Grilled Apricots with Mascarpone Cream - A Quick Summer Dessert

Warm, caramelised grilled apricots served with cool mascarpone cream, honey and toasted walnuts. Ready in under 15 minutes, this is the easy summer dessert that looks far fancier than the effort it takes.

Grilled apricots turn soft, sweet and lightly caramelised in just a couple of minutes on a hot grill, and they pair beautifully with a smooth mascarpone cream spiked with honey and lemon. A quick rub of brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg does most of the work before the fruit even touches the heat.

This is a cheap, fast pudding that uses one bowl and a handful of ingredients, and it works just as well on an indoor grill as it does outdoors. Serve it as a light dessert, a dinner-party finish, or a weekend treat with almost no washing up.

This recipe works perfect on both outdoor and indoor grills. I use my simple George Forman grill that I have for a 6+ years, and it works just fine!

Ingredients for Grilled Apricots with Mascarpone Cream

• Fresh apricots – halved and pitted; they soften and caramelise fast on the grill, going sweeter as they cook.
• Extra-virgin olive oil – a light coating stops the fruit sticking and helps those grill marks form.
• Brown sugar – melts into the cut sides and gives the apricots a proper caramelised edge.
• Ground cinnamon – warm and gently spiced, it suits stone fruit perfectly.
• Ground nutmeg – a small amount adds depth without taking over.
• Salt and black pepper – balance the sweetness and lift the flavour of the fruit.
• Mascarpone – the base of the cream; rich, smooth and mild, it holds its shape when dolloped.
• Honey – sweetens the cream and doubles as a drizzle at the end.
• Lemon juice – cuts through the richness and keeps the cream fresh-tasting.
• Roasted walnuts – chopped and folded through the cream and scattered on top for crunch. If you have only raw walnuts, then give them a quick fry up on a hot but dry skillet - just for couple of minutes.
• Fresh basil – optional, but a few thin slices add colour and a fragrant, summery note.

Method for Grilled Apricots with Mascarpone Cream

1. Step 1: Preheat your grill and brush it lightly with oil. This works on an outdoor grill or an indoor one, so use whichever you have. Put the halved apricots in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Rub the mixture over each apricot half so they're evenly coated, then lift them out and keep the bowl — you'll use it again.

2. Step 2: Grill the apricots cut side down until grill marks appear, about 1 minute. Flip them and grill cut side up until softened, around 30 seconds more, then transfer them to a platter.

3. Step 3: Make the mascarpone cream in the same bowl, which still holds a little of the sugar and spice. Add the mascarpone, honey, lemon juice and chopped walnuts, then whisk with a fork until smooth and creamy.

4. Step 4: Dollop a generous spoonful of mascarpone cream onto the centre of each apricot. Drizzle with honey, then scatter over the chopped roasted walnuts and basil, if using.

How to Serve and Store Grilled Apricots

Grilled apricots are best served warm, soon after grilling, while the fruit is still soft and the cream stays cool against it. They work as a light dessert on their own, or you can serve them alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoon of Greek yoghurt for something more substantial. A final drizzle of honey and a few basil leaves make them look the part for guests.

If you want to prepare ahead, grill the apricots and make the cream separately, then keep them apart until serving. The mascarpone cream keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. Grilled apricots are best eaten the day they're made, but any leftovers will keep, covered, in the fridge for a day - they'll be softer the next day, and are lovely stirred through porridge, yoghurt or spooned over toast.

In my family there is never leftovers, like never. Trust me - that combination of soft grilled apricot gently spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and then you have creamy mascarpone with touch of lemon juice and crunchy walnuts - it is indeed mindblowing. And the best part - it all comes in less than 10 minutes. Don't wait - go get your apricots and get to grill!

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What Grilled Apricots Cost Around the World

Grilled apricots are a genuinely cheap dessert, which is part of the appeal.

• In the UK, eight apricots, a tub of mascarpone, walnuts and store-cupboard spices come to roughly £5–£6 for the whole dish, or about 70–75p per serving; look for apricots in season at Tesco, Sainsbury's or a local greengrocer, where they're cheapest in July and August.
• In Ireland, the same shop costs around €6–€7 in Dunnes or SuperValu, working out near €0.85 a serving. Check local Lidl or Aldi, they have offers for apricots in August, where you can buy 1kg for €2.5-3. Current Lidl price is €2.49 for 500gr box (July, 2026) and 4.49 for 1kg.
• In the USA, apricots, mascarpone and walnuts run to about $7–$8 total, roughly $1 per serving, with apricots widely available at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or a farmers' market.
• In Australia, expect around AU$9–$10 for the dish, or about AU$1.20 a serving, with apricots easy to find at Woolworths or Coles in the summer months.
• And in France, where apricots are a summer staple and often locally grown, the whole dessert can come in around €5, or under €0.70 a serving, with the best fruit at any market stall in the south.

Wherever you make it, grilled apricots stay a low-cost, high-reward pudding. Oh, and don't forget to check Eastern-European stores for apricots, they often have them on sale during the summer months.

Tips and Notes for Perfect Grilled Apricots

• Choose apricots that are ripe but still firm. Fruit that's too soft will collapse on the grill and turn to mush before it caramelises. You want a little give when you press gently, but the halves should still hold their shape when you lift them. Slightly underripe apricots also work, as the grill's heat brings out their sweetness.
• Get the grill properly hot before the fruit goes on. A hot surface is what gives you those caramelised grill marks and stops the apricots sticking. If the grill is only lukewarm, the fruit steams rather than chars and you lose that lovely edge. Give it a few minutes to come up to temperature and brush it with oil first.
• Don't skip the brown sugar rub. Coating the cut sides in brown sugar, spice and a little oil is what creates the caramelised finish. The sugar melts on contact with the heat and forms a sweet, sticky crust. It only takes a moment to rub the mixture over each half, and it makes a real difference to the final flavour.
• Keep an eye on the timing. Apricots grill fast — around a minute cut side down and just 30 seconds on the other side. Walk away and they'll go from soft to falling apart quickly. Stay close, watch for the grill marks, and pull them off as soon as they've softened.
• Reuse the bowl for the cream. The bowl you rubbed the apricots in still holds a little sugar and spice, and that flavour carries straight into the mascarpone cream. It saves washing up and adds a subtle warmth to the cream. Just tip the mascarpone, honey, lemon and walnuts straight in.
• Whisk the cream with a fork, not a mixer. Mascarpone splits easily if you overwork it, so a fork gives you more control. Whisk just until it's smooth and holds a soft dollop. Stop as soon as it looks creamy — a few seconds too long and it can turn grainy or loose.
• Toast the walnuts for the best crunch. Roasted walnuts have a deeper, nuttier flavour than raw ones, and they stay crisp against the soft fruit and cream. If yours aren't already roasted, give them a few minutes in a dry pan until fragrant. Let them cool before chopping so they don't turn oily.
• Add the lemon juice to taste. A tablespoon cuts through the richness of the mascarpone nicely, but if your honey is very sweet you might want a touch more. Taste the cream before you dollop it and adjust. That little bit of sharpness is what stops the dessert feeling heavy.
  

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Grilled Apricots with Mascarpone Cream Recipe

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Grilled apricots with mascarpone cream are an easy summer dessert of warm, caramelised fruit topped with a smooth honey-mascarpone cream, toasted walnuts and basil. Ready in under 15 minutes, they're cheap, quick and look impressive with almost no effort.

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes

Total Time 8 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 fresh apricots, halved and pitted
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 250g mascarpone (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon honey, plus more for drizzling
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 50g roasted walnuts, chopped (about ½ cup), plus more for garnish
• Thinly sliced fresh basil, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill, indoor or outdoor, and brush it lightly with oil.
2. Put the halved apricots in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Rub the mixture over each apricot half until evenly coated, then lift them out and keep the bowl for later.
3. Grill the apricots cut side down until grill marks appear, about 1 minute. Flip and grill cut side up until softened, about 30 seconds more, then transfer to a platter.
4. Using the same bowl, add the mascarpone, honey, lemon juice and chopped walnuts. Whisk with a fork until smooth and creamy.
5. Dollop a generous spoonful of mascarpone cream onto each apricot half. Drizzle with honey and scatter over the extra chopped walnuts and basil, if using.

Notes

Choose apricots that are ripe but still firm so they hold their shape and don't collapse on the grill.

Make sure the grill is fully heated before adding the fruit, as this gives the best caramelisation and stops sticking.

Whisk the mascarpone cream with a fork and stop as soon as it's smooth, as overworking can make it grainy or loose.

Reusing the apricot bowl for the cream carries the leftover sugar and spice into the mascarpone for extra flavour.

Serve warm for the best contrast between the soft fruit and cool cream; assemble just before serving.