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Home » Recipes » Salads

Melon Salad with Strawberries and Mint

Published: May 18, 2021 · Modified: May 18, 2021 by Lexi

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There's nothing more refreshing than perfectly ripe, in-season melon. And that fresh flavor gets elevated further when paired with juicy strawberries, sweet melon, and herbs picked straight from the garden. This melon ball salad is fresh, delicious, and fun to make!

close up overhead view of melon ball salad with strawberries and mint in white bowl.
Jump to:
  • 🥗 Why We Love This Recipe
  • 🍓 Ingredients
  • 📋 Ingredient Notes
  • 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
  • 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
  • 🍽 Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe

🥗 Why We Love This Recipe

  • Comes together quickly: Once you're done balling the melons, the rest of the salad comes together in about 5 minutes.
  • Better than a regular fruit salad: Fruit salads can be super boring, but this melon salad keeps it interesting, with pops of herbaceous basil and mint, the acidity of the lime, and the sweetness of the strawberries and melons.
  • Great way to use summer fruits: Melon and cantaloupe are pretty boring on their own, but alongside melon, strawberry, and a great dressing, they turn into stars.

🍓 Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this melon ball salad with strawberries:

overhead view of ingredients for melon ball salad in bowls.

📋 Ingredient Notes

  • Fresh herbs: This melon salad will taste best with fresh mint and basil, so don't skip them! If you don't have fresh, leave them out altogether – this salad is not a great use for dried herbs.
  • Fresh fruit: Just like the herbs, this melon ball salad will taste best with fresh, in-season fruit, so ideally make this during the summer, when watermelons, honeydew, and cantaloupe will all be at their peak freshness and flavor.
  • Melon prep: Balling the melons is pretty fun, but if you're pressed on time, you can opt to slice the melons into smaller cubes instead. The salad will still taste great!
  • Agave: agave is a neutral sweetener that really helps tie this melon salad together. If you don't have any, you can sub with another liquid sweetener like honey.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) To make the dressing, whisk together ¼ cup lime juice, 1 teaspoon agave, ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt. Then add in 3 tablespoon chopped mint and 1 ½ tablespoon chopped basil and stir gently. Set aside while prepping the rest of the ingredients so the mint and basil have a chance to flavor the dressing.

close up overhead view of lime mint dressing in white bowl.

(2) For the salad, use a melon baller to carve balls out of watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe melon. You should keep scooping until you have 3 cups of watermelon balls, 2 cups of cantaloupe balls, and 2 cups of honeydew balls. Don't discard scraps - either eat them on their own, or add them to a smoothie or juice!

on the left: melon baller with honeydew. on the right: four bowls filled with watermelon, canteloupe, honeydew and strawberries.

(3) Slice the strawberries lengthwise into thin round circles. Add the strawberries and balled fruit to a mixing bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Gently stir to coat fruit, and then transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Enjoy!

before and after stirring together ingredients for melon salad with strawberries and mint.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Melon baller is optional: If you're pressed on time, just cut the melons into cubes instead of balling them.
  • Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. It keeps well for up to 3 days, but this strawberry melon salad tastes best when eaten the same day it's made. It also tends to get soggier the longer it sits.
What is a melon baller?

A melon baller, also called a Parisienne scoop, is a small spoon-like utensil that's used to cut ball-shaped pieces of melon. Essentially, you insert the tool into the melon, twirl it in a full circle, and you get a perfect little sphere of melon! You can find them at any kitchen supplies stores.

How do I tell if a watermelon is ripe?

A ripe watermelon will have a large yellow spot and will feel heavy and sturdy. Knock on the watermelon – if it sounds nice and hollow, it's likely at peak ripeness. If it sounds dull (or feels soft), pass.

How do I tell if a cantaloupe is ripe?

If it's green, it's not ripe. It will be firm to the touch but not completely hard, and it should smell sweet. If it smells bad, don't buy it.

How can I tell if honeydew is ripe?

The skin will be more yellow than green, and if you press on the bottom, it will feel slightly soft.

close up side view of melon ball salad with strawberries and mint in white bowl.

🍽 Related Recipes

  • Stone Fruit Salad
  • Roasted Beet and Berry Salad
  • Blackberry, Avocado and Arugula Salad
  • Watermelon Fruit Salad

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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📖 Recipe

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close up overhead view of melon ball salad with strawberries and mint in white bowl.

Melon Strawberry Salad with Lime Mint Dressing


  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

There's nothing more refreshing than perfectly ripe, in-season melon. This melon strawberry salad is fresh, delicious, and fun to make!


Ingredients

Scale

Salad:

  • 3 cups watermelon (diced or use melon baller)
  • 3 cups sliced strawberries 
  • 2 cups cantaloupe (diced or use melon baller)
  • 2 cups honeydew (diced or use melon baller) 

Lime Mint Dressing:

  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tsp agave or honey
  • ⅛-¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
  • 1 ½ tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

Instructions

  1. To make the dressing, whisk together ¼ cup lime juice, 1 teaspoon agave, ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt. Then add in 3 tablespoon chopped mint and 1 ½ tablespoon chopped basil and stir gently. Set aside while prepping the rest of the ingredients so the mint and basil have a chance to flavor the dressing.
  2. For the salad, use a melon baller to carve balls out of watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe melon. You should keep scooping until you have 3 cups of watermelon balls, 2 cups of cantaloupe balls, and 2 cups of honeydew balls. Don't discard scraps - either eat them on their own, or add them to a smoothie or juice!
  3. Slice the strawberries lengthwise into thin round circles. Add the strawberries and balled fruit to a mixing bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Gently stir to coat fruit, and then transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Enjoy!

Notes

Melon baller is optional: If you're pressed on time, just cut the melons into cubes instead of balling them.

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. It keeps well for up to 3 days, but this strawberry melon salad tastes best when eaten the same day it's made. It also tends to get soggier the longer it sits. 

Agave: agave is a neutral sweetener that really helps tie this salad together. If you don't have any, you can sub with another liquid sweetener like honey. 

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: No cook
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Salad
  • Calories: 195
  • Sugar: 28.2 g
  • Sodium: 158.1 mg
  • Fat: 4.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 35.3 g
  • Fiber: 4.3 g
  • Protein: 7.5 g

Keywords: melon salad

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