Made with mint, Watermelon Feta Salad blends the sweet and savory flavors of summer harvest, and showcases a vinaigrette dressing!
There’s nothing better than enjoying fresh, sweet watermelon during the summer when it’s easy to find ripe and juicy melons. Sure, watermelon is delicious to eat by the slice on its own, but tossing it with new and equally delicious flavors, like in this Watermelon Feta Salad, just makes it even better!
This dish is a refreshing summer salad that’s the perfect Side Dish for your next cookout or picnic. Try my Creamy Shrimp Pasta Salad, Honey Lime Berry Salad, and Tomato Mozzarella Salad for more summer favorites.
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Sabrina’s Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe
The sweet watermelon makes this recipe an instant hit! It goes so perfectly with the complex flavors added from the feta, mint, and dressing. It’s an unexpected combo, but once you take your first bite, you won’t be able to get enough!
Make this Watermelon Feta Cheese Salad when you’re hosting a summer party, or bring it along with you to your next neighborhood BBQ. The amazing melon and feta dish is a nice way to change things up from the typical Fruit Salad.
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup Olive Oil: The extra virgin olive oil serves as the base for the salad dressing, adding a smooth and savory quality to the dish.
- 2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar: Red wine vinegar provides a tangy and slightly fruity flavor to the dressing, balancing the sweetness of the watermelon. You can substitute it with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if needed.
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt: Salt enhances the overall flavor by seasoning the salad and bringing out the natural sweetness of the watermelon. You can use regular table salt as an alternative.
- 1 Cucumber: Cucumber adds a refreshing crunch and a mild, watery contrast to the salad. It provides a nice balance to the sweetness of the watermelon.
- ¼ Red Onion: Red onion contributes a hint of sharpness and a vibrant color to the salad. You can use sweet onion or scallions for a milder flavor.
- ½ cup Fresh Mint: Fresh mint leaves add a burst of freshness and a delightful aroma to the salad. It complements the sweet and savory flavors perfectly.
- 5 cups Watermelon: The most crucial part of making this recipe is finding a perfectly ripe and fresh watermelon. Get the seedless watermelon to make the recipe easier, but if you get it with seeds, you’ll just have to cut them out.
- 1 cup Feta Cheese: Salty, Greek feta cheese is the perfect contrasting ingredient to top the salad off with. It tastes completely different from the rest of the recipe and makes the Watermelon Feta Salad more exciting and delicious. You can use goat cheese as a substitute for a similar creamy texture.
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Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Large Serving Bowl: A large serving bowl is essential for mixing and tossing the salad ingredients together.
- Whisk: A whisk is used for emulsifying the salad dressing, ensuring that the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt combine smoothly.
- Cutting Board: A cutting board is needed for chopping the cucumber and slicing the red onion.
- Chef’s Knife: A chef’s knife is a versatile tool for cutting the cucumber, watermelon, and mint. A sharp knife makes the preparation process easier and more precise.
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How to Make
Time needed: 10 minutes.
- Prepare the Dressing
In a large serving bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt until well combined.
- Combine Ingredients
Add 1 peeled and chopped cucumber, ¼ thinly sliced red onion, and ½ cup minced fresh mint to the dressing. Stir to coat.
- Add Watermelon
Gently fold in 5 cups of 2″ chunks of watermelon into the mixture, being careful not to break the watermelon pieces.
- Garnish and Serve
Top the salad with 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese. Serve your Watermelon Feta Salad and enjoy the refreshing flavors!
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Can This Be Made Ahead?
Technically, yes, you can make Watermelon Feta Salad a day ahead of time, but it’s best to serve the same day of preparation. If made the day before, just add the watermelon and feta cheese just before serving to keep the salad fresh and crisp. Prepare the dressing and other ingredients in advance, then assemble everything shortly before serving for the best taste and texture.
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Nutritional Facts
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Tips for Watermelon Feta Salad
How to select the perfect watermelon
There are a few tricks to knowing if you’re buying a good melon. First, inspect the skin to see if it’s smooth without soft spots or noticeable blemishes. Watermelons should have an area of discoloration from where they lay on the ground. Ideally, it will be a creamy yellow color. Ripe melons also feel heavy when you pick them up because they’re packed with flavorful juice.
Why does this recipe work?
This might seem like a surprising pairing if you’re not used to it. However, the salty flavor and creamy texture of feta cheese combined with refreshing and juicy watermelon is a classic duo, particularly in Mediterranean cuisine. They perfectly balance each other out for a refreshing dish.
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What to Pair With Watermelon Feta Salad
Watermelon Feta Salad is a refreshing and vibrant dish that pairs beautifully with a variety of complementary items. Here are some suggestions from my recipe collection:
Lunch:
- Avgolemono: The Mediterranean flavors of this Greek chicken and rice soup would pair perfectly with the feta and dressing in this savory fruit salad.
- Grilled Veggie Sandwich: A tasty, vegetarian sandwich made with grilled veggies plus this salad is the perfect summer lunch combo.
- Butternut Squash Soup: This creamy and savory soup complements the salad and is perfect for combining late summer fruit with early fall squash.
Dinner:
- Grilled Shrimp: Adding grilled shrimp as a side brings a healthy protein element to the meal and pairs wonderfully with the salad’s flavors.
- Ribeye Steak: For an easy fancy dinner, serve this salad as the side with perfectly grilled ribeye steak. You can also cook up a steak in the air fryer with my easy Air Fryer Ribeye Steak recipe.
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How to Store
Storing
To keep the Watermelon Feta Cheese Salad fresh, don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If you have any leftovers, you can cover the salad in plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. The Watermelon Feta Salad will stay good in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Freezing
Unfortunately, watermelon doesn’t keep its texture when you freeze and thaw it. So, it’s much better to enjoy this salad fresh.
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Frequent Questions
Yes, you can substitute red wine vinegar with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. It will have a slightly different flavor but still be yummy.
If you don’t have feta cheese, you can use goat cheese or a crumbly cheese with a similar texture and saltiness.
Absolutely, you can omit the red onion if you prefer a milder flavor or if you don’t like onions. The salad will still be delicious without it.
While the classic Watermelon Feta Salad sticks to the listed ingredients, you can experiment by adding ingredients like fresh basil, sliced strawberries, cherry tomatoes, or arugula to customize the flavors to your liking.
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Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cucumber , peeled and chopped
- 1/4 red onion , thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh mint , minced
- 5 cups watermelon , cut into 2" chunks
- 1 cup feta cheese , crumbled
Instructions
- In a large serving bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt.
- Add in the cucumber, onion, mint and stir well.
- Gently fold in the watermelon.
- Top with crumbled feta cheese.
Nutrition
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Variations
- Balsamic Feta Salad: If you want to make your Watermelon Feta Salad with a bold balsamic vinaigrette dressing, replace the red wine vinegar with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. You can also add some sweetness to the dressing, you can also mix a tablespoon of honey into the balsamic vinegar mixture. Top it with some freshly cracked black pepper and serve.
- Cheese: If you don’t have feta cheese, goat cheese, blue cheese, or mozzarella would make a good replacement for this recipe.
- Citrus: To add some delicious citrusy flavor to the melon salad, you can squeeze fresh lime juice or lemon juice over the salad before serving. It will help play up the delicious flavors in the juicy watermelon. You can also whisk lime or lemon zest into the dressing.
- Greens: If you want to add some fresh leafy greens, toss the watermelon salad with fresh spinach, arugula, or kale. Wait to add the veggies until right before serving. Otherwise, the watermelon juice will make them less crisp.
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