Watermelon Salad with Goat Cheese and Cucumber

Watermelon Salad with Goat Cheese and Cucumber is the freshest salad on the planet. Tossed in a lime and honey dressing with a kick of ginger and cayenne, it’s the perfect summer salad.

This post was revised on 5/17/22 with updated ingredients, tips, and techniques.

On a hot summer day, it’s nice to take a break from the usual slaws, pasta salads, and potato salad recipes we seem to turn to again and again.  

This fresh watermelon goat cheese salad recipe is a ridiculously refreshing side dish with tons of bright flavors from the tangy goat cheese, briney kalamatas, cool mint, and honey citrus vinaigrette.

This is one of those easy recipes that comes together in minutes. The most time-consuming part is cubing the watermelon and cucumber, but I share my tricks to make that go super fast.

This delicious salad is super fast and easy to make and tastes delicious with grilled chicken or fish.

You’re going to love this

Super easy salad recipe. You can toss it together in about five minutes. 

The refreshing combo of cucumber and watermelon tastes like summer. 

Goat cheese and kalamata olives add the right amount of salt to this simple salad.The honey-lime dressing with ginger is sweet, tangy, and zingy.

Watermelon Salad Ingredients

English cucumber. This is the one that’s wrapped in plastic, with thin skin and no seeds. You can use a regular cucumber, you’ll just need to peel it and remove the seeds before slicing. 

Watermelon. I use seedless watermelon - they’re sweeter 

Crumbled goat cheese. Earthy, creamy goat cheese adds funkiness to all the fresh, sweet flavors. Crumbled feta cheese is also a great option and I use it interchangeably in this salad. 

Kalamata olives. Sharp kalamatas contrast deliciously with sweet watermelon. 

Green onions. Green onion adds just the right amount of oniony flavor without being too brash about it. You can also use finely chopped red onion.

Fresh mint. Mint leaves thinly sliced into ribbons add one more cooling element in this bright, fresh summer salad. If you're not a fan of mint, use your favorite fresh herbs like basil leaves or cilantro.

Honey Lime Dressing Ingredients

This salad really doesn’t need much dressing at all. But this honey-lime dressing adds just the right amount of flavor and spice. 

Honey. Honey adds rich flavor and a touch of sweetness to the dressing. 

Lime juice. Use fresh lime juice, not the bottled kind. Lemon juice or orange juice would also work well.

Ground ginger. Ginger is warm and peppery and gives this dressing a nice zing.

Cayenne. A small dash of cayenne adds just a tad of heat. 

Step-by-step Instructions

Step 1

Cut the English cucumber into ½” to 1” chunks (or whatever size you prefer). 

• Cut the ends off the cucumber. 
• Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. 
• Slice each half in half again, lengthwise, so you have four spears. 
• Now cut the spears crosswise into pieces. 

Step 2

Cut the watermelon into ½” to 1” pieces, or your desired size. Here’s a super easy way:

• Cut the watermelon in half. 
• Cut each half in half. 
• Take one quarter of the watermelon and make vertical cuts down to the rind. 
• Then, make horizontal cuts on each side of the watermelon, going all the way from end to end. You should have a checkerboard pattern now. 
• Take your knife and cut along the rind and the cubes will fall right out. 

You can also use a melon baller, which will give this watermelon goat cheese salad a more elegant presentation. 

Step 3

In a large salad bowl, combine 2 cups each of watermelon and cucumber chunks, fresh goat cheese or feta crumbles, sliced kalamata olives, sliced green onions, and ribbons of mint. 

Step 4

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey-lime dressing ingredients. 

Step 5

Gently toss the watermelon cucumber mixture with the dressing. Garnish with more goat cheese crumbles and green onions. 

For another option, prepare a large platter with a bed of peppery arugula or spinach leaves and arrange the watermelon salad with goat cheese over the salad greens.

This salad is best served immediately. 

Make Ahead

If you’d like to make this watermelon cucumber salad ahead of time, cut the cucumber and watermelon into cubes and store them in separate containers in the refrigerator. Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, toss everything together. 

Expert Tips

• English cucumbers (the ones wrapped in plastic) are a time saver because they don’t require peeling or seeding. 
• For the sweetest watermelon, choose one that’s small, round, and heavy for its size. 
• Crumbled goat cheese or crumbled feta cheese are both delicious in this salad. 
• Slice the mint into thin ribbons for even distribution of flavor. 
• Optional: serve this watermelon goat cheese salad over a bed of your favorite salad greens

Recipe FAQs

How to pick a good watermelon   

It’s hard to know what’s going on inside that watermelon. Here are some tricks to help you pick out the best one at the grocery store: 

• The stripes should be dark green and light yellow and in a consistent pattern. 
• If the watermelon is shiny, it’s probably not ripe yet. If it’s dark and dull, it’s ripe. 
• That discolored spot that shows where the melon was resting on the ground is called the “field spot.” The field spot should be creamy yellow to orange. Pass if the field spot is white or light yellow.
• The stem should be dry and yellow-ish brown. A green stem means it’s not ripe yet. 
• Now the knock test. If you knock on it and it sounds hollow, it’s a good indication it’s ripe. 
• A large web-like pattern can mean the watermelon is sweet. 
• Choose one that’s heavy for its size. 
• Round watermelons are usually sweeter. 

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