This honeydew and cantaloupe salad is light and satisfying, making it perfect for any brunch or dinner side dish. The sweetness of the honeydew & cantaloupe pairs perfectly with the minty cardamom dressing.
![white ruffle edged salad bowl with honey dew and cantaloupe salad dressed with mint.](https://smellslikedelish.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/minted-melon-salad6-00011-vertical.jpg)
Why You'll Love Melon Salad
Summertime is the perfect time to enjoy refreshing salads. This cantaloupe fruit salad is a great way to use them up, and it's healthy too!
- Unexpected Twist: This salad isn't just a pretty face. The mint adds a surprisingly sophisticated twist, elevating it from a simple side dish to a flavor adventure.
- Easy Breezy Prep: This salad is the ultimate weeknight hero. No fancy ingredients, no complicated techniques. Just chop, toss, and dress – you're done in minutes! It's the perfect way to enjoy fresh flavors without slaving in the kitchen.
- Versatile Side: This easy salad is perfect for on the go breakfast, family holiday brunch, or summer potlucks.
Whether you’re looking for a quick and simple lunch or a delicious side dish for your next barbecue, this easy honeydew and cantaloupe melon salad recipe is sure to please!
Cantaloupe Salad Ingredients
This salad is made with chunks of sweet, juicy cantaloupe, fresh mint leaves, and a simple lime-honey dressing. It's a great way to use up any leftover cantaloupe, and it's also a delicious side dish.
Things you need to make this honeydew and cantaloupe salad recipe:
- Cantaloupe melon - Or other orange summer melon
- Honeydew - Or sprite melon.
- Fresh mint leaves
- Cardamom seeds - crushed.
- Sugar
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Pick A Ripe Cantaloupe
Generally speaking, honeydew and cantaloupe melons will be ripe when they are soft and yield to pressure, and have a sweet, fragrant aroma.
Gently push on the end of the melon opposite from the stem. If there is a slight give, the melon is probably ripe. And don't forget to sniff - a ripe cantaloupe should smell fragrant, and almost perfumy.
How To Make This Cantaloupe Salad
Purchase fresh uncut honeydew and cantaloupe melons, fresh mint, sugar, and some green cardamom pods (or decorticated cardamom - meaning already removed from the papery pods). Don't use ground cardamom though.
Cut The Melons Into Cubes or Balls
- Crush the cardamom seeds with the mortar & pestle. The aroma from freshly crushed cardamom seeds is much stronger than ground cardamom. Cardamom is so aromatic it's heady. You only need about ยผ teaspoon of seeds!
- Cut and cube both the cantaloupe and the honeydew melons. Chunks about 1 ยฝ" is just about right.
- Snip your fresh mint leaves with the mincing scissors, so you have a chiffonade.
Prepare The Dressing And Toss The Salad
- Add the mint to the bowl of honeydew and cantaloupe salad.
- Toss with the sugar, chopped mint, and cardamom salad dressing.
Substitutions and Variations
- If your area doesn't have flavorful melons, you can also use a frozen melon blend.
- You can often find a melon medley or melon & fruit blend from the freezer case also.
- Instead of cubing the melons (which is fast and unfussy), consider using a melon baller to make perfect little melon balls for this salad. That just takes it up a notch!
- Try this same recipe with watermelon and some basil leaves cut into a chiffonade also.
Tips for Success
- A super time saver is to buy the melon already cut up from the produce department at your grocery store.
- Check your melons for ripeness. You can let it sit out on a cool counter for an extra day or two to ripen more also.
Serving suggestions
Mint Cantaloupe salad is a perfect addition to a brunch or Holiday buffet. It's bursting with summer flavors. Many will ask you what the flavors are, as they may not be familiar with cardamom.
Serve with our Fresh Vegetable Lumpia, or Double Smoked Ham also! You can also serve it with our Starbucks Blueberry Scones, Matcha Scones or Raspberry Pancakes for a perfect Continental breakfast!
Related Recipes
- Easy Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
- 31 Very Best Pumpkin Recipes
- Sticky Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
- Old Fashioned Biscuits (Crisco Biscuits)
Frequently Asked Questions
It holds up for several days covered in the refrigerator. The mint leaves will wilt after the first day, but you can always garnish with some fresh mint leaves.
Yes, this melon salad has no ingredients that can go off even in the heat if left out for guests during a picnic or outdoor barbecue event.
More Delish Ideas
- Copycat Panera's Tomato Soup Recipe
- Pumpkin Spice Grain Free Granola
- Garlic Butter Cast Iron Scallops
- Amish Coleslaw (Old Fashioned Coleslaw)
Mint Honeydew and Cantaloupe Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed cantaloupe melon
- 4 cups cubed honeydew melon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom seeds (or 4 - 5 pods, emptied)
- 8 fresh mint leaves cup in strips
Instructions
- Cut, peel, seed, and cube your melons into 1 - 1 ยฝ" chunks, or purchase already chunked. Using the mortar & pestle, crush the cardamom seeds. Discard any papery green or white pod shells if you bought in the pod.4 cups cubed cantaloupe melon, 4 cups cubed honeydew melon, ยผ teaspoon cardamom seeds
- Toss together the cantaloupe, honeydew, sugar, minced mint leaves, and crushed cardamom seeds in a large bowl. Stir gently until melon is evenly coated.4 cups cubed cantaloupe melon, 4 cups cubed honeydew melon, 1 tablespoon sugar, ยผ teaspoon cardamom seeds, 8 fresh mint leaves
- Cover with wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the cantaloupe release juice and blend with the cardamom dressing.
- Remove from refrigerator. Remove wrap, sprinkle on a little more minced mint and toss. Serve immediately.
Notes
- A super time saver is to buy the melon already cut up from the produce department at your grocery store.
- Check your melon for ripeness. You can let it sit out on a cool counter for an extra day or two to ripen more also.
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