10 Refreshing Melon Salads We’re Making (and Eating) on Repeat this Summer 

Hot summer days require cold, refreshing salads. And nothing is more refreshing than a juicy melon salad. Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew — I’ll take any of ‘em when it’s edging towards triple digits and I need to eat something that isn’t ice cream. It also doesn’t hurt that most melon salads are also incredibly easy to make.

Here, we’ve rounded up some of the best melon salads you’ll find on the internet. From a sweet take on classic Caprese to a melon salad with melon vinaigrette (!!!), you’re going to want to add these recipes to your weekly menu rotation ASAP. 

1. Melon Mosaic Salad with Hot Honey Vinaigrette from How Sweet Eats 

Don’t be intimidated by the Pinterest-perfect look. You could totally just throw all these ingredients into a giant bowl and it would still taste delicious. The salad consists of watermelon, cantaloupe, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, feta, and fresh herbs. The hero of the recipe, however, is the spicy honey vinaigrette. 

Photo Credit: Foodie Crush

2. Cantaloupe and Mozzarella Caprese Salad from Foodie Crush 

This is the recipe that made me fall in love with melon salads. Sweet cantaloupe paired with salty slices of prosciutto is just about the best thing in the world. And when you throw in some tiny mozzarella balls? Forget about it.  

Photo Credit: What’s Gaby Cooking

3. Watermelon Peach Salad from What’s Gaby Cooking

The most “popular” watermelon salad out there usually goes something like this: Add watermelon, feta, and cucumbers into a bowl and mix. It’s delicious — but you know what’s even better? This recipe. The blogger behind What’s Gaby Cooking throws in some seasonal peaches and covers the whole thing in a garlicky vinaigrette. Hell, yes. 

Photo Credit: Andy Lyons for Better Homes & Gardens

4. Cucumber-Honeydew Salad with Feta from Better Homes & Gardens 

Made with fresh honeydew, cucumber, feta, dill, and red onion, this melon salad is ultra-refreshing. It’s great on its own as a side, but Better Homes & Gardens also recommends bulking it up with arugula or watercress. 

Photo Credit: Half-Baked Harvest

5. Greek Watermelon Feta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette from Half-Baked Harvest 

This Greek-inspired melon salad is basically vacation in a bowl. Filled with watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and kalamata olives, every bite is fresh and flavorful. The whole thing is covered in a homemade basil vinaigrette. 

Photo Credit: Bon Appetit

6. Cantaloupe and Cucumber Salad from Bon Appétit 

If you haven’t already caught on here, savory fruit salads are definitely a thing — and this recipe from Bon Appétit is even further proof. In addition to cantaloupe and cucumbers, this salad includes chiles, pumpkin seeds, cilantro, and a tiny pinch of ground cardamom. There’s a lot going on in this recipe, and it just so happens to be everything I want to eat right now. 

Photo Credit: Melissa Hemsley

7. Halloumi & Melon Salad from Melissa Hemsley

Got 10 minutes to make lunch? Here’s the melon salad recipe for you. It’s packed with honeydew, spinach, mint, basil, cherry tomatoes, and black olives. The crown jewel, of course, is the halloumi, which is cooked on a griddle pan (or frying pan) on high for less than 2 minutes. Easy-breezy. 

Photo Credit: I Am a Food Blog

8. Peach Melon Basil and Burrata Salad from I Am a Food Blog 

There are so many different flavors and textures going on with this salad I don’t even know where to begin. You get the sweetness from the ripe peaches and melon, matched with the creaminess of the burrata, a hit of salt with the serrano ham, some crunch thanks to sunflower seeds, and a little heat from crushed red chili flakes. Can you even handle it? 

Photo Credit: Heartbeet Kitchen

9. Cucumber Avocado Watermelon Salad from Heartbeet Kitchen

There are only three main components to this salad: watermelon, cucumber, and avocado. The blogger behind Heartbeat Kitchen used a melon baller to make small balls of avocado, and the watermelon is cut into cubes (but you do you). This is something extra simple that you could whip up without thinking twice. 

Photo Credit: Bobbi Linn for Food52

10. Melon, Bacon and Spinach Salad with Melon Vinaigrette from Food52

I was today years old when I learned that you can (and should) use melon to make the base of a vinaigrette. Besides the melon, the vinaigrette includes lemon, honey, vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt. You put everything in your blender and process until smooth. Brilliant! The rest of the salad includes cantaloupe, bacon, spinach, red onion, and blue cheese.