This nectarine salad combines fresh sweet fruits, creamy mozzarella cheese and fragrant basil leaves. It's such an easy summer salad dish, with no cook time and takes just 15 minutes (or less!) to come together!
Just like my nectarine chicken, this salad makes the most of this sweet juicy summer fruit! I often think nectarines are a little overlooked, but they are so delicious and I love to make low histamine recipes with this seasonal produce.
Cheese and fruit always pair well, and this nectarine salad with mozzarella can be served as a summer lunch or side dish. Make sure you choose sweet juicy ripe nectarines for lots of flavor!
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Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Nectarines - choose fresh, juicy nectarines for their sweetness, without any bruising.
- Mozzarella - a light fresh cheese, you can either use mini mozzarella balls as I tend to do, or tear pieces of a large mozzarella ball.
- Cucumber - I like to use Persian cucumber (also known as mini cucumbers), but you could also use English cucumber, sliced into half moons.
- Lettuce - for lower histamine options, I like butter lettuce and lamb's lettuce, but choose the type you enjoy the most. Romaine and arugula are also good!
- Blueberries - for pops of sweetness!
Can I Swap Nectarines for Peaches?
Yes, both these stone fruits work well, so you can easily swap out the nectarines and make this as a peach salad if that's what you have to hand.
How to Make Nectarine Salad
All you need are fresh fruits, leafy greens, cheese and some pantry staples to make this salad with nectarines as a fruity summer side dish! No fancy kitchen equipment needed.
All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these step by step photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Make the dressing
Whisk together extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt and, if using, black pepper to make the dressing (image 1).
Step 2: Dress the lettuce
Add the lettuce leaves to a large bowl, and drizzle over about a third of the dressing. Use salad servers to toss the salad and coat the lettuce with the dressing (image 2).
Step 3: Combine the nectarine salad
Add the sliced nectarines, mozzarella, blueberries, fresh basil leaves and Persian cucumbers to the bowl. Add a little more of the salad dressing, toss to coat and then add more to taste preference (image 3). Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Pick ripe fruit (not overripe). This will give you the best sweetness from the nectarines.
- Adjust the amount of dressing. We all like different amounts of dressing, so add a little and then more to preference. I find that the juice from the nectarines means you don't need tons of dressing.
- Prep just before serving. The lettuce, particularly lamb's lettuce, doesn't hold up too well if sat out for a long time and will go soggy in the dressing. I don't suggest to store the salad as it's best enjoyed after being made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it's quite a versatile recipe and you can add different fruits and veggies to the nectarines such as radishes, fennel, onion or blackberries.
If you're using Persian cucumber or English cucumber, it isn't necessary to peel them as they have soft edible skins. But it's down to preference, so peel if you prefer!
Sure! Lower histamine options would include ricotta or cottage cheese (please be mindful of personal food intolerances). Feta cheese or goat's cheese could also be used, but may not be suitable for low histamine readers.
Enjoy as a light summer lunch as it is, or I would suggest to pair with a protein such as my air fryer frozen cod or air fryer boneless chicken thighs (you may want to leave out the mozzarella in the salad, to preference, if doing so).
More Salad Ideas
Find tons of salad ideas here, including my cucumber pomegranate salad and my fun salad kebabs too! Some recent recipes:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And I love to hear from you, so please do leave a star rating and comment if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Nectarine Salad
Ingredients
- 5 cups lettuce leaves lamb's lettuce, butter lettuce or other
- 2 nectarines stone removed, sliced
- ¼ cup blueberries
- 1 Persian cucumber sliced
- ½ cup mini mozzarella balls
- ¼ cup basil leaves loosely packed
For the dressing
- 1.5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt and optional black pepper.
- De-stone the nectarines and slice into small pieces. Slice the Persian cucumbers.
- Place the lettuce leaves in a large bowl and drizzle on about a third of the dressing. Toss the lettuce leaves. Add in the mini mozzarella balls, nectarine slices, cucumber slices, blueberries and basil leaves. Pour in a little more salad dressing, to the amount that you like. Toss the salad and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you can't get hold of nectarines, simply swap out for peaches.
- Although it likely wouldn't work for low histamine readers, you can swap the mozzarella for feta cheese.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- make sure to choose low histamine lettuce leaves, and not higher histamine ones such as spinach.
- apple cider vinegar, which scores 1. It is on the 'eat freely' section of the British Dietetic Association histamine list.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
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