The TikTok-Famous Salad We’re Making All Summer Long

If your TikTok feed is filled with salads that aren’t boring and clips from the Eras Tour, then we have similar taste and you’re going to love this watermelon feta salad—a TikTok recipe by @cassyeungmoney that garnered an impressive 6.8 million views and nearly a million likes!

“My friends request this for every cookout because it’s changed the way they eat watermelon,” she shared and after trying it for ourselves, we agree. This is the one salad we’re making again and again for as long as watermelon is in season.

Watermelon feta salad is simply cubed watermelon, red onions, and feta tossed with vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, and fresh basil and mint. It’s not a new concept, the video creator admits, “I did not invent this combo, but I swear, it is magical.” Even Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes' founder, published a recipe back in 2015. And if you can’t get behind watermelon and feta together or think that red onions with fruit should be illegal, you should put aside your skepticism and try this iconic combination.

How To Make TikTok-Famous Watermelon Feta Salad

Here is what you need:

• 1/2 large watermelon
• 1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced (about 2/3 cup)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Persian or English cucumber
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• Salt and black pepper

You’re going to need half of a whole watermelon. Set the watermelon on its side on a cutting board. Use a large knife to trim the end off. Place it cut side down and use the knife to cut off the rind, working from top to bottom. Continue to work your way around the watermelon until all the rind is removed and the flesh is exposed.

Make one-inch slices horizontally—your knife should be parallel to the cutting board—and then vertically. Rotate the whole stack 90 degrees and cut vertically again to create cubes. Toss them into a large bowl.

Add the red onion (See tip below for pickling them.), cucumbers, mint, basil, and crumbled feta.

You don’t have to make the dressing separately—add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, zest and juice of the lime, salt, and black pepper right on top of the watermelon. Give it a good toss and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days.

3 Tips for Making the Watermelon Feta Salad

1. Pickle the red onions! Make them ahead of time or do a quick pickle for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare the salad—place the red onions in the red wine vinegar, lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt. This will soften the onion’s sharp bite and add some tang. 
2. Prepare the salad in advance! Cut your watermelon ahead of time and store the cubes in an airtight container in the fridge. The rest of the salad comes together quickly after that. You can also premix the entire thing, but note that the watermelon will release a lot of juice and you will be left with a pool of liquid. Give it a good toss again before serving—the flavors will meld beautifully!
3. Don’t tip your cutting board over the bowl to transfer the cubed watermelon into it. You don’t want all those juices on the cutting board in your salad.

Variations We Would Try Next Time

The sweet and juicy watermelon, creamy feta, zesty lime, cool mint, and punchy red onion together taste sensational. We would recommend trying the recipe as is your first time around.

The comments on the video suggest adding sweet chili sauce, mango, arugula, tomato, avocado, Oaxaca cheese (instead of feta) and tajin, chopped walnuts, shrimp, couscous, strawberries, and black olives. It’s the wild west out there! If you’re looking to shake it up, we would recommend a splash of balsamic vinegar to bring out the sweetness of the watermelon and thinly sliced jalapeños for a surprising kick. 

If you don’t have mint and basil, it will be delicious with either one.

Use arugula as the base to build a green salad—top it with some of the watermelon and feta salad, maybe a cup or two. Here we would add chopped walnuts and maybe even black olives.

We’ll be spending this summer schlepping watermelons from Costco and the farmers market, blasting Taylor Swift, and making this watermelon feta salad.