These watermelon recipes show the best of what this hydrating, refreshing pink fruit can do! Salad, soup, margaritas, and more.
What’s more refreshing than watermelon? This hydrating summer fruit is one of the best parts of summer! Turns out, there are so many creative ways to eat watermelon outside of cutting it into thick slices.
Here are all our best watermelon recipes for using this seasonal melon in creative ways! There’s watermelon salad, featuring the unexpected but perfect pairing of watermelon and salty feta cheese. You can make it into a cooling chilled soup, or even margaritas. Or try an icy watermelon smoothie to help keep even cooler. There are so many ways to eat it…let’s just get to the recipes!
And now…the best watermelon recipes!
You haven't lived until you've tried this watermelon salad recipe! Juicy sweet watermelon is the perfect pair with salty feta cheese (really!). Other players? Cool cucumber, lemon zest and fresh basil. It's one of the most refreshing recipes to hit your plate! It takes only 10 minutes to throw together and is the perfect accessory to any barbecue or cookout.
Also try: Watermelon Feta Salad or Watermelon Salad with Mint
You absolutely must try summer’s best dessert: Watermelon Sorbet! Each bite is an explosion of pure juicy fruit flavor, with a smooth, frosty texture. Even better: it’s incredibly simple to blend up.
When it comes to summer drinks, there’s nothing better than a big pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade. Lemonade with real lemons has tangy sweet flavor that’s unparalleled. Here’s summery spin that takes it up a notch: Watermelon Lemonade recipe! Grab a ripe, juicy melon and it’s absolute perfection paired with citrus.
This watermelon margarita recipe makes one bright pink, tangy, sweet, and salty cocktail. Basically, it's the perfect drink! It's zesty from the lime and has just the right amount of sweetness from the watermelon (there's no added sugar!). Instead of salting the rim, the drink itself is salted. This gives it a complexity in flavor that makes you want to keep drinking it: so beware!
Pairing watermelon with tomatoes, cucumbers, shallots and hot sauce might sound a bit unexpected, but it’s seriously good. This watermelon gazpacho recipe is as refreshing as that first splash into the pool on a 100 degree summer day! This chilled Spanish soup is just the right way to use watermelon. The savory ingredients are just the right balance for the sweet, and the hint of spice adds complexity without too much heat.
Here’s an icy treat that’s absolutely ideal for summer. Who needs ice cream when you can have a Watermelon Slushie? Blend ripe melon, lime and a little sweetener and you’ve got one deliciously refreshing sweet puree to sip. It’s a hit with adults and kids alike!
Here’s a deliciously refreshing summer recipe that you need…stat. It’s a bit of a crazy idea, but stick with us here: Watermelon Tequila Skewers! Yes, you’ll most often see watermelon and tequila paired in a cocktail (and who could turn down a watermelon margarita?). But sprinkle some over watermelon cubes and it’s absolute genius! Make them with just lime and mint as a non-alcoholic option, or split the batch and serve half sans tequila for the kiddos.
The minty Mojito is ideal for the season, with its bubbly, refreshing flavor. In fact, it’s one of the greatest cocktails of all time, in our opinion! So why not try a fruity watermelon spin? Add juicy watermelon to the mix and the delicately sweet flavor is simply outstanding.
What’s better for a hot summer afternoon than a cool glass sangria? Here’s a perfect fruity flavor for summer: watermelon sangria! While this flavor is not a traditional Spanish spin, it’s a deliciously sweet way to enjoy this summer fruit. This recipe made in the style of a traditional sangria: just sweet enough, with white wine, brandy, and of course: lots of watermelon!
Here’s a watermelon recipe that’s so refreshing, it immediately jumped to the top of our summer drinks list. Try this Watermelon Water! It’s similar to a Mexican agua fresca: fruit blended with water and a hint of sweetness. The moment you take an icy sip, you’ll be amazed! The beautiful nuanced sweetness of watermelon, lime juice and water makes absolute magic.
Here’s a summer drink that’s full of big fruity flavor: the Watermelon Martini! This vodka martini is all about the watermelon, with a pure, refreshing flavor. It’s just sweet enough to let the fruit shine through, and it goes down pretty easy. Add that watermelon wedge garnish and it’s a great signature drink for a dinner party, or ideal for sipping by the pool.
This 3-ingredient watermelon smoothie is juicy and lightly sweet! It's made using that tasty melon, along with with frozen strawberries and banana to make just the right texture. Watermelon is full of vitamins and nutrients, and its naturally sweet flavor adds a delicious, almost tropical flair to a smoothie.
Also try: Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie
Here's how to make watermelon juice! If you've got half of a watermelon to use up and not sure what to do (aside from thick slices!), this is a perfect use. You can get all the vitamins from this juicy fruit in liquid form! Simply blend up cubed watermelon and enjoy! Or try this variation with cucumber: Watermelon Cucumber Juice.
Watermelon is perfect for summery cocktail recipes! This vodka cocktail is ultra refreshing, featuring sweet watermelon, tangy lime, and vodka. Simply make up a batch of watermelon juice (see above), then mix it with vodka and lime in a cocktail shaker. Garnish with a watermelon wedge and it's perfect for entertaining!
Last up in our watermelon recipes: not into vodka? Then we'd suggest this watermelon cocktail with gin recipe! This gin cocktail tastes botanical from the gin and tangy from lemon. It’s seriously refreshing, and that little watermelon wedge garnish? Perfect for entertaining or casual drinks on the patio!
Also try: Got leftover watermelon rind? Make Watermelon Pickles!
How to tell if a watermelon is ripe?
Here are a few tips for picking out a ripe melon for these watermelon recipes. There’s really nothing worse than an unripe, flavorless version of this fruit. Of course, shopping when watermelon is in season is important! Here’s how to get a ruby red, sweet melon:
- Look for a lighter spot where the watermelon rested in the field. It’s called a field spot. If the field spot is white, it’s unripe: if the spot is yellow, it’s ripe.
- The melon should feel heavy. The watermelon should feel very heavy, which means there’s a lot of juice inside. This is a little subjective, so the field spot is a little easier of an indicator.
Watermelon Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Is there anything more refreshing than a watermelon salad? This one features salty feta, cucumber, fresh basil, and lemon zest.
Ingredients
- 8 cups cubed ripe seedless watermelon (1 8-pound watermelon)
- 2 organic mini cucumbers or ½ English cucumber (1 cup sliced)
- 2 ounces feta cheese crumbles
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 4 basil leaves
- Sea salt, for garnish
Instructions
- Chop the watermelon into cubes. Slice the cucumbers (if using an English cucumber, slice it into half moons). Chop the basil. Zest the lemon.
- Arrange the watermelon and cucumbers on a platter. Sprinkle with feta crumbles, lemon zest, and sea salt. Taste and adjust flavors as desired. (If you’d like, you can add freshly ground black pepper or a drizzle of olive oil.) Serve immediately. If making ahead, refrigerate the cubed watermelon separately: it releases a lot of water after it is cut. Then assemble the salad directly before serving.
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Summer
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Watermelon Recipes
More summer recipe resources
Watermelon recipes are the best of summer eating! Here are some of our other resources for summer eating:
- 15 Summer Side Dishes You Need All the side dishes for your summer potlucks and cookouts!
- 10 Summer Salads You Need Now Summer salads from strawberry to potato to bean to cucumber to orzo.
- Watermelon Drink Ideas All the ideas you need for using this hydrating fruit!
- Summer Dinner Recipes to Eat Al Fresco What’s better than dining on the patio on a lazy summer evening? Make your menu with this resource.
- 12 Easy Grilled Dinner Ideas A few more grilling ideas, from burgers to shrimp tacos.
Last updated: June 2021
recipes look delicious and easy. Love them
★★★★★