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A new spin on the classic watermelon feta salad! My feta salad has tons of sweet strawberries, cubed watermelon, briny feta cheese, crunchy cucumbers, and pistachios! This is the perfect watermelon salad to bring to a picnic this summer!
Watermelon on a salad on a hot summer day – is what’s up, folks!
This is the only summer salad you need from here on out! Sweet watermelon with briny feta cheese, crunchy Persian cucumbers, fresh mint to brighten the whole thing and nutty pistachios. This is the salad recipe that you need to keep in your back pocket when you’re invited to a last minute bbq or summer potluck. It’s a serious crowd pleaser with that lime juice and olive oil drizzle.
If you’ve never experienced watermelon and feta cheese together in a salad, you’re in for a real treat!
The sweetness of watermelon balances beautifully with the tangy, salty crumbled feta cheese. The first time I added a little feta cheese to a bowlful of watermelon, I nearly fell of my chair. I had always heard of people having feta with watermelon, but to be honest, I thought it was going to be super weird. I mean, I like feta! A LOT. In fact, I’m borderline OBSESSED with the fresh feta at my favorite speciality food store and can’t pass up the chance to grab a block every time we’re near there. But with watermelon? And strawberries?
The taste is like magic – sweet, salty, creamy, and savory. The texture isn’t far behind with all that delicious crunch!
Ingredients for watermelon feta salad recipe:
- Seedless Watermelon: My number 1 tip for finding a big juicy and sweet watermelon is to look for one with an orange field spot. The darker that yellow field spot is, the longer the watermelon was allowed to ripen on the vine. Remove the rind, then cut the watermelon into cubes. If you’re serving this in a large bowl or in slices if you prefer to make a platter.
- Strawberries: Look for ruby red strawberries so that they provide tons of flavor! I like to clean, and then hull my strawberries before cutting them into quarters. You can also cube them to make them a more fork friendly side dish.
- Avocados: these are optional! I used to add avocados to my salad in the past, however, in recent years, I’ve dropped the avocado to cut back on the fat content of this salad.
- Persian Cucumbers: Thin and crispy cucumbers cleanse the palate between bites of sweet syrupy watermelon and add tons of crunch!
- Feta Cheese: I love using a good briny and salt feta for this recipe. Preferably french feta if you can find it. You can use vegan feta to make this salad vegan-friendly or swap it with goat cheese for a less tangy salad!
- Fresh Mint Leaves: I love the fresh herb flavor that mint adds to the salad. But you could swap these for fresh basil leaves if you aren’t a fan.
- Pistachios: Adds nutty element to the recipe. In the past, I’ve also used sliced almonds and walnuts. Feel free to use what you like here.
- Arugula: The natural pepperiness of arugula creates the most delicious flavor when combined with salty feta and watermelon. If you want to make this salad without the base, feel free to omit the arugula entirely and just up all the other ingredients a bit so you aren’t left with too much dressing. Or use avocados instead!
- Limes: Grab a fresh lime because you’re going to need the zest and the lime juice!
- Sugar: A hint of sugar in the dressing just balances it out – don’t worry, the dressing isn’t sweet! You’ll also need a pinch of salt to balance all the flavors in the dressing.
- Olive Oil: I like to use extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe since we’re not cooking anything. It adds a nice clean flavor to the salad.
How to make the best watermelon feta salad:
- Chop it up! Start by dicing your watermelon, cubing or quartering the strawberries, slice the cucumbers, dice the avocados if you’re using them. Crumble or cube the feta. Chop up the mint and roughly chop the pistachios.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the salt, lime juice, lime zest, sugar, and olive oil in a small bowl. Whisk it together and set it aside for now. If the dressing separates at any point, simply whisk it back together.
- Toss and serve. Add the arugula to the bottom of a large platter or serving bowl. Then top with watermelon, strawberries, avocados, cucumbers, feta, mint, and pistachios. Finally, dress the salad with half of the dressing and toss to combine. Taste and adjust with more dressing as desired. Lastly, serve and enjoy!
FAQs about this recipe:
Feta pairs beautifully with feta cheese. You can also swap it for goat cheese if you’d like. My crunchy strawberry goat cheese salad recipe is proof that this is a great replacement!
Grilled or roasted chicken or your protein of choice! Salmon would also pair well or other types of seafood.
You can swap the mint for fresh basil leaves if you aren’t a fan.
Totally!
I suggest keeping any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consuming within 24 hours if possible. The acid from the dressing and the high water content from the watermelon means this one needs to be eaten ASAP!
You might also like these summer recipes:
- Mediterranean Shrimp Orzo Salad
- Sour Cream Chive Potato Salad
- Summer Macaroni Salad
- Lemon Basil Arugula Pasta Salad
This recipe was original shared June 2015, updated with new post, images, and minor recipe edits June 2022.
Strawberry Watermelon Feta Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups strawberries
- 3 cups cubed watermelon
- 2 avocados diced (optional)
- 4 ounces arugula optional
- 2 Persian cucumbers
- 1 cup feta cubed
- 8-9 mint sprigs chopped
- ¼ cup chopped pistachio or sliced almonds
Dressing:
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice + the zest of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- DRESSING: In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients listed in a small bowl. Whisk it together and set it aside for now. If the dressing separates at any point, simply whisk to combine.
- TOSS AND SERVE: Keep dressing and salad separate if you aren’t serving immediately. Add the arugula to the bottom of a large bowl. Top with watermelon, strawberries, avocados, cucumbers, feta, mint, and pistachios. Dress the salad with half of the dressing and toss to combine. Taste and adjust with more dressing as desired. Serve once dressed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
I made this for the 4th of July and it was a huge hit! It’s great and I only used half the dressing. Follow the directions and wait to add it right before serving. I also used almonds. This salad is now my new summer favorite!
I never post reviews but this salad was everything! I am so over strawberry salads with candied nuts, greens etc and was searching for something different happily came across this recipe. Easy prep delicious results.
This list of summer items looks & sounds amazing!!! Will be trying several, thank you Marzia!
Thanks so much, Maryl! Hope you enjoy everything you try 🙂