Easy Melon Salad

This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for details.

Melon Salad is a fruit salad that is perfect for a hot summer day. Using a melon baller, scoop from three sweet melons to make little spheres that are fun-sized bites. With a sweet and citrusy light dressing and fresh mint leaves, this refreshing salad will be favorite chilled delight for lunch, dinner, or dessert.

Hey Internet, fruit is awesome. Fresh fruit is so sweet, especially summer fruits. They're nice on their own but are even greater in recipes. 

We have some awesome recipes for fresh strawberries, like our Vegan Strawberry Milk and Vegan Strawberry Mug Cake. For peaches, we have our Vegan Dutch Baby. We've also got some great watermelon recipes, like this Vegan Watermelon Feta Salad and this Vegan Tuna Replacement.

But for today's recipe, we've got a sweet summer melon salad that's really refreshing especially on busy summer days! We use three types of melons for this recipe; sweet cantaloupe, green honeydew melon, and sweet seedless watermelon. On top of that, we have a fresh citrus juice dressing with fresh herbs to go with it for the best flavor.

I did have to visit a few grocery stores to find the honeydew... they're so popular this time of year!

What makes this salad even more fun is the melon balls. Using a melon baller, you can get these spheres that give you a fresh pop of different melons with each bite. This salad works as a simple melon salad without the balls (you can just dice the fruit to make a regular melon salad, but these something unique about the mouth feeling of a melon ball salad.

Why You'll Love This Melon Salad

• Simple Ingredients: It takes just 7 ingredients to make a super tasty salad!
• Fresh Flavors: With juicy melons, you'll have tasty yet healthy salad.
• Great Party Food: It's easy to prep this side dish ahead of time to bring to a gathering. All types of eaters will love this salad!

Ingredients

Pick up these simple ingredients the next time you're at a grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutritional information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs). I give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!

• 4 Cups Honeydew Melon, Balled
• 4 Cups Watermelon, Balled
• 4 Cups Cantaloupe, Balled
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 3-3.5 Tablespoons Blue Agave
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Mint

Substitutions

• The Melons: You can mix and match melons all you want; any type of melon will work in this recipe. Don't like cantaloupe? Remove it and just add more watermelon and honeydew. You can even add other types of melons like canary melons.
• Lemon or Lime Juice: A lemon vinaigrette made with olive oil is also a nice option, as is a vegan honey lime dressing. For a delicious oil-free option, try this sweet lime oil-free vinaigrette.
• Blue Agave: Maple syrup is a great choice for a replacement for the agave.
• Chopped Mint: Try other herbs like fresh basil! 

How to Make a Melon Salad

1. Ball the Melon: Cut each of the three melons in half. Use a melon baller to create spheres from the flesh of the fruit. Be careful not to get to close to the rind as the fruit is not as tasty.
2. Add and Mix: Add all the balled melon spheres to a large bowl. Then add all the dressing ingredients and the fresh mint to the bowl and then gently mix.
3. Serve: Add to a plate or small bowl and enjoy on a hot day!

Storage Instructions

Store your sweet melon salad in an airtight container and refrigerate. If possible, try and remove some of the excess liquid at the bottom. It should last about 2 to 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can I Tell if My Melons are Ripe?

Generally, you can use smell to determine if you have good melons. You'll know you have ripe melons when they smell sweet yet not sickly sweet. With watermelon, you're looking for a large yellow field spot and a hollow sound when you knock on the rind. With honeydew, you're looking for a bright yellow color and if you rub the rind with your thumb, it should make a squeaking noise. With cantaloupe, I kind of joke that it's ready when it smells lightly of garbage... sorry that's not very appetizing! I swear though, it smells a bit like compost but that's when the flesh is super supple and sweet (and certainly doesn't taste like it smells!). The skin of a ripe cantaloupe should be somewhat soft, too.

How to Ripen Melons Quickly?

A quicker way to ripen your melons (as opposed to just leaving them on the countertop) is to put them in a paper bag with an apple and close the bag with a clip (or fold it under itself). Leave it overnight and check on it. You can leave it this way for a few days, just check on it once or twice a day to make sure it's not getting too ripe. The apple's natural gasses will help ripen it. This works with other fruits too like avocado, so that might be helpful if you're making our avocado nice cream!

Can I Just Cut My Melons Up Instead?

Yep! If you just want an easy salad, you can slice your melons into cubes instead. It's just a little more special with the spheres.

What Other Fresh Herbs Could Work With This Salad?

Basil is a good choice! You can also try some fresh cilantro or some zested lime peel for some more flavor.

Are There Any Other Additions I Can Make to this Salad?

Some raw red onions can add a bit of kick to your melon salad recipe. We also have this great non-dairy feta cheese recipe that goes great with it (we use this in a separate watermelon salad but it would be a great addition to this salad as well). You could also add diced seedless cucumber (or use peeled and seeded regular cucumber) to make a cucumber melon salad!

More Great Summer Salads

• Vegan Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries and Pecans
• Vegan Italian Salad
• Vegan Chicken Salad
• Vegan Watermelon Feta Salad
• Orzo Pesto Salad
• Vegan Macaroni Salad
• Vegan White Bean Salad
• Vegan Taco Salad
• Vegan Ranch Pasta Salad

Print

---

---