Get ready for summertime in a bowl! This fresh and juicy watermelon salad is bursting with flavor thanks to sweet watermelon, crisp cucumber, bright mint leaves, zingy onions, a hint of spice from jalapeños, and crunchy pepitas (or pistachios). It’s all beautifully balanced with salty vegan feta and a zesty lime dressing. Where do we sign up!?
This is a plant-based take on the classic combo that you don’t want to miss! Perfect for every summer occasion and just 10 ingredients and 20 minutes required. Let us show you how it’s done!
Origins of Watermelon Salad
We’re obsessed with watermelon around here (exhibits A, B, C, and D), so it was about time we looked into where this incredibly refreshing, sweet, delicious fruit comes from. As it turns out, watermelon has been around for at least 5,000 years and has been grown everywhere from the Nile Valley to Libya, India, China, Florida, Hawaii, and beyond!
So when did the famous watermelon feta salad come in? We had trouble finding an origin story, but it seems to be a popular dish in many Mediterranean countries.
How to Make Watermelon Salad
This plant-based take on the classic watermelon feta salad is like all of our favorite recipes: full of flavor and incredibly quick and easy!
It starts with whisking together a simple dressing of olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, salt, and maple syrup.
Next, we add chopped watermelon, cucumbers, onions, and jalapeño to a bowl, and we’re pretty much there!
Toss in the pepitas, mint leaves, and feta, and mix it all up with the dressing — that’s it!
We hope you LOVE this watermelon salad! It’s:
Crunchy
Fresh
Minty
Zesty
Summery
Bright
& SO Refreshing!
It’s the perfect side for summertime meals, BBQs, picnics, and beyond! It would also be delicious as part of a Mediterranean-inspired feast with Lemon Baked Salmon with Garlic Dill Sauce or Baked Quinoa Black Bean Falafel, Easy Beet Falafel or Easy Zucchini Fritters, Charred Serrano White Bean Dip, and Garlic Herb Flatbread or Gluten-Free Flatbread (1 Bowl, 20 Minutes!). Let’s feast!
More Watermelon Recipes
Best Watermelon Margaritas (3 Ingredients!)Watermelon JuiceStrawberry Chia Watermelon SmoothieCoconut Lime Watermelon Slushie
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Minty Watermelon Cucumber Salad (Vegan)
Fresh watermelon and cucumber salad with red onion, mint leaves, and jalapeño! A refreshing plant-based side for summer and beyond! Just 10 ingredients and 20 minutes required. Print SAVE SAVED
from votes Prep Time 20 minutes Total Time 20 minutes Servings 4 (~2 cup servings)Course Salad, Side DishCuisine Gluten-Free, Greek-Inspired, Mediterranean-Inspired, VeganFreezer Friendly NoDoes it keep? Best when fresh
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Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
DRESSING
1 Tbsp olive oil (if oil-free, omit)3 Tbsp lime juice (1 large, juicy lime yields ~3 Tbsp)1 tsp lime zest1/4 tsp sea salt3/4 tsp maple syrup
SALAD
5 cups watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes2 cups cucumber, cut into 1-inch chunks (preferably English or Persian cucumber // if using regular cucumber, peel in strips to make alternating stripes of green and white)1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves1/2 – 1 thinly sliced jalapeño pepper (or sub 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)1/4 cup pepitas or roughly chopped shelled pistachios1/2 cup vegan feta crumbles (optional but recommended // we used Follow Your Heart brand)
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, salt, and maple syrup.To a large bowl, add the watermelon, cucumber, red onion, mint, and jalapeño. Drizzle the dressing over the top and toss to coat. Add pepitas (or pistachios) and vegan feta (optional) and toss gently until just combined (avoid over-stirring). Taste and adjust as needed, adding more salt or vegan feta for saltiness, jalapeño for heat, lime juice for acidity, or mint for freshness.Best eaten fresh — leftovers become soggy and mint discolors with time. Not freezer friendly.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with pepitas and without optional ingredients.
Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)
Serving: 1 serving Calories: 130 Carbohydrates: 16.8 g Protein: 3.6 g Fat: 7.3 g Saturated Fat: 1.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.9 g Monounsaturated Fat: 3.7 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 151 mg Potassium: 339 mg Fiber: 2.1 g Sugar: 10.3 g Vitamin A: 853 IU Vitamin C: 18.5 mg Calcium: 32 mg Iron: 1.2 mg