Watermelon Salad

There’s no better way to celebrate summer than with a colorful, nourishing, and delicious watermelon salad.

You’ll love this recipe because it’s easy to make with simple ingredients. Yet, it packs a combination of flavors, colors, and textures worthy of a sophisticated restaurant dish.

Expect a crisp, crunchy, and juicy texture at every bite, followed by a perfectly balanced sweet, tangy, citrusy, minty, and salty combination.

This watermelon feta salad is an explosion of summer on a plate, it’s a feast for the mouth and the eyes, and there’s no other recipe that captures the essence of summer like this one.

Watermelon

Look for seedless watermelons at the store; they are usually smaller with a uniform dark green-colored shell.

Giant watermelons with black seeds are delicious; however, making a salad with them might be challenging because you might have to remove at least some of their black seeds.

We like to cut the watermelon into cubes with a knife, but you also use a melon baller.

You can substitute strawberries for watermelon.

Feta Cheese or non-dairy Feta

Feta is a Greek cheese made from sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. Its salty flavor and creamy texture are a match made in heaven with watermelon.

Depending on your diet, you can use regular feta cheese or non-dairy feta cheese.

Our favorite non-dairy Feta is from Violife.

Fresh Mint

Fresh mint leaves have perfect flavor affinity with watermelon and Feta. Add plenty, finely chopped.

You can substitute fresh basil leaves for mint.

Lemon Juice

Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds acidity and freshness and behaves like a flavor booster for the other ingredients.

You can substitute lime juice for lemon juice.

Lemon Zest

Finely chopped lemon peel, only the yellow part, not the white pith, adds a beautiful citrusy flavor irresistible in this watermelon salad recipe.

We recommend using an organic lemon since you are eating the peel.

Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil adds a wonderful fruity flavor and a little fat, making the salad irresistible. It’s also heart-healthy and an excellent source of healthy fats.

Salt and Pepper

A pinch of sea salt and a twist of black pepper make the flavors of this salad pop.

Cut the watermelon in half, put it on a cutting board, cut side down, and cut off the rind and the white flesh with a sharp knife.

Next, cut the watermelon into about 1-inch (2 cm) slices.

Cut each slice into 1-inch (2 cm) sticks, then into bite-size cubes.

Gently transfer the watermelon cubes into a large bowl or serving platter.

Add extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, finely sliced mint leaves, salt, and black pepper.

Toss gently with a spoon or with your hands to distribute the condiments.

Finally, garnish with crumbled Feta, toasted pistachio nuts, finely chopped lemon peel, and more mint leaves.

Serve immediately and enjoy with a spoon so that you can pick up the delicious juices.

Optional Add-Ins

While we prefer to keep the ingredient list to a minimum and let the three main ingredients (sweet watermelon, feta cheese, and mint leaves) shine, you can turn this watermelon salad into a more substantial meal by adding one or two of the following ingredients:

• Avocado
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Red onion or shallots
• Fresh basil
• Black olives or Kalamata olives
• Balsamic glaze, balsamic vinegar, or pomegranate molasses
• Arugula

Watermelon Tomato Salad

Combine sliced black olives, a few halved cherry tomatoes, one half thinly sliced shallot or red onion, and fresh basil leaves with the watermelon cubes.

Season with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss gently, then add crumbled Feta, lemon zest, and more basil.

Watermelon Cucumber Salad

Add diced cucumber, sliced basil leaves, and thinly sliced red onion to the watermelon cubes. Then, add diced avocado to make this watermelon salad recipe tastier and creamier.

Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Top with crumbled Feta and lemon zest.

Our favorite way to serve this watermelon salad recipe is as part of a main dish with other delicious salads, spreads, and dips.

For example, you can serve it as a light meal or bring it to a potluck with:

• Moroccan carrot salad
• Green bean salad
• Panzanella salad
• Tofu and tahini salad
• Chickpea hummus
• Avocado spread
• Eggplant dip

Alternatively, you can serve it as a refreshing appetizer with tomato bruschetta or homemade croutons topped with olive tapenade for a crunchy and tangy flavor.

Finally, you can certainly serve watermelon feta and mint salad as a side dish with many of our easy plant-based dinners. Try:

• Vegan fish with tomatoes, olives, and lemon.
• Pan-fried tofu with lemon.
• Orange tofu with sticky sweet & sour sauce.
• Marinara sauce on pasta or with tofu meatballs.
• Penne all’arrabbiata with a spicy tomato sauce.

Make ahead: to get ahead in the kitchen, you can dice the watermelon in advance and keep it in an airtight container or a bowl wrapped in plastic for up to a day. You can also finely chop the lemon zest and keep it ready. However, avoid mixing the salad more than a couple of hours ahead; combining the ingredients shortly before serving is best.

Refrigerator: watermelon salad will last in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. However, the salad tastes best as soon as it’s made because the watermelon is crisp, the Feta creamy, and the mint fresh and bright.

Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.

If you’re a fan of fresh and vibrant summer salads, try the following:

• Avocado salad
• Tomato basil salad
• Rice salad
• Raw zucchini salad
• Greek salad

For many more salad ideas, check out our salads category page.