Filed Under: recipe, side dishes Written By Leanne
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Take your fruit salad up a notch with this fresh and hydrating watermelon salad. The feta adds saltiness and the hot honey gives it a little sweet heat. This beautiful healthy summer salad will be a total crowd-pleaser at your next cookout!
Well if this dish doesn’t scream summer to you, I’m not sure what does. Is there a single food that’s more perfect for 100 degree temps than this? I didn’t think so. I’m basically living on hydrating fruit right now but it’s nice to use it in creative ways when I get tired of eating it plain.
Enter: the watermelon salad!
This healthy summer salad is so fun and vibrant. Anyone else love making fruit savory? I’ve become obsessed with this concept (see mango black bean salsa and cherry goat cheese paletas) and love finding new and creative ways to do so!
Ingredients
Let’s talk about how simple and perfect this salad combination is. With just five total ingredients, it doesn’t get much easier (yet still impressive).
We’ve been plowing through watermelon around here. If you have a few cups to spare, just set it to the side to make this salad. One standard-size watermelon tends to yield quite a bit so it’s nice to mix things up and use it in a non-traditional way.
Related | Fresh Watermelon Mint Fizz
Many of you likely have fresh mint to use up from the garden so you’re already set there. Add some salty feta cheese crumbles, make a quick hot honey and you’re good to go.
- Watermelon cubes
- Feta cheese
- Hot honey (made with honey + serrano peppers)
- Mint
Watermelon and feta are a classic combination but it’s been done before. I elevated it with the hot honey because I had some on hand and thought, why not? p.s. these two words are how most of my recipe ideas are born.
How to Make Hot Honey
If you’re intimidated by the hot honey, don’t be. All you have to do is heat the honey with some serrano (or jalapeño) peppers, then cool before using. You won’t need the whole batch so you’ll have plenty leftover to drizzle on, oh I don’t know, EVERYTHING.
For an even faster version, here’s a microwave hot honey that you can try.
My favorite ways to use hot honey:
- Pizza (!!)
- Salad dressings, just as you would regular honey
- Fruit, like cantaloupe (or this mosaic salad)
- Avocado toast
- Charcuterie boards (feels so fancy)
I absolutely love the color contrast. It looks so beautiful on a serving platter. Next time you’re in need of a quick and simple side dish for a summer get-together, remember this salad! I think you’ll appreciate how good it is without being high maintenance.
And because, why not?
Watermelon Salad with Feta, Mint & Hot Honey
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
4.7 from 3 reviews
Take your fruit salad up a notch with this fresh and hydrating watermelon salad. The feta adds saltiness and the hot honey gives it a little sweet heat. This beautiful healthy summer salad will be a total crowd-pleaser at your next cookout!
- Author: Leanne Ray, MS, RDN
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups cubed watermelon
- 1/4 cup feta crumbles
- 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup honey
- optional: extra serrano and mint leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Make the hot honey: add honey and serrano pepper to a small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until just simmering then remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Strain out peppers and save for later use, or use them as a garnish!
- Toss watermelon and feta cheese in a large bowl. Transfer to a large plate or serving platter and drizzle with (cooled) hot honey. Garnish with torn mint leaves.
Equipment
Buy Now →Notes
- The equipment section above provides affiliate links to things I use often in my kitchen and love.
- If you can’t find serrano peppers, you can sub in jalapeños or leave out altogether.
- Store leftover hot honey in a small jar for later use.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 44 calories
- Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 11 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Protein: 0 grams
Retry later
Reader Interactions
Comments
Shelby says
Pairing this with your chia pudding as sides for a brunch tomorrow! Love these simple, fresh recipes 🙂
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Leanne says
You’re the best! I hope it’s a hit. Can’t go wrong with this flavor combo. Enjoy!
Reply
John Hernandez says
I am very new to your site, and what really interested me was your selection of delicious yet simple recipes, using only a few ingredients. These days, so many cooks and chefs are using a crazy amount of ingredients just for the spices alone, most of which I don’t have in my cupboard. It’s a breath of fresh air to have recipes like this, with only a handful of ingredients, that pair awesomely. Please keep innovating and bringing us more of these few-ingredient recipes!
Reply
Nilesh says
Awesome
Reply
Leanne says
Thank you so much!
Reply
