This sweet, salty, Refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint is a perfect summer salad for backyard parties or BBQs. Made using just 5 ingredients and in 15 minutes, this recipe is a keeper (vegetarian, gluten-free).
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About Watermelon Feta Salad
Sweet and juicy watermelon, salty feta, and a refreshing minty citrusy dressing, what’s not to love about this fabulous combination? This Ripe Watermelon Feta Salad With Mint Leaves is about flavors and textures.
It is my go-to low-carb salad when I want to serve something quick and refreshing. It is also a perfect side dish for my summer potlucks, weekend brunches, and BBQ parties, no matter which cuisine I am going for.
Watermelon feta cheese salad perfectly shows how sweet and salty flavors can be best friends. I was a little skeptical about this pairing, but one bite of this salad and I was bold over.
The saltiness of feta cheese goes perfectly with the incredible sweetness of the watermelon, and the zesty lime dressing brings out the overall flavors.
It is an easy and refreshing summer salad that relieves you from the scorching heat outside on a sunny afternoon. The best part is that it needs no special skills and comes together in under 15 minutes.
One serving of this perfectly healthy, low-cal watermelon feta cheese salad is about 98 Calories.
This vegetarian and gluten-free salad recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
Here are some more salad recipes that you can make for your light and hearty meals
- Traditional Tabouli Salad
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Broccoli Apple Salad
- Amish Potato Salad
- Gochujang Cucumber Salad
- Thai Green Papaya Salad
- Cajun Potato Salad
- Kale Mango Salad
Ingredients
Watermelon – Your salad will be as good as your watermelon. Choose the best!
Chill it a few hours before making the salad for the best taste.
Mint Leaves – Mint leaves add a refreshing flavor to this watermelon salad recipe.
Feta Cheese – Feta cheese gives the salad a salty, tangy, lemony taste and a lovely soft texture. Choose the feat soaked in brine and not the dry one.
Dressing – I like keeping the dressing simple and using extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lime juice, lime zest, salt, and pepper. A little lime zest goes a long way, do not skip adding it.
Lime juice and zest can be replaced with lemon juice and zest.
How To Make Watermelon Feta Salad
Preparation
Start by chopping a 4-pounds (½ medium watermelon) seedless watermelon into ½-inch cubes. It’s best to use seedless watermelon to make this salad because it’s not a pleasant experience to have seeds in the mouth while eating the salad. If you don’t have access to seedless watermelon, try removing as many large seeds as possible.
To make the salad fancier, you can use a melon baller and make balls from the flesh instead of cutting it into cubes.
Chill the watermelon cubes for a few hours.
Make The Dressing
To make the dressing, stir
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped mint leaves
in a small bowl.
Keep the dressing aside.
Make The Salad
Add the chilled watermelon cubes to a large bowl.
Pour the dressing over the watermelon and toss everything well.
Transfer the salad to the serving plate and top with 6 oz (170 g) crumbled feta cheese. Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
I try to buy organic watermelons from the local farmers’ market as they are ripe and juicy. You can buy them from grocery stores too.
There are a few tricks that you should keep in mind while buying a watermelon.
1. It should feel heavy for its size.
2. Look for the creamy yellow patch. If it’s there, the melon is ripe.
3. Tap the underbelly of the watermelon. A ripe one will have a deep hollow sound. Under-ripe or over-ripe melons will sound dull.
Almost everyone has their way of cutting watermelon. I will tell you the way I do it at home. I always cut the entire watermelon in one go. Then use whatever I want and store the remaining in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
1. Cut the upper and lower ends of the watermelon.
2. Then cut the watermelon from the center into 2 halves.
3. Take one-half of the watermelon and lay it on the cutting board with the flesh part down. Start peeling the rind with the knife.
4. Peel the entire watermelon.
5 & 6. Once the peeling is done, you can cut the watermelon in whatever shape and size you desire.
No white part should remain on the cut watermelon. 
This salad tastes great with just watermelon, mint, and cheese. You can skip the dressing or add a bit of honey, salt, and pepper.
Variations
Add crunchy cucumbers and red onions to this simple salad for a nice crunch. I prefer using English cucumbers in my salads as they are seedless, have thinner skin that is not waxy and is sweeter. However, feel free to use whichever variety you have.
If the red onions are very pungent, soak them in water for 15 minutes. Squeeze and use.
Add greens like lettuce, arugula, or even kale to this salad. Blueberries, avocados, cherry tomatoes, black olives, and beetroot can also be added.
Add apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, mustard, honey, etc., to the dressing for a flavor change. I love to drizzle my homemade balsamic glaze on this salad.
You can replace mint with other fresh herbs like fresh basil leaves or parsley.
You can also replace salty feta cheese with fresh mozzarella or goat cheese.
Top this salad with nuts like almonds, pecan, walnuts, or seeds like sunflower seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, etc., for a nice crunch.
Instead of cutting the watermelon, you can use a melon baller to make small balls. This salad will look much fancier.
To make it filling, add some cooked quinoa or couscous.
Add some grilled protein like Paneer or Halloumi cheese.
Storage Suggestions
This salad tastes best when made fresh. But if, for some reason, you have to make it beforehand, store the watermelon and the dressing separately.
Cube the watermelon and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make the dressing and store it too. Don’t add fresh mint to the dressing if you plan to make it ahead. Mix the dressing with watermelon just a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle freshly chopped mint leaves and feta cheese on top and serve.
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Recipe Card
Best Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe With Mint Leaves
Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed seedless watermelon (chilled, 4 pounds or ½ medium watermelon)
- 6 ounces feta cheese (170 g)
For The Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped mint leaves
Instructions
- To make the dressing, stir together extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and mint leaves in a small bowl.
- Add the watermelon cubes to a large bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the watermelon and toss everything well.
- Transfer the salad to the serving plate and top with crumbled feta. Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!