Kate Middleton’s Watermelon Salad Is My Go-To Cookout Side (With This Tasty Twist)

Since that story was published, the idea of the salad has taken on a life of its own (much like the viral Jennifer Aniston salad, which Aniston later shared wasn’t actually something she ate every day while filming Friends). Every summer, the “Kate Middleton watermelon salad” makes the rounds across social media, and for good reason: Whether it’s hers or not, it is a great mix of sweet and savory. It’s a refreshing, low-lift meal that can wow a crowd, making it a great side for any cookout or party. Or just a random Tuesday, when you want to bust out of a lunch or dinner rut.

In a way, this is liberating—take the idea and do with it what you want. Make it your watermelon salad, using this suggestion as a jumping-off point. And if you’re not sure where to start, I’ll share the viral take on the salad, as well as my balsamic-lime version. (And if you have an alternate recipe, I’d love to hear that too. Please share it in the comments below!)

The most popular riff on the watermelon salad is Chef Alex Hyslop’s, who paired it with mint leaves and a simple, five-ingredient vinaigrette made with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. It adds brightness and a little zing to the dish, melding the flavors together. (This take was so massively popular that we tried it back in 2023 for our series Celeb Bites, which you can watch in the video below.)

Mint isn’t my thing, and after noting a former colleague’s review that the apple cider vinegar was a bit harsh for her liking, I kept the key Middleton ingredients—watermelon, avocado, onion, cucumber and feta—and added a little chopped cilantro for an herbaceous note, plus a balsamic-based vinaigrette to offer sweetness and tanginess.

Basically, the core ingredients are fine on their own, but adding a light vinaigrette punches up the flavor and creates more of a throughline in the dish, rather than just an assembly of ingredients. (It’s also a great way to liven up any lackluster produce, should your watermelon turn out not as sweet and ripe as you’d like, or your avocado more tofu-like than creamy.)

If I were serving this to the Duchess of Cambridge (dear Catherine, you are welcome to DM me anytime!), here’s how I’d prepare it. For presentation’s sake, I recommend tossing the watermelon, cucumber, onion and cilantro together, then topping it with feta and avocado, stirring those in just before serving with the vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is flavorful enough that it doesn’t need to marinate the ingredients beforehand, like you do with pasta and potato salads. You can drizzle, toss and serve right away, making this even easier to throw together before people come over for a summertime dinner party.

It’s tangy, sweet and just a little briny, making it a lovely accompaniment to grilled chicken, burgers, hot dogs and barbecue.