Wedge Watermelon Feta Salad (Cool and Refreshing!)
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A Mediterranean-style watermelon feta salad that looks beautiful on the table and is so easy to make. Slice the melon into wedges for a fun way to serve, and top with colorful tomatoes, cucumber, fresh mint leaves and feta cheese. Make this absolutely delicious salad in minutes!
This cool and refreshing watermelon feta salad is a Mediterranean-style salad that will win everyone over. It’s very easy to make and looks amazing on any table.
You cannot beat a watermelon salad if you’re looking for an easy, show-stopping dish to bring to a potluck or to serve as a fresh-tasting side. It literally takes minutes to make!
Slice thick slabs of melon into wedges, top with crunchy cucumbers, sweet ripe tomatoes and feta cheese. This is one of our favorite salad recipes that practically screams Summertime!
Watermelon feta salads are always a hit, and it has to be because of all the salty-sweet-sour flavors going on — it’s like the perfect storm for your taste buds.
Ingredients in watermelon feta salad
- Ripe seedless watermelon: One thick round wedge will make six wedge-shaped servings. You can easily multiply this recipe to serve a bigger crowd.
- Cucumber: Use baby (also called Persian) cucumbers or greenhouse English cucumbers
- Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes: Use an assortment of colors to make a beautiful salad.
- For the dressing, shake up a tangy red wine vinaigrette in a jar with olive oil and shallot. Mix with the tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion to briefly marinate.
- Top the wedges of watermelon with crumbled feta cheese, fresh mint, basil or cilantro leaves and a sprinkle of chili pepper. The mixture of sweet, juicy watermelon with salty, creamy feta cheese is a classic combination, and for good reason.
Serving tips for watermelon salad
This is a savory fruit salad, perfect to serve a side dish with grilled chicken, steak or burgers.
- Serve it as a simple lunch salad or hydrating snack any time of day,
- You can slice up the watermelon up to one day ahead, but it’s best to assemble the salad right at serving time to keep it from getting soggy and seeping too much water.
- Ideally, your melon will be very juicy, so make sure to have knives and forks handy for neater eating. But, I have to say it’s very satisfying to eat this salad with your hands, preferably over the sink!
- To mix it up a little and make this salad even more fun to eat (I’m talking pizza-style), arrange thick wedges of watermelon on a big serving platter or large wooden board for casual nibbling.
Tips for choosing a sweet, ripe watermelon
There’s nothing more disappointing than lugging home a watermelon only to find that it’s a complete dud when you cut it open. For this salad, you want a sweet, juicy fruit with all its natural sugar intact.
- Go for a melon with a somewhat dull (not shiny) skin.
- Lift it and make sure if feels heavy when compared to other melons of the same size in the bin.
- Look for a yellowish color on one side of the melon, or the “field spot”. This means the melon had time to rest on the ground and ripen on the vine.
- Tap the watermelon with your knuckles. It should feel firm and sound hollow, indicating that it’s full of juice.
Many markets sell halves or slices of watermelon, which will save time and effort when it comes to making a salad. But if you need directions for dealing with an entire watermelon, read on.
How to slice a watermelon
Steps for cutting up a watermelon to make this salad:
- Choose a medium-sized seedless watermelon. Wash the skin and pat dry.
- Trim off the stem end with a large, sharp chef’s knife.
- Slice off a 1 1/2-inch round slab.
- Cut the slab into 6 wedges.
- Repeat as necessary.
Wedge Watermelon Feta Salad (Cool and Refreshing!)
Ingredients
Salad dressing
- 1 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot, or red onion
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ cups (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
- 1 1 ⅓ inch-thick slice of seedless watermelon
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes in assorted colors, sliced in halves or quarters, depending on size
- 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
- ½ cup (15 g) fresh mint, cilantro or basil leaves, or a combination
- ¾ cup (95 g) crumbled feta cheese
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili, optional
Instructions
Dressing
Mix the dressing
- Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar with a lid. Shake well until blended. The dressing keeps refrigerated one week.
Assemble the salad
- Slice the watermelon into six wedges and arrange in a circle on a large serving platter
- Add the tomatoes and cucumber to a bowl and gently toss with the dressing.
- Spoon the tomato mixure over the watermelon. Top with torn herb leaves, feta and crushed red chili to taste. Enjoy!
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Make ahead tips: You can slice up the watermelon up to one day ahead, but it’s best to assemble the salad right at serving time to keep it from getting soggy.
- The dressing keeps refrigerated one week.
- The recipe is easily multiplied — use on round slice for each serving of 6.
- Choose a medium-sized seedless watermelon. Wash the skin and pat dry.
- Trim off the stem end with a large, sharp chef’s knife.
- Cut a thin piece of skin off one side of the melon. This will allow the melon to sit flat on your cutting board without rolling around.
- Slice off a 1 1/2-inch round slab.
- Cut the slab into 6 wedges.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
This was a massive hit with the fam so I’m bringing it to a Girls Night In 😊 Thank you Karen for always putting forth such fab recipes with equally fab photography that makes us want to try it!
Yum!! We loved this. It was such a great way to enjoy watermelon and also super fun for the kids!
Oh, Karen – you’re absolutely right – this gorgeous watermelon salad truly does scream SUMMERTIME! Super duper easy to make, and huge WOW factor! And for me, personally, I love to serve things like this that are not only impressive but also healthy, too – I feel so much better sharing healthier food with people I love! Oh – and I haven’t tried this suggestion yet, but I thought your idea of serving this on a wooden board to sort of look pizza-ish was really clever!