Here’s a recipe for the ultimate summer fruit-forward salad. Juicy watermelon, sweet strawberries, and crunchy cucumbers meet cool mint and salty, creamy feta cheese in a picnic and barbecue-perfect side dish.
These flavors pair beautifully with grilled chicken, beef, salmon, or pork slathered in barbecue sauce, and it's a welcome addition to a sandwich-centric lunch. This pretty medley also sits well on a plate at an elegant (bridal or graduation?) luncheon.
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What to Love About This Recipe
- Cooling blend of juicy, crisp ingredients is incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day
- No-cook recipe is excellent for picnics, barbecues, and potlucks
- Hydrating and nourishing side dish loaded with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins
Ingredients
- Watermelon: half of a small, seedless watermelon 🍉
- Strawberries: about a pint, sliced or quartered 🍓
- Cucumber: half of an English or regular cucumber—leave the skin on for crunch and nutrients 🥒
- Feta cheese: a salty, creamy contrast—block-style is best, but crumbles are fine
- Fresh mint: if using dried, add a Tablespoon to the dressing rather than the salad 🌿ingredients
- Olive oil: Use a mild extra-virgin olive oil—nothing overly bold
- Lime juice: One medium lime will usually provide enough juice🍋🟩
- Lime zest
- Honey 🍯
How to Make It
This no-cook salad is easy fresh produce prep: Washing, slicing, and dicing the fruits, veggies, and herbs.
1️⃣ Wash your hands, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water for 20 seconds, before starting.
2️⃣ Wash the melon and dry. Slice it in half using a serrated knife (affiliate link). Place one half sliced side down on a plate and store in the refrigerator.
Remove the rind on the other half, and cut into slices. Cut slices into cubes and place in a large bowl.
3️⃣ Wash and dry the strawberries. Remove the stems and slice or quarter with a chef’s knife or paring knife (affiliate links). Add to the bowl with the watermelon cubes.
4️⃣ Wash the cucumber and cut it in half with a chef’s knife. Cover the cut end of one of the halves and store in the refrigerator. Remove the end of the other half and slice it through the middle so you have two equal pieces.
Slice the pieces in half lengthwise, so that you have a total of eight pieces.Cut crosswise through the pieces, making half-inch slices. Add to the bowl.
5️⃣ Slice a four-ounce block of feta cheese (about half of a package). Cut the slices in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise to create small cubes of cheese. Add these to the bowl.
6️⃣ Wash and dry the mint. Roughly chop and add to the bowl.
7️⃣ Zest your lime with a fine grater (affiliate link) over a measuring cup. Then add the other dressing ingredients: olive oil, lime juice, and honey. Whisk well and pour over the contents of the bowl.
Note: If using dried mint, add it to the dressing in this step.
8️⃣ The salad is ready to enjoy immediately, or you can cover it and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Prep Tips and Storage
To speed up assembly, all the fruits and vegetables can be washed in advance. However, it’s better to wait on cutting and slicing them until you are ready to fully prepare the recipe.
🔪If you need a cutting board, I highly recommend these boards from Epicurean, made from paper (believe it or not) not plastic! They are dishwasher safe and NSF (National Safety Foundation) certified.
The watermelon and cucumber and will release liquid fairly quickly once cut, and the strawberries lose texture rapidly after slicing. The mint can turn black if chopped in advance and will not look its best.
You can wait until just before serving to add the feta cheese.
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The assembled salad will last for up to two days in the refrigerator, covered, or placed in an airtight container. It will be most attractive if served on the day it is made.
Variations
Although this salad shines with just the ingredients listed, a couple of additions can further enhance it.
Dinner party edition: Mix in a few handfuls of arugula and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Also, consider a drizzle of balsamic glaze applied over the top.
Red onion: Mix sliced onion in with all the fruits and vegetables.
Nutrition Notes
Hydration: One of the main benefits of this cooling salad is its high water content, which can help support hydration during hot weather.
Cucumbers are 96% water and also contain soluble fiber in the form of pectin. This fiber helps your body hang onto water in the digestive tract. They are also an excellent source of vitamin K, which is an assist for bone health and blood clotting.
Nutrition Speak: A good nutrient source offers 10% to 19% of the Daily Value. An excellent source provides 20% or more.
Watermelon is 92% water and, while it offers very little fiber, delivers vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It’s particularly rich in vitamins A, B6, and B1, and is an excellent source of vitamin C.
Watermelon also contains potassium, phosphorus, and some magnesium—minerals that help support hydration, muscle function, and bone health.
It may assist exercise recovery and heart health since it contains L-citrulline, an amino acid that may increase nitric oxide production, which can improve vascular health.
Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, important for immunity, iron absorption, and collagen formation, all of which support healthy skin and bones. The lime (citrus) in the salad also contains vitamin C.
Mint can aid digestion and contains antioxidants that are antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. The scent and flavor are highly refreshing and may enhance focus.
With its refreshing flavor and generous supply of nutrients, this salad is ideal for hot-weather meals and gatherings.
FAQs
Yes, but it’s best assembled within a few hours of serving for the freshest texture.
The texture of frozen strawberries is softer than fresh and they may turn to mush as they sit in the salad. If using frozen, be sure and thaw before adding to the salad. Fresh berries will make the salad more appealing.
English cucumbers are ideal because they have thin skin and fewer seeds, but regular cucumbers also work well. With large garden cucumbers, you may want to remove some of the seeds.
Yes. Fresh basil gives the salad a slightly sweeter, more Mediterranean flavor profile. A combination of basil and mint is also delicious.
Yes. Goat cheese or fresh mozzarella pearls both work nicely, although feta provides the best salty contrast to the sweet fruit.
Yes. Watermelon naturally releases liquid as it sits although chilling for an hour is a good idea. For best texture, enjoy the salad the day it is made and drain excess liquid before serving leftovers.
Related Recipes
Honeydew Salad with Mint and Lime: This elegant salad makes the most of a honeydew melon with a deliciously spiced dressing.
The Fastest Cucumber Salad: There are actually four different cucumber salad variations offered, but the main recipe is just cucumbers in a zippy French-style vinaigrette!
White Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Make these beauties during spring and summer when berries are the best. A terrific treat for a wedding brunch!
Watermelon Strawberry Cucumber Salad with Feta and Mint
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Liquid measuring cup or small bowl or jar
- 1 Large spatula
Ingredients
- 5 cups watermelon cubed, from a personal-size seedless melon
- 2 cups strawberries sliced or quartered
- ½ large cucumber dark green skinned or English variety
- 4 ounces feta cheese sliced into ½-inch cubes, or use crumbles
- ¼ cup mint chopped. Can substitute 1 Tablespoon dried, if necessary. See tip below.
- Few grinds salt to taste
Citrus-Honey Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice or lemon
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil extra virgin, but not too strong
- 1 teaspoon honey or 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon lime zest or lemon zest
Instructions Start Cooking
- Wash hands thoroughly, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water.
- Wash the watermelon, scrubbing the skin with a brush. Dry the melon and cut it in half with a large, serrated knife. Place the half, flat side down on the cutting board. Slice off the end and cut off the sides.Cut the skinned melon into slices. Cut the slices into sticks and cut across the sticks to make medium-sized cubes. (Small cubes become mushy quickly.) Measure out 5 to 6 cups and place in a large bowl. (Store any extra in a separate container.)5 cups watermelon
- Wash the strawberries and pat dry. Remove the stems and slice or quarter. Add them to the bowl.2 cups strawberries
- Wash a cucumber, scrubbing the skin. Dry the cuke and cut it in half. Wrap one half and place in the fridge. Cut off them end of the remaining half. Cut the half in half horizontally and then lengthwise, so that you have 4 pieces. Slice each quarter in half lengthwise so that you have 8 pieces. Make ¼-inch slices.Add the sliced cucumber pieces to the bowl.½ large cucumber
- Slice your feta and then cut into ½-inch cubes. Or, use crumbled feta. (See note below.)4 ounces feta cheese
- Wash and dry the mint and roughly chop. Sprinkle over the watermelon, strawberries, and cucumber.¼ cup mint
- Grind some salt over the contents of the bowl.Few grinds salt
Honey-Citrus Dressing
- Wash the lime and zest it before cutting it in half. Squeeze the lime halves over a glass measuring cup. (One lime usually yields 2 Tablespoons of juice.)½ teaspoon lime zest 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- Top the lime zest and juice with the olive oil and honey. Whisk together until emulsified.2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon honey
- Pour the dressing over the fruit, cucumber, cheese, and herbs in the large bowl.Gently toss everything together until completely coated with dressing. Enjoy!!
Notes
Nutrition
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