Stone Fruit Salad with Maple Balsamic Lime Dressing

When summer reaches its peak, there is no better time to celebrate the incredible variety of fresh stone fruit. Juicy peaches, sweet nectarines, tart-sweet plums, and ripe cherries are at their absolute best, making them the perfect ingredients for a colorful stone fruit salad. This recipe was inspired by a visit to our local farm stand, where baskets of freshly picked fruit were almost impossible to resist. With so many beautiful flavors in season, creating a simple summer fruit salad felt like the perfect way to let nature do the work.

This Stone Fruit Salad with Maple Balsamic Lime Dressing is vibrant, refreshing, and surprisingly elegant while requiring very little preparation. Fresh basil adds an aromatic layer that complements the sweetness of the fruit, while a homemade dressing of maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, and fresh lime zest creates a bright balance of sweet and tangy flavors. Every bite is juicy, fresh, and bursting with the taste of summer.

Whether you're planning a weekend brunch, hosting a backyard cookout, packing a picnic, or bringing a dish to a holiday gathering, this vegan fruit salad is always a welcome addition. It's naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and made with wholesome ingredients that showcase the season's best produce. Serve it alongside grilled vegetables, your favorite plant-based dishes, or enjoy it on its own as a light dessert. Simple, beautiful, and bursting with color, this stone fruit salad is a recipe you'll find yourself making again and again throughout the summer.

Stone Fruit Salad with Maple Balsamic Lime Dressing

Servings: 4 | Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Stone fruit Salad

• 2 ripe peaches, sliced into wedges

• 2 ripe nectarines, sliced into wedges

• 2 ripe plums, sliced into wedges

• 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and halved

• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons toasted pistachios or chopped almonds (optional)

• Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)

Maple Balsamic Lime Dressing

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Wash the peaches, nectarines, plums, and cherries. Remove the pits and slice the peaches, nectarines, and plums into thin wedges. Halve the cherries.

2. Arrange all of the fruit on a large serving platter or place it in a large bowl.

3. Scatter the thinly sliced basil over the fruit.

4. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, lime juice, lime zest, Dijon mustard, sea salt, and black pepper until the dressing is smooth and emulsified.

5. Drizzle the dressing over the fruit just before serving and gently toss until everything is lightly coated.

6. Sprinkle with toasted pistachios or sliced almonds, if using, and finish with a few whole basil leaves and a pinch of flaky sea salt.

Tips

• Use the ripest seasonal fruit you can find for the sweetest flavor.

• Let the salad sit for 5–10 minutes after dressing to allow the fruit to absorb the flavors.

• Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes before serving for an extra-refreshing summer dish.

• For a more elegant presentation, arrange the fruit in overlapping layers on a large platter rather than tossing it in a bowl.

This vibrant vegan stone fruit salad is bursting with juicy peaches, nectarines, plums, and cherries, while fragrant basil and a bright maple balsamic lime dressing create a perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and herbaceous flavors. It's an effortless centerpiece for summer entertaining, from backyard dinners to weekend brunches and holiday gatherings.