This refreshing watermelon salad recipe is meant for hot summer days. Made with feta, cucumber, and mint, it's a perfect mix of savory and sweet.
This watermelon salad recipe is everything I want on a summer day. At this time of year, I can’t get enough of salads made with peak-season fruits and veggies. I especially love a good sweet and salty combination. This watermelon salad with feta, cucumber, mint, and a tangy lime dressing is exactly that.
The recipe takes minutes to throw together, and it’s incredibly refreshing. Try it once, and—if you’re anything like me—you’ll have it on repeat for the rest of watermelon season.
Watermelon Salad Recipe Ingredients
If you’ve never tried watermelon in a savory setting, you have to make this recipe ASAP. Juicy and fresh, the melon goes SO well with the other creamy, crisp, tangy, and spicy components in this salad. Here’s what makes it so delicious:
- Red onion, for a sharp, savory bite of flavor
- Cucumber, for a cool, crisp addition
- Feta cheese, for a creamy, tangy element
- Avocado, for extra creaminess. Watermelon + lime + avocado = a match made in heaven.
- Fresh basil and mint, for aromatic, herbal notes (Mint + watermelon is one of my favorite combos too!)
- Serrano pepper, for a little heat. Skip it if you’re sensitive to spice.
- And a bright lime dressing, to tie it all together.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe Variations
This watermelon feta salad is a great one to play with. Here are some of my favorite ways to change it up:
- Don’t like spice? Skip the chile. The salad will still be delicious.
- Add a little crunch with a handful of toasted walnuts or cashews.
- Make this salad a full meal by serving it on a bed of arugula with some quinoa mixed in.
- Or change up the fruit and substitute strawberries for the watermelon.
Let me know what variations you try!
What to Serve with Watermelon Salad
I love to make this salad for cookouts. It pairs well with whatever you’re grilling, whether that be portobello mushroom burgers, black bean burgers, veggie burgers, or grilled corn on the cob.
It’s also good with picnic sandwiches like this Caprese sandwich, this chickpea salad sandwich, an egg salad sandwich, or these healthy lunch wraps.
If you have extra watermelon, make watermelon margaritas, watermelon popsicles, or watermelon juice. Enjoy!
More Favorite Summer Salads
If you love this recipe, try one of these summer salads next:
- Strawberry Salad
- Mango Salad
- Cucumber Salad
- Tomato Salad
- Greek Salad
- Or any of these 51 Best Salad Recipes!
Watermelon Salad with Feta & Mint
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For the salad
- 5 cups cubed watermelon
- Heaping 1 cup diced English cucumber
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 avocado, cubed
- ⅓ cup torn fresh mint or basil leaves
- ½ jalapeño or serrano pepper, thinly sliced, optional
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic and salt.
- Arrange the watermelon, cucumber, and red onions on a large plate or platter. Drizzle with half the dressing. Top with the feta, avocado, mint, and serrano pepper, if using, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Season to taste and serve.
I wanted to serve this as a salad with dinner, and for some reason I felt like I had to have lettuce to make it more dinner-y. I cut the watermelon smaller to make it more like a topping, then served the whole thing on top of butter lettuce. It was a hit! We used mint as the herb.
I made it & dressed it tonight
Will be for lunch tomorrow
Hope it doesn’t get too watery
Cooking steak in the morning & slicing for lunch with watermelon salad
Just a perfect salad, so refreshing and healthy!
This sounds delicious. But the only fresh herb I have is cilantro! Would I ruin the dish by using that instead if mint and basil? Would hate to waste all the other good ingredients!
Hi Alice, sorry I’m getting to this late! I’m sure you’ve already made the salad, but for what it’s worth, I think cilantro would be great.
Wow. I made a huge bowl of this and devoured it within minutes. It was that good! I used both basil and mint, no garlic. You’re right about the avocado, it was a great addition. Yum. A new summer favorite, for sure.
Hi Lorrie, aww yay! So glad you loved the salad.
How far in advance can I make this if bringing to a party?
Hi Anna, I’d say the morning of – it’ll get watery if it sits around too long.
Can you omit the feta? And still get the same taste? Or use something different? We have a severe allergy to the cow protein, goat, sheep, horse all considered the same. Thanks!
Hi Christina, you can leave it out and possibly add a little more salt to taste (I’d add some flaky sea salt).
I made this for lunch today. I think I will have it again tonight as I really enjoyed it.
We had the Watermelon Salad last night. It was delicious! I didn’t have mint, so I used fresh basil & dill instead.
I will be making this again & again. ❤️
Hi Gail, this salad would be wonderful with basil and dill! I’m so glad you loved it.
I am new to Loveandlemons and now a fan after making this salad!! The unlikely combination of ingredients is absolutely delicious; I practically ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner after making it, LOL Such a refreshing and taste bud tantalizing salad. Will make it all summer long.
Fresh and satisfying
Made this for a bbq yesterday and everyone loved it. Since I still have all the ingredients I’m making it again for dinner tonight. It’s so light and refreshing with a kick. I used basil since that’s what I had, but want to try it with the mint.
Hi Kelly, I’m so glad you loved it!
This salad is AMAZING!!! I made it for the first time last year and have been requested to bring it to every cookout since then. It is so refreshing. I always have to double the recipe even if it’s for a small crowd. Depending on the crowd I don’t always use the red onion and it’s still delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe! If you are on the fence, definitely make it!
Hi Kelly, amazing! I’m so glad this salad has been such a hit.
Do you have an idea of how many calories per serving?
Hi Crystal, we don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes, but you could plug this into an online nutrition calculator like MyFitnessPal to get an estimate.
ridiculously good shared with neighbour who loved it too,have made twice now once with lime juice and honey dressing equally good
I’m so glad you both loved it!
Delicious! The watermelon I used was perfect and everyone loved the spice of the pepper and taste of mint.
Didn’t use red onion.
Delicious, refreshing, great flavour balance. Omitted jalapeno when I made again, found salad delivered a great flavour punch without. Definite keeper.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious! Served it to a group of neoghbors and they raved about it. It is refreshing and light. Great accompiment for summer meals.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Interesting combination. Thanks. Delicious. I tossed the chopped avocado in fresh lime juice to slow down oxidation.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!