This refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint is perfect for summer. Sweet ripe watermelon salad combined with feta cheese and fresh mint is simply dressed with olive oil and lime juice. It’s a sweet-and-salty combination that looks just beautiful on the table for a backyard cookout, a potluck, or even a Sunday brunch!
My husband loves watermelon salad. During the summer, one of his favorite snacks is freshly sliced chilled watermelon with crumbly slices of feta. The saltiness of the cheese is a perfect compliment to the cool sweetness of the watermelon. He introduced me to the flavor combination, and now I’m hooked, too. Nothing says summer like fresh watermelon and feta!
A few weeks ago we had some friends over for dinner. The weather was just starting to warm up, so we decided to make it an outdoor dinner in our back yard. As I grocery shopped for the meal, my mind was on all the summery foods we’ve been missing. I browsed the produce section and noticed that ripe seedless watermelons were on sale. Of course, my mind went to watermelon and feta! I decided to create a simple summer salad with seedless watermelon chunks, crumbled feta cheese, fresh mint, and a homemade lime juice dressing.
After a little experimentation with the dressing, this is what I came up with! The salty citrus dressing really brings out the flavor of the watermelon, the mint is refreshing, and the feta adds a perfect touch of creaminess. Even those of you who don’t like sweet, fruity salads may appreciate this one– the flavor is truly unique. It was a big hit with our friends, and I’m guessing it will be making regular appearances on our summer menu. It would might just be the perfect side-salad for your 4th of July barbecue. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
If at all possible, try to find goat or sheep’s milk feta– preferably the larger chunks sold in delis or cheese markets. I personally prefer the flavor of block feta to pre-crumbled feta. Enjoy!
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Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers
Watermelon Feta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 pounds whole seedless watermelon, chilled (about 12 cups of cubed fruit)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 whole limes, juiced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese (sheep’s milk feta preferred)
Instructions
- Note: This salad is best made just prior to serving. Prepare one hour or less before your meal.Cut rind from the watermelon, then chop the fruit into 1 inch chunks. Place chunks in a colander to drain as your chop.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, fresh lime juice, salt, and black pepper to create a dressing.
- Place watermelon in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing and chopped mint over the watermelon and toss gently to coat. Pour the crumbled feta into the salad bowl and stir gently to integrate the cheese into the salad. Serve.
Richard Jacobs Reiser says
And the name of the Greek place is ?
Tori Avey says
Richard Tony’s Taverna in Malibu. It’s the most delicious Greek food I’ve had in the U.S. Tony is the best!
Nina Soalt says
i make this with a little zatar sprinkled on it
Joseph Duran says
Oh my will you marry me? !?
Neysa Silver Campo says
Just making that now! My mother always ate watermelon with feta or Kashkaval……I love it!!
Annie Watson says
Try that with arugula!
Ruth Okon says
My cousin made it with white balsamic, feta & blueberries. Crazy good.
Susan Beaulieu says
Kosher Key is dairy. I do not normally consume dairy so would this be the same for veggie cheeses?
Tori Avey says
Susan this will not taste the same with veggie cheese, I do not recommend subbing the feta. You can omit the cheese, but it won’t have the same balance of flavors.
Barbara J Mann says
uh oh… a new addiction on my list… 😉
Margaret Contard says
I also like watermelon with cojhito cheese
Stanton Fink says
Have you ever tried any of these “watermelon gazpacho” recipes?
Tori Avey says
Stanton yes! It can be tasty if it’s the right balance of sweet + savory. Have you?
Stanton Fink says
I have not yet had the opportunity to try, but, I have seen a few delicious-looking recipes.
Essence says
Tried it today with lemon juice instead of lime… LOVED IT!!!
Brian long says
Look good but lime juice over powered watermelon taste, mint fine, pepper fine, salt fine, feta cheese fine, lime not so.
Wendy says
I made this last night for a dinner party, and everyone raved – they ate every bite! I added halved cherry tomatoes and chopped cucumbers, and it was a delicious combination. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Kristy says
a friend brought something similar to a picnic and it was a HIT. I’m bringing it to a different function tonight and (if I do say so myself) it is DELICIOUS! Thanks for the recipe! (and such beautiful pictures! 🙂
Glenys Aitken says
This was everything I imagined it to be, and more. Fantastic combination of flavors. Cannot wait to make it again.
Penny Wolf says
Watermelon and feta is so good! Let me add that with the right cantelope, that is another great combo.
SingleMaleWannaBeChef says
Tried this salad from a random food truck last year.They would not give me the recipe.I knew the basic ingredients but had know idea what a similar tasting dressing would consist of…thanks to this recipe I finally found it! And I have been using this recipe (with some variations for fun) all summer long at work potlucks/BBQ’s etc…it’s my go to “show off” salad that even got me a couple of dates haha!
SingleMaleWannaBeChef says
***NO idea I mean***
Em {pushups with polish} says
I’m making this today and I’m ohhh so excited! It’s a combo of all my favorite flavors, i’ve been craving this salad!!!
Carla Ace says
I am headed to the store in the rain to get the mint
Carla Ace says
This sounds so good that I’m headed to the store in the RAIN 🙂 to get the mint so that we can have w/dinner tonight!