Grilled Peaches With Cinnamon Ricotta Crème

Grilled Peaches With Cinnamon Ricotta Crème a deliciously healthy way to lighten up dessert and celebrate summer nights while watching fireflies light up the night. 

The peaches are halved and lightly kissed by the flames of the grill. Then each grilled peach is topped with a dollop of cinnamon ricotta creme sprinkled with pecans and drizzled with honey. 

Preparing grilled peaches requires very few ingredients with very little prep involved. Within minutes, you have a delicious dessert warm off the grill to share with your friends and family. 

Grilled Peaches

Peaches are really easy to grill. All you need are the peaches, some oil and the heat of your grill. The peaches are quickly cooked with lightly kissed flames, which bring out the natural juices of the peach and intensifies their sweet summer flavor. Believe it or not, grilling peaches is a great way to bring more flavor to less than perfect peaches.

What peaches are best for grilling?

Honestly, you can grill any type of peach you want to. However, some are better for grilling than others. I have always heard people refer to the color of a peach, but regardless of their color, there are three different categories of peaches. Those categories are Freestone, clingstone and Semi-freestone hybrid. The category refers to how the pit clings to the fruit.

If you look closely at the peaches in the photos I didn’t really know any better and purchased some yellow clingstone peaches from a local farmers’ market. I wondered why the pits were so hard to remove from the peaches. Now I know!

For best results use Freestone Peaches that are equal in size and have a strong peach aroma. The peach should give a little when squeezed by hand. Extremely ripe peaches are not recommended as they have a lot more sugar and can burn quickly. 

How do I cut peaches for grilling?

Grilling peach halves is the best way to grill peaches. They won’t fall through the grate and they are easy to handle, not to mention when flipped up all the juices collect inside the skin!!

What oil do I use for grilled peaches?

I know it sounds funny to put oil on the peaches. We were taken back by it too, but the primary reason you use oil on the peach is to keep the peach halves from sticking to the grill. The oil keeps the sugars from burning and sticking to the grate, making them easier to flip when the time is right. 

We used extra-virgin olive oil on our peaches. However, neutral oils such as grapeseed or canola oil will work too.

About The Cinnamon Ricotta Crème

Cinnamon Ricotta Crème is so easy to make. Simply add all of the ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk together. The crème may be a little too thin for serving right away, so refrigerate it while grilling the peaches to allow the crème to firm up.

Although you don’t have to make the ricotta cheese yourself, you really should. It tastes so much better when you make it yourself! I’ve been making homemade ricotta for years now, using this recipe. 

Fresh Ricotta Cheese: Since I knew I was using the ricotta for a dessert, I added only ½ teaspoon of salt and used 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, instead of white wine vinegar. 

If you make fresh homemade ricotta cheese, mix the cinnamon ricotta crème before refrigerating the cheese. It is easier to blend with the sugar and cinnamon.

Store-Bought Ricotta Cheese: If using store-bought ricotta cheese, take it out of the refrigerator about 30-minutes prior to allow it soften up a little. This will help you blend it the sugar and cinnamon a little easier.

How to grill the peaches

Grill the peaches with the oiled cut-side down over medium-high heat until grill marks form and the peaches begin to brown; about 3 to 5 minutes.

Flip the peaches and grill for an additional 3 to 5 minutes more, or until the peaches are soft, but not mushy. Remove the peaches from the grill.

How do you serve grilled peaches?

Plan on at least one peach half per person, but throw on some extras just in case somebody wants seconds. Serve the grilled peaches with a dollop or two of the cinnamon ricotta crème, sprinkle with chopped pecans and drizzle them with honey. 

Grilled peaches can be served with cinnamon ricotta crème or they can be served plain with vanilla ice cream, and paired with a cold glass of dessert wine or port. 

Keep in mind that grilled peaches aren’t only for dessert. Serve them as an accompaniment to a salad, grilled pork or even use them as an ingredient in a barbecue sauce. The possibilities are endless!

David and I have never been peach fans. It’s one of the things we have in common. We love all kinds of stone fruit, but peaches have never really been on the list. Just the other day we were talking about how our parents adore peaches. They would practically face plant into a fresh peach. Both of us agree we have never felt that way about a peach.

However, peaches have started to emerge as a star ingredient in some of our recipes, such as David’s Cinnamon Peach Crisp, Spicy Chipotle Peach Barbecue Sauce, and Jerk Chicken with Spicy Peach and Plum Coconut Sauce. Now grilled peaches have become a new favorite summer dessert to enjoy from the grill.

Grilled peaches are a guilt-free dessert you can enjoy all summer long. Try these at your next summer barbecue. You’ll be so glad you did!

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