This easy 15-minute Watermelon Salad with Goat Cheese is topped with cucumber ribbons, chopped Marcona almonds, and fresh basil. It is a beautiful, simple summer salad or side dish that can be prepped in advance and brought on any picnic or to any potluck.
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Key Ingredients & Variations
- Watermelon: Dice the watermelon into 1” cubes.
- English cucumber: peel the cucumber into long strips using a vegetable peeler. Alternatively, you can dice the cucumber if you don’t have a peeler. Regular or Persian cucumbers also work.
- Marcona almonds: I love the rich flavor of Marcona almonds! If you can’t find them at your store, regular toasted almonds will work great.
- Goat cheese: I recommend crumbling a log of goat cheese, rather than purchasing pre-crumbled goat cheese. The goat cheese tends to be much more flavorful and creamy when you crumble it yourself.
- Basil: Mint would be a great substitute. If prepping in advance, wait to add the fresh basil until within 2 hours of serving, otherwise, it tends to wilt and darken.
- Lime dressing: the lime juice and zest add a punch and pop of flavor.
How to make the most gorgeous Watermelon Salad
1. Prep your ingredients, including peeling the cucumber. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the cucumber into long strips. If you don't have a peeler, you can also just chop the cucumber. Taking the time to prep everything beautifully will make this salad a showstopper!
2. Make the lime vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, and salt.
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3. Assemble the salad by adding the watermelon cubes to a shallow bowl or plate. Nestle the cucumber ribbons next to the watermelon. Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese, chopped Marcona almonds, and sliced basil evenly on top. Drizzle with the lime dressing. Taste to adjust for seasoning (sometimes I add pinch more of salt or a few cracks of black pepper) and serve.
Prep ahead tips
- The salad can be made fully up to 2 hours in advance making it great for a summer picnic, potluck, or bbq!
- You can make it partially up to one day in advance and store it tightly covered in the fridge. To prep partially in advance:
- Add the watermelon, cucumber, and goat cheese to the bowl.
- You can make the dressing the day before and store it tightly covered in the fridge.
- You can chop the almonds the day before and store them in a container in a cool dry place.
- Before serving, simply top the salad with the almonds, dressing, and chopped basil!
Serving suggestions
I recommend serving this Watermelon Salad with Goat Cheese in a shallow bowl or platter. This will allow the ingredients to be in a single layer. I used a tart pan in the photos, which worked great!
More summer salads you'll love
📖 Recipe
Watermelon Salad with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 cups 1” inch diced watermelon about half a mini watermelon
- 4 oz English cucumber
- 2 oz goat cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup Marcona almonds roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced basil
Lime dressing
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lime juiced and zested
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber into long strips by carefully running it along the cucumber with pressure. (Alternatively, use a knife to dice the cucumber).
- In a shallow bowl or platter, add the diced watermelon. Arrange the peeled cucumber throughout. Top with crumbled goat cheese, chopped Marcona almonds, and sliced basil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and zest, and Kosher salt. Pour over the salad. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Notes
- Wait to add the almonds, basil, and dressing on top until within 2 hours of serving.
- You can chop the almonds the day before and store them in a container in a cool dry place.
- You can make the dressing the day before and store it tightly covered in the fridge.
Video
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