Our Best Watermelon Salad Recipes (2024)

Credit: Douglas Mirriam

Watermelon salad season is in full swing, especially since it's way too hot to eat much else. We know you're looking for the perfect watermelon salad recipe, so we rounded up a bunch of our favorites, including watermelon feta salad, watermelon and cucumber salad, grilled watermelon salad, and watermelon and tomato salad—plus a few more. So go ahead and make your best watermelon salad so you can rehydrate and enjoy a nice, summery dish at the same time.

Watermelon Salad image

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint Recipe

A simple, fresh watermelon salad says summer like nothing else. And with the addition of crumbled feta cheese, bright mint,and a chunky olive vinaigrette, the salty-sweet flavor balance of this watermelon salad is especially swoon-worthy. The secret to the salad's Kalamata dressing, which would be excellent with any blend of summer melons, is in the toasted walnuts. The robustnuts temper the intense brininess of the olives to just the right level, while also giving the dressing another layer of rich flavor. If you're hesitant about salting your watermelon, just trust us on this one—sprinkling the juicy summer fruit with salt actually amps up its sweetness.

Toasted Farro Salad with Watermelon and Peaches

Toasted Farro Salad with Watermelon and Peaches Recipe

Toasting the farro before boiling it brings out an added layer of richnuttiness to this hearty grain salad. Complemented by fresh herbs and sweet, juicy peaches and watermelon, this summertime side dish is the ultimate refreshing and nutritious bite you need. Serve it immediately, or let the flavors meld in the refrigerator for a couple hours (or overnight) and enjoy it cold.

Marinated Watermelon Tomato Salad

Marinated Watermelon Tomato Salad Recipe

If you're tired of your usual watermelon salad, give this fantastic new recipe a try. Tomatoes and melon soak up the tangy lime-ginger-mint vinaigrette, making them extra juicy and flavorful. Goat cheese crumbles add a nice creamy note to the salad, but crumbled feta works well too. Serve this salad immediately after it is made so the fresh herbs stay bright and perky.

Watermelon-Basil Salad

Watermelon-Basil Salad Recipe

You can substitute unseasoned rice vinegar or fresh lime juice for the white balsamic, adding a touch of honey if needed. Fresh mint can stand in for the basil.

Grilled Calamari, Watermelon, and Tomato Salad

Grilled Calamari, Watermelon, and Tomato Salad Recipe

Chris Cosentino of co*ckscomb restaurant in San Francisco is known for adventurous dishes like this one, a meet-up of mild grilled calamari (squid), fresh produce, and exciting seasonings. He grills the calamari over almond wood plus regular charcoal briquets; for the home cook, he recommends easy-to-find mesquite hardwood charcoal. To make the dish as fiery as Cosentino likes it, use 2 tbsp. black pepper and 2 tsp. Aleppo pepper, and don't seed the serrano chile.

Watermelon Salad

Watermelon Salad Recipe

You might call this a user-friendly, quick and easy salad recipe, since you can adjust the ingredients according to what you have. Increase the tomatoes and decrease the watermelon, or visa versa, if necessary.Handle the cut melon gently and as little as possible so it doesn't loose too much liquid. All the ingredients can be prepped in advance, but toss the salad together right before serving; the melon and tomato start watering out the minute the salt is applied. You can use navel oranges if satsumas are not available.

Grilled Watermelon, Mint, and Feta Salad

Grilled Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint Recipe

Your search for the perfect summer side is over—grilled watermelon salad topped with feta and mint balances sweetness and saltiness, making it an excellent complement to a cookout or backyard barbecue. The right amounts of balsamic vinegar and salt work with a little char to make watermelon sing in a completely new way, while olive oil and black pepper tie it all together. To switch things up, try goat cheese instead of feta or serve this atop some fresh arugula, mixed greens, or your favorite salad blend.

Miso-Grilled Tuna and Watermelon Salad with Wasabi Shallots

Miso-Grilled Tuna and Watermelon Salad with Wasabi Shallots Recipe

Let's talk fish. It can be frozen. Rather than focus on so-called freshness, it's more important to understand how the fish was handled. Was it caught, handled gingerly, and buried straight as an arrow in crushed ice? Then you might want to buy that fish fresh. If it was caught, filleted, and blast-frozen on the ship, then you might want to buy that fish frozen. This recipe gets all restaurant-y, with a playful combination of barely cooked tuna and fresh watermelon. Add more wasabi if you like.

ck- Peach-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Watermelon-Tomato Salad Recipe

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint Recipe

There's more than one way to enjoy the classic sweet flavor of fresh watermelon besides eating it right off the rind. This watermelon feta salad is a light and refreshing complement to any summer meal, no matter if it's for a cookout, potluck, or regular weeknight dinner. Combine sweet, salty, bright, and peppery flavors in this simple, 1-bowl side dish.

Summer Pea, Watermelon, and Farro Salad

Summer Pea, Watermelon, and Farro Salad Recipe

This unusual yet delicious combination of flavors makes a good substitute for traditional pasta salad at your next cookout.

Spicy Watermelon Salad

Spicy Watermelon Salad Recipe

Matthew Lewis, chef and owner of the Where Ya At Matt? food truck in Seattle, makes this side dish in the height of summer, when melons are at their best. The cool, sweet juice of the fruit really hits the spot on a hot day.

Watermelon, Corn, and Tomato Salad

Watermelon, Corn, and Tomato Salad Recipe

Karen Hatfield, chef-owner of Odys + Penelope and Sycamore Kitchen restaurants in Los Angeles, calls this refreshing and slightly unusual savory-sweet summer salad a perfect example of the saying "if it grows together, it goes together."

Tipsy Red-and-Yellow Watermelon Salad

Tipsy Red-and-Yellow Watermelon Salad Recipe

Tipsy Red-and-Yellow Watermelon Salad gets its name from the marinade that contains vodka and black raspberry liqueur. This pretty and easy to prepare spiked-fruit salad is perfect for summer gatherings

Grilled Watermelon and Halloumi Salad with Minty Green Beans

Grilled Watermelon and Halloumi Salad with Minty Green Beans Recipe

If your farmers' market doesn't have slender haricots verts, grab a handful of regular green beans and cook them a couple of minutes longer. Halloumi is a wonderfully salty-nutty cheese that's firm enough to stand up to grilling; if you can't find it, use ricotta salata or queso fresco.

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Cucumber Pickles

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Cucumber Pickles Recipe

Sumac--available at spice stores--adds a subtle piney, tangy note, but don't worry if you can't find it: The salad will still have loads of flavor complexity without it. You could also sub 1 teaspoon of prepared horseradish for the wasabi powder.

Watermelon, Cucumber, and Burrata Salad

Watermelon, Cucumber, and Burrata Salad Recipe

Looking for a twist on watermelon and feta salad? Try burrata. It's less salty, but super rich and adds a fun distinction. Watermelon is nearly 92 percent water (hence its name), so it's great for hydrating in hot summer weather.

Watermelon and Arugula Chicken Salad

Watermelon and Arugula Chicken Salad Recipe

If watermelon wedges are a mainstay at your summer cookouts, try dicing for this instant, gorgeous salad.

Watermelon Salad with Lime Dressing

Watermelon Salad with Lime Dressing Recipe

This easy salad is a refreshing way to dress up cubes of ripe summer watermelon. You can toss it together at the last minute, or make it a few hours ahead for a party.

Summer Fig and Watermelon Salad with Feta

Summer Fig and Watermelon Salad with Feta Recipe

Balsamic glaze is a syrup of concentrated, cooked-down, sweetened balsamic vinegar; it adds a sweet and tangy element to this refreshing salad. Look for it near the vinegar.

Steamed Shrimp and Watermelon Salad

Steamed Shrimp and Watermelon Salad Recipe

Steaming the shrimp helps prevent overcooking and keeps it succulent. Watermelon makes a surprisingly good pairing.

Watermelon, Cucumber, and Feta Salad

Watermelon, Cucumber, and Feta Salad Recipe

Cucumbers add a welcome crunch to this refreshing of cubed watermelon, fresh herbs, and crumbled feta cheese. You can replace the fresh mint with basil if you prefer, or use a combination of . A personal-sized seedless watermelon is just the right size for this salad, but you can also use pre-cut melon or a portion of a larger watermelon.

Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato, and Feta Salad

Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato, and Feta Salad Recipe

This gorgeous watermelon, tomato, and feta salad pops with color and flavor and is perfect for summertime meals. You can use any combo of fresh herbs; we like a mixture of mint, basil, parsley, and chives.

Shrimp Salad over Zesty Watermelon

Shrimp Salad over Zesty Watermelon Recipe

This salad uses just enough mayo to coat the shrimp, which will keep them moist but not drown them in a deluge of dressing.

Watermelon-and-Feta Orzo Salad

Watermelon-and-Feta Orzo Salad Recipe

Punch up this classic pairing of watermelon and feta with peppery watercress or arugula.

Heirloom Tomato, Watermelon, and Peach Salad

Heirloom Tomato, Watermelon, and Peach Salad Recipe

This summer salad features seasonal tomatoes, watermelon, and peaches to create a sensationally delicious side dish that's appropriate for any occasion.

Watermelon Salad

Watermelon Salad Recipe

Instead of offering watermelon wedges at your next cookout, branch out with this sweet and savory watermelon salad featuring cubed watermelon, red onion, kalamata olives, mint, and feta cheese. Even with all the added flavorful ingredients, it still weighs in at only 46 calories per 1/2-cup serving.