Bring on all the summer salads! This delightful watermelon goat cheese salad combines cubes of sweet, juicy watermelon with refreshing cucumbers and creamy crumbles of goat cheese. Topped off with crunchy pistachios and a generous drizzle of sweet aged balsamic, this salad bursts with vibrant flavors and delightful textures, making it the perfect addition to your summer menu.
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🍉 About This Recipe
Fresh watermelon is the epitome of summer! And while I usually make my Mediterranean watermelon salad with feta and mint, this year I'm switching things up slightly and making a fresh watermelon salad with goat cheese, fresh cucumbers and nutty chopped pistachios.
Finish the sweet watermelon cucumber salad with a generous drizzle of thick aged balsamic and bright lemon zest and you have yourself a summer favorite! And may I suggest serving this alongside chicken shawarma skewers and for an impressive and flavorful summer dinner!
☀️ Recipe Highlights
- Light and refreshing watermelon salad with layers of flavor and crunch!
- Once everything is prepped, the salad comes together in 5 minutes!
- Pairing goat cheese with the sweet watermelon offers a creamy and tangy addition.
📋 Ingredients
- Watermelon: Look for smaller, sweeter watermelon and seedless if possible. Cut the peel away and cut the watermelon into small cubes. You can also use a melon baller to make small balls of watermelon for a fun shape.
- Cucumber: Persian cucumbers are tender, small and don't have many seeds, making them less watery. If Persian cucumbers aren't available, look for English cucumbers and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.
- Lemon: Both the lemon zest and juice are used as part of the dressing for the cucumber watermelon salad. I like using a microplane to scrape the lemon zest right over the salad.
- Goat Cheese: Look for a creamy goat cheese log also called "chevre". The log packed goat cheese is much creamier than the pre-grated options that are sold in a tub.
- Pistachios: Use unsalted pistachios and give them a rough chop. The nutty and creamy pistachios works so well with the sweet watermelon and creamy goat cheese and offers another layer of crunch.
- Fresh Mint: During the summertime, many home gardeners have planters full of fresh mint that grow so well! If you are being graciously overwhelmed with fresh mint, use them in quinoa tabouleh salad and of course, as a garnish in this cucumber watermelon salad!
- Oil and Vinegar: The dressing is simple, really good extra virgin olive oil and thick aged balsamic.An aged balsamic is thicker and sweeter than balsamic vinegar.
- Flaky Sea Salt: Salt and watermelon work so well together! The salt balances the sweet watermelon, giving it more of a sweeter flavor! Use a course flaky sea salt, such as Fleur de Sel. If making the salad ahead of time, don't salt until right before serving.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍋 Substitutions and Variations
- Instead of pistachios, add slivered almonds or chopped walnuts.
- Substitute the fresh mint for basil or add both herbs!
- If Persian cucumbers aren't available, look for long English cucumbers. If there are a lot of seeds, use a spoon to scoop out the watery seeds.
- Fresh lime zest and lime juice also works in place of lemon.
⏲️ Instructions
Step 1. Layer the cubed watermelon and cucumber onto a wide platter.
Step 2. Add crumbled goat cheese and chopped pistachios.
Step 3. Use a microplane to zest lemon zest right on top of the salad, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the lemon juice all over the watermelon and cucumbers.
Step 4. Finish the salad with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar and garnish with fresh mint.
📍 Recipe Tips
- Make ahead. This salad holds up well to traveling and can be made ahead up to a day in advance. If making ahead, do not salt beforehand, as it will draw out too much moisture. Layer the salad and salt it right before serving.
- Make the salad in one bowl. Layer the salad in a wide bowl or platter and right before serving, drizzle olive oil, vinegar, lemon and zest right onto the salad and serve.
- Look for goat cheese log instead of pre-crumbled goat cheese, which will be creamier.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
Watermelon goat cheese salad is the highlight of summer dinners! Here are a few serving suggestions to really highlight the summer season.
Recipe FAQs
Sweet watermelon pairs with all sorts of ingredients, such as feta cheese, ricotta, fried halloumi cheese, stone fruit, including peaches and cherries and fresh herbs such as basil, and mint.
Watermelon salad can last up to 2 days without being seasoned with salt. If making ahead, add salt right before serving.
More Salad Recipes to Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad with Cucumber and Pistachios
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups watermelon cut into ¼ inch cubes
- 2 Persian cucumbers sliced into ¼ inch thin half-moon shapes or cubes
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios
- 4 ounces goat cheese roughly crumbled
- ½ lemon zested and juiced
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2-3 tablespoons Aged Balsamic Vinegar
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh mint leaves removed and roughly chopped
- Flaky sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Arrange the cubed watermelon on a wide platter and top with the cucumbers.
- Scatter the chopped pistachios and crumbled goat cheese on top.
- Season the watermelon salad with lemon zest and lemon juice and drizzle of the olive oil and aged balsamic. Finish with a hefty sprinkle of flaky salt and chopped mint on top and serve.
Notes
- Make ahead. This salad holds up well to traveling and can be made ahead up to a day in advance. If making ahead, do not salt beforehand, as it will draw out too much moisture. Layer the salad and salt it right before serving.
- Make the salad in one bowl. Layer the salad in a wide bowl or platter and right before serving, drizzle olive oil, vinegar, lemon and zest right onto the salad and serve.
- Look for goat cheese log instead of pre-crumbled goat cheese, which will be creamier.
- Yields 2 as a main or 4 as a side salad.
MrnMrsindkitchen says
Our neighbor grew some cucumber so we used This recipe and it was so good. Balsamic is wonderful on almost anything. Don't use cheap Balsamic it will not be as good. Buy the good stuff just use it sparingly. Our Great balsamic lasted a year.
BrightLemonyKitchen says
We made Chef Samantha's Mediterranean Watermelon Salad with Sumac for the family picnic and it was the most popular salad on the buffet table so we made this Watermelon salad yesterday for pool day and it was just as AMAZING. Watermelon Cucumber and Goat cheese.... Genius.