This watermelon feta salad is the perfect summer salad. It’s fun, fruity, refreshing, and made with just 9 ingredients! More so, this watermelon cucumber salad with feta and mint is gluten-free, oil-free, and can even be made dairy-free for a delicious vegan treat.
Chop the watermelon into small bite-sized pieces. There are several ways you can do this. For example, I like to slice the watermelon in half, then place it slice-side down on my cutting surface. Use a sharp knife to cut slices around 1 inch, vertically and horizontally to create a grid (see images on the blog). You can then slice each long piece into cubes.
Step 2: Prepare the remaining ingredients
Cut the cucumber and onion. I sliced coins from the cucumber but feel free to chop half or quarter-moons. And I cut fine slices of the shallot/red onion.You can optionally halve, quarter, or slice the olives - but I left them whole.
Lightly rinse and pat dry the arugula (if needed).
Step 3: Assemble the salad
Add the arugula and chopped ingredients to a large serving bowl. Crumble in the feta cheese, and then add the lime juice and pepper.
Use salad tongs (or just a large spoon) to carefully toss the salad until it's thoroughly combined. I recommend allowing 15 minutes for the flavors to meld (in the fridge is best as this salad tastes best when chilled) and marinate before serving. Enjoy!
How to Make Ahead and Store
Make ahead: you can chop the watermelon up to a day in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.Store: store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Watermelon quickly starts to release its juices and loses quality, so I recommend enjoying it as soon as possible for the best flavor.
Notes
Enjoy it chilled: the best thing about watermelon on a hot summer's day is when it's chilled to perfection. The same thing goes for this watermelon feta salad. If you're not planning on eating it immediately, then chill it until you're ready. I always store my watermelon in the fridge too, so it's cooled before chopping.
Marinate for best results: all you need is 15 minutes to allow this watermelon feta salad to marinade and allow the flavors to meld.
Omit the greens: if you're not a fan of arugula, or want a stripped-back watermelon salad, feel free to omit the leafy green entirely. This salad will still taste amazing!
Use high-quality feta: it may not seem important, but high-quality feta can make a massive difference with this simple watermelon arugula salad. I recommend using a high-quality block of feta that's either French feta (which is creamier) or Greek feta.
Optional Add-Ins and Variations
Avocado: the creamy texture and healthy fats in avocado make it a good potential add-in for this simple pineapple salad.
Vinaigrette: I didn't add any olive oil to the simple lime dressing for this salad, as the olives already contain oil. However, if you want more of a vinaigrette dressing, you could combine extra virgin olive oil with lime juice or some red wine vinegar/champagne vinegar. Alternatively, you could use a balsamic vinegar/glaze (for a bit of sweetness) as a dressing.
Yogurt sauce: in place of a vinaigrette, you could use a simple yogurt sauce for a creamy element. Use Greek yogurt or dairy-free option like coconut yogurt.
Nuts/Seeds: for added crunch, you can sprinkle over crushed walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, or even seeds like omega sprinkle, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, etc.
Other fruit/vegetables: you can experiment with several other add-ins, including celery, figs, grapes, apples, pomegranate seeds (a favorite of mine), strawberries, blueberries, roasted bell peppers, tomatoes, etc. I've also previously made this as a watermelon radish salad, with lots of slices of radish.
Mustard: if you've seen the trend on TikTok, you might have realized that mustard pairs surprisingly well with watermelon and this watermelon salad.
Bread: you could add in homemade croutons or use larger pieces like in a Panzanella salad.
Check the blog post for more tips and answers to top FAQs.