Cantaloupe Salad With Feta & Mint

This gorgeous cantaloupe salad is like summer in a bowl! With cucumber, tomatoes, vegan feta, fresh mint, and a lemon-y harissa dressing that adds a bit of earthiness and zip! This dish is easy to prepare and perfect for summer lunches and backyard cookouts with friends.

photo of salad in large serving bowl, topped with chopped mint.

Why We Love This Recipe

I stumbled across this colorful summer melon salad with harissa over at Food52 and instantly wanted to veganize it. We're big fans of harissa, and I knew its earthy and warm flavor would taste amazing with sweet cantaloupe. Spoiler alert: it does!

In case you're worried about the spice level of the harissa, I promise the dressing for this cantaloupe salad is actually more sweet and lemon-y than spicy. And the whole thing is a straight-up party in your mouth!

Sweet cantaloupe and zippy dressing mingle with fresh mint, salty feta, and refreshing cucumber to create a dish that is SO moreish!

You'll also love this for picnics and backyard gatherings because it can be made in advance and served cool or at room temperature.

photo of ingredients with fruit and vegetables in a bowl, dressing and feta on the side.

Ingredient Notes

Cantaloupe - look for a melon that's nice and heavy; you'll know it's ripe and ready to use when it smells sweet and fragrant. Watermelon is a great sub if you don't have cantaloupe.
Cucumber - see FAQs below; English cucumber is preferred over a regular cucumber because the thinner skin can be kept and adds nice color. English cucumbers are also seedless (or have very few small seeds) and less bitter.
Mint - aside from the cantaloupe, if I had to pick ONE ingredient that really makes this dish, it's the mint. If you're like us and have loads of mint taking over your garden or yard, having another way to use it is always welcome!
Feta - I recently shared this Vegan Feta Cheese recipe on the blog, but store-bought feta also works if you have access to one you like.
Harissa - Instead of harissa paste, which is made with oil, I decided to use dried harissa for those of you who may want to skip the oil in this recipe. >>>This Creamy Harissa Dressing is another delicious and healthy way to use dried harissa.

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

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cantaloupe and cucumber on cutting board with a knife, demonstrating size of cubed melon.

How To Assemble Cantaloupe Salad

There's no cooking involved in making this cucumber melon salad, so prep is pretty much as easy as you'd expect!

Wash and chop the veggies, mint, and cantaloupe, and place in a bowl.
In a separate, small bowl whisk together the dressing.
Add the dressing to the salad and gently toss to coat. Crumble the feta directly on top, and lightly toss again. Taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice if you feel it needs more pop!
Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving.

closeup overhead of salad in white bowl showing all ingredients.

Tips and FAQs

Will other melons work in this dish?

I haven't tried it yet, but the author of the original recipe says watermelon is also great. Sounds good to me!

Can I substitute regular cucumber for English cucumber?

Since English cucumbers have a thinner skin and sweeter flavor, they really are nice in fresh salads. They're usually more expensive, though, and not as abundant. If you need to use a regular cucumber in this recipe, peel it, slice in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and cut into half moons.

Does the harissa make it spicy?

As long as you only use 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of harissa, the overall result isn't spicy. The sweetness of the cantaloupe offsets any heat.

Can I use harissa paste instead of dried?

Sure! You'll use a bit more than with the dried harissa. Depending on how spicy your harissa paste is, you may want to start with 2 teaspoons, then give the dressing a taste before adding more.

How long does it keep?

This dish is best after the flavors have mingled for a couple of hours, but leftovers are also great the next day. Because of all the fresh ingredients I wouldn't plan to keep it more than two days.

finished salad in a white bowl, vegan feta on a cheese board, and plates and utensils.

I hope you love the fresh, sweet, bright flavors of this cantaloupe salad. If you try the recipe be sure to leave a star rating and comment below to let us know!

Recipe

overhead of colorful melon cucumber salad in a large white bowl and garnished with vegan feta

Cantaloupe Salad With Cucumber, Feta, and Mint

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

This healthy cantaloupe salad is sweet, fresh, cool, and pretty much summer in a bowl! With cucumber, tomatoes, vegan feta, mint, and a lemon-y harissa dressing. Perfect for summer lunches and backyard cookouts with friends.

Vegan and gluten-free with an oil-free option.

5 from 1 vote

Servings: servings

Prep Time: 15

Chill time: 1

Total Time: 15

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Ingredients

1 large cantaloupe, cut into cubes (about 3 cups) - It should be heavy and smell sweet and fragrant.
1 English cucumber, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
2 large handfuls cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, torn or thinly sliced
½ to ⅔ cup crumbled vegan feta cheese - Homemade or store-bought.

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil, optional - Omit or sub cashew butter or aquafaba for oil-free.
1 to 1 ½ teaspoons dried harissa seasoning - Or 2 to 3 teaspoons harissa paste.
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the cantaloupe, cucumber, tomatoes, and mint in a large bowl.
In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, lesser amount of harissa, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and add more harissa, if desired. Drizzle about half of the dressing on the salad and toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing, salt, pepper, and/or lemon.
Top with crumbled feta. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to allow the flavors to mingle. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Notes

Substitutions

Watermelon is a good replacement for the cantaloupe.

If you need to use a regular cucumber instead of English, I recommend peeling it. Then slice in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and cut into half moons.

Serving and Storage

The salad is best eaten a few hours after it's made, cool or at room temperature. Leftovers till taste great the next day, but after day 2 the mint and tomatoes will look a bit sad. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.