Watermelon Feta Mint Salad

This refreshing Watermelon Feta Mint Salad is a simple summer side that’s easy to make and customize! Our version is coated in honey lime dressing and sprinkled with feta cheese. A perfect sweet and salty combo you’ll love!

What are the ingredients in this Watermelon Feta Mint Salad?

If you’ve got a watermelon or an excess of mint in your garden, this is a lovely salad to throw together – only 7 ingredients, including oil and salt. Here’s a breakdown of everything I used, plus possible substitutions:

• watermelon – My grocery store usually has the 7-10 pound watermelons, so for this recipe, I use half of one. If you find smaller watermelons, that works too!
• honey – Not only does honey provide an extra touch of sweetness to contrast the lime and flaky sea salt, but I just love the flavor of honey with lime. It brings a complexity to the whole thing. Don’t skip!
• extra virgin olive oil – Using a little bit of oil in the simple dressing helps the it coat the watermelon and cling well, so you get all the flavors in one bite.
• lime – For a more complex flavor profile and to contrast the sweet and salty, I prefer using lime here. Honey lime is one of my favorite flavor combos! You’ll need the zest and juice from just one lime. Lemon would work as a sub here!
• salt – It might sound weird at first, but adding a quality salt like Maldon Flaky Sea Salt makes every flavor stand out in the salad.
• mint – Grab one .5 ounce clamshell from the store and use the whole thing! If you have extra in the garden, definitely use that.
• feta cheese – The higher quality feta cheese you use, the better this salad will taste. If you have access to goat’s milk feta, that works well too. If you don’t like feta, you can skip it, and you’ll still have a delicious salad!

Equipment you’ll need to make Watermelon Feta Mint Salad:

While this watermelon salad is relatively simple to put together, there are a couple pieces of kitchen equipment you’ll definitely need to make things go smoothly:

• For my knife, I use a Misen Chef’s Knife (affiliate link!). This knife is super high quality while being affordable. I’ve had mine for years (and there’s a lifetime guarantee!).
• For a cutting board, I recommend this Greener Chef XL Bamboo Cutting Board (affiliate link!). The XL size is perfect but not too huge. I use it for everything except cutting raw meat.
• For food storage bowls, I always use these 8-Piece Pyrex Sculptured Mixing Bowl Set (affiliate link!). The large size is great for storing watermelon!

How to make Watermelon Feta Mint Salad:

Not many surprises in making this salad! Cut up the watermelon, make sure it’s cold, add the dressing, toppings, and serve. Here are the details:

Start by prepping the watermelon. For large watermelons, cut in half, then cover the other half with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. For all melons, cut the ends off and put the flat end on a cutting board. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Here’s my method:

One side at a time, use a sharp knife to cut the rind and white parts away, rotating the melon on the cutting board as you go. First, cut the melon into spears by cutting 1 inch thick slices, rotating 90 degrees ⤴️, and cutting 1 inch slices again.

Next, cut spears into cubes by laying the spears flat and making cuts 1 inch apart. See photos below for a visual guide, or check out this guide on how to cut a watermelon into cubes.

Once the watermelon is cut, transfer all the cubes to a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes. You want the watermelon to be as cold as possible when you serve the salad.

Next, make the dressing. Be sure to set the lime zest aside before juicing the lime! You can make the dressing in a bowl with a whisk, but my preference is to use a mason jar with lid. That way I can put the lid on and shake!

Combine the honey, extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, and a pinch of salt until it’s a smooth texture. This is another step you can technically do ahead of time to save a couple minutes later.

Drain away any excess liquid in the bottom of the watermelon bowl. Fold in the dressing, mint and a pinch of salt. Then, transfer the dressed watermelon to a shallow serving bowl, top with crumbled feta, lime zest, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and a couple mint springs if you wish. Make it look beautiful and then serve immediately with a slotted spoon.  

Best tips for making Watermelon Feta Mint Salad:

• For best results, serve this dish using very cold watermelon. Either refrigerate the whole watermelon if you can, or cube it up ahead of time.
• You’ll want to use a fresh lime over bottled lime juice. We also want the zest for topping and flavor!
• Be sure to drain the juice at the bottom of the bowl of watermelon before continuing the recipe. Leaving a lot of juice will dilute the dressing and give a watered down salad (no one wants that!).

What to serve with Watermelon Feta Mint Salad:

This recipe is perfectly refreshing for warm weather potlucks and gatherings. Or, serve it as a side for family barbecue night, with grilled meat and pasta salad. It would also make a great appetizer to tide people over until the main dish is ready!

Ways to customize this recipe:

Here are a few ways to customize this recipe and make it better for YOU:

• Skip the feta. This is the top request at my house.
• Use lemon instead of lime. Another delicious option!
• Add some basil. Go for an herby vibe with both mint and basil.
• Add some pickled onions. A lovely recommendation I need to try!

Ways to meal prep this recipe:

This recipe is best quality at the time it’s made. However, here are a couple of options to prep components ahead of time:

• Watermelon: Remove the rind and cut into cubes, then store the watermelon cubes in a large bowl with lid in the fridge. This essentially completes step one of the recipe, and helps the watermelon get as cold as possible.
• Dressing: Put the ingredients for the dressing into a mason jar and store it in the fridge ahead of time. Store the lime zest separately as well.

Is this recipe freezer-friendly?

No, I would not recommend freezing this recipe due to the fresh ingredients and textures involved.

However, cubed watermelon on its own can be frozen! Here’s more on how to freeze watermelon from Simply Recipes. It will lose its texture as it thaws, but it’s great for things like frozen blended beverages or watermelon smoothies.

How to store leftover Watermelon Feta Mint Salad:

Leftovers can be stored for a day or so, however the feta will begin to dissolve in the accumulated dressing and liquid, so it won’t look the best anymore. If you’re planning to save any of this salad, skip the feta and add it right before serving later.