Jane’s Grilled Peaches

These sweet and savory grilled peaches are an explosion of flavors making for a perfect side dish for your next cookout. We give thanks for Polly’s sweet friend, Jane, who inspired this amazing recipe!

When peaches are in season, it’s absolutely imperative to GO FOR IT with recipes using this glorious stone fruit, in my humble opinion. The perfect in-season peaches don’t last long. They offer to-die-for filling in a Peach Crisp, a fresh addition to Peach Pie Overnight Oats, and, of course, make for a succulent side dish when grilling.

Why You MUST Make These Grilled Peaches

Unlike other grilled peach recipes you’ll find, our particular version is a bit unique.

• It’s both sweet and savory!
• Can be served as an easy, yet impressive appetizer, side dish, or dessert. You will “wow” your family or guests this dish.
• The pungent Gorgonzola cheese (one of my favorite ingredients in the world!), sweet honey, and tangy balsamic vinegar compliment and enhance the natural sweetness of the peach.
• Grilling the peaches soften them and bring out their natural sweetness. Plus, the grill marks look gorgeous!
• Easy to scale up for a large group.

This grilled peaches recipe only requires 6 ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need…

• Olive oil or avocado oil – Brush a high heat cooking oil like one of these over the inside of each peach half. (Do not use extra virgin olive oil, because it has a low smoking point!)
• Peaches – Look for ripe but not over ripe peaches. See more about how to select your peaches and what kind we recommend below (preferably freestone variety).
• Honey – You’ll drizzle a little over the top of each half. Using a squeezable bottle makes the job easy.
• Balsamic vinegar – This adds tanginess and acidity that cuts through all the sweetness. You’ll add a splash to each peach half on the grill.
• Gorgonzola cheese – If feta and bleu cheese made a baby, this would be the result…which happens to be one of my favorite ingredients on earth! It’s pungent (in a good way), a little tangy, and pairs perfectly with all the other flavors. However, if you want a substitute, try crumbled goat cheese or feta.
• Fresh basil or rosemary – For an optional yet recommended garnish, either julienne some fresh basil leaves or mince some fresh rosemary leaves to sprinkle over the top of each peach half. This will add beautiful color and yet another dimension of flavor.

Take a peek at how simple these grilled peaches are to whip up…

How to Grill Peaches

Step 1: Preheat your grill over medium-high heat. Close the lid and wait until it reaches about 400°F. Then, use a grill brush to clean the grates well. (I find this is much easier once the grates are hot.)

Step 2: Slice peaches in half from top to bottom and remove the pit.

Note: If using freestone peaches, this will be easy. But, if using clingstone peaches, you’ll need to use a paring knife to cut around the pit starting from the top. Then gently work your way down and around until you can get the two halves apart.

Step 3: Brush the inside of each peach lightly with olive oil or avocado oil.

Step 4: Place peaches face down on grill and cook 1-2 minutes, until they have some nice grill marks.

Step 5: Use tongs to turn the peaches over, so the cut side is up.

Fill the hole with 1 tablespoon crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Drizzle each one with honey. Then add a splash of balsamic vinegar to each one.

Close the grill lid and let the peaches cook until they are softened. Depending on how ripe your peaches are, this may take 4-6 minutes. I’d suggest removing them while they are still on the firmer side.

Step 6: Carefully remove peaches from the grill so that the ingredients remain in the peach seed cavity. Serve warm and enjoy the flavorful combination!

Whether you like the tangier yellow peaches or milder white peaches, there are two main categories of peaches in the world–clingstone and freestone. As TheKitchn points out, “Freestone peaches have fruit that easily pulls away from the pit, while clingstone peach flesh stubbornly clings to the pit.” We tested this recipe with both clingstone and freestone and here are the results.

Using Clingstone Peaches

Clingstone peaches are usually available early in the season, before July. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t easy to remove the pit and keep the integrity of the peaches. If you are using this kind, be sure the peach is ripe yet still somewhat firm (just a slight give when you press on it). You’ll need to cut the peach in half from top to bottom and then utilize a paring knife to cut around the pit from the top. It takes a bit of finesse and concentration so you don’t cut yourself, but it’s totally doable and still tasty.

Using Freestone Peaches

While clingstone peaches will work, the gold standard for our grilled peaches recipe are the freestone variety. This type releases the pit fairly easily once they are cut in half. In fact, the pit might just fall right out. They are typically available in grocery stores and farmer’s markets anywhere from mid-June to mid-August. Since they aren’t labeled, the only way to know for sure if it’s a freestone peach is to cut into it or ask the farmer or grocer.