This refreshing watermelon feta salad is a delicious sweet and salty combination of fresh ingredients for summer. Quick and simple to toss together, this salad makes for the perfect summer side dish for your next cookout, potluck, Sunday brunch, or dinner al fresco.
Watermelon Feta Salad
Watermelon Feta Salad Ingredients
The base of this summer salad is only 4 ingredients and totally customizable depending on your taste preferences.
- Seedless Watermelon: You can cut your watermelon into cubes or use a melon baller— either works! I recommend draining your watermelon in a colander as you’re chopping it.
- English Cucumber: English cucumbers are typically seedless and don’t have the same waxed coating like regular cucumbers. If using a standard cucumber, you’ll want to scoop out the seeds first and peel some of the coating off.
- Feta Cheese: You can use cubed feta or crumbled feta cheese. I find the cubed feta holds up a little better in the salad and is more flavorful. You can also use fresh mozzarella balls or goat cheese too!
- Fresh Mint Leaves: You can swap the mint for basil, depending on your taste preference. The mint will turn dark quick, so toss the mint in just before serving.
- Optional: Additional ingredients that would be tasty in this salad recipe? Thinly sliced red onion, arugula or fresh spinach, sliced almonds, etc.
Watermelon Feta Salad Dressing Ingredients
This simple salad dressing is not required but it does perfectly tie all of these flavors together.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is the perfect opportunity to pull out your high-quality olive oil. You can absolutely taste the difference in this salad. My favorite is Kosterina EVOO.
- Lime Juice: Skip the bottled juice and go for fresh squeezed! Trust me, it’s worth it! You can also substitute lime for lemon juice if you prefer.
- Salt & Black Pepper: If using cubed feta, taste your salad before seasoning with salt since the cheese is already salty.
Notes
- Make Ahead Notes: If you’re planning to tackle the prep work ahead of time, make sure to store all of the salad ingredients separately in air-tight containers until you’re ready to serve! Once the ingredients are mixed together, the salad will start to get soggy after a few hours.
- A few things to look for when picking a watermelon: A dark and dull melon with a large yellow spot means the watermelon wasn’t picked too early and has had enough time ripening in the sun (avoid shiny melons). A melon that is heavy for its size and has a uniform shape (circle or oval) usually means it will be sweeter and juicier.
- Travel Notes: If you’re bringing this salad as a side to your next gathering, you may love this large salad serving bowl set. It comes with a wood lid (that doubles as a cutting board or serving tray), as well as serving utensils.
- Salad Tools: Melon Baller / Salad Dressing Shaker / Kosterina EVOO / Lemon & Lime Squeezer/Juicer
Watermelon Feta Salad
This refreshing watermelon feta salad is a delicious sweet and salty combination of fresh ingredients for summer. Quick and simple to toss together, this salad makes for the perfect summer side dish for your next cookout, potluck, Sunday brunch, or dinner al fresco.
Ingredients
- 3 cups watermelon, cubed or balled
- 1.5 cups English cucumber, cubed
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, cubed
- 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (fresh squeezed)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add watermelon, cucumber, and mint.
- In a small bowl or salad dressing shaker, whisk together olive oil and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat.
- Gently stir in feta (or sprinkle on top if using crumbles) and serve.
Notes
A few things to look for when picking a watermelon: A dark and dull melon with a large yellow spot means the watermelon wasn't picked too early and has had enough time ripening in the sun (avoid shiny melons). A melon that is heavy for its size and has a uniform shape (circle or oval) usually means it will be sweeter and juicier.
Make Ahead Notes: If you’re planning to tackle the prep work ahead of time, make sure to store all of the salad ingredients separately in air-tight containers until you’re ready to serve! Once the ingredients are mixed together, the salad will start to get soggy after a few hours.
If you’re planning to tackle the prep work ahead of time, make sure to store all of the salad ingredients separately in air-tight containers until you’re ready to serve! Once the ingredients are mixed together, the salad will start to get soggy after a few hours.
Absolutely! Basil would be a delicious substitute!
Yep! You can also use fresh mozzarella balls or goat cheese!
A few things to look for when picking a watermelon: A dark and dull melon with a large yellow spot means the watermelon wasn’t picked too early and has had enough time ripening in the sun (avoid shiny melons). A melon that is heavy for its size and has a uniform shape (circle or oval) usually means it will be sweeter and juicier.
