Recent research has demonstrated that a reduction in pollutant emissions of diesel engines can be achieved by using high octane fuels such as gasoline, methane, or liquefied petroleum gas. Therefore, in this study, the focus was to investigate the influence of blends of diesel and gasoline on combustion characteristics such as ignition delay, rate of heat release, and lift-off length as well as the influence on soot formation. The experiments were carried out in a test rig with optical access which mimics a single-cylinder diesel engine. Four blends were tested: one blend with 100% diesel and then three diesel-gasoline blends with 30%, 50%, and70% gasoline. The blends were made in volumetric proportions and injected using a common rail injection system without any kind of modification. The ignition delay and the apparent heat release were obtained by means of the in-cylinder pressure signal. Furthermore, the combustion development and soot formation were studied using three optical techniques: OH* chemiluminescence, natural luminosity, and diffused back-illumination extinction imaging (DBI). Different engine operating conditions were analyzed. Results showed that ID increases with the gasoline content in the blend. Similarly, as the reacting time increased, the lift-off length was longer. On the other hand, the apparent rate of heat release decreased due to a reduction of the fuel injection rate, which depends on the density of the blend. In addition, differences in the flame radiation were also observed. Gasoline-diesel blends had less luminosity, which is related to less soot formation. To confirm this, the KL factor obtained from the DBI technique was determined, and it was concluded that increasing the gasoline fraction in the blend reduces soot formation.