This Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette has everything you’re looking for in a summer salad: ripe stone fruit, creamy avocado, soft cheese, toasted nuts and a raspberry vinaigrette you’ll want to drizzle on everything.
This salad actually started with a dressing.
The first time I made raspberry vinaigrette, it quickly became one of those recipes I kept reaching for: spooned over leaves, drizzled onto roasted vegetables, even used as a dip for fruit. It was bright, sweet-tangy and fresher than anything from a bottle. Naturally, the next step was finding new ways to use it.
Stone fruit felt like the obvious partner.
When peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums are in season, they don’t need much help. Just slicing them open releases all that wonderful summer flavour. Paired with handfuls of greens, creamy avocado, soft bocconcini and something crunchy, plus that ruby-coloured vinaigrette, it turns into the kind of salad you’ll want to keep making while the fruit is this good.
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Why You’ll Love this Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe
- Fresh and seasonal. It makes the most of stone fruit while it’s at its peak.
- No cooking required. Just blend, slice, toss and serve.
- Great for entertaining. It looks colourful and generous on a platter as part of a summer evening spread.
- Flexible. Use whatever stone fruit looks best at the market, or just go with your favourites!
- Make-ahead friendly. The raspberry vinaigrette can be prepped the day before.
Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients
This salad keeps things simple: ripe fruit, fresh leaves, a few creamy and crunchy bits for contrast, and a homemade raspberry vinaigrette to bring it all together.
For the Raspberry Vinaigrette:
- Raspberries. The star of the dressing, providing natural tart-sweetness and that unmistakable berry flavour. Fresh raspberries work best here as they contain less liquid.
- Extra virgin olive oil. You want the raspberry flavour to stand out, so choose a mild tasting olive oil. A neutral grapeseed oil could also work if you don’t have any extra virgin olive oil.
- Red wine vinegar. Adds depth and structure, giving the Raspberry Vinaigrette its backbone and helping balance the sweetness of the fruit (and honey!).
- Lemon juice. A small squeeze lifts the flavours and keeps the dressing tasting fresh rather than heavy. While not an optional ingredient, you could, if you really had to, leave it out and let the red wine vinegar carry the acidity.
- Honey. Rounds everything out with a soft, floral sweetness, smoothing the sharper edges of the vinegar and lemon, while acting as the binding agent to emulsify the vinaigrette. You can substitute the honey for maple syrup, agave or rice malt syrup, but add a little at a time and adjust as needed.
For the Stone Fruit Salad:
- Baby spinach leaves. Tender, slightly earthy greens that hold the dressing well and won’t get soggy. If you like bitter-sweet flavour profiles, you can swap out the baby spinach for rocket.
- Stone fruit. A mix of nectarines, peaches, apricots and plums for sweetness, juiciness and colour. Use whatever is available or your favourite of the stone fruits. Make sure to choose ripe but not mushy fruit.
- Avocado. The creamy avocado balances the sharper notes of the stone fruit and the raspberry dressing.
- Baby bocconcini. Soft and mild, the cheese shifts this from a sweet-leaning fruit salad into something more savoury and complete. Feel free to use larger mozzarella balls, just tear it into bite-sized pieces, or if you want to be really indulgent, break open a ball of burrata right in the middle.
- Pine nuts and almonds. Toasted for crunch and a nutty contrast to the soft fruit and cheese. You can also choose one or the other, or even go with pistachios or macadamias instead.
- Fresh basil. Adds a soft, fragrant lift that makes the whole bowl smell like summer. Mint would also work really well.
How to Make Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe
This salad comes together quickly. Once the dressing is blended and the fruit is sliced, it’s simply a matter of tossing everything together.
- Make the vinaigrette. Blend the raspberries, vinegar, lemon juice, honey and olive oil until smooth and lightly emulsified. Taste and adjust.
- Toast the nuts. Warm them in a dry pan for a few minutes until golden and fragrant.
- Prep the fruit and other ingredients. Slice the stone fruit into wedges, rinse the spinach, slice the avocado, chop the bocconcini and pick the basil.
- Assemble. Arrange the greens on a platter, drizzle over a little dressing, then scatter over the fruit, avocado, bocconcini and nuts.
- Dress and serve. Spoon over some more raspberry vinaigrette just before serving and finish with basil leaves.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use ripe but firm fruit. You want the fruit to hold its shape and not get mushy after it’s cut.
- Taste the dressing before serving. Raspberries vary in sweetness, so you may need to add more lemon juice or honey.
- Dress lightly at first. You can always add more!
- Toast the nuts. It makes a big difference to flavour.
- Assemble just before serving. The raspberry vinaigrette can be made ahead of time, but the salad should be assembled fresh to keep the leaves from wilting and fruit from browning.
How to Serve and Store this Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Serve this Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette straight away while the fruit is juicy and the leaves are crisp. It works beautifully alongside fish or grilled chicken, on a picnic spread or as part of a bigger summer table with bread and simple sides.
If making ahead, keep the dressing separate and toss just before serving.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a day, though the leaves will soften significantly. The vinaigrette keeps well in a sealed jar for 2-3 days.
Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe FAQs
Can I use frozen raspberries for the dressing?
Fresh raspberries are best for flavour and texture, but frozen raspberries can work in a pinch. Make sure to thaw completely and drain the excess liquid.
Can I make this dairy-free?
Absolutely. Simply leave out the bocconcini and add extra avocado.
What greens can I substitute?
Rocket, butter lettuce or a mixed leaf blend all work well.
How long does the vinaigrette last?
Around 2-3 days in the fridge. Just shake or whisk before using.
Love fruity salads? Try these recipes too:
Or explore all our salad recipes!
This is one of those recipes that feels far more impressive than the effort involved. A handful of good ingredients, a quick, fruity dressing, and suddenly you’ve got a salad you’ll want to make on repeat all summer.
🧁 If you make this Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram so I can see what you’re cooking, and if you’d like more recipes like this, the newsletter is where I share them first.
Recipe
Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Raspberry Vinaigrette
- 1 cup raspberries, fresh
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
For the Stone Fruit Salad
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon almonds, slivered
- 60 g baby spinach
- 4 pieces of stone fruit, pitted and sliced
- ½ avocado
- 6-8 mini bocconcini balls
- 8-10 small to medium basil leaves
Instructions
- Start by making the Raspberry Vinaigrette. Add the raspberries, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and honey to a blender or mini food processor and blend until smooth, glossy and fully emulsified, about 1 minute.1 cup raspberries, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey
- Taste and adjust; no punnet of raspberries is the same, so taste and adjust the balance with a little more lemon juice or honey if needed.
- Toast the pine nuts and almonds in a dry pan over medium-low heat until golden brown, stirring often.1 tablespoon pine nuts, 1 tablespoon almonds
- To assemble the salad, place the spinach in a large serving bowl. Drizzle over 2-3 tablespoons of the Raspberry Vinaigrette, and gently toss until the spinach is lightly coated.60 g baby spinach
- Top the salad with slices of stone fruit, avocado and bocconcini. Drizzle over some more raspberry dressing, then scatter over the nuts and basil leaves.4 pieces of stone fruit, ½ avocado, 6-8 mini bocconcini balls, 8-10 small to medium basil leaves
- Serve as an starter with crusty bread or as a side salad for salmon or chicken.
