10 Ingredients That Will Elevate Your Watermelon Salad

After a long winter (check out recipes for the cold weather) and a spring that doesn't seem to come fast enough, it's finally summer: the season of the watermelon. We wait all year for that huge, juicy fruit that takes up half the fridge and seems to taste even sweeter during warmer temperatures. And although we love watermelon all on its own, it tastes even better when you turn it into a juicy, refreshing salad. Combining it with other, more flavorful ingredients lets it be what it is — the water-filled, refreshing fruit we all know and love — while the other additions to the salad do the heavy lifting on the flavor front.

But what are the ingredients you should add to watermelon salad to complement that sweet freshness? We've compiled a list of a few of our favorites here. Some offer the salad crunch; others provide a saltiness that creates a richer flavor profile, and the rest are simply there to add spice and complexity. One thing is for sure, though: Once you start experimenting with all of these tasty watermelon salad ingredients, you may not want to settle for another simple slice all summer long.

Not everyone thinks of watermelon as an ingredient that pairs particularly well with spicy foods, but believe us when we say that this is a combo you absolutely have to try. First of all, you're combining two high-water-content foods, which means you're not diminishing the lightness of watermelon with this addition. What you are offering the salad, though, is a touch of spice along with the fresh, peppery flavor jalapeños are known for.

Want to really play up all that spice? Then, you should probably include the jalapeño seeds in the mix. On the other hand, if you're looking for a milder salad, you can skip the seeds. Either way, you'll be left with a salad base that's sweet and sort of spicy, which is a match that proves delicious just about every time. Add other ingredients to the mix, or keep it simple with a little sprinkle of salt, and your watermelon salad is already on a whole new level of deliciousness.

If you don't want to make a whole watermelon salad but want to dress up the fruit a bit — or if you want to go all out and immediately give your salad a pop of flavor — you have to turn to Tajin. This Mexican seasoning is traditionally added to a wide variety of fruits, and it works particularly well with watermelon. Not only does it provide the watermelon with saltiness, but it also comprises chili, which offers that hint of heat we already know works so well with the sweet fruit. Lime gives it all a lift with its acidity that will immediately have your mouth watering.

This is one of the easiest additions to watermelon salad because all you have to do is sprinkle some of the seasoning on top of the fruit and dig in. Of course, if you're looking for diverse flavors, increase the amount of watermelon for a sweet and savory fruit salad that'll help you cool down on even the hottest of days.

There are times when it makes sense to work with flavors that almost seem opposite of one another. That is certainly the case when it comes to watermelon and red onion. For the uninitiated, this combo may sound downright unpleasant, with some assuming that the sharp bitterness of the onions will overpower the sweet but subtle flavors of the watermelon. However, it's actually really delicious, as the ingredients complement each other well.

Watermelon has a high water content and doesn't boast the bold flavor you might want in a savory salad. Red onion swoops in and saves the day, providing that pop of intensity that'll create a beautiful balance in the watermelon salad. Worried that the raw onion flavor will taste too strong for your liking? For a milder crunch, soak the onion slices in water to subdue the flavor before adding them to the salad. This quells their intense flavor profile and helps them meld better with the sweetness of the watermelon slices.

Watermelon is a notoriously light fruit, and all on its own, it's not very hearty or filling. Therefore, if you're trying to make an entire dish out of the fruit, it makes sense to add an ingredient that will add some weight to the salad. One ingredient that does that very well is feta cheese. Feta has a crumbly texture that naturally breaks up within your salad, leaving you with tiny pieces of salty feta that give the salad a lovely layer of saltiness. And although feta is a relatively light cheese, it has just enough weight to give the salad a more substantial bite.

Can't find feta, or just don't want to include it in your salad recipe? You may want to look into using goat cheese in its place. Goat cheese has a similar flavor and texture to feta and will yield similar results in your watermelon salad.

Want to add a cooling, refreshing, and herbal note to your watermelon salad? Look no further than mint. It already works well with chocolate — so why not apply the same idea to watermelon, another sweet food? Honestly, there are a lot of herbs that will instantly upgrade your watermelon salad, but this one might just be our favorite. Due to its high water content, watermelon becomes even more refreshing and juicier when refrigerated, and this intensifies the flavor of the two ingredients. Watermelon's sweetness and mint's slight bitterness create a delicious contrast we can't get enough of. 

Since mint has an intense flavor, it will still pack a punch, even if you're adding a lot of other ingredients into the mix. When you're looking for an easy upgrade for an otherwise basic watermelon salad, mint is sure to do the trick every time.

When you want some extra crunch in your salad but still want to keep things light and fresh — in terms of texture and flavor — you should turn to cucumber. We love this ingredient to bulk up a good watermelon salad and to stretch it further to feed a crowd. These are two foods that have high water content, which makes them hydrating and cooling. It just makes sense, then, that they would pair well.

However, the ingredients have plenty of differences as well. Although they're lightly and subtly flavored, cucumber packs a vegetal quality that watermelon just can't provide. Similarly, watermelon has a sweetness that cucumber won't deliver. Their complementary differences are part of what makes this such a delicious pairing. And since cucumber doesn't really pack much of a flavor punch on its own, you can add in any other flavorful ingredients you're craving. The good news is that the cucumber, due to its mellowness, won't make a huge difference in the salad's overall flavor profile.

It's no secret that any good salad has a touch of acidity, a trait that's especially important when it comes to those that feature sweet ingredients like watermelon. Therefore, vinegar can be a tasty addition to just about any salad. But when you're looking for vinegar that offers more than acidity, it's time to turn to balsamic. That's because, in addition to acidity, balsamic vinegar offers sweetness and a rich complexity you won't find in other varieties. That sweetness plays off of the sugar in the watermelon, creating a multi-layered flavor that's far from cloying, thanks to the tang of the same vinegar.

You don't have to worry about making a whole dressing from scratch for your next watermelon salad. Just drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top of all the ingredients, mix it all together, and you'll have the refreshing summer salad of your dreams. Here's everything to know about the types of vinegar.

Part of the appeal of watermelon is that it's so light and juicy, making for an ideal snack. But what about when you want to turn your watermelon into a full meal (or at least a side dish)? That's when you need to think about how to add bulk to your watermelon salad. There are a few different ingredients that can do just that, and avocado is one of our favorites. The single-seeded berry introduces a unique, creamy texture into the salad that you can't achieve with any other fruit or veggie. 

Additionally, avocado's flavor is quite neutral, which still allows the other ingredients in the mix to shine. And because avocado is so fatty, it'll give the salad the heft it needs to be a bit more filling. Although you can just serve some chopped watermelon and avocado in the same bowl, we think this is a pairing that works best when there are plenty of other flavorful ingredients in the mix. At the very least, make sure you're sprinkling salt onto this delicious combo.

Want the acidity that balsamic vinegar can offer but don't want quite that much sweetness or complexity? When you're looking to keep things light, you only need an ingredient as simple as lime juice. Its bright, citrusy flavor contrasts watermelon's sweetness, highlighting the fruit's sugary qualities while brightening it up at the same time. Plus, since lime is such a versatile ingredient, you can add it to just about any watermelon-salad combo of ingredients.

Do you want to highlight that bold lime flavor even more? Consider adding lime zest into the salad as well. Not only will it offer a touch of bitterness and acidity, but it'll also give your watermelon salad a gorgeous, confetti-like topping. If you don't have lime, you can use a lemon for a similar pop of acidity and an additional fruity flavor. Either way, citrus is the simple ingredient that can make your watermelon salad really pop.

We've mentioned a few times how certain ingredients in your watermelon salad can be enhanced with salt. Perhaps the ingredient that benefits from salt the most, though, is the watermelon itself. Because of that interplay of sweetness and saltiness, this is an addition to your watermelon salad that almost always makes sense. Although you can use just about any kind of salt, we're partial to the flaky stuff. (Check out the types of salt explained.) Not only will it add that salty flavor you're looking for, but good-quality flaky salt can also provide the salad with a subtle crunch that instantly makes it more delicious.

Unless you're working with a fruit salad that you're specifically trying to make taste super-sweet, flaky salt will upgrade basically any savory watermelon salad ingredient combo. It's perhaps the most important ingredient in the mix, so ensure you always have some on hand for the next time you prepare watermelon salad, regardless of what other ingredients you choose to include.