Watermelon Salad with Cucumber and Feta

Simple and eye catching, this fresh watermelon salad is made with a mix of watermelon, cucumbers, and crumbled feta, all covered in a mint-lime dressing.

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About Watermelon Salad with Cucumber and Feta

Quick to make, easy to customize, and perfect for potlucks, watermelon salad is one of the best ways to enjoy watermelon season. It pairs well with all sorts of savory and grilled foods, too.

Plus, this salad is known for its gorgeous, vibrant color, making it a great addition to any table presentation.

What does watermelon salad taste like?

Fruit salads like this have an interesting flavor profile, with the sweetness of the watermelon competing with the mint, salt, feta, and lime juice in the dressing.

Overall, this salad has a sweet, refreshing taste. The two main flavors are watermelon, mint, and feta, so feel free to adjust any of those ingredients to better suit your tastes.

How to pick a watermelon

• Check the stem. If it’s green, that means the watermelon was picked before it had a chance to become ripe. A brown stem is what you want.
• Pick a watermelon with a large yellow spot. This means the watermelon had some time to sit and ripen in the sun.
• Aside from the yellow spot, check the other colors of the watermelon. It should be a deep, dark green, with creamy, light yellow stripes.
• The outside of the watermelon should look “dull.” A shiny watermelon is likely underripe.
• Press the watermelon with your thumb. If you feel it give a little, it means the watermelon is ripe.
• And finally, gently knock on the watermelon with your knuckles. If the watermelon sounds hollow, that means it’s full of juice, which is what you want. Aovid watermelons that sound like you’re tapping plastic.

What goes with a watermelon salad?

When serving this salad, I’d recommend focusing on meat dishes, particularly ones that pair well with sweetness or hints of mint. Watermelon salad will serve as a perfect balance to strong, savory flavors.

As far as recommendations, give these a try:

• Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken
• Smothered Pork Chop Casserole
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
• Baked Stuffed Flank Steak
• Teriyaki Chicken Wings
• Porcupine Meatballs
• Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
• Baked Dijon Chicken Skewers

How long is watermelon salad good for?

Once prepared, this salad can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for one to three days.

If storing this salad with the dressing, be warned that the ingredients will continue to marinate, including the feta, which may turn pink from the watermelon juices. If the presentation is important to you, either store the salad and dressing separately or be prepared to eat the salad the same day that it’s prepared.

Can you freeze watermelon salad?

The answer to this is yes and no.

The watermelon, cucumber, mint, lime juice, and feta can be frozen, which is a great alternative if you wind up with extra ingredients and don’t want to waste them. All of these ingredients can be stored in a sealed container in the freezer for up to one to three months.

As for the prepared dressing, freezing is not recommended. Plan to prepare the dressing the same day that the salad will be served.

Notes & tips for watermelon salad

• You can serve the watermelon curbed or use a melon baller.
• For the feta, you can either buy feta that’s already crumbed or buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself. Block feta tends to be more flavorful than feta that’s already crumbled.
• As an alternative, you could mix the watermelon and cucumber together, then drizzle the prepared dressing and feta on top.

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How to make watermelon salad

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – In a large bowl, whisk the following ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, mint, lime juice, fine sea salt, and black pepper. Whisk until the olive oil combine and turn opaque. Taste test the dressing and adjust as needed.

Step 2 – Add the watermelon, cucumber, and feta to the bowl. Use a spatula to gently toss the salad to coat everything in dressing, but don’t mix too much; watermelon is a very soft fruit, so only mix as much as you need to so the watermelon doesn’t get smushed.

Step 3 – Sprinkle with fresh feta and mint as garnish (optional) and enjoy!