Watermelon and Mozzarella Salad

Watermelon and Mozzarella Salad is THE perfect summer salad. With the addition of some mouthwatering watermelon balls, this salad offers a gorgeous twist on the classic Caprese salad.

I know, it may seem like a slightly odd combo but I promise you it totally works. Think of it as a celebration of fruit and cheese, which happens to one of the most delicious combos of all time 😛 Follow me…

Watermelon Balls

Sure, you could just slice up the watermelon, but look how dang cute the balls look 🥺

How to make Watermelon Balls

Now I know 99% of you are like ‘dang Chris, are you serious!?’ but for the other 1%, don’t make the mistake I did. This is not a mini ice-cream scoop, that is not how it works. Trying to scrape along the watermelon will make a mess. Instead, grab your melon baller and push into the flesh. Once you fill the baller, twist and scoop out the flesh.

Watermelon Mozzarella Salad

This salad is a neat little play on the classic Caprese salad. It takes the classic mozzarella, tomato and basil combo and turns it on its head. In this case, I’ve traded out the tomato for watermelon and added some pine nuts for a nice little crunch! The creaminess of the mozzarella, with the sweetness of the watermelon and pine nuts, wrapped in silky extra virgin olive oil and a punch of lemon juice. UGH. I could eat this all over again.

Cherry Mozzarella Balls

Just to keep in with the ‘ball’ theme, I love using mini mozzarella balls in this salad. You can sub bocconcini or mozzarella pearls if you can find them, failing that you can just tear or dice up a ball of mozzarella.

What else can I add to this salad?

It’s delicious as it is, but if you want to load in some other goodies here’s a few additions that I find work quite nicely:

• Cucumber
• Red Onion
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Balsamic Glaze (reduce lemon juice so it’s not too acidic)

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yup! In fact it’ll actually help marry the flavours together. I recommend leaving out the salt though, and add just before serving. Otherwise it’ll draw out too much moisture from the watermelon and cause the salad to go soupy.

After more watermelon goodness? Check out these beauties:

Watermelon Salad Recipes

• Grilled Watermelon Salad
• Watermelon Feta Salad
• Watermelon Salad Basket
• More Watermelon Salad Ideas!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this mozzarella watermelon salad shall we?!

Watermelon and Mozzarella Salad (Full Recipe & Video)

5 from 4 votes

Watermelon and Mozzarella Salad

By: Chris Collins

Watermelon and Mozzarella Salad is THE perfect summer salad. With the addition of some mouthwatering watermelon balls, this salad offers a gorgeous twist on the classic caprese salad!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Total: 10 minutes mins

Servings: 3

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Equipment

• Melon Baller (see notes)
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Mixing Bowl & Spatula

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1/4 slice of a whole Watermelon
• ▢ 7oz / 200g Cherry Mozzarella Balls (see notes)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Pine Nuts, toasted if desired
• ▢ 1 handful Fresh Basil, roughly chopped
• ▢ squeeze of Lemon Juice
• ▢ drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ▢ Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

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Instructions 

• Carve out balls using a melon baller, discarding seeds as necessary.
• Place in a bowl with your mozzarella, pine nuts, basil, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and salt & pepper. Combine then test for seasoning.
• Cover and pop in the fridge or eat straight away!

Video

Notes

a) No Melon Baller? - Luckily this salad isn't just a pretty face, the flavours are going to taste great regardless of whether you ball the watermelon or not. Chopping into small chunks will sub fine. 

b) No Cherry Mozzarella? - You can sub Bocconcini or mozzarella pearls. Failing that just tear small chunks of mozzarella.

c) Additions - Cherry tomatoes would go delightfully here, as would cucumber or finely sliced red onion. You could also drizzle over some balsamic glaze (just reduce the lemon juice or it'll be too acidic).

d) Calories - Based on using 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, then shared between 3 people.

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Nutrition

Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.82g | Protein: 17.51g | Fat: 19.67g | Saturated Fat: 9.281g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.896g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6.701g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 422mg | Potassium: 500mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 24.33g | Vitamin A: 2641IU | Vitamin C: 33.8mg | Calcium: 366mg | Iron: 1.4mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’

If you loved this watermelon and mozzarella salad recipe then be sure to pin it for later! Already made it or got a question? Give me a shout in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!