watermelon basil salad — Makes: *3 Servings*
Per Serving: *18g Protein | 260 Cal*

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It’s just not summer without a good watermelon salad, and while you’ve likely tried the popular iteration with watermelon, cucumber, and feta (often paired with mint too), there are so many other ways to make a sweet and refreshing watermelon salad. My version is super simple and tossed with a spicy chili and honey-lime dressing. Plus, with a surprisingly protein-packed twist and plenty of fresh herbs, it’s a salad that’ll help support your nutrition goals.

Quick and easy to make, perfect for a picnic or cookout, and a great blend of sweet, savory, tangy, herby, and spicy flavors, this watermelon salad will become a new staple.

What’s In This Watermelon Salad?

The Salad:

Watermelon: Sweet, hydrating, and refreshing, this is the base of your salad.
String Cheese: You’d normally expect to find creamy, briny crumbled feta in a watermelon salad, but in this one, we use chopped-up light mozzarella string cheese, which adds a protein boost to the salad and is the perfect salty contrast to the sweet melon.
Fresh Herbs: I love making this salad with fragrant basil leaves and fresh mint leaves for an added burst of fresh, herby flavor, but you could switch things up with dill, cilantro, or whatever soft herbs you have on-hand.

The Dressing:

Lime: We use both the zest and juice of the lime to add brightness to the dressing.
Olive Oil: The fat from the olive oil adds a little bit of richness to the salad.
Honey or Maple Syrup: A touch of sweetness is the perfect thing to balance the spicy, tangy dressing.
Chili Crunch or Red Pepper Flakes: This gives your dressing a good kick. You can use more or less depending on how much spice you like.
Salt and Pepper: Every dish needs to be seasoned.

Why You’ll Love This Watermelon Basil Salad Recipe

Protein-Packed: Each serving of this watermelon salad packs in 18g of protein thanks to the addition of mozzarella string cheese.
Hydrating and Refreshing: Cool down on hot days or after a tough workout.
Easy to Make Ahead of Time: As long as you keep the dressing separate before serving, you can prep and assemble this salad in advance so there’s less to do to get your meal on the table.
Everyone Loves It: This salad is a major crowd-pleaser! A little sweet, a little spicy… what’s not to love?

Ingredients

For the Salad:

½ small seedless watermelon, cubed (about 4 cups)
8 light mozzarella string cheeses, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil, torn or chopped
½ cup loosely packed fresh mint, torn or chopped

For the Dressing:

Juice of 1 lime
Zest of ½ a lime
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (you can use less depending on the sweetness of the watermelon)
1 teaspoon chili crunch (or 2 teaspoons red chili flakes for more heat)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep the base of the salad: Add the cubed watermelon, sliced mozzarella, and chopped herbs to a large salad bowl.
Make the honey lime vinaigrette: Measure the lime juice and zest, olive oil, honey (or maple syrup), chili crunch (or red pepper flakes), salt, and pepper into a jar with a lid or a small bowl. Put the lid on the jar and shake well or whisk to combine.
Toss the salad: Drizzle a little dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat everything evenly. You can add more dressing if you’d like.
Serve: Either dish it up and serve immediately or chill for about 15-30 minutes first to let the flavors meld. Serve cold!

Nutrition Information - Per Serving (Makes 3 Servings)

Calories: 260
Protein: 18g
Carbs: 22g
Fat: 13g

Swaps & Substitutions

Add more protein: If you’d like more protein or would like to make this salad more of a full meal, try adding grilled chicken, shrimp, tofu, chickpeas, edamame, or cannellini beans.
Skip the mozzarella: Don’t love mozzarella? Try using feta, blue cheese, cotija, cheese curds, fontina, or another cheese you like.
How to store your salad: Store any meal-prepped or leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. If you’re making it ahead of time, store the dressing separately and dress and toss the salad right before eating.

FAQs

If you want to make this refreshing salad ahead of time, you’ll want to prep the salad and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Make the dressing and store it separately in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, dress and toss the salad. It’ll taste the freshest and have the best texture if it’s not sitting in dressing for ages.
Once you add dressing to the salad, you’re going to want to eat it within 24 hours for the best flavor and texture. But before you add the dressing, you can store the salad base in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Of course! Feta is salty and briny and goes so well with watermelon (as watermelon feta salad lovers know well). If you do decide to swap out the cheese, just know that the nutrition content will change a little bit depending on what you choose to use.
It sure is! Each of the ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten-free, but it’s a good idea to double-check the label on your chili crunch or red pepper flakes to make sure that that’s safe for you to eat.
First thing’s first, you can always use pre-cut watermelon to save a little time (and stress). If you’re going to cut the watermelon yourself, slice off each end so that you can set it flat on the cutting board. Then, cut the watermelon in half, slice each half into semicircles, trim the rind off, then cube the watermelon. You’re good to go!

For a cool, spicy, refreshing side dish that works after workouts, as a quick lunch, or for your next potluck or cookout, look no further than this watermelon and basil salad. It's the perfect summer salad, absolutely tailor-made for a hot summer day. It’s sweet and savory and you won’t be able to get enough.