One of the best parts of summer is being able to enjoy delicious, juicy, fresh-picked stone fruits, like peaches, apricots, and plums, in a variety of ways. From crisps, cobblers, and pies, grilled and served with whipped cream or layered in a decadent parfait, to tossed in a fresh summer-sweet salsa or salad or even whipped into a frenzy for a yummy dressing.
This honey peach vinaigrette is just another way to enjoy peaches during their peak season. This dressing is the perfect combination of honeyed sweetness and tart, juicy peach perfection. It’s light, summery, and incredibly quick to whip up. And we’ve made it easy to craft the perfect small batch or family size dose of dressing with this 2-in-1 recipe.
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Ingredients for Honey Peach Vinaigrette
- Peaches – juicy and bursting with sweet flavor. To find a ripe peach look for peaches with a slight “give” or softness to them.
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) – the go-to oil base for vinaigrettes. The plant-based fats pack in a ton of flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar – sweeter vinegar that balances out the EVOO. We like to use a 2:1 ratio of oil to vinegar in our dressing, but feel free to modify to the standard 3:1 ratio if the dressing tastes too sour.
- Water – to help dilute the vinegar a bit.
- Honey – natural sweetener. If you want to keep this recipe vegan, swap for maple syrup or agave.
- Salt and pepper – simple seasonings to round out the flavors in this dressing.
Recommended Equipment
- Blender – a high powered blender, like a Ninja or NutriBullet. Single serve blender attachments are great options for making small batch dressings or you could use the blender for a larger batch. We use our single serve all the time when we’re just making enough for a few servings.
- Food processor – we prefer to use our food processor for larger batches of vinaigrette instead of the blender, as the results are more consistently smooth. We love our 12 cup Cuisinart food processor, but an 8 cup is sufficient. Side note: it’s also fantastic for making homemade nut butters, soups, sauces, dressing, puddings, desserts and so forth.
- Whisk & bowl – if you’re not in the market for a new gadget, you can’t go wrong with a whisk and bowl. This is a classic method for whipping together a vinaigrette. Just note that you may experience quicker separation of ingredients than if blending with a food processor or blender.
How to Make Honey Peach Vinaigrette
Vinaigrettes are hands down one of the simplest dressings you can make. The base is always a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio of oils to vinegar. If you like a more mild dressing, use the 3:1 ratio. If you like a little more punch and tanginess (we do!), use a 2:1 ratio or even 1:1 ratio (like we did in this dressing).
Then you can add any combination of herbs for seasoning, mustard and/or honey for added smoothness and balance, and other add-ins like citrus or berries for some extra brightness. The possibilities are endless! 🙂
Small Batch Vinaigrette
For smaller batches of honey peach vinaigrette, you can use a smaller single-serve blender or smoothie bowl blender.
Combine peach slices, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, and honey in a single-serve or small blender. Blend for 1 minute, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
If you find that the recipe is too tangy, try adding another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to bring the oil to vinegar ratio up to 2:1. Blend again until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to season to taste.
The small batch yields about ¾ cups of dressing.
Family Size Vinaigrette
For the larger family size batch of honey peach vinaigrette, we recommend using a large blender or food processor.
Combine peach slices, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, and honey in a blender or food processor. Blend for 1 minute, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
If you find that the recipe is too tangy, try adding an additional 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of olive oil to bring the oil to vinegar ratio up to 3:2 or 2:1, respectively. Blend again until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to season to taste.
The family size batch yields about 3 cups of dressing.
How to Enjoy Honey Peach Vinaigrette
There are no limits to what you can do with this honey peach vinaigrette. We love to use it in…
- Salads & coleslaws
- Grain bowls
- Pasta salads
- Marinades & dressings for chicken, shrimp, fish, or tofu
- Grilled vegetables
- Base for other dressings
How to Store Honey Peach Vinaigrette
Store Honey Peach Vinaigrette in a mason jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. We don’t recommend keeping it longer than that due to using fresh fruit and no preservatives.
The ingredients will likely separate in the fridge, so bring the dressing to room temperature about 20 minutes before using and shake vigorously.
Honey Peach Vinaigrette: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What are the ratios for traditional vinaigrette – traditionally, vinaigrettes use 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. We like to use 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar in our recipes to cut back a little on the fat content and to add a little extra sharpness.
- Is vinaigrette healthier than salad dressing – vinaigrettes are typically healthier/lighter than other creamy dressings, like Caesar or ranch, especially if you’re making your own as you can control the oil: vinegar ratio as well as added sugars and sodium.
- What is the shelf life of vinaigrette – we typically keep our vinaigrette in the refrigerator for 5 days, especially if it contains fresh fruits, herbs, or garlic.
- How can you tell if a peach is ripe – ripe peaches have a golden-red hue and will be slightly soft and will “give” a bit when squeezed lightly. Be careful not to squeeze to hard, as peaches bruise easily.
- How do you ripen peaches from the store – if you pick an unripe peach, you can ripen it by putting it in a brown paper bag and loosely close the top. Check again in 24 to 48 hours. A ripe peach will be slightly soft to the touch and orangey-red in color.
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Check out our other dressing recipes:
Honey Peach Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Honey Peach Vinaigrette (Small Batch)
- 1 peach, pitted and sliced
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- â…› tsp salt
Honey Peach Vinaigrette (Family Size)
- 4 peaches, pitted and sliced
- ½ c extra virgin olive oil
- ½ c balsamic vinegar
- ¼ c water
- ¼ c honey
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
Honey Peach Vinaigrette (Small Batch)
- Combine peach slices, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, and honey in a blender. Blend for 1 minute, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Yields about ¾ cups of dressing.
Honey Peach Vinaigrette (Family Size)
- Combine peach slices, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, and honey in a food processor. Blend for 1 minute, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Yields about 3 cups of dressing.
Notes
- What are the ratios for traditional vinaigrette – traditionally, vinaigrettes use 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. We like to use 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar in our recipes to cut back a little on the fat content and to add a little extra sharpness.
- Is vinaigrette healthier than salad dressing – vinaigrettes are typically healthier/lighter than other creamy dressings, like Caesar or ranch, especially if you’re making your own as you can control the oil: vinegar ratio as well as added sugars and sodium.
- What is the shelf life of vinaigrette – we typically keep our vinaigrette in the refrigerator for 5 days, especially if it contains fresh fruits, herbs, or garlic.
- How can you tell if a peach is ripe – ripe peaches have a golden-red hue and will be slightly soft and will “give” a bit when squeezed lightly. Be careful not to squeeze to hard, as peaches bruise easily.
- How do you ripen peaches from the store – if you pick an unripe peach, you can ripen it by putting it in a brown paper bag and loosely close the top. Check again in 24 to 48 hours. A ripe peach will be slightly soft to the touch and orangey-red in color.
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