Watermelon Arugula Salad

My watermelon arugula salad has a small ingredients list and big taste! Spicy arugula, decadently juicy watermelon, zesty onion, and salty feta cheese (vegan of course!) create an unbeatable flavor combination.

Summer side dishes can be tough. The steaming bowl of potatoes or roasted veggies that might offer some welcome warmth during the colder months, they just don’t have the same appeal once the summer hits!

I challenged myself to come up with a few ideas and this watermelon arugula salad was born. 

Now, I am for sure not the first person to combine watermelon + feta into a salad – it is a tried and true flavor combination after all! But where many salads rely only on the natural juices of the fruit for moisture, I make my own homemade, slightly sweet yet tangy dressing to bring the whole thing together. 

Sweet summer melon, peppery arugula, and salty vegan feta – flavors in perfect balance! Now if only everything were that simple. 

Ingredient Notes

• Lemon juice – Sweet watermelon demands a bit of acidity for balance, and that’s where bright lemon juice comes in! 
• Agave syrup –  Adds a different note of sweetness and a nice viscosity to the dressing. 
• Extra-virgin olive oil – The base of our dressing for this salad. Make sure to choose an olive oil that tastes great on its own. 
• Fresh arugula – One of my all time favorite greens! Arugula has a peppery flavor and crunchy texture that nicely complements juicy watermelon. 
• Fresh watermelon – The star of the show! Grab a seedless watermelon to save some time if you can, but if you can only find seeded watermelon, use a chopstick to poke the seeds out before mixing the fruit into your salad. 
• Onion – The spicy-savory taste of raw onion takes this salad to the next level! You don’t need a ton of it here–1 small onion or a shallot will do the job. 
• Vegan feta cheese – A salty cheese that brings savory flavor and creamy texture to the dish. I like to get vegan feta in a block and dice it into cubes when possible, but if you can only find crumbles, that’s just fine too!