This peach watermelon salad without feta is an easy-peasy summer salad. Fresh seasonal fruit and English cucumbers are tossed in a sweet mint-basil dressing that makes everything taste divine! Perfect for picnics, barbecues and backyard parties!
I'm on a salad making spree these days! Come summer, and I want to see nothing but big bowls of in season veggies and fruit tossed in whatever dressing that may catch my fancy that day. Salads that the family can dig into. And extra brownie points if they are the no-cook kind.
This beautiful peach and watermelon salad with some English cukes thrown in for good measure is one such stupidly simple salad. For one, it is completely vegan and dairy free (no feta), and it's light on the stomach. And two, it is tossed in a really fantastic homemade mint basil dressing that is a little sweet and tangy at the same time. You won't miss the cheese at all.
More light and easy salads to make this summer: spinach and arugula salad, strawberry cucumber salad, and a creamy cucumber salad with Greek yogurt dressing (no mayo).
Ingredients
Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down:)
Fruit
- Peaches - a summer superstar, peaches reach their best ripeness from May to September.
- Watermelon - I chose a seedless mini watermelon and used up all of it.
- Cucumbers - go for English cucumbers as opposed to field cucumbers. The English cukes are more flavorful and don't need to be peeled. They are those long cucumbers individually wrapped in plastic in most supermarkets.
Sweet Basil Dressing
- Avocado oil - this is a neutral tasting oil that goes well with fruit salads. Substitute with olive oil if you don't have avocado oil.
- Maple syrup
- Lemon juice - for that tang to offset the sweetness.
- Fresh basil - again, like the fruit, basil is found in abundance in the summer. Take full advantage!
- Fresh mint - goes very well in combination with the basil.
- Sea salt - very essential to bring out the flavors. Don't skimp on it.
- Black pepper - freshly ground
Instructions
- Slice the fruit - Cut the peaches, cucumber, and watermelon into small slices or cubes or any shape that you like. If you have a melon baller, you can scoop out small balls from the watermelon flesh for a fun twist. Transfer the fruit to a large bowl.
- Make the salad dressing - Put all the ingredients of the dressing in a blender and blitz until you get a semi-smooth, slightly chunky consistency. You don't have to blitz the herbs into oblivion, a few unblended leaves will not make any difference and will in fact, add to the visual appeal.
- Toss it all together - Pour the dressing over the fruit, mix with a spoon and enjoy!
Top tips
- If you want to prep a couple an hour or two ahead, cut the fruit and make the dressing and keep both in the fridge. When you're ready to eat, toss the two together and serve immediately.
- Once assembled, the fruit will release a lot of liquid if kept for any length of time. Watermelon and cucumbers are 90% water after all. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. You can eat the salad with a spoon and slurp up the juices! In fact, the salad tastes even better after a while even though it may not look as nice.
- Try and finish the salad in one go, but if you have any leftover salad, put it in a bowl, cover with clingwrap and store in the fridge for not more than a day. Longer than that and the fruit will become too soft and limp.
- You may not want to use all of the dressing at once. If the dressing is more than what you want to mix with the salad, save it for later. Maybe for another batch of salad the next day?
Serving suggestions
- If you're making this salad in the summer, you're also probably grilling! Serve this salad as a refreshing side with your hot dogs, burgers and steaks.
- Make it a combo with soup for a complete meal. This vegan asparagus soup would make a nice pairing with the peach and watermelon salad.
More easy summer salad recipes
Want more? Check out these beautiful salads as well. You won't be disappointed!
Did you make this peach watermelon salad recipe? Do leave a recipe rating and review in the comments section below. I'd love to hear from you:)
Peach Watermelon Salad Without Feta
Equipment
- 1 chopping board
- 1 knife
- 1 salad bowl large
- 1 large spoon
- blender
Ingredients
Fruit
- 3 peaches
- 1 mini watermelon
- 1 English cucumber
Salad dressing
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup basil leaves tightly packed
- ½ cup mint leaves tightly packed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the peaches, cucumber, and watermelon into small slices or cubes. Transfer the fruit to a large bowl.
- Put all the ingredients of the dressing in a blender and blitz until you get a semi-smooth, slightly chunky consistency.
- Pour the dressing over the fruit and mix with a large spoon. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you want to prep a couple an hour or two ahead, cut the fruit and make the dressing and keep both in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, toss the two together and serve immediately.
- Try and finish the salad in one go, but if you have any leftover salad, put it in a bowl, cover with clingwrap and store in the fridge for not more than a day.
- If you have extra dressing, you can use it up in another salad.
Sakina Husain says
Two of my favorite fruits . It was delicious!
NorCalGal says
I have made twice with much success. Second time, I omitted the basil and used walnut oil (because the flavor really goes with fruit and maple syrup). Love it both ways. Really pretty to present to guests or at a potluck too.
Lynn says
Delicious! I wasn't sure it would work, but since I like all the ingredients I took a chance. The quality of the fruit is important, of course. Make sure watermelon and peaches are ripe and sweet. Perfect summer side dish. Will definitely make again.