This watermelon burrata chaat elevates the typical watermelon salad by adding an Indian flare. It uses sweet and spicy tamarind-date chutney, fresh mint leaves, and tangy chaat masala, and creamy burrata cheese for a refreshing summer appetizer.
This watermelon burrata chaat is the perfect dish for the summer. It is great to bring to your next family potluck, a picnic, or BBQ.
This dish is great paired with other refreshing chaats like my crispy kale chaat or aloo chana papdi chaat.
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Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for this recipe, where you can get them, and what you can substitute.
- Watermelon - You can buy a whole watermelon at the store and cut it yourself or buy the pre-cut cubes. Strawberries are also great substitutes for this recipe!
- Burrata: Creamy cheese similar to mozzarella. Substitutes: Mozzarella, Whole-Milk Ricotta, Feta
- Red Onion
- Mint
- Chaat Masala: This is an Indian spice blend that is sweet, salty, spicy, and tangy! You can buy it online or at your local Indian store.
- Tamarind-Date Chutney: This is a sweet and sour chutney that is iconic in chaats. You can make this at home using my recipe or buy store-bought chutney
- (Optional) Toasted Pistachios
Tips for making ahead and serving
- Cut watermelon 1-2 days before your event or buy it pre-cut in cubes.
- Make tamarind-date chutney weeks in advance. A good homemade tamarind-date chutney is like a fine balsamic vinegar when it comes to this salad. You can make it in advance or buy a store-bought version.
- Garnish with mint, cheese, and pistachios before serving. Mint wilts once it sits in the watermelon for long periods of time and cheese and pistachios can change in texture if it sits in the salad for many days. It's best to add these two ingredients right before serving
- Use a deep and wide serving platter. Make sure to use a bowl that can liquid because once the chaat masala is added to the watermelon, it will release some of its juices.
How to cut a watermelon
Here is a step by step guide to cutting a watermelon into cubes if you decide to do it yourself.
- Cut the circular ends off the watermelon
2. Cut watermelon into half
3. Cut each half into half
4. Remove rind of watermelon
5. Cut each quarter into 1 inch slabs
6. Cut each slab into planks
7. Cut each plank into 1 inch cubes!
Other fruits for this chaat
If you haven't been sprinkling chaat masala on your fruits, you are missing out! Chaat masala adds a spicy and tangy kick to fruits in a similar way to the Mexican spice blend Tajin. You can learn more about chaat masala in this deep dive blog post. If you are looking to substitute watermelon in this recipe, here are some great fruits that pair well with chaat masala.
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Pineapples
Recipes that pair well
Here are some recipes that pair well with this watermelon burrata chaat!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can prep most of the salad ahead of time. For the freshest experience, add the cheese, fresh herbs, and nuts before serving.
You can buy chaat masala at your local Indian store or online.
You can make tamarind-date chutney at home with this recipe or alternatively buy it online.
Mozzarella, ricotta, and feta are all good substitutes for this watermelon chaat recipe. The closest substitute for burrata is mozzarella albeit slightly less creamy than burrata. Ricotta is a creamier product that also works well. Last but not least, feta also pairs great with watermelon. It is a hard textured cheese that has a tangy and stronger taste than burrata.
Watermelon Burrata Chaat
Product Reccs
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs watermelon cubed
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup mint leaves
- 2 teaspoons chaat masala
- 8 ounces burrata
- ⅓ cup store-bought or homemade tamarind-date chutney
- ¼ cup toasted pistachios finely chopped
Instructions
- Add cubed 1.5 lbs watermelon and ½ red onion (sliced) to a large, deep platter.
- Chiffonade or finely slice half of the ½ cup mint leaves and disperse them across the platter. The remaining mint will be used to garnish at the end.
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons chaat masala evenly over the ingredients.
- Rip bite size pieces of burrata and disperse across the platter.
- Drizzle tamarind-date chutney over all the ingredients.
- Garnish with the remaining mint leaves and pistachios and serve!
Notes and Tips
- Tips for on cutting a watermelon are up at the top of this blog post!
- You ideally don't want burrata, mint leaves, and pistachios to sit overnight in the watermelon chaat salad. So add these ingredients before you are ready to serve!
Shri Repp
Such a great recipe for the summer!
Gill
Truly wonderful recipe. I’ve made the addition of plain bhujia sprinkled over the salad which we love
Shri Repp
Ah I'm so excited that you enjoyed this recipe! The addition of the bhujia sounds wonderful!