Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
This is the best watermelon salad! This combination of juicy watermelon, tangy goat cheese, and a balsamic drizzle makes it the perfect summer salad.
Our local farmer’s market opened this past weekend. I was super psyched because it means warmer weather is here for awhile and I can get lots of fresh fruits and vegetables easily. Of course, watermelon is one of THE summer fruits so you can make this salad all summer long.
Grab a watermelon (or two) on your next trip to the store and toss together this delicious and super flavorful summertime salad.
I know there are tons of watermelon feta salad recipes out there. I’m a HUGE goat cheese fan though so I decided to transform the traditional watermelon feta salad into a watermelon goat cheese salad. To add some more complex flavors, I also tossed in peppery arugula and a delicious balsamic glaze. I keep a bottle of this glaze in our fridge all the time and use on everything from sandwiches to strawberries!
Why You’ll Love This Watermelon Salad Recipe
- It tastes like summertime on a plate! Watermelon is a quintessential summer fruit and the flavor really shines through in this cold salad.
- It is very easy to make! With minimal ingredients, this salad is easy and quick to make.
- Make it ahead! You can prep all of the components of this fresh fruit salad ahead of time and then assemble when you are ready to serve it.
- Balanced flavors. A little sweet, a little bitter, and perfectly seasoned.
Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad Ingredients
- Balsamic Vinegar: Be sure to get a high quality balsamic vinegar to use in this recipe. The flavor gets concentrated when making the glaze to the quality really matters.
- Brown Sugar: This is combined with the balsamic vinegar to make a add a touch of sweetness and round out the flavor of the vinegar in the balsamic glaze.
- Watermelon: I recommend using a seedless watermelon but any fresh watermelon will work great.
- Goat Cheese: Either get the pre-crumbled version or a 4 ounce log and crumble it yourself. You could also get a flavored version like a lemon or honey.
- Arugula: This peppery lettuce adds some additional crunch and little bitterness to the dish.
How to Make Cold Watermelon Salad
The first step to making this delicious watermelon goat cheese salad is make the balsamic glaze. You’ll combine balsamic vinegar with brown sugar to create a sweet and thick glaze that will serve as the final topping for the salad. The glaze requires time to cool so make it before prepping any of the other ingredients.
While your glaze cools, you can turn your attention to chopping the watermelon and arugula. Watermelon cubes work best in this salad but you could also use slices, with the rind removed, instead. From there, it is a quick step to combine the watermelon, goat cheese, and arugula before drizzling with the glaze.
Other Summer Salad Recipes
If you love this fresh watermelon goat cheese salad, be sure to check out these other delicious summer salad recipes:
- Cucumber Watermelon Salad
- Stone Fruit Salad
- Asian Inspired Cucumber Salad
- Rainbow Farro Salad
- Summer Corn Salad with Avocado
What is your favorite summer fruit? Are you starting to load up on delicious salads now that the weather is turning warmer and farmer’s markets are opening up?
Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
Balsamic Glaze
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Salad
- 3 cups watermelon cubed
- 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1/2 cup arugula chopped
Instructions
- In a small pan, combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer until glaze is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.1 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar
- In a large bowl, combine watermelon, goat cheese and arugula. Toss to combine. Drizzle with cooled balsamic glaze just before serving.3 cups watermelon, 1 cup crumbled goat cheese, 1/2 cup arugula
Notes
Nutrition
This looks soooo good. Also I didn’t get a chance to say how much I loooove my secret sister presents serious thank you thankyou. And those snacks saved me that one day, I was starving
Thanks for joining the Small victories Sunday Linkup. Please join again. Pinned to the group board.
This looks so tasty! I’m a huge fan of watermelon and our local organic grower shoud have some soon. Thanks for sharing. Visiting from DIY Sunday showcase 🙂
Yum. This recipe looks delicious. I love goat cheese and using it with watermelon seems like a very sensible and delicious choice!
I’ve seen watermelon and goat cheese paired, but I’ve never had it. Might have to try it! Thanks for linking up at Found & Foraged.
This looks so good, Shanna!
This would be perfect for the Summer Series I’m doing in June “30 Days of Summer”. I’d love for you to consider joining us for the series! You could submit this post or even write a new one. The rules are simple:
* Select a Date in June
* Select a Topic related to Summer
* Have the post written in html with pictures and emailed to Megin by due date (5 days prior to post date)
* Link back to your own Blog
It’s that simple! Please let me know if you’d like to join us and I’ll let you know what dates I have open.
~ Megin of VMG206
What a delicious flavor combination- I once had a Watermelon Salad with Feta (NYC restaurant week at Union Square Cafe about a million years ago!) and it was so good that I still remember the details and flavors! I bet it would have been even better with goat cheese- I cannot wait to try this!
I stopped by from All Things Thursday.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the salad 🙂 Glad it brought back a fun memory.
That salad looks so fresh and tasty! Love the summer months and all the fresh produce:)
Thanks for linking up at #PureBlogLove PIN LINK party. Remember our party rules have changed. We’d love to have you link a PIN LINK at our next party so we can add you to our #PureBlogLove Craft board! We always comment right on the PINS and give them a love.! Looking forward to seeing your ideas at our next party!
Now this is my kind of summer salad! Looks so yummy! Hope your having a great week! Pinned & shared. Hope to see you again soon. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party!
This sounds wonderful. I love arugula, and I bet it adds a nice flavor to the watermelon. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai