I personally like bite size pieces or thinly cut produce in salads to help make sure I get a lovely bite of everything once it’s combined, but make your salad your way.
- If prepping your salad in advance I recommend adding your peaches, avocado and dressing in separately when you plan to enjoy the salad. I’ll prep the dressing in a separate jar and store in the fridge then pour it on and chop the peaches and avocado to enjoy over top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Good quality peaches are necessary for this recipe. To make sure you have a good quality peach, make sure you check the ripeness using a few tips. Ripe peaches should be soft and you can tell by how it feels when you gently squeeze it. A ripe peach should also smell sweet as well if you go to sniff it.
If you cannot find cashew butter or if you have an allergy to cashew butter you can try any of the following alternatives. You can sub out for some vegan yogurt or almond butter if you do not have a nut allergy. If you do have a nut allergy, sunflower seed butter works really well as it doesn’t have a strong flavor and should still make your dressing really creamy. For any of the alternatives mentioned above, make sure to go for an unsweetened, natural option.
If you don’t mind the skins, then you can absolutely leave them on. Leaving the skin on will also give you some extra fiber, which in my opinion is a win. For those that don’t like the taste of the peel, spending time to peel them can elevate this dish to meet the needs of every palate.
You can, but I would recommend massaging your kale first with some olive oil, lemon juice and salt to help break down the leaves and make it more palatable. Massaging the kale will help weaken the fibers in the kale and also help reduce it’s bitterness as well. You can also replace your kale with some spinach, arugula or lettuce if you’d like to keep it raw without the extra steps.
I have gotten messages from different people who have expressed concern over food combining rules. In particular, there being concern of combining greens with fruit. There is currently no evidence to say that combining greens and fruit would cause any health issues. In fact, including fruit and vegetables in this salad provides a means to increase fiber and various antioxidants, which can provide a great deal of nourishment.
What to Serve with Your Salad
This salad can be enjoyed as a side or you can bulk it up a little more to enjoy as a meal. Feel free to either add additional corn to the salad or serve on the side. You can also use a different starch if desired and mix in some quinoa if desired. To add some more protein, you can always add in more chickpeas or serve with some tofu skewers as well.
More Summer Salad Recipes to Try
- Panzanella Salad with Grilled Peaches
- Lemon Basil Three Bean Salad
- Summer Orzo Salad with Grilled Vegetables
- Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad
- Edamame Crunch Salad
Peach Avocado Salad with Cashew Mustard Dressing
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Peach Avocado Salad tastes like summer in a bowl. Topped with fresh ripe peaches and a tasty sweet and tangy cashew mustard dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 bunch kale, destemmed and cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, divided
- 1, 15 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds or ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup corn
- 1–2 peaches, pitted and sliced thin
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 small avocado, sliced
- 1/4 large red onion, thinly sliced
Sweet Cashew Mustard Dressing
- 3 tbsp cashew butter, salted
- 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard or whole grain Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2–4 tbsp water
Instructions
- Heat up 1 tsp olive oil in a large pan over medium low heat and add your garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add in your kale and sauté for a few minutes with a pinch of salt until wilted then place kale in a large mixing bowl.
- To the same pan you cooked your kale in, heat up the remaining oil.
- Add in your chickpeas, oregano, fennel and garlic powder and continuously sauté until some of the chickpeas appear to slightly brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove pan from heat and prepare the dressing.
- To a bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients making sure to start with 2 tablespoons of water. If you desire a thinner consistency, then slowly add more water to the mix 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Now assemble your salad. To the bowl with the kale, add on your chickpeas, red onion, corn, peaches, avocado, and blueberries. If desired give your salad a good mix before adding the dressing or serve as desired.
Notes
Dry your chickpeas well to help crisp them up slightly as they cook on the stove top.
Feel free to chop or cut your fruits and vegetables however you like for this recipe.
If prepping your salad in advance I recommend adding your peaches, avocado and dressing in separately when you plan to enjoy the salad. I’ll prep the dressing in a separate jar and store in the fridge then pour it on and chop the peaches and avocado to enjoy over top.
Keywords: peach avocado salad, summer salad, peach salad recipe
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★ Catherine
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Thanks for the recipe.