Watermelon Feta Salad
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This summer salad of bite-size watermelon cubes is tossed with a simple honey lime dressing, fresh mint, blueberries, and crumbled feta cheese.
Light and refreshing, Watermelon Feta Salad is the perfect red, white, and blue salad for Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, or any summer barbecue or picnic.
Being a farmer’s daughter, when I was asked to join a group of bloggers to develop recipes and celebrate local farmer’s markets, I jumped right in! Throughout this week, I’ll be featuring recipes made with fresh produce, starting with today’s watermelon salad with feta cheese.
Not only is watermelon nutritious, it’s a great source of hydration on a hot day. Sweet and salty, watermelon salad is a super easy summer side dish that tastes great with grilled chicken, burgers, shrimp, or salmon.
My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, and a preacher, but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer.
— Brenda Schoepp
Key ingredients and substitutions
- Watermelon — Seedless watermelon is sweeter and takes less prep work. Even though a seedless watermelon has a few white seeds, they are edible and not bitter like black watermelon seeds.
- Mint — Add even more freshness by tossing the watermelon with fresh mint leaves, or you may use fresh basil instead.
- Lime — For the vinaigrette, use fresh squeezed and not bottled lime juice.
- Honey — Although watermelon is already sweet, a bit of honey (or maple syrup) balances out all the flavors.
- Feta cheese — If you’re not a fan of feta cheese, you may use crumbled goat cheese or fresh mozzarella with a pinch of salt in its place.
- Blueberries — Totally optional, but I love adding blueberries for a pop of color.
How to make watermelon and feta salad
STEP 1 | Prep the watermelon
- Start with a chilled watermelon. Cut the watermelon in wedges, then carefully remove the rind with a sharp knife and cut into cubes. If you prefer, you may use a melon baller to scoop out the watermelon.
- Finely chop or mince the fresh mint leaves and toss together with the watermelon in a large bowl.
STEP 2 | Make the honey-lime dressing
- Juice the lime into a small bowl and whisk in the honey until smooth.
STEP 3 | Toss and serve
- Add the blueberries to the bowl with the watermelon, pour on the honey-lime dressing and toss gently.
- Next, add the crumbled feta cheese and serve immediately.
tips
- Leftover watermelon can get mushy or “mealy” so this dish is best served immediately. Store uncut watermelon in the bottom of the refrigerator to chill before slicing.
- For a fun serving idea, cut watermelon into small pie-shaped wedges and serve on a plate drizzled with dressing and topped with Feta cheese crumbles and blueberries.
Frequently asked questions
Unlike with other melons, the smell test won’t tell you if a watermelon is ripe. Instead, look for a watermelon that has a golden ground spot on the bottom (where it rested on the ground as it ripened) and a green stem (indicating it was recently harvested). Also, the watermelon should feel heavy and have a hollow sound when you give it a tap.
Watermelon is packed with lots of nutrients, including vitamin C and both citrulline and lycopene, two powerful plant compounds. While salty feta cheese in the salad does add some sodium, it’s also an excellent source of protein and calcium. All in all, this salad is healthy and often a suggestion on the Mediterranean diet.
Watermelon Feta Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed chilled watermelon
- 1 teaspoon mint leaves minced
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ⅓ cup Feta cheese crumbles
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Gently toss watermelon with minced mint leaves in a large bowl. Add the blueberries.
- Stir together lime juice and honey and pour over watermelon and toss gently.
- Top with Feta cheese crumbles; serve immediately.
Notes
- Leftover watermelon can get mushy or “mealy” so this dish is best served immediately. Store uncut watermelon in the bottom of the refrigerator to chill before slicing.
- For a fun serving idea, cut watermelon into small pie-shaped wedges and serve on a plate drizzled with dressing and Feta cheese crumbles
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Here’s more Farmer’s Market Week Recipes
Starters and Drinks Recipes
- Baked Feta Pasta with Spinach by SueBee Homemaker
- Cheese Stuffed Banana Peppers by Savory Moments
- Dill Vinegar by Palatable Pastime
- Herb Cream Cheese Dip by Take Two Tapas
- Zucchini Walnut Bread by West Via Midwest
- Watermelon Slush by The Fresh Cooky
- Whipped Feta with Honey by Books n’ Cooks
- Zucchini Pico de Gallo Salsa by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Side Dishes Recipes
- Air-Fried Zucchini by Our Good Life
- Air Fryer Parmesan Squash Fries by Cookaholic Wife
- Brussels and Bowties by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Classic 3-Bean Salad by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Green Beans with Shallots by Family Around the Table
- Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata by House of Nash Eats
- Mexican Street Corn by Blogghetti
- Watermelon and Feta Salad by Life Love and Good Food
Main Dish Recipes
- Asparagus and Coconut Stir-Fry by Magical Ingredients
- Fresh Chicken and Veggie Pizza by The Freshman Cook
- Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan by Frugal & Fit
- Grilled Chicken Tacos with Strawberry Salsa by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Dessert Recipes
- Blueberry Pie by Lemon Blossoms
- Chai Snickerdoodle Peach Cobbler by The Spiffy Cookie
- Fresh Peach Shortcakes by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Peach Bruschetta by The Redhead Baker
- Peach Ice Cream by Devour Dinner
- Peach Kuchen by Hostess At Heart
- Peaches and Cream Cake Roll by Kate’s Recipe Box
- Yogurt Panna Cotta with Fresh Raspberry Sauce by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
I love watermelon and it is a favorite summer food. I have had a similar salad before and it is delicious- I love the lime dressing.
I love all the colors and flavors in this salad – perfect for summer and feta goes so well with these fruits.
I love everything about this simple summer salad from the fresh mint to the savory/sweet play of feta and fruit. This is going with our bbq chicken for dinner this weekend.
So beautiful and fresh, I’d even eat it for breakfast!
What a bright, colorful, and delicious salad! Love it!
It looks like you picked out the perfect watermelon. So red and juicy!
You can’t go wrong with sweet and salty and this looks so fresh.
I love everything in this dish, and the honey lime dressing sounds awesome.
It’s such a pretty salad. I have the perfect bowl for it.
What a beautiful, flavorful and refreshing salad. A perfect summertime treat.
Oh my, I have all the ingredients for this in my fridge – yay me! Making it this week!
I love the sound of that honey-lime dressing! Summer calls for fruit salads for sure.
One of the best things about summer is fresh fruit salads. Yours sounds delicious.