Summer is in full swing, and nothing celebrates the season quite like a vibrant salad brimming with peak produce. Our Tomato Peach Burrata Salad is a medley of flavors, combining the sweetness of ripe peaches with the juicy acidity of heirloom tomatoes. A creamy cloud of burrata cheese brings richness to mix, while a smoky Bacon Balsamic Fig Vinaigrette adds lovely depth and complexity. This is a salad that’s as delicious as it is beautiful – a true showstopper for your next summer gathering.
Why I love this Tomato Peach Burrata Salad — and hope you will, too!
With summer produce in beautiful abundance, we each gravitate naturally to our favorites, whether ripe watermelons or crunchy sweet corn or crisp, cool cucumbers.
For me, it’s tomatoes and peaches, hands down. So, on a personal level, this is a dream summer salad, the thing I wait for with growing impatience every spring! As I’m writing this, tomatoes are just coming into season, and peaches are nearing their seasonal height. They overlap in July, and it’s foodie heaven!
I’ve been making this salad for years and years, but the bacon, balsamic and fig vinaigrette is a new addition this year. I often use fig preserves in appetizers — fig preserves, prosciutto, sharp cheddar on crackers, omg — and found an opened jar in the back of my fridge. Inspiration struck, and this vinaigrette was the result. I hope you’ll try it — it’s savory, tangy, and sweet, all in one bite!
Main Ingredients, Prep Notes, and Substitutions
Tomatoes — My tomato preference for salads is always cherry tomatoes. They require less prep work, and they’re usually more flavorful than standard tomatoes. If you can, get different colors of tomatoes. I added a slightly larger “cocktail” sized tomato for visual interest.
Always slice the tomatoes in half (at least). There’s nothing more annoying in salads than trying to stab a round, roly-poly ingredient with a fork. Plus, a half slice leaves plenty of room on the fork for a peach wedge and a chunk of burrata — the perfect bite!
Peaches — There’s nothing like a perfect peach at the height of its season — I hope you have access to great peaches! There are two main types of peaches: freestone (and semi-freestone) and clingstone.
Freestone peaches have a free-floating inner pit: When you slice open the peach, the flesh is not attached to the pit. Or so loosely attached that it easily pulls away from it (semi-freestone). Clingstone peaches, as the name implies, have flesh that’s firmly attached to the pit.
Your store might not label the peaches, but you’ll know as soon as you cut into one. If you can’t pull the flesh cleanly away from the pit, it’s a clingstone — just cut around the pit as best you can.
Burrata — These genius cheese treats are having a moment this year: They’re appearing in everything, from salads to bruschetta to tarts. And they’re particularly lovely in this salad.
Burrata is packaged differently from brand to brand where size is concerned. The brand my grocery store carries has both “mini” burrata, with 4 to a tub, and regular-sized burrata (if there even is a regular!).
The photos in this post show two mini burrata balls, but don’t worry if you have to use the larger size. You could slice the ball cleanly in half and place each half one end of the serving platter.
Herbs & Arugula — This salad closely resembles a Caprese salad, so of course fresh basil is a natural addition. I also love thyme here. I grow both in my garden, but if your only choice is those expensive bundles or clamshells, choose the basil. It’s sweet, verdant flavor is classic summer!
I include a little arugula here because I love it so, and its peppery flavor complements tomatoes and peaches very well. Plus, I love the little pops of green.
Bacon Balsamic Fig Vinaigrette — I created a special salad dressing just for this Tomato Peach Burrata Salad. Bacon complements tomatoes and peaches particularly well, and the tangy balsamic and sweet fig preserves round out and balance the flavors of this bold vinaigrette.
The recipe for the vinaigrette is included below, but if you want to see all the deets and print the recipe separately, go here for just the dressing.
Of course, you don’t have to use it. Not every day is a fit for homemade dressings. I’d recommend a quality balsamic vinaigrette as a substitute. I particularly like Brianna’s Creamy Balsamic.
Serving Suggestions and Variations
- This salad alongside toasted, thinly sliced baguettes, ciabatta, or focaccia with butter is a full meal at Casa SoupAddict. I serve the burrata balls whole on the platter so that diners can either slice off a chunk to mix into their salads, or spread the creamy cheese on a slice of the toasty bread with some fruit, a la bruschetta.
- Make a slightly smaller version of this salad to serve alongside grilled chicken and corn on the cob. A classic summer meal! (Here I would suggest cutting the burrata into smaller chunks and tossing them gently with the tomatoes and peaches.) Or make the full salad and keep the leftovers for lunch (see below)!
- For a little sweet heat, drizzle some hot honey over the salad.
- If you really love the zesty heat, spoon a little chili crisp over the burrata — but not the salad; I think it would overpower the tomatoes and peaches, and you really want those flavors to shine.
- It’s stone fruit season in general, so feel free to add nectarines, plums, and pitted fresh cherries to this salad. They all go wonderfully with tomatoes. And of course, everything goes with burrata.
- I really love fresh, homegrown basil and thyme in this salad, but you can try other fragrant herbs, such as French tarragon, mint, or sweet marjoram.
Can You Save the Leftovers?
Omg, yes! I know that some tomato lovers feel prickly about refrigerated tomatoes: It’s true that if you compare two freshly harvested tomatoes, one chilled and one not, the room-temperature tomato will almost always taste better. And as a tomato gardener myself, I encourage you to leave your salad tomatoes on the counter until ready to use.
But, chopped tomatoes — especially cherry tomatoes, as I used in this recipe — do something oh-so-lovely in the fridge: they slowly leak their juices into the bowl and create their own unique dressing that mixes with the juicy peaches and the bacon dressing and creates a whole new lovely take on this salad.
I always serve this salad with crusty bread as a side — it’s a full meal here at Casa SoupAddict — and if there’s any bread leftover, I break it apart into croutons and toss it into the salad before refrigerating to create a tomato-peach Panzanella. The tomato juices soak into the bread, too, and it’s just yummy all around.
I absolutely adore the leftovers — it’s a beautiful summer lunch!
How to Make Tomato Peach Burrata Salad
Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to get the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the vinaigrette and salad.
The presentation here assumes creating the salad on a serving platter. You can also add all of the ingredients to a salad bowl (but I recommend cutting the burrata into chunks rather than leaving it whole).
Step 1: Make the bacon vinaigrette
If you’re using my Bacon Balsamic Fig Vinaigrette, you’ll want to make that first. Otherwise, you can skip to the next step.
Cook the bacon in a small skillet over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the meat is browned and firm. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the shallots, stirring until they’re soft and translucent.
Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet and whisk lightly. The vinaigrette will not be fully emulsified — that’s okay, it’s part of its charm. Set aside while you make the salad
Step 2: Place the burrata
Tear the arugula into small pieces and scatter over a serving platter. Place a burrata ball on each end of the platter. Use your thumb and fingers to gently open the outer layer of mozzarella and expose the creamy interior.
Step 3: Add the tomatoes and peaches
Add the cherry tomatoes between the burrata, covering the plate, then the peach wedges. Use your fingertips to gently mix the tomatoes and peaches.
Step 4: Season and garnish
Season the salad with sprinkles of salt and pepper. Add the thyme leaves and basil leaves.
Finally, spoon the bacon dressing over the salad. Note that the dressing is very bold and flavorful, so you only need a light drizzling, not a soaking pour.
Tomatoes and peaches go together like peas and carrots. If you’ve never had the two together, I encourage you to find some peaches while they’re still in season and mix up something beautifully delicious!
Tomato Peach Burrata Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Bacon Balsamic Fig Vinaigrette:
- 1 slice thick cut bacon , diced
- 1/2 teaspoon minced shallots
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fig preserves (a heaping teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves (the leaves from 3 or 4 stems)
For the salad:
- 1 handful argula*
- 2 burrata balls**
- 1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes and/or Campari tomatoes , sliced in half
- 2 medium peaches , sliced into wedges
- Small fresh basil leaves (or large basil leaves chopped) and thyme leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the vinaigrette:
- Preheat a small skillet over medium until water droplets flicked on the surface sizzle away.
- Add the bacon and sauté until the fat has rendered and the bacon pieces are browned and firm (5-8 minutes). Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Add the shallots and sauté until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes (the residual heat will cook them through).
- Pour in the olive oil and whisk into the bacon mixture.
- Add the vinegar, fig preserves, mustard, and thyme leaves and whisk until smooth.
- Note that the vinaigrette will not be fully emulsified – this is okay. (But if it’s really bugging you, pour the vinaigrette into a jar with a lid and shake vigorously.)
- Set the pan aside while you assemble your salad, or transfer the cooled dressing to a jar and refrigerate.
- Spoon the dressing over your salad, taking care to distribute the bacon pieces as you go.
Assemble the salad:
- Tear the arugula into smaller pieces and scatter on a serving tray.
- Place one burrata ball on opposite ends of the serving tray. Use your thumb and fingertips to gently tear open each ball and spread apart to reveal the cheese curds inside. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the sliced cherry tomatoes on top of the arugula. Add the peach wedges. Use your fingers to gently toss the tomatoes and peaches to combine. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Spread the herbs over the fruit and burrata.
- Spoon the warm vinaigrette over the salad. Go lightly — it’s a bold dressing! Or, drizzle your preferred balsamic vinaigrette over the salad.