Watermelon Feta Salad with Cucumber and Bulgur Wheat
If you love watermelon feta salad, you’ll love this version with cucumber, bulgur wheat, mint, and red onion. It’s light enough to serve as a side dish but hearty enough to enjoy for lunch, perfect for summer.
Just in time for juicy watermelon season, this bulgur wheat salad is a unique twist on the classic watermelon and feta salad. I’ve been on a big fresh salad kick ever since our trip to Greece earlier this summer, and this one has major Mediterranean-inspired vibes: fresh melon, salty feta, olive oil, mint, cooked bulgur wheat, and red onion.
Like the recipes I’ve posted since we’ve been back (my Greek Orzo Salad and my Lemon Basil Pasta Salad) this one is great as a side dish or a simple main.
It’s so good– I literally ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner one-day last week after making it. See below for more details, or scroll down to the bottom for the full recipe.
Watermelon Salad Ingredient Notes
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this watermelon feta salad and, like most good salads, the ratios are adaptable. Want more juiciness? Add more watermelon. Want this to be dairy-free? Use vegan feta, like Violife, or omit.
For a contrast of textures in each bite, I like to cube the watermelon and thinly slice the red onion and cucumber. However, you can also cube the cucumber and finely dice the red onion. Mint is my preferred fresh herb in this salad, but fresh basil works as well.
I find that the sweetness of a good, in-season, seedless watermelon is sweet enough for this salad but if you need a little more, then you can drizzle on some honey before serving.
I do like arugula in my melon salad (like this in arugula, feta and watermelon version) but decided to omit it here because I don’t think it’s needed with the bulgur wheat.
Lastly, you can find bulgur wheat in most grocery stores near the grain/rice section. Or, you can purchase it online. If you don’t want to include the bulgur wheat, you can substitute farro, quinoa or just omit it.
How to Make this Watermelon Feta Salad with Bulgur Wheat
Cook the Cracked Wheat
Cook the bulgur wheat, then cool.
Add the rest of the ingredients
Add the rest of the ingredients: watermelon, cucumber, mint, feta, red onion and olive oil. Toss together and season with salt and pepper, then serve at room temperature
Tips for Success
I don’t think you need any additional acid for this recipe, like lemon juice, lime juice or balsamic vinegar. I think the sweetness of the watermelon and the brine of the feta is enough, but if you want more acidity then you can add.
I really like to use a block of feta to crumble rather than crumbled feta, as it has a creamier, better flavor.
More Watermelon Recipes
- Frozen Watermelon Lemonade Slushies
- Sparkling Watermelon Lemonade
- Arugula, Watermelon and Mint Salad
- Melon Ball Skewers with Mint-Basil Dressing
More Grain Salad Recipes
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Watermelon Feta Salad with Cucumber and Bulgur Wheat
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked bulgur wheat, from 1 cup uncooked
- 2 cups cubed watermelon
- 1 cup seeded and thinly sliced, or cubed cucumber
- 1/3 cup torn fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 cup crumbled or cubed feta cheese
- 1/3 cup very thinly sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons good extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook and cool the bulgur wheat, if you haven’t done so already
- Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl– cooked bulgur, watermelon, cucumber, mint, feta, and red onion together and toss. Drizzle on the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. I usually do ~1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper each.
- Taste, season as needed, and enjoy