Watermelon Feta Salad With Balsamic Glaze

Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad – A fresh, addicting watermelon salad with the addition of mint and lime-infused blueberries, creamy feta, fresh herbs, and balsamic glaze. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and savory on a hot summer day.

If you’re tired of boring salads this watermelon salad is nothing short of spectacular! BBQ Chicken Salad and Peach & Prosciutto Salad are two more of our summer favorites.

Why You’ll Love This Watermelon Feta Salad With Balsamic Glaze

• Quick and Easy! Five-minute prep: layer, drizzle with balsamic glaze, and serve!
• Blueberries infused with fresh mint and lime juice propel this phenomenal watermelon salad to a chef-d’œuvre!
• Colorful, flavorful, aromatic, and delicious.
• A show stopper to serve all summer long.

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Watermelon Feta Salad Ingredients 

(full printable directions at the end of this post)

This juicy and fresh watermelon salad recipe with infused blueberries is a flavor explosion with creamy, tangy, and salty components. Easy to throw together for an impromptu get-together or a warm summer evening meal. 

• Spring Mix Lettuce – perfect for balancing the sweetness
• Seedless Watermelon – the star of the show!! Be sure to pick a good watermelon!! (Top Four Tips: How To Pick A Good Watermelon section below!)
• English Cucumbers – are wrapped in plastic at the market to protect the delicate-skinned fruit. They are sweeter than a field cucumber, and don’t need to be peeled or seeded before eating!
• Crumbled Feta – yields a creamy texture and tangy flavor that pairs wonderfully with the sweet melon.
• Blueberries – infuse fresh blueberries with lime juice and mint leaves overnight in the fridge. If you don’t have time to infuse, plain fresh blueberries work just fine! Use leftover infusion water to make ice cubes for specialty cocktails!
• Fresh Dill – is a long slender stemmed herb with feathery green leaves that provide a bright, sweet grassy undertone and a sharp note similar to caraway or anise.
• Fresh Mint Leaves – are an aromatically bracing herb with slightly sweet overtones and cooling sensations on the tongue from the menthol in the leaves.
• Pine Nuts –  soft, white, and creamy textured seeds with a sweet buttery flavor. 
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Balsamic Glaze – made from reduced balsamic vinegar, has the consistency of maple syrup, and is sweet and tangy with a deep intense flavor therefore a little goes a long way. Balsamic glaze can be purchased or easily made at home.
• Lime Wedges – a bright, citrusy squeeze of lime adds a touch of acid and enhances the lively flavors of the fresh ingredients.

How To Make A Five-Minute Fab Watermelon Feta Salad With Balsamic Glaze

(full printable recipe at the end of this post)

Step 1. Overnight for up to two days or in the morning, soak the blueberries in lime juice and mint leaves. This is an optional step, but highly recommended!! Plain fresh blueberries will work too.

Step 2. Prep the ingredients, layer, drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve with fresh lime wedges.

How To Serve

Serve in a low salad/pasta bowl to show off all the glory of this watermelon salad

Drizzle with balsamic glaze (balsamic reduction)

Watermelon salad serves beautifully with whatever you’re grilling, like turkey burgers, flank steak sandwiches, or Hawaiian sliders.  It’s also good with Grilled Grape Brie and Arugula Flatbread Pizza or Zesty Shrimp Bowl.  Keep the watermelon theme going, make Watermelon Wine Slushies.

Top Four Tips: How To Pick A Good Watermelon

I know we’ve all been there, anticipating a juicy, sweet mouthful of watermelon, but one bite, and the flavor is bland at best or just downright tasteless. A long time ago, in a land far, far away, I felt that picking the perfect watermelon was as easy as riding a bike in a snowstorm. I didn’t understand those alluring, perfectly green, and unmarred shiny globes of perfection equated to crunchy water every time.

Happily, there are several common-sense tips (doing the exact opposite of everything I used to do!) on how to tell if a watermelon is ripe. Read on for common questions and my best four tips for how to pick a good watermelon for a delicious watermelon feta salad!

Tip #1 The Larger And More Yellow A Ground Spot Is, The Better! 

What is the white spot on my watermelon? This bleached-out area on the watermelon called a field or ground spot, is where it lays on the ground as it grows.

Initially white with lighter green striping, the ground spot turns to a soft orange or a buttery yellow hue, and the stripping fades. The longer a watermelon ripens on the vine, the more golden yellow the field spot becomes.

Note: Unlike cantaloupes and honeydew melons, watermelon will not keep ripening after being picked. Watermelon with a white field spot tells you the fruit wasn’t mature when harvested. 

Tip #2 A Ripe Watermelon Will Have A Dull Exterior.

Should a watermelon be shiny? You want a glossy shine on your car, not your watermelon! If the watermelon is picture perfect and shiny, it wasn’t ripe when harvested. Choosing watermelon with a dull/matte rind is a good indicator that it was ripe when picked. 

“When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat.” 

— Mark Twain

Tip #3 Look For Symmetry Whether You Like Round Or Oblong Watermelon Varieties. (Or it happens to be on sale!)

What Is The Best Shape For A Watermelon? A uniform or symmetrical shape is what you need for watermelon cucumber salad. If a grower doesn’t evenly water or take good care of the watermelon while it is growing, the fruit will become “dented,” lumpy, or misshapen. This affects the texture, flavor, and sweetness, but not in a good way. 

Tip #4 A Watermelon “Tail” Or Stem Should Be Brown And Dried.

What is a watermelon tail? A watermelon tail, or stem, is 4-5 inches of the vine left attached to the melon. When watermelons ripen naturally, the plant will cut off nutrients to fruit, causing the vine to become brown and dry. Avoid green stems/tails when choosing watermelon.

Bonus Tip: Bigger Isn’t Always Better When It Comes To Watermelons, But Heavier Is!

Carrying a watermelon should be a pain in your…arms. No question here, a ripe watermelon contains more than 90% water. So, along with the previous tips, choosing watermelons heavier than others of the same size will ensure you have a sweet, juicy watermelon for your summer love recipe!

Watermelon Feta Mint Salad Substitutions

I have to say that I think this watermelon salad recipe with balsamic glaze is spot on as is! However, if feta isn’t your thing or pine nuts aren’t your cup of tea, to each his own, right? Here are a few substitutions/suggestions to dial you in for your best watermelon summer love recipe!

Spring Mix Options for Watermelon Blueberry Salad

• Mâche
• Little Gem Lettuce
• Arugula 
• Watercress
• Spinach Leaves
• Boston Bibb Lettuce
• Basil
   

Feta Cheese Substitutions

• Cotija Cheese 
• Mozzarella Pearls
• Crumbled Goat Cheese
• Shaved Parmaseano Reggiano

Fruit and Veggie Additions for Watermelon Salad

• Berries (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• Coconut
• Other melons
• Avocado
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Corn
• Jalapeño
• Red Onion 

Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad Pine Nut Options

• Pecans
• Cashews
• Pistachios
• Hazelnuts
• Sunflower Seeds
• Macadamia Nuts

Watermelon Feta Salad Notes 

I love this watermelon salad recipe, so trust me when I tell you to soak your blueberries in advance with lime juice and fresh mint. The infused blueberries carry this salad to a whole other level.

If you seriously run short on time, using plain fresh blueberries can’t “ruin” a salad this good. I mean, hello, fresh blueberries! No one will know what they are missing out on except you! And I won’t tell. (this time!). 

One last thing, you know watermelon is, well, watery! If you make up this salad early in the day, store cubed watermelon separately until ready to serve. Ditto for the balsamic glaze.

Watermelon is an iconic summer delight. The word alone creates visions of warm breezes outdoors, pasta salads, grilled foods, friends, and summer cocktails on the deck. This watermelon feta salad recipe is nothing short of spectacular with cool refreshing ingredients and remarkable infused blueberries!