• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Portfolio
  • Contact

Wholefood Soulfood Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Portfolio
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Portfolio
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Jun 14, 2022 by Katie

    Watermelon Salad with Red Onion and Feta

    Jump to Recipe Step-by-Step Photos Watch the Video

    This watermelon salad with red onion and feta is the perfect flavor combination of sweet and salty. It makes an amazingly refreshing summer salad that's ready in no time!

    big bowl of watermelon salad, next to it some dressing, a glass of water.

    This salad combines some sweet watermelon with some salty feta cheese, red onion and fresh mint leaves. It's the perfect light meal on a hot summer day.

    For more salad recipes check out Pasta Salad without Mayo, Vegan Couscous Salad or Roasted Asparagus Green Salad.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients & Substitutions
    • How to Make Watermelon Feta Salad
    • Variations
    • Top Tips
    • Storing
    • FAQs
    • More Recipes To Try
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • It can be enjoyed as a light main dish but also makes the perfect side dish.
    • It only includes a couple of simple ingredients.
    • It can easily be made dairy-free and vegan and is naturally gluten-free.

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    all ingredients needed to make watermelon salad with feta and red onion.
    • Watermelon: I recommend choosing a seedless watermelon that's ripe but not overly ripe, otherwise the texture is too soft. Check out this article on how to pick a ripe watermelon.
    • Feta: The crumbly feta balances out the sweetness of the watermelon really nicely. Choose vegan feta if you want to create a vegan salad. Instead of feta, you could also use crumbled goat cheese.
    • Red Onion Slices: Adds some additional taste a refreshing element to this salad.
    • Fresh Mint: The combination of watermelon and fresh mint is amazing! If you can't find any, you could try using fresh parsley or fresh basil.
    • English Cucumber (optional): Though this is an optional ingredients, I really like the texture of the crisp cucumber chunks in combination with the soft watermelon. If you're not a fan of cucumber you could just skip it.
    • Vinaigrette (optional): Consists of white wine vinegar, maple syrup and extra-virgin olive oil. You could also enjoy this salad without any dressing but I really like how it enhances the natural flavors.

    How to Make Watermelon Feta Salad

    This watermelon salad recipe only requires 5 ingredients and a simple vinaigrette. It's a refreshing salad that has become one of our favorite summer meals.

    white wine vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil in a small bowl.

    STEP 1: Make the vinaigrette. Put white wine vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil into a small bowl or jar.

    dressing for watermelon salad whisked together in a small bowl.

    Whisk until well combined. Then set aside.

    Adding the vinaigrette is optional but recommended. However, the salad also tastes amazing without it.

    watermelon, feta, cucumber, red onion and mint leaves in a bowl.

    STEP 2: Assemble the ingredients. Cut the watermelon and cucumber (if using) into bite-sized cubes. Slice the red onion thinly and mince the mint leaves. Add all of the ingredients, including the crumbled feta to a large bowl or plate.

    watermelon, feta, cucumber, red onion and mint leaves in a bowl with dressing added.

    STEP 3: Add the vinaigrette and toss until well combined. Serve immediately (or put in the fridge without adding the vinaigrette).

    Chill the salad before serving! This will result in an even more refreshing salad. Add the vinaigrette only shortly before serving!

    Variations

    • Skip Cucumber: The cucumber is optional. It adds another refreshing element but if you don't like it, just skip it.
    • Olives: Black olives such as Kalamata olives make a great addition to this recipe!
    • Fresh Lime Juice: Instead of the vinaigrette, you could sprinkle the salad with fresh lime or lemon juice.
    • Nuts and Seeds: Add some sunflower or pumpkin seeds or even some chopped walnuts for more crunchiness and healthy fats.
    • Make it vegan/ dairy-free: Choose a vegan feta to keep this salad dairy-free.
    big bowl of watermelon feta salad, next to it a small plate with some additonal salad.

    Top Tips

    • Chill: Before adding the vinaigrette, put the salad in the fridge for 30 min. That way it will be even more refreshing.
    • Seedless Watermelon: Buying seedless watermelon is super convenient and will save prep time.
    • Red Onion: Cut the red onion into super thin slices. We want that sweet and slightly tangy taste but don't want the taste to be overpowering.

    Storing

    • Keep any leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day. Preferably without the vinaigrette already added. This salad definitely tastes best when consumed right away though, it does become a bit soggy when stored.

    FAQs

    Can I make this salad vegan?

    Absolutely, just use vegan feta.

    What goes nice with watermelon?

    Cucumber, other fruits such as blueberries, goat cheese or black olives all make great additions to this salad.

    More Recipes To Try

    • watermelon mojito mocktail in a serving glass with fresh mint leaves on top.
      Watermelon Mojito Mocktail
    • big bowl of greek pasta salad with dressing on the side.
      Pasta Salad without Mayo
    • asparagus mixed greens salad bowl
      Roasted Asparagus Green Salad

    If you tried this or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment or rating below! SIGN UP for the WSK newsletter and get the newest recipes delivered right to your inbox!

    📖 Recipe

    close up of big bowl of watermelon salad, next to it some dressing, a glass of water.

    Watermelon Salad with Feta and Red Onion

    Author: Katie
    This salad combines some sweet watermelon with some tangy feta cheese, red onion and crunchy cucumber.
    If you love this recipe as much as we do, click on the 5-stars below!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Course: Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine: vegetarian
    Servings: 2
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    Dressing

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
    • 3 tablespoon white wine vinegar

    Salad

    • 3 cups cubed watermelon *seedless
    • ½ cucumber (optional)
    • 1 small red onion
    • ½ pkg feta (7oz/ 100g)
    • handful of minced mint *or other fresh herbs

    Instructions

    Vinaigrette

    • Put white wine vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil into a small bowl or jar.
    • Whisk until well combined. Set aside.

    Watermelon Salad

    • Cut the watermelon and cucumber (if using) into bite-sized pieces.
    • Thinly slice the red onion and chop the mint.
    • Add cubed watermelon, cucumber, red onion slivers, crumbled feta and minced mint to a salad bowl.
    Pssst...You can find detailed step-by step-photos right above this recipe card

    Video

    Notes

    • Watermelon: I recommend choosing a seedless watermelon that's ripe but not overly ripe. It should be sweet but not overripe and still crunchy in texture. 
    • Skip Cucumber: The cucumber is optional. It adds another refreshing element but if you don't like it, just skip it.
    • Cold Salad: Before adding the vinaigrette, put the salad in the fridge for 30 min. That way it will be even more refreshing.
    • Make it vegan/ dairy-free: Choose vegan feta to keep this salad dairy-free.
    • Personal Taste: Feel free to adjust to personal taste and add more feta/ watermelon.
    • Storing: Keep any leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day. Preferably without the vinaigrette already added. This salad definitely tastes best when consumed right away though, it does become a bit soggy when stored.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1. | Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 580mg | Potassium: 519mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 1546IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 309mg | Iron: 1mg
    All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates.
    Tried this recipe?Leave a rating and comment telling us how you liked it! Or tag @wholefoodsoulfood__kitchen on Instagram so we can admire your creations!

    More Salads

    • vegan couscous salad in a large bowl, next to it some olive oil and black olives.
      Vegan Couscous Salad

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    katie author of WSK

    Hi, and welcome to WSK!

    If you're curious about what drives my love for all things food just hit the link below and let's get to know each other better!

    More about me →

    POPULAR

    • stack of 4 low-calorie chocolate chip cookies.
      Low Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookies (without butter or eggs)
    • sweet potato lentil curry topped with fresh herbs.
      Sweet Potato Red Lentil and Coconut Curry Recipe
    • chocolate dates on a white parchment paper.
      Chocolate Dates
    • big stack of pancakes without baking powder, maple syrup being poured on.
      Pancakes Without Baking Powder

    SPRING

    • barley porridge in a cereal bowl topped with fresh fruit, granola and maple syrup. Next to it some flours, black coffee and fruits.
      Barley Porridge
    • 2 glasses of carrot smoothie with a straw.
      Banana Carrot Smoothie (3 Ingredients)
    • strawberry milk in a serving glass, next to it fresh strawberries.
      Strawberry Almond Milk
    • asparagus mixed greens salad bowl
      Roasted Asparagus Green Salad

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    More

    • About
    • Contact
    • Portfolio

    • Privacy policy
    • California Privacy Rights
    • Terms of Use
    • Accessibility policy

    Follow & Contact

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Youtube

    @2023 - Wholefood Soulfood Kitchen. All Rights Reserved.