Bursting with fresh flavour, this watermelon cucumber bocconcini salad is easy, delicious and perfect for all those upcoming deck parties, picnics and barbecues!
If you’re all about easy summer recipes with minimal fuss, have I got the recipe for you … watermelon cucumber bocconcini salad!
This easy summer salad recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients and can be whipped up in minutes.
It’s light, fresh and just screams summer. It also makes for an easy picnic recipe (which I happen to love)!
Hubby, fur baby and I went on a picnic last year to Cape Spear and packed a lunch, including this salad, curry chicken salad sandwiches and granola bars. We plan on making it an annual thing!
Love summer salads? Check out this creamy Greek pasta salad!
Why We Love this Watermelon Cucumber Bocconcini Salad
- This salad is made with less than 10 ingredients.
- It comes together in about 10 minutes with very little fuss.
- It’s great for a picnic or to bring along to a summer BBQ. Always goes over well!
- Of course, it tastes delicious!
How to Make it
You literally chop up all the ingredients, toss together in a bowl and enjoy! Easy!
What is Bocconcini?
Bocconcini are small balls of mozzarella, usually packed in water.
You can find them in various sizes, including pearl (little tiny tiny ones), regular sized (like I used here), or large ones.
They are semi-soft and absorb flavour really well.
They aren’t intrusive in taste and go well with a variety of things, like this cucumber melon salad, in pasta or eating right from the package (yes, I do that and please, no judgement, they are that good).
Can I Make Ahead of Time?
This salad is best made and enjoyed right away. The salt in the salad pulls some of the moisture out of the cucumber and melon and if it sits to long, it will get watery.
Having said that, if you do want to prepare in advance simply have everything chopped up and add the salt, oil and vinegar just before serving.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- I left the seeds in the cucumber. Because I enjoyed immediately, the salad didn’t get watery. However, if you like you can scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Just carefully cut cucumber in half and run a spoon down the centre to remove those seeds. Continue with the recipe.
- If you can’t find bocconcini, no worries! Just use mozzarella (preferably the kind packed in water). Tear or cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Prefer not to use bocconcini or mozzarella? Try feta cheese instead.
- If you want, you can use basil instead of mint; both work lovely! Speaking of mint, I can’t wait for our herb garden to start coming in. We grow mint like it’s nobody’s business. It really thrives for us, unlike basil (that one ain’t so easy, even when we tried growing it inside). Any tips? I’d love to hear!
More Easy Picnic Ideas
If you make this melon cucumber bocconcini salad, be sure to leave a comment below!
Watermelon Cucumber Bocconcini Salad
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups)
- 3 cups mini seedless watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces (about ½ a mini melon)
- 7 ounces bocconcini, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 200 grams)
- ½ red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a large bowl, stirring to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
Angel
This salad is surprisingly good! I took a few bites before I put in olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper, I realized it was actually perfect without those ingredients and it was sooooo yummy that I couldn’t bring myself to change anything so I didn’t add the liquids or salt and pepper.. Thank you for sharing ☺️
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Angel 🙂 So happy you enjoyed it!
Kitty
Loving this combo! During the summer I want to eat mint on everything so I’m definitely trying this recipe!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kitty!! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Sasha @ Eat Love Eat
This salad looks super refreshing and vibrant! Perfect summer fare 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Sasha! It sure is 😉
Karen (Back Road Journal)
A delicious sounding combination that I would not have thought about…thanks.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much Karen! Happy to provide some inspiration 😉
Kevin O'Leary
This salad looks so refreshing! And what a great dish for cookouts and potlucks.:)
Girl Heart Food
Sure is! Thanks Kevin 🙂
Marissa
We’re with you and your hubby on the veggie cravings as the weather warms up. And this salad is the perfect balance of crunchy, delicious veggies and rich, creamy cheese!
Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thanks Marissa! It definitely is 🙂
Brian Jones
I love using watermelon in salads, in fact, I love using it in all sorts of savoury dishes. This sounds superb!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much Brian! It really is a yummy ingredient 🙂
Caroline
This is such a bright and tasty-looking salad perfect for summer. Looks great!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Caroline! It sure is 🙂
Amanda
Yum! Can’t wait for watermelon season to try this. Love how simple all the ingredients are too!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Amanda! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
Nothing says summer quite like watermelon! I love how you’ve used it in this salad. What a wonderful combination of flavors….I think summer is just around the corner! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Totally agree! Thanks Kathy – I sure hope so 😉
Katherine I Love In My Oven
Even though I could just eat a bowl of bocconcini it would be a shame not to combine it in this salad!! How refreshing for summer!!
Girl Heart Food
Haha…same here 😉 Thanks Katherine!
Sarah
I’ve never tried Bocconcini, but it looks pretty similar to burrata! This salad looks so refreshing– I can’t wait until my garden is going strong!
Girl Heart Food
It’s really tasty! Somewhat similar in flavour, but denser. Thanks Sarah 🙂 Me too!
Pam Greer
I love the sound of this salad! I don’t think I could go meatless for a whole month either, though this salad would definitely help! What a great combination of flavors!
Girl Heart Food
Glad to hear I’m not the only one 😉 Thanks so much Pam!
Helena
I never ever would imagine to combine these two ingredients – watermelon and cucumbers. So it was quite a discovery for me. Also, thanks for a little story about bocconcini – very interesting!
Girl Heart Food
It’s nice and fresh and really light! Thanks Helena 🙂 Hope you get a chance to try this one out!
Chris
Melon and cucumber is such a gorgeous combo. What a creative and delish way to serve it!
Girl Heart Food
Totally! Thanks Chris 🙂
Vicky
With the summer heat coming, this looks like just the thing! I love how refreshing this is while being good for you. It looks so pretty on the table too!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks very much, Vicky 🙂 !
Catherine
What a wonderfully refreshing salad! I love cucumber and melon…perfect combo for those hot summer days ahead! Pinning this beauty too.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Catherine! Appreciate it 🙂 Enjoy!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
What a refreshing spring/summer salad Dawn! I’ll definitely be giving this a try! Perfect for all those summer picnics ahead!
Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Hope you love it Mary Ann!
Sharon
This is a perfect simple salad for Summer. This would be a great side to any grilled meat.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Sharon! It sure would 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Love this! I’m madly collecting salad recipes to get me through the Summer and will be putting this one on the list 🙂 Lovely!
Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Happy to hear that, Jennifer! Enjoy 🙂
[email protected]
You probably have a sense of how I feel about bocconcini….and everything paired with it is my favorite in that moment! Not only is this bursting with flavor – it’s pretty too! Perfect for summer! Have a great week, my friend! XOXO
Girl Heart Food
Hahaha- I do 😉 Thanks, my friend! Have a wonderful week too! XOXO
Milena
My go to cheese for watermelon in salads has been feta for as long as I remember. Feta was THE cheese in my family growing up, lol. So excited to try with the baby Mozzarella balls. Love those actually and you are right – they are the perfect little flavor absorbers:) Pinned! Have a great week!
Girl Heart Food
Feta is pretty awesome too, either in a salad or eaten as is 😉 Thanks so much Milena! Have an awesome week too!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
Bocconcini are one of my favorite snacks! I’ve never thought to pair it with melon but the salty sweet thing would totally work. Yes to taking this on a picnic this summer! Have a great week, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Hope you get a chance to try it out, Kelsie! Thanks so much and have a wonderful week too 🙂
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
This is the perfect summer salad! I can totally see myself making this for a family backyard BBQ! I’ve never tried growing my own herbs but it’s definitely on my list to try! Good to know you are having success with mint. I would totally love to grown basil! I add it to everything lately. Happy Monday Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Leanne! It would definitely be perfect for that 🙂 Mint grows pretty awesome around here, at least for me! I usually have more than I know what to do with. Have a great week!
David @ Spiced
I’m thinking this salad sounds incredible, Dawn! I’ve never thought about combining mozzarella with watermelon…but I can see how this works, and it would be one heck of a perfect summer salad. Also, I’m with ya on the herb garden. I saw our mint just starting to peak out of the ground over the weekend, and it made me happy! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thanks David! Yay for the mint coming around 🙂 Have a great week!