Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Strawberries and Feta

Watermelon + cucumber make for the most refreshing possible summer salad. Paired with sweet, juicy strawberries, tangy, salty feta and herbaceous mint, nothing beats this watermelon cucumber salad on a hot day.

It's been insanely hot this week. Like, 90+ real feel every single day. I can't really complain, because it's certainly better than rain or snow, but still. Ugh.

If I weren't so lazy, I would run in the morning before it gets hot, but somehow I don't learn from my mistakes and end up going out at 4pm every day.

By then, it's 90+ degrees and I'm sweating profusely about .2 miles into the run. It makes for some pretty miserable running conditions, but it's definitely better than not running at all.

I know most people think it's crazy, but running majorly improves my mental health and it's by far my favorite way to exercise! Now I just need a local running buddy to suffer with me through 90+ degree runs.

I promise I'll feed you delicious things afterwards like this watermelon cucumber salad!!

What I'm getting to is that there's nothing quite as refreshing as watermelon after an extremely hot run. I'm usually not in the mood to eat a huge meal after running, so this light, refreshing salad is the perfect option to tide me over until my next meal.

How to pick the perfect watermelon

There's nothing worse than having a craving for watermelon and then slicing into an underripe, flavorless melon. Here are a few tips to help you pick the perfect watermelon next time you head to the store/farmers market:

• It may seem counterintuitive, but look for a watermelon with a large yellow patch. This means it has been resting on the ground and is more ripe. The darker yellow the patch, the longer it was on the vine. Avoid fully green watermelons - though they look pretty, they're typically not ripe enough.
• Tap/knock on the bottom of the watermelon. A ripe watermelon will have a satisfyingly deep, hollow sound.
• Pick a heavy watermelon for its size. A heavier watermelon means there's more water, which means a juicier, more flavorful watermelon.

Assembly

This recipe calls for spiralized cucumbers, but if you don't have a spiralizer, feel free to dice the cucumbers instead.

We used a vegan feta-style cheese in this salad from VioLife Foods. It's honestly really good. The texture is quite a bit softer than regular feta, and it's not quite as satisfyingly salty, but it's a great alternative.

If you're not dairy free or vegan, feel free to substitute with regular feta.

More summer salad recipes

Looking for more recipes like this watermelon cucumber salad? Try a few more of our favorite summer salads:

• Berry Spinach Salad with Raspberry Dressing
• Watermelon Berry Salad with Lime Mint Dressing
• Blackberry Avocado Arugula Salad
• Roasted Beet & Berry Salad
• Vegan Taco Salad

If you make this vegan watermelon cucumber salad, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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