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If you are looking for a healthy and refreshing summer appetizer, look no further than this Watermelon Cucumber Salad! Sweet watermelon, crisp cucumbers, toasted pine nuts, and fresh herbs are tossed in a lime vinaigrette. The resulting salad tastes sweet and tart and is the perfect summer side dish!
What Makes This Recipe Great
This Watermelon Cucumber Salad was a result of my trying to find ways to use up a giant watermelon I recently bought. While eating it alone, sliced in triangles, is my favorite way to enjoy my favorite summer fruit, I was curious if I could incorporate it into my meals.
I pulled some leftover ingredients from my fridge and tossed them together with watermelon cubes, and I’m pretty obsessed with how refreshing and delicious this recipe turned out. So of course I had to share with you!
The best thing about this watermelon salad is that not only is it a healthy, Whole30 salad that’s insanely delicious, especially on hot summer days, but it’s super simple salad to make. I mean, it literally took me 15 minutes from start to finish. Plus, it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and has added protein from the prosciutto.
The final result looks gorgeous and colorful enough that you can double or triple the recipe because it’s the perfect summer dish to serve at BBQs and get-togethers and everyone will be impressed! You can also prep the ingredients ahead of time, but I suggest tossing everything together right before serving for the best texture.
How to Make Watermelon Cucumber Salad
I’m not always a fan of adding fruits to savory dishes, but the balance of flavors in this watermelon cucumber salad makes it so addicting and I just can’t get enough. The combination of the fresh ingredients just gives this salad the best texture ever. These flavors meld together beautifully to make a perfect summer salad that goes amazingly with some grilled meats.
Watch a Short Video of This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Sourcing ingredients for this salad should be super easy when it’s watermelon season (summertime), but if you can’t find watermelon you can always swap the melon for cantaloupe. The refreshing addition of crunchy cucumbers, plus all the fresh flavor from the mint and lime makes this an amazingly perfect side dish!
- seedless watermelon
- Cucumbers: Use any regular cucumbers you like. English cucumbers have thicker skin, while Persian cucumbers are smaller and have thinner skin. Use your favorite variety!
- prosciutto
- toasted pine nuts
- fresh mint leaves
Dressing Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- lime juice
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat a dry pan over medium heat on the stove.
- Add the pine nuts and toast until golden and fragrant while stirring constantly, about 4-5 minutes.
- Combine watermelon, cucumber, and mint in a large bowl, then add the toasted pine nuts.
- Whisk the dressing in a separate small bowl and pour over the salad. Gently toss to combine.
- Drape with prosciutto slices before serving.
Expert Tips
- The most difficult part of this watermelon salad recipe is actually chopping up the ingredients. I suggest cutting the watermelon into 1-inch cubes and cucumber into 1/2-inch pieces. You can also use a melon baller to create watermelon balls, which I think will be super fun and pretty!
- The only cooking part of this recipe is toasting the pine nuts, and that can be done in less than 5 minutes on the stovetop until they are golden brown and fragrant.
- I suggest tearing apart the mint leaves, instead of slicing them with a knife so they impart a stronger mint flavor that can be melded in better with the rest of the ingredients.
- Once all the ingredients are ready for this watermelon cucumber salad, all you have to do is toss them together and serve! Doesn’t get much easier than that, and even the dressing only has 4 ingredients.
- If you’re not Whole30, feel free to add a block of feta cheese (crumbled), vegan feta, or goat cheese to this salad. Toss the crumbled feta in when you pour in the dressing. Other ingredients you could include are chopped red onion for extra crunch, honey or maple syrup for additional sweetness in the dressing, and/or avocado for extra creaminess.
Storage Tips
Make Ahead: If you want to make this ahead of time, you can chop the ingredients and toast the pine nuts the day before, as well as whisk the dressing together. Keep them separate and when you are ready to serve, toss everything together for the best texture and freshness!
Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 48 hours for optimal freshness.
More Summer Recipes
Paleo Watermelon Margarita Slushie
Paleo & Whole30 Grilled Peach Salad With Bacon
Refreshing Paleo Vegan Dill Cucumber Salad (Whole30 & AIP Optional)
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Easy Watermelon Cucumber Salad (with Prosciutto)
Video
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 3 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
- 1.5 cups cucumber, chopped
- 1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly torn into pieces
- 2 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced, nitrate free
- OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup feta cheese, or vegan feta or goat cheese, crumbled (omit for Whole30)
Dressing
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a dry pan over medium heat on the stove.
- Add the pine nuts and toast until golden and fragrant while stirring constantly, about 4-5 minutes.
- Combine watermelon, cucumber, and mint in a large bowl, then add the toasted pine nuts.
- Whisk the dressing in a separate bowl and pour over the salad. Gently toss together.
- Drape with prosciutto slices before serving.
Notes
Expert Tips
- The most difficult part of this watermelon salad recipe is actually chopping up the ingredients. I suggest cutting the watermelon into 1-inch cubes and cucumber into 1/2-inch pieces. You can also use a melon baller to create watermelon balls, which I think will be super fun and pretty!
- The only cooking part of this recipe is toasting the pine nuts, and that can be done in less than 5 minutes on the stovetop until they are golden brown and fragrant.
- I suggest tearing apart the mint leaves, instead of slicing them with a knife so they impart a stronger mint flavor that can be melded in better with the rest of the ingredients.
- Once all the ingredients are ready for this watermelon cucumber salad, all you have to do is toss them together and serve! Doesn’t get much easier than that, and even the dressing only has 4 ingredients.
- If you’re not Whole30, feel free to add a block of feta cheese (crumbled), vegan feta, or goat cheese to this salad. Toss the crumbled feta in when you pour in the dressing. Other ingredients you could include are chopped red onion for extra crunch, honey or maple syrup for additional sweetness in the dressing, and/or avocado for extra creaminess.
Storage Tips
Make Ahead: If you want to make this ahead of time, you can chop the ingredients and toast the pine nuts the day before, as well as whisk the dressing together. Keep them separate and when you are ready to serve, toss everything together for the best texture and freshness! Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 48 hours for optimal freshness.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Fabulous! A great meal by itself – especially when it’s too hot to fire up anything in the kitchen. Like someone else mentioned – I also didn’t have pine nuts, but walnuts and pecans were a great substitute! Love!!!
Yay!! So glad it worked out without pine nuts. I’ll have to try out walnuts and pecans next!!
Loved this refreshing recipe! I used toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts and added some avocado and goat cheese to make it a light but filling lunch!
Sounds amazing!
Interesting combination. Watermelon and cucumber pairs well together, the prosciutto takes it to the top!