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Grilled Peaches with vanilla ice cream is three ingredients, seven minutes on the grill, and the warm, caramelized, melty dessert my family requests every single cookout, and I will be honest, for years mine came off the grill torn in half or cooked into peach sauce every summer. If you love our peach crumble bars, this is that same sweet peach flavor with zero baking.
Fire it up right after the main course, like a batch of our grilled corn ribs, and dessert is ready before anyone finishes their plate.
Grilled Peaches Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 7 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 17 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings (1 peach half each)
- ⚡ Calories: 260kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Warm, buttery, and caramelized peach with cold, creamy vanilla
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, even simpler than our perfect smash burgers
Quick Answer
Preheat the grill to 400 degrees F, clean the grates, and wipe them with oil. Halve and pit ripe peaches, brush the cut sides with melted butter, and grill them cut side down with the lid closed for about 4 minutes without moving them. Flip them skin side down for 2 to 3 more minutes until a knife tip slides in easily but the peaches still hold their shape, then top each warm half with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot honey.
Jump to:
- Grilled Peaches Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Grilled Peaches
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Grilled Peaches FAQs
- Other Recommended Peach Dessert Recipes
- Easy Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Butter on the cut side builds the caramel. The thin layer of melted butter helps the natural sugar in the peach brown fast on the hot grates, so you get deep golden grill marks and a toasty, almost brown sugar flavor without adding any sugar at all.
- Oiled grates keep the peach in one piece. Peaches are soft and sugary, which makes them want to weld themselves to the grill. A clean, lightly oiled grate is the difference between a whole peach half and the torn half that used to end up on my tongs.
- Hands off means it releases on its own. When the cut side has seared for the full 4 minutes, the sugars set into a crust and the peach lets go of the grate by itself. Flip it early and it tears every time.
- 400 degrees is hot enough to sear and gentle enough to hold. Medium high heat marks the outside quickly while the inside just warms through and softens, so you get a peach that is tender but still shaped like a peach.
- The skin side finish heats the peach through. Flipping skin side down for the last 2 to 3 minutes protects that caramelized face while the peach warms all the way to the center, which is what makes the ice cream melt into it.
- Hot peach plus cold ice cream is the whole trick. The contrast is the magic. Warm, juicy fruit against cold vanilla ice cream that starts melting into the pit hole tastes like a cobbler without any of the work.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It takes three ingredients you can grab at any grocery store, and the whole thing is done in 17 minutes from start to finish.
- It is the perfect excuse to keep the grill going after dinner, and a scoop of homemade no churn vanilla ice cream takes it over the top.
- It feels fancy enough for company, but it is honestly easier than slicing a pie, and there are zero dishes besides the plates.
Key Ingredients
You only need three ingredients for this dessert, so buying good ones really matters. Here is what to look for.
- Ripe Peaches: The star of the show. Pick peaches that smell sweet and give a little when you press them with your thumb. A rock hard peach will not soften on the grill, it just gets hot. Freestone peaches pull away from the pit cleanly, which makes halving them so much easier.
- Butter: Two tablespoons of melted butter is all it takes. We use salted butter because a tiny bit of salt makes the sweet peach taste even sweeter. Want to get fancy? A swipe of cinnamon sugar compound butter is incredible here.
- Vanilla Ice Cream: A 1 1/2 quart tub covers 8 generous scoops. Grab a good, creamy vanilla, since it is half of the dessert and it melts right into that warm peach.
- Hot Honey (optional): A drizzle on top adds a little sweet heat that plays beautifully with the caramelized peach. If you already keep a bottle around for our crispy fried hot honey chicken, you are all set.
- Cooking Oil: Just a little for wiping the grill grates. Any neutral oil works, and it is the number one way to keep the peaches from sticking.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Once you nail the basic method, grilled peaches go a lot of different directions.
- Cobbler style: Sprinkle crushed graham crackers or granola over the ice cream for a crunchy topping that tastes like our easy berry cobbler made on the grill.
- Lighter swap: Top the warm peaches with a scoop of our 3 ingredient no churn frozen yogurt instead of ice cream for a tangy finish.
- Cinnamon sugar: Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon and brown sugar over the buttered peaches right before they hit the grill for an even deeper caramel crust.
- Caramel or chocolate: Swap the hot honey for a drizzle of warm caramel sauce or chocolate syrup. The kids at our table vote for caramel every time.
- Upside down cake vibes: Serve the grilled peaches over a slice of pound cake for a shortcut version of our easy upside down cake with peaches.
- Whipped cream and meringue: Skip the ice cream and crumble a few meringue pieces over whipped cream, the same sweet crunch that makes our berry pavlova so good.
How to Make Grilled Peaches
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees F (medium high heat), then clean the grates with a grill brush and lightly coat them with cooking oil so the peaches do not stick. Pat the peach halves dry if they are very juicy, and use a pastry brush to coat the entire cut surface of each half with a thin, even layer of melted butter, right down into the pit cavity.
- Place the peach halves on the hot grill with the cut sides facing down, leaving a little space between them. Close the lid and cook without moving them for about 4 minutes. For crisscross grill marks, rotate each peach a quarter turn halfway through, then leave it alone to finish searing.
- Use tongs to gently flip each peach so the skin side faces down. Close the lid and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the peaches are heated through and a knife tip slides in easily, but they still hold their shape. Pull them before they turn mushy.
- Set one peach half cut side up in each bowl or dessert plate and let them rest for about 1 minute. Add a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream to each peach, drizzle with hot honey if you like, and serve right away while the peaches are warm and the ice cream is just starting to melt.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Buy ripe, not rock hard. If your peaches feel like a baseball, leave them on the counter for a day or two. A hard peach never gets tender on the grill.
- Clean and oil the grates every time. Sugary fruit sticks to dirty grates like glue. A quick scrub and an oiled paper towel saves your peach halves.
- Do not touch them for 4 minutes. This was my biggest mistake for years. Flip too early and the peach tears in half. When it is ready, it lets go of the grate on its own.
- Use the knife tip test. The peach is done when a knife slides in easily but the half still holds its shape. That is the target, warm and soft but still a peach.
- Do not walk away at the end. A couple of extra minutes turns a peach half into peach sauce. Stay at the grill for the final flip.
- Got extra ripe peaches? Bake the rest into a batch of our fresh peach muffins with crumble topping so nothing goes to waste.
- Leftovers are a bonus. Chop leftover grilled peaches over yogurt or oatmeal the next morning, or fold them into our glazed fresh peach fritters batter.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Grilled peaches are the perfect ending to a backyard cookout, because the grill is already hot. Serve them after our smoked spatchcock chicken or a platter of cilantro lime grilled ribeye steaks, and just drop the peaches on the grates while everyone clears their plates.
For a full summer spread, round out the table with a bowl of watermelon feta salad and a pan of smoked mac and cheese. Something fresh, something cheesy, and a warm peach dessert to finish is our idea of a perfect Saturday.
Want a drink to go with it? Pour a tall glass of our peach Arnold Palmer and lean all the way into peach season.
Serve these right off the grill. The magic is in the first few minutes, when the peach is still warm, the ice cream is melting into the pit hole, and the hot honey is dripping down the sides. Set out spoons, because nobody is waiting.
Grilled Peaches FAQs
No, leave the skin on. The skin helps grilled peaches hold their shape on the grates and keeps the soft fruit from falling apart when you flip it. It gets tender as it cooks, and it is easy to eat with a spoon alongside the ice cream.
Ripe yellow freestone peaches are the best choice for grilled peaches. They pull away from the pit cleanly, and their flesh softens and caramelizes beautifully. Look for peaches that smell sweet and give slightly when pressed. Very hard peaches stay firm, and very soft ones fall apart on the grill.
Start with hot, clean grates and wipe them with a little cooking oil. Brush the cut side of each peach with melted butter, then place them cut side down and do not move them for about 4 minutes. Once the sugars sear into a crust, the peaches release from the grill on their own.
Yes. Use a grill pan or a cast iron skillet over medium high heat on the stove and follow the same timing, about 4 minutes cut side down and 2 to 3 minutes on the skin side. You can also broil buttered peach halves cut side up for 4 to 6 minutes, though you will not get the same grill marks.
Grilled peaches are done when they have deep golden grill marks, are warm all the way through, and a knife tip slides in easily while the peach still holds its shape. If the peach slumps or looks wet and collapsed, it has gone too far and is heading toward peach sauce.
Grilled peaches are best served warm right off the grill, but you can grill them up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Rewarm them on the grill or in a skillet for a minute or two before adding the ice cream. Leftovers keep for up to 3 days and are great over yogurt, oatmeal, or pancakes.
Still have ice cream in the freezer after this? Turn the rest of the tub into a pan of our oatmeal cream pie ice cream bars for next weekend.
💛 From our kitchen to yours, Jason, Maddie & Lizzie.
We’re a dad and his girls making real food with real butter, real sugar, and a lot of laughing. Pull up a chair, you’re family here.
Easy Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 4 ripe peaches cut in half with the pits removed
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 1/2 quarts vanilla ice cream
- cooking oil for the grill grates
- hot honey for drizzling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees F (medium high heat). Once it is hot, clean the grill grates with a grill brush, then lightly coat the grates with cooking oil to help prevent the peaches from sticking.cooking oil
- Pat the peach halves dry if they are very juicy. Using a pastry brush, coat the entire cut surface of each peach half with a thin, even layer of melted butter, including the area around the pit cavity.4 ripe peaches, 2 tablespoons butter
- Place the peach halves directly on the hot grill with the cut sides facing down, leaving a little space between them. Close the lid and cook without moving them for about 4 minutes. For crisscross grill marks, rotate each peach one quarter turn halfway through this cooking time, then leave it in place to finish searing.
- Use tongs to gently flip each peach so the skin side faces down. Close the lid and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. The peaches are ready when they are heated through, slightly softened, and easily pierced with the tip of a knife, but are still firm enough to hold their shape. Remove them from the grill before they become mushy.
- Transfer the grilled peach halves to individual bowls or dessert plates, placing one peach half cut side up in each serving. Let them rest for about 1 minute, then add a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream to each peach. Serve immediately while the peaches are still warm and the ice cream is beginning to soften. Drizzle with hot honey, if desired.1 1/2 quarts vanilla ice cream, hot honey
Notes
Freestone peaches are the easiest to halve and pit cleanly.
Leave the peaches alone for the full 4 minutes on the cut side. Moving them early tears the surface and you lose the grill marks.
No grill? Use a grill pan over medium high heat on the stove with the same timing.
Grilled peaches are best served right away. Leftover grilled peaches keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and are great chopped over yogurt or oatmeal.
Nutrition
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