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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Menu / Salads / Watermelon Feta Salad

    Watermelon Feta Salad

    Jun 25, 2022 · 28 Comments

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    Sweet juicy watermelon paired with briny salty feta create a refreshing summer salad in under 20 minutes!

    This colorful dish is what summer cooking is all about – highlighting fresh and local produce, at the peak of their season, in an easy way with minimal prep.  

    The quality of the melons and feta are of supreme importance and what makes this summer salad shine!

    A crunchy, sweet, juicy, salty, briny, and tangy summer salad that celebrates every color of the melon rainbow.

    Watermelon feta salad with fresh herbs and spices. Overhead shot, on a pink plate and grey background.

    Why this Salad Recipe Works

    • Quick & easy! Easily put this salad together in 20 min or less.
    • Balance of Flavor. Sweet, juicy, and crunchy melon pair with briny, creamy and salty feta. It’s a classic Mediterranean pairing and a match made in heaven.  
    • Lime zest & juice. Enhances the the watermelon flavor, making it basically taste more like itself. A little zest goes a long way.

    Watermelons, cantaloupes, honeydews and more are welcome. It’s an equal melon opportunity recipe.

    Watermelon feta salad with colorful red, pink, orange, yellow, green and white melon and feta cubes, topped with fresh herbs and spices. Overhead shot.

    There are over 40 melon varieties, in all different colors and sizes. They’re at peak ripeness and bursting with flavor over the summer.

    This recipe is inspired by the sweet-savory watermelon and feta served on the beaches of Tel Aviv, where I live throughout my 20’s. A summer staple in Israel that’s often topped with herbal spearmint and toasty za’atar. Although the feta-melon combo doesn’t need anything else, I spiced it up and added a zesty vinaigrette.

    How to make this Watermelon Feta Salad

    Cut your watermelon and feta. Whisk vinaigrette. Toss all together. Top with fresh herbs and spices. Enjoy.

    Rainbow melon salad with basil and sumac. Overhead shot on a black plate.
    without feta
    Colorful watermelon feta salad with red, orange, green and white melon balls, basil, sumac and za'atar.
    with feta
    Watermelon feta salad with fresh herbs. Overhead shot on a pink plate.
    Watermelon Feta Salad topped with fresh herbs and spices. Side angle shot.
    Watermelon feta salad with red, pink, orange, yellow, green and white melon and feta cut into cubes side by side.
    pre herbs and spices
    Watermelon feta salad with melon red, pink, orange, yellow, green and white melon and feta cubes. Topped with purple basil, salt and pepper.
    with basil, salt & pepper

    The beauty of this colorful dish is in its simplicity. 

    Notes on Ingredients:

    This salad is will ONLY be as good as your watermelon & feta.

    Watermelon: To find thesweetest and juiciest melons, hit up your local farmer’s market. Look for dense, richly colored and deeply aromatic melons in the summer. They’ll be in a whole different league than the bland ones often found at the supermarket.

    Tips for selecting watermelons:  

    • Look for watermelons that feel relatively heavy for their size
    • Avoid watermelons that sound hollow or feel light (they’ll have a more watered-down flavor).

    Pro Tip: Save your watermelon rinds and pickle them!

    Feta: Look for true Greek or Bulgarian sheep's-milk feta at the market, which tends to be creamier and tangier than domestic cow's-milk versions. 

    • Haloumi works as well.
    • If you’re vegan, simply omit or swap for a salty vegan cheese counterpart.

    Pro Tip: Buy your feta in blocks! They’re much more flavorful and will consistently be a higher quality than the pre-crumbled stuff. And it really doesn’t take long to crumble!

    Rainbow spiced melon salad on a pink plate with gold cutlery and black background.

    Fresh Herbs: such as mint, basil, and/or cilantro, always add extra pop of color and freshness.

    Honey: adds a wonderful mild sweetness and floral notes to the vinaigrette. Or swap in another sweetener of your choice.

    Lime Juice & Zest: The acid in the vinegar is entirely from lime, which enhances the flavor of both the watermelon and feta, making each of those ingredients basically taste more like themselves. A little zest goes a long way.

    Za’atar: a popular Middle Eastern herbal and nutty blend.

    Sumac: This deep red tangy and sour spice, essential in Mediterranean cooking, packs in a tangy and sour punch that bursting with freshness.

    Other additions: To make this salad heartier, even a meal, simply add other chopped ingredients like arugula, kale, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, black olives, corn, pistachios, sunflower seeds, chili peppers and more!

    Melon salad with red, orange, yellow, green and white cubes of melon.

    More colorful summer salads:

    • Summer Salad Ideas
    • Peach Burrata Salad
    • Strawberry Burrata Salad

    Cooks Tips

    • When possible, buy local and organic melons.
    • Look for dense, richly colored and deeply aromatic summer melons at the local farmer’s market.
      Pro tip: Save your watermelon rinds and pickle them.
    • Look for true Greek or Bulgarian sheep's-milk feta, tends to be to be creamier and tangier than domestic cow's-milk versions. 
      Pro Tip: Buy feta in blocks. It's much more flavorful and consistently higher quality than pre-crumbled. 
    • The salad will only be as good as the quality of your watermelon and feta.
    • Salad is best served immediately, or within the hour, of dressing.
    • Leftover salad will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days.

    Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with @DanielaGerson. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and awesome adventures!

    Let's make waves in the kitchen!

    Watermelon feta salad with colorful red, pink, orange, yellow, green and white melon and feta cubes, topped with fresh herbs and spices. Overhead shot.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 11 votes

    Watermelon Feta Salad

    Sweet juicy watermelon paired with briny salty feta create a refreshing summer salad in under 20 minutes!
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time0 mins
    Course: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Salad
    Cuisine: Californian
    Servings: 6
    Author: Daniela Gerson

    Ingredients

    • 2.5-3 pound melon any kind or a combo, sliced or scooped into melon balls
    • 8 oz feta cubed or crumbled
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice
    • 1 teaspoon lime zest
    • 2 teaspoons honey
    • 1/4 cup freshly torn or chopped herbs, such as mint, basil and/or cilantro cut or torn into small pieces
    • 1.5 teaspoon za'atar
    • 1.5 teaspoon sumac
    • kosher salt to taste
    • black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Whisk together the lime juice and zest, honey, za'atar, sumac and salt while slowly pouring in the olive oil until emulsified.
    • Toss melon balls with the sumac vinaigrette. Top with feta and scatter with fresh herbs (optional).

    Notes

    • When possible, buy local and organic melons.
    • Look for dense, richly colored and deeply aromatic summer melons at the local farmer’s market.
      Pro tip: Save your watermelon rinds and pickle them.
    • Look for true Greek or Bulgarian sheep's-milk feta, tends to be to be creamier and tangier than domestic cow's-milk versions. 
      Pro Tip: Buy feta in blocks. It's much more flavorful and consistently higher quality than pre-crumbled. 
    • The salad will only be as good as the quality of your watermelon and feta.
    • Salad is best served immediately, or within the hour, of dressing.
    • Leftover salad will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. 
    Did you make this recipe? Please share and tag @DanielaGerson! I'd love to see how you're making colorful waves in the kitchen!
    « Strawberry Salad with Burrata
    Baked Peaches »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amanda says

      July 30, 2019 at 6:19 pm

      5 stars
      I can't think of a more refreshing salad for the summer, and I love how the salty, briny feta contrasts from the sweet watermelon. Thanks for such a delicious yet easy recipe!

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 03, 2020 at 10:47 am

        Absolute pleasure Amanda!!! It's so insanely easy and so insanely good! Really appreciate the sweet feedback :)!

        Reply
        • Fran says

          June 02, 2021 at 11:57 am

          5 stars
          I’ve made this recipe a few times and everyone loves it! It was soo easy and very refreshing!

          Reply
          • Daniela Gerson says

            September 11, 2021 at 1:39 pm

            So stoked to hear that Fran! It's def a summer favorite of mine + so fun to add all the different colors of melons around. Thanks so much for the sweet feedback!

            Reply
    2. Mama Maggie's Kitchen says

      August 01, 2019 at 1:35 pm

      5 stars
      This Watermelon & Feta Salad is really moth watering! Love the combination of watermelon and salty feta so much.

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 03, 2020 at 10:49 am

        Thank ya so much Maggie! I first had this watermelon-feta combo in Israel and it's so mouth waveringly delicious indeed :)!

        Reply
    3. Leslie says

      August 02, 2019 at 8:35 am

      I would eat this every day if I could! Love all the flavors here! It's a great summer recipe!

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 03, 2020 at 10:49 am

        Hehehe stoked to hear that Leslie! Thanks so much for the super sweet feedback! Can't wait to make this again over the summer!

        Reply
    4. Sharon says

      August 02, 2019 at 7:01 pm

      5 stars
      You have opened my eyes to a whole new type of fruit salad, ones made with basil oil!

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 03, 2020 at 10:52 am

        Yessssss!!!! So stoked to hear that Sharon! Made any exciting basil oil salad combos :)? One of the best feedback I can get is to open someone's eyes to new flavor combo's.... really appreciate it!

        Reply
    5. Eden says

      August 02, 2019 at 9:29 pm

      5 stars
      A wonderful and fresh summer salad! We all enjoyed this recipe and it was very easy to make. Pinning it for future gatherings!

      Reply
      • Daniela says

        August 04, 2019 at 9:09 pm

        Such sweet music to my ears Eden!!! Really cant thank ya enough for the feedback and super stoked to hear you all enjoyed it :)!

        Reply
    6. Paula Montenegro says

      August 04, 2019 at 10:49 am

      5 stars
      I can easily eat watermelon every day. It's one of my favorite ingredients. And so is feta cheese! So, yes, this might be my favorite summer salad ever! Interesting to learn about basil oil too.

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 03, 2020 at 10:50 am

        Thank ya so much Paula for the super sweet feedback! I first had this watermelon/feta combo in Israel and it's sooooo good! Can't wait for ya to try it :).

        Reply
    7. Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says

      August 04, 2019 at 12:43 pm

      This is one of my favourite flavour combos for the summer. So light and fresh 🙂

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 03, 2020 at 10:51 am

        Thank ya so much Cathleen! So super stoked to hear that! Light and refreshing indeed :). So easy to make and so much delicious flavor!

        Reply
    8. Leanne @ Crumb Top Baking says

      August 04, 2019 at 4:27 pm

      5 stars
      I definitely feel like I'm missing out on a summer staple by never having a watermelon and feta salad! I agree with you that the sweet watermelon and salty feta are a great pair. I need to make this soon!

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 03, 2020 at 10:51 am

        Yaya! So stoked to hear that Leanne! Can't wait to hear whatcha think of it! I first had this watermelon/feta combo in Israel and it pretty much blew my mind :)!

        Reply
    9. Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says

      August 04, 2019 at 6:16 pm

      For years I've thought that I didn't like feta, but having recently tried it in a salad and loved it, I'm definitely more open to trying it in things. I even have feta and sliced watermelon in my fridge right now, so I'm going to have to give this salad a try!

      Reply
      • Daniela says

        August 04, 2019 at 9:08 pm

        Yessssss!!!! So stoked to hear that Claire! And I def rec buying the feta blocks instead of the pre-crumbled stuff. Please let me know whatcha think of it after you make it... I'd love to hear :).

        Reply
    10. Jacquelyn Hastert says

      August 04, 2019 at 8:21 pm

      5 stars
      I bet this has one delicious crunch! I can't wait to give this a try before summer ends.

      Reply
      • Daniela says

        August 04, 2019 at 9:07 pm

        It absolutely does Jacquelyn! And so stoked to hear you're gonna try it this summer! Def let me know how it goes :).

        Reply
    11. Des says

      August 04, 2019 at 8:21 pm

      5 stars
      We love our watermelon over here. I can't wait to give this a try! I bet that this is refreshing and loaded with amazing flavor.

      Reply
      • Daniela says

        August 04, 2019 at 9:06 pm

        It absolutely is Des and cant wait for ya to try it either! The key with the dressing really is that basil oil! Such few ingredients yet so much flavor :).

        Reply
    12. Jacqueline says

      August 04, 2019 at 11:12 pm

      5 stars
      So glad that I made it to your pop up because this salad and everything was DELICIOUS 👍👍👍😘

      Reply
      • Daniela says

        August 25, 2019 at 9:05 am

        You are too kind Jacqueline! And I'm so super stoked to hear that you enjoyed this salad at my pop up! Thank you!!!

        Reply
    13. Amy says

      August 05, 2019 at 3:51 am

      5 stars
      This is the perfect summer salad! I love how you added the feta and basil to make all the flavors pop. I cannot wait to try this recipe!

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 03, 2020 at 10:53 am

        Yesssss!!!! So super stoked to hear that Amy! Thanks so much for the sweet feedback and can't wait to hear whatcha think of it :)!

        Reply

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    Meet Daniela

    VEGGIES ARE SEXY 

    Hi, I'm Daniela - a Los Angeles based food photographer and creative director. I began my career as a chef with a passion for sourcing colorful produce from local markets. I love emphasizing the beauty of real food with my images. I’m also a food stylist and recipe developer with a gorgeous prop-filled studio in Venice, California.

    Daniela Gerson Photography

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