Satisfy your sweet and salty cravings with this delicious cantaloupe salad with feta cheese and basil. Light, fresh, refreshing and takes no time at all.
(Looking for another light and refreshing summer salad? Try this peach caprese salad with balsamic reduction. It’s just as simple and scrumptious!)
The combination of sweet cantaloupes and salty feta cheese make for a delightful salad you’ll want to make all summer long.
Let’s get to it.
Why you’ll love this summer salad
Sweet, salty and a breeze to make, cantaloupe feta salad is lovely enjoyed on your porch, while on a picnic or as a side dish for your next barbecue.
- Fresh and refreshing. This salad is light, fresh and refreshing. Perfect on a warm summer day.
- Easy to make. You don’t even need a conventional recipe!
- Prep ahead. Prepare your components ahead and assemble when you’re ready to eat.
(This Jennifer Aniston salad is pretty tasty too.)
How to make
As with any salad, how you build it is entirely up to you so I did not include measurements in this recipe. Simply taste and season to your liking.
Ingredients
You will need:
- Ripe cantaloupe diced into bite sized pieces — see the section below to learn how to pick sweet and ripe cantaloupes.
- Balsamic vinegar and olive oil — to make a basic vinaigrette as the cantaloupe salad dressing.
- Crumbled feta cheese — or you can buy feta cheese in blocks and crumble them yourself.
- Fresh basil — not a fan of basil? Try mint.
- Salt and pepper — sometimes we add chili flakes too when we’re craving a little kick.
(Got extra feta cheese? Make some avocado feta salad and strawberry feta salad.)
Step-by-step photos
Place a serving of cantaloupe in a plate or bowl.
Top with crumbled feta cheese.
Drizzle with vinaigrette (1 part balsamic vinegar with 2 parts olive oil) and toss.
Top with fresh basil and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
It’s the easiest thing ever, right?
The most important thing to remember is to grab the freshest and best ingredients and to toss your salad just before you serve it.
How to tell if a cantaloupe is sweet and ripe
We’ve had our share of bland cantaloupes so over the years we’ve learned how to tell if a cantaloupe is sweet and ripe.
- Color — first check the color of the cantaloupe’s rind or outer skin. Stay away from the greens! You want to pick a fruit that’s a little tan, beige or yellowish.
- Tap — my mom and grandma know if a cantaloupe is ripe with a single tap. I never got the hang of this but it works for them 100% of the time. The rule is that the fruit should sound solid and deep, not hollow.
- Smell — this is what works for us 100% of the time. We smell the bottom of the cantaloupe and if it smells sweet and fruity, it’s ripe. If you don’t smell anything, it’s bland. And if it smells like alcohol or has a chemical smell (in Filipino culture, we refer to this smell as plastic balloon lol) it’s gone bad.
Recipe FAQs
There are so many ways to make this salad your own:
– If you want something a little more substantial, add cooked quinoa, vegetables like cucumber and arugula, or a handful of berries.
– Can’t find cantaloupe? Try honeydew or watermelon.
– Craving for meat? Prosciutto is a perfect addition.
Cantaloupe salad is best served right after it’s made.
What you can do is prep your components (e.g., slice your cantaloupe, prepare your vinaigrette, etc) up to 2 days ahead, put them in the fridge, then assemble your salad just before you serve it.
You can keep leftovers in the fridge and it should keep for 1-2 days. Note that it will get soft and soggy the longer it sits.
More refreshing summer recipes
Here are more delicious ways to stay cool this season.
We love making cantaloupe feta salad. It’s perfect if you want a light lunch or a refreshing side to a hearty meal.
It’s delicious and so easy to make too.
Hope you like it!
Did you make this easy cantaloupe salad with feta? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can also find me on Pinterest and YouTube.
Cantaloupe Salad with Feta
Ingredients
- 1 pc ripe cantaloupe diced into bite sized pieces (see notes)
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- crumbled feta cheese
- fresh basil chopped
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Mix 1 part balsamic vinegar with 2 parts olive oil.balsamic vinegar, olive oil
- Place a serving of diced cantaloupe in a plate or bowl.1 pc ripe cantaloupe
- Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss.
- Top with crumbled feta cheese and fresh basil.crumbled feta cheese, fresh basil
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.salt, pepper
Video
Notes
- We like to chill the cantaloupe after dicing and only take it out when we’re ready to assemble our salad. This way, our salad is cold and refreshing!
- As with any salad, how you build your salad is entirely up to you so I did not include measurements in this recipe. Just taste and season to your liking.
- This is the reason why the estimated nutrition information is only at 1kcal. This is entirely dependent on the ingredients and the amounts of each you use.
- See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Jessie
LOVE this!! I have had something along similar lines made with watermelon and I remember it having such a unique and “gimme more” flavor. This sweet and salty combo sounds incredible – I love the texture of cantaloupe, I think it might be even better than watermelon for my preference, and the addition of basil just brings it home in the best way.
Liz Mays
Oh yum! This is such a cool way to use cantaloupe. I’m definitely into fresh fruit salads like this.
Suchi
This looks super yum! I am actually gonna try making this tomorrow! Love cantaloups!
Jolina
Nice! Hope you like it!
Chndresh
Looks so fresh and good ..surely going to try this one
Fatima
I like to eat cantaloupe, watermelon or melons sliced and chilled. I also make it into fruit shakes – the fruit, ice, and milk together in a blender. I have never tried making a salad using cantaloupe. I will have to try this. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Kim
I never thought of feta with cantaloupe! I love it with watermelon so this sounds divine!
Jolina
Hi Kim! It works really well together 🙂 I know the traditional salad is watermelon + feta but I don’t care very much for watermelon (weird, right??) so cantaloupe it is.
Kathryn
I’m loving this salad idea. Love the contrast of the salty feta cheese mingled with the aromatic taste of the basil and the sweetness of the cantaloupe. To be honest I didn’t realise what a cantaloupe was until you likened it to a melon. We don’t get them here in Ireland. Know I would love it though.
Jolina
That’s so interesting! If you get melons or honeydew, they should work well too 🙂
andrea
I LOVE cantaloupe! I have never thought to put cheese on and I do love cheese too:) I am going to give this delicious recipe a try
Denay
What a delightful refreshing summer salad! As a matter of fact, I have all the ingredients for this beautiful Cantaloupe Feta Cheese Salad here at home. I’m looking forward to preparing it for lunch tomorrow. I love this easy, healthy recipe!
Jolina
Nice! Would love to know how it goes 🙂
eliza
Wow! I really love browsing and reading your posts. They are all mouth watery, I cant wait to try – the best that I love, because that my favorite was the grilled corn.
Jolina
Thanks Eliza, that’s so sweet 🙂 Hope you get to try the grilled corn, it’s sooo good. Perfect summer/BBQ side!
Maggie Unzueta
This is a great combo. So yummy!
Leah
I love the combination of flavors in this salad! Great idea, and I can’t wait to try it out!
Jolina
Hey Leah! Hope you guys like it 🙂
Sheila Price
I would never think of this flavor combination, but YUM! Thanks for sharing this…I can’t wait to try it!
Jolina
My pleasure! Hope you like it Sheila! 🙂