Summer Melon Salad

Melon salad featuring colourful melon balls arranged on an oval platter with scattered fresh mint leaves.

This stunning Summer Melon Salad is pretty to look at yet takes minimal time and effort to prepare. Use a melon baller to scoop the melon, then drizzle with a simple honey lime and fresh mint dressing. It makes a wonderfully fresh, juicy, and delicious appetizer or dessert and is perfect for a leisurely summer brunch.

Gosh, I love fruit salads. In the summer, I can never get enough fresh fruit and often serve it in a salad for lunch on hot days. Fresh peaches and seasonal fruit pair well with burrata in this Grilled Peach Burrata Salad. Speaking of burrata, this fresh mozzarella is also stunning with cantaloupe in this Spicy Sweet Cantaloupe Salad. For more fruit salad recipes, simply type ‘salad’ into the recipe index.

Melon salad featuring colourful melon balls arranged on an oval platter with scattered fresh mint leaves.

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below and get this post sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I’ll send you my weekly newsletter featuring the newest and best Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen recipes every week!

Save Recipe

Summer Melon Salad

It is said that we ‘eat with our eyes’ and I wholeheartedly agree. Even before ‘Instagram-worthy’ food sharing on social media and obsessive food photo taking, an attractive dish was a popular dish.

As a recipe developer, I carefully consider what goes into making a dish delicious…and photogenic! I use a few tricks to help dishes look more appealing if they also add to the overall flavour. This Summer Melon Salad recipe is a good example of simple tweaks that can elevate a basic watermelon salad to another level.

Melon salad featuring colourful melon balls arranged on an oval platter with scattered fresh mint leaves.

Cutting a watermelon (or any melon) into attractive equal-sized pieces can be difficult and time consuming. The solution? Use a melon baller (Amazon affiliate link) or cookie scoop to create uniform bite sized balls of melon with little time or effort. In fact, you could use several scoop sizes to create even more visual interest.

While creating this healthy salad, I employed the KISS method. I’m keeping it simple (silly!) with only 6 ingredients, including three different melons. The ‘salad dressing’ is a simple lime and honey syrup and the final touch is a garnish of fresh mint leaves. Who knew such a stunning salad was achievable in under 20 minutes?!

Ingredients required to make melon salad with a honey lime dressing.

Ingredients for Melon Salad

This Melon Salad recipe calls for three varieties of melon: watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe. Of course, you can use one, a combination of any two, or all three for an equally delicious salad. Could it be any simpler?

  • Watermelon
  • Honeydew Melon
  • Cantaloupe
  • Honey
  • Limes
  • Fresh Mint Leaves

For this salad recipe, a small round Watermelon is the best option (unless you want to double the recipe). Use the tips and tricks outlined below to successfully select a tasty watermelon every time. These tips also work for Honeydew Melons and Cantaloupe.

Process photo showing how to scoop watermelon balls with a cookie scoop.

Feel free to substitute another melon for any (or all three) of the featured melons. Instead of the classic orange cantaloupe, try Crenshaw Melon or an orange Honeydew melon (yes, they exist!). Even a tiny little cucamelon would add a fun hit of green to this melon salad.

Or, instead of a classic green Honeydew melon, try a Mellowsweet, Kandy Dewlicious, Galia, Juan Canary, Kandy Lemondrop, or Santa Claus melon. A yellow watermelon makes an interesting substitute for the classic red watermelon.

Process images showing how to make honey lime dressing.

Another fruit you will need for this recipe are limes. It takes roughly 2 limes to make 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice depending on how big/juicy the limes are. Feel free to zest the limes and add zest to the salad dressing. Pro tip: Microwave limes on high for 30 seconds then roll them on the counter before juicing. This will help to extract as much of the fresh lime juice as possible.

Lastly, use the freshest mint leaves possible for this salad and be generous. There aren’t many ingredients in this recipe so using fresh ingredients really amps up the flavour profile.

Pouring honey lime dressing over melon salad.

How to Choose a Watermelon

Here are a few extra tips and tricks you can use when picking out a watermelon in the garden, farmer’s market, or grocery store. In general, the same tips apply to selecting other melons, including Honeydew and Cantaloupe.

  1. Buy melon in season and it will be easier to select a tasty one.
  2. Lift the melon and compare it to others. If it is heavy for its size that means it is juicy and full.
  3. The stem end should be dry and brown or yellow. This signifies the melon was picked at peak ripeness.
  4. Look for a creamy yellow to almost orange or brown area (also called the field spot) on one side of the melon. This is where the melon was resting on the ground. A darker colour means it rested there longer.
  5. Knock on it. If it sounds hollow and deep, then it is good. Do not choose it if it has a higher hollow sound.
  6. Choose dull melons with a distinctive deep dark green and light-yellow colour pattern. Shiny melons or those with a light colour pattern have not had time to ripen.
  7. Check the overall size and rind condition. Rounder melons tend to be tastier, but not always. Make sure there are no cracks or bruises. Grey or tan coloured irregularities with a web-like pattern are the exception. These are pollination scars, and a high number of scars means the bees did their job well!
Melon salad featuring colourful melon balls arranged on an oval platter with scattered fresh mint leaves.

How to Make a Stunning Summer Melon Salad

Prepare the Fruit

Let’s begin by preparing the fruit. Cut the watermelon in half and use the melon baller to scoop balls from the watermelon flesh. Place the watermelon balls on a serving plate. Next, cut the honeydew melon in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds.

Use a melon baller (of another size if you have one) to scoop balls from the honeydew flesh. Scatter the honeydew balls on top of the plated watermelon balls. Repeat step 2 for the cantaloupe.

When you have finished scooping the melon balls toss them together on the serving plate so
the colors are mixed.

Serving bowls filled with multicoloured melon salad garnished with fresh mint.

Make the Dressing

This salad dressing is so simple, it’s more of a honey simple syrup than a dressing because it doesn’t contain any olive oil. It adds a touch of sweetness and zesty tang to the finished salad. For a little extra ‘tang’ feel free to zest the lime before juicing and add the zest to the dressing.

To make the salad dressing, pour the fresh lime juice, honey and mint into a small bowl and whisk with a fork until fully combined. Pour the lime dressing over the melon balls and decorate with a couple of extra sprigs of mint.

Serve and enjoy!

Close up of multicoloured melon balls scattered with fresh mint leaves.

Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Melon Salad will keep really well and the citrus from the lime will keep the salad tasting fresh.

Melon Salad Variations

This is one of those healthy recipes. It is naturally gluten free and suitable for a vegan diet. However, if you feel like bulking it up a little bit more, feel free to add bocconcini, fresh burrata, or crumbled feta cheese, like I did in this Watermelon Mint Feta Salad with Arugula.

Pinterest image featuring melon salad arranged on an oval platter and up close.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I’ve been the sole recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen for the past eleven years. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

If you make this Summer Melon Salad recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in the ratings. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!

Yield: 4 servings

Summer Melon Salad

A variety of melon balls dotted with fresh mint on a platter.

This stunning Summer Melon Salad is pretty to look at yet takes minimal time and effort to prepare. Use a melon baller to scoop the melon, then drizzle with a simple lime, honey and mint dressing. Melon Salad is a wonderfully fresh, juicy and delicious appetizer or dessert and is perfect for a leisurely summer brunch.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 small Watermelon
  • 1 Honeydew Melon
  • 1 Cantaloupe
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • handful fresh Mint Leaves; chopped

Instructions

    1. Cut the watermelon in half and use the melon baller to scoop balls from the watermelon flesh.
      Scatter the watermelon balls onto a serving plate.
    2. Cut the honeydew melon in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds. Use a melon baller to
      scoop balls from the honeydew flesh. Scatter the balls on top of the watermelon balls on the
      serving plate. Repeat step 2 for the cantaloupe.
    3. When you have finished scooping the melon balls toss them together on the serving plate so
      the colors are mixed.
    4. To make the salad dressing put the lime juice, honey and mint into a small mixing bowl and
      whisk with a fork until fully combined.
    5. Pour the dressing over the melon balls and decorate with a couple of extra sprigs of mint.
    6. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 258Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 86mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 5gSugar: 59gProtein: 4g

Nutritional calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. For special diets or medical issues please use your preferred calculator.

Did you make this recipe?

Share your dish pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag @dishnthekitchen (or #dishnthekitchen) in your post or story! Rate this recipe and leave a review to share your experience with others!

32 comments

  1. nancy

    that’s a really good looking melon salad. It is perfect for hosting and everyone loves the taste

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Yes! It’s a keeper…so easy and impressive too.

  2. andrea

    this summer melon salad was so delicious! love all the colors and how aesthetically pleasing it was to have in our picnic spread!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      A picnic is a wonderful way to enjoy this salad! Thank you for trying it Andrea.

  3. Asha

    I’ve tried many melon salads before. I especially enjoyed this version with its lime, honey, and mint dressing.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      It’s so easy and really tasty. I’m glad you liked it Asha.

  4. Enriqueta E Lemoine

    This was one of my favorite ways to eat fruit salad when I was a little girl. Thanks for bringing these sweet memories. I’m running to the grocery store to buy all my melons and make a big batch!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Aw, I’m so glad you had those great childhood food memories. I hope you enjoy this melon salad just as much.

  5. Dennis

    Your fruit salad was a big hit at my party this weekend. Everyone commented on how beautiful it was and they devoured it!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Excellent, so glad to hear it Dennis. Thanks for letting me know.

  6. Erin

    Hey, you finally made me like melon! 😀 I usually don’t like it at all, but this salad was wonderful! And so very pretty, too.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      hahaha. Mission accomplished.

  7. Helen at the Lazy Gastronome

    This salad is so refreshing. I love the bright flavors of the dressing with the sweet melon balls.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Thank you so much Helen!

  8. Kathryn

    This melon salad was so perfect for an appetizer! It was refreshing on a hot summers day and we all loved it! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      I’m so glad you loved it. Appetizer, salad, dessert it works anywhere!

  9. Tammy

    Stunning salad. I love melon salads so refreshing and just hits the spot for that sweet craving in the summer. Lovely presentation!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Thank you so much Tammy, it’s pretty and it tastes amazing! Plus it is sooo easy!

  10. Giangi Townsend

    Super fun and so easy to make. We love this recipe so much. Refreshing and rich in flavor.
    Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Yes, it is kind of fun to make! I’m glad you liked this salad Giangi.

  11. Lauren Michael Harris

    Ohhh we’re having a party this weekend and were trying to find some healthier sides. THIS melon salad is it! The kids will love it too so a definite win!!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Oh yes, this salad will work perfectly. Have a wonderful weekend.

  12. Oscar

    This summer melon salad is just what I needed – refreshing, juicy, and bursting with those sunny vibes. A perfect way to keep cool and enjoy the season’s bounty!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Wow, I’m glad you loved this melon salad Oscar. Thank you so much for letting me know.

  13. Giangi Townsend

    The best summer salad ever!! Easy to make, beautiful presentation, and refreshing.
    The honey and lime are my favorite combination.
    Everyone enjoyed it at dinner last night, thank you.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      I am so glad to hear everyone loved this simple melon salad Giangi! Thank you for trying my recipe.

  14. Sean

    I am not the biggest fan of cantaloupe but I swapped it out for a similar melon and this salad was fantastic. I have requests from my friends to make it again.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Sure! There are so many different kinds of melon. You can also use other soft fruits such as mango or dragon fruit. Thanks for trying this recipe!

  15. Gloria

    What a crisp and cool salad for this summer heat. Perfect for brunch on the weekend too. I know this will be a hit with the grandkids, they love melons.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Yes! Kids love this salad, it’s just so fun!

  16. Elaine Benoit

    I made this melon salad this past weekend and everyone loved it! I’ll probably make it again Labor Day weekend! Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      So great to hear that it’s a keeper Elaine. Thank you for trying this recipe!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe