Too sweltering to bake pie? Want to switch it up from plain peaches? Need to heighten the flavor of not-quite-perfectly-ripe stone fruit?

Enter the heat of the grill. It coaxes the sugars to caramelize and the fruit to soften and lends an almost otherworldly effect to even the most luscious of stone fruits.–David Leite

Grilled Peach FAQs

What type of peaches are best for this grilled peaches recipe?

Avoid overripe peaches that may disintegrate on the grill. Instead choose ones that are still fairly firm when you squeeze them.

What’s the best way to remove the pit from a peach?

Use a sharp knife to cut around the equator (that line that runs from the stem to the bottom of the peach) and cut all the way to the pit. Grab each half and twist in opposite directions. One side should come loose and the pit can be pried out with the tip of a knife from the other half. If the pit doesn’t come loose when twisting, use the knife to help coax it out.

Grilled peaches with honey and black pepper scattered on a piece of parchment paper.

Grilled Peaches with Honey and Black Pepper

5 / 3 votes
These grilled peaches with honey and black pepper are an easy summer dessert that caramelizes the natural sweetness of stone fruits and turns them tender and soft. A drizzle of honey and a slight bite from black pepper takes them over the top.
David Leite
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings4 servings
Calories66 kcal
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Prepare a grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat. Oil the grill grate.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: Take some extra time to make sure the surface of your grill is very clean. Nothing ruins grilled fruit faster than bits of last night’s salmon stuck to it.

  • In a small bowl, combine the honey, a pinch of salt, and pepper.
  • Brush the cut side of the peach halves with oil and place them on the grill rack, cut side down. Close the lid and cook until the peaches just begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Turn the peaches and brush with the honey mixture. Cook until tender but not falling apart, 3 to 4 minutes more.
  • Serve right away, accompanied by a dollop of yogurt, cream, or ice cream, if desired.
Everyday Healthy Cookbook

Adapted From

Everyday Healthy

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 portionCalories: 66 kcalCarbohydrates: 18 gProtein: 1 gFat: 1 gSaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 1 gSodium: 1 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 17 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2020 Dana Jacobi. Photo © 2020 Eva Kolenko. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

This was a great summer dessert. I’ve never thought to use salt and pepper coupled with honey on grilled fruit. Honey, yes. But not the salt and pepper. I used coarse Hawaiian Sea Salt and the little pops of crunch with the salty punch was amazing.

I used yellow peaches, they were a bit under ripe but the flavor was good and grilling them softened them up. The timing was right on for the fruit, any longer and I think they would have ended up on the mushy side. I used all the honey, some of it was pooling in the well formed by the peach pit. We ate them with vanilla ice cream.

This grilled peaches with honey and black pepper recipe was super easy to prepare. I had some of the best Fay Alberta peaches from a local orchard that I’ve ever tasted. I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to sacrifice them to a recipe experiment, but boy, I’m sure glad I did. They were outstanding.

I served them with frozen vanilla yogurt, which took them over the top. We had 2 other and the 4 of us had no trouble polishing off 4 peaches. We loved the slightly smokey flavor and the sweetness from the honey, and then the surprise spicy kick from the pepper.

We grilled the peaches on a gas grill (medium) for 4 minutes flesh side down and 3 minutes flesh side up which seemed perfect. They were soft but not mushy. It’s very important to have a really clean grill, otherwise your peaches might taste like last night’s hamburgers.

I used really fresh ground pepper from Penzeys. Actually think I might have added maybe an additional 1/4 teaspoon for a bit more spice.

Served 4 because no one would be happy with just half a peach!

There’s something about peak summer peaches that reminds me of my childhood. Sinking my teeth into the stone fruit’s flesh instantly brings me back to road trips to Long Island’s North Fork for prime peach picking while Presidents of the United States of America blared from my family’s car radio. I haven’t had that moment that often this summer because peach season comes and goes quickly when you’re relying on your farmers market’s limited bounty during a pandemic.

Fortunately, I got to see my parents for the first time in almost six months this week, and they live within close proximity to multiple farm stands overflowing with near-ripe peaches. That, plus having access to their brand-new Weber grill, persuaded me to grill them up some peaches to thank them for letting me escape NYC for a few days.

Onto the recipe itself! If you’re looking for a simple, no-frills dessert that’s sure to impress, this. is. IT. The most work I had to put into this is finding a bottle of honey hiding in the depths of my parents’ cabinet and adjusting the grill to the perfect medium-high temperature. My dad initially thought brushing the halved peaches with freshly grounded salt and pepper was a strange move. The subtle, spiced, savory notes paired brilliantly with the peach’s natural nectary juices, though, and I converted him to the pairing pretty easily.

The warm grill marks also allowed the honey to caramelize deep within the flesh while the skin side was over the flames, which added a pleasant complexity to tie it all together. The texture itself was just about as perfect as you could get. While I bought my peaches when they were nearly ripe, the open flames cooked the semi-firm interior down to a lovely tenderness that was just right.

My dad’s only commentary to make this dessert perfect was adding a bit of ground cinnamon to the honey-black pepper mix. The suggestion was purely sentimental, though, because he said cinnamon and peaches remind him of a peach pie I regularly made during the summer when I lived closer to them. Other than that, being able to cook them something special during such a troubling time made it feel like we were back in the good old days. Well, almost…

A sprinkling of ground cinnamon to enhance the black pepper’s spiciness and a dollop of whipped cream because who doesn’t love peaches and cream?”

This is a straightforward recipe that makes the most of summer stone fruit if you don’t want to eat it by just biting into it. I happened to get some really special peaches which were a Prime deal at Whole Foods (of all places!). These are from a grower in CA who charges more than just about anyone else does for whatever he is selling. The only reason I purchased them was because they were basically giving them away and I couldn’t resist.

That being said, this recipe would take any fruit, and elevate it, so folks can take that in mind when purchasing fruit for this recipe.

We ate ours with coffee bean blast ice cream and warm whipped half-and-half. The contrast between the warmth of the peaches and whipped-half-and-half and ice cream was wonderful.

That same day I served the grilled peaches with some homemade vegan vanilla coconut ice cream. My God! That was a super hit! I’ve never tried adding pepper to stone fruits before but it is such a great addition! I think I’ll do that from this day on, because it was so good. Just that tiny bit of heat with the little acidity and sweetness from the fruit plus the creaminess of the ice cream, it was just as I imagined it. A perfect combination!




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is the perfect summer dessert! Black pepper is one of my favorite spices and is superb on ripe peaches. It was the perfect ending to a lovely dinner of grilled lamb chops, potato gratin, and fennel arugula salad. Served the peaches with vanilla ice cream and I had a very happy table!

    1. Thanks, Lisa! We’re delighted everyone enjoyed this simple dessert. Please let us know what you make next.