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This delicious watermelon salad with mint and feta combines the refreshing sweetness of watermelon with the light brine of crumbled feta and the cooling aroma of fresh mint, creating the perfect flavor combination to enjoy during the warm summer months. This Mediterranean-style salad is best when watermelon is in season and at its peak, and it makes a great side to serve with classic summer dishes like grilled chicken, pork, and salmon.
Notes from the MGC Kitchen
Watermelon and feta cheese is a flavor combination you might question until you try it yourself, but this sweet-salty pairing is positively refreshing, especially during the summer.
For this recipe, we chose to use white balsamic vinegar to avoid discoloring the watermelon and feta cheese. However, there’s no reason you can’t use traditional balsamic, or even rose balsamic.
Featured Ingredients & Shopping Tips
This is an overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. Please see the printable recipe card below for the complete listing, including quantities.
- SEEDLESS WATERMELON: It might be tempting to save a bit of time by purchasing pre-cut chunks of watermelon, but the flavor of a juicy, ripe seedless watermelon will win out every time. A small watermelon will yield more than enough for this recipe, plus leftovers. If you find it easier to weigh your diced watermelon rather than measure it in cups, a cup of watermelon is equal to about 5.4 ounces.
- FETA CHEESE: You can get crumbled feta at the grocery store, but we prefer to buy a block and crumble it ourselves. If you find that your feta is a bit too briney, you can give it a quick rinse in cold water, then pat it dry thoroughly before crumbling it with your fingers or the tines of a fork. We used Greek Isle® Imported Organic Feta from Greece and enjoyed its soft, crumbly texture and tangy flavor.
- FRESH MINT: With a clean, refreshing flavor and just a hint of sweetness, fresh mint adds a beautiful pop of color and contrast to this watermelon salad, along with a fabulous aroma.
Shopping for Fresh Watermelon
We like to use seedless watermelon for this dish. They come in a variety of sizes and in both yellow and red flesh, although the red variety is much more common. Technically, seedless watermelons aren’t completely seedless. They do contain small, edible white seeds similar to cucumbers.
If you’re buying a whole watermelon, look for one that’s free from cuts, bruises and soft spots. It should feel somewhat heavy for its size and have a creamy yellow spot on the bottom where it rested on the ground. This is a good indication that it was allowed to ripen on the vine.
Safe handling note: Be sure to wash the outside of the watermelon under running water before cutting to avoid transferring any contaminants to the flesh inside.
How to Make Watermelon and Feta Salad with Mint
This is an overview of how this recipe is prepared. Please see the printable recipe card below for detailed step-by-step instructions.
This recipe couldn’t be easier! Toss the watermelon, onion, most of the feta, and mint in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and balsamic, season it up, and mix gently.
Then, put it in a serving dish, sprinkle the rest of the feta and mint on top, and serve right away!
Make Ahead Tips
If you want to prep this watermelon and feta salad ahead of time, you can cut up the watermelon and onion, chiffonade the mint and crumble the feta in advance – just store everything in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to a day in advance. Due to the high water content of the watermelon, it tends to release juices as it sits, so it’s important to wait to assemble and dress this salad until just before serving.
What to Serve with Watermelon and Feta Salad
The sweetness of this salad pairs well with savory grilled dishes, like juicy grilled pork chops, cedar planked salmon, or grilled portobello burgers.
If you’re looking for a way to use up any leftover watermelon, a cocktail with muddled watermelon is the perfect choice!
Watermelon and Feta Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups seedless watermelon, cut into small (1/2-inch) cubes
- 1/3 cup chopped sweet onion
- 3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese, divided
- 3 tablespoons chiffonade of fresh mint, divided
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the watermelon, onion, 1/2 cup of the feta cheese and 2 tablespoons of the mint in a mixing bowl.
- Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar, toss gently and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the salad to a serving dish and scatter the remaining cheese and mint on top.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is delicious. I never thought to pair watermelon with something savory like onion or feta cheese, but I really like it.
Hi Greta,
I’m happy to hear that you liked the salad. Sweet and savory pairings are a favorite of ours.