50 Watermelon Recipes to Make (and Eat) All Summer (original) (raw)
It’s no mystery how watermelon became summer’s unofficial mascot. There’s nothing like sinking your teeth into a cold wedge on a hot day. It’s refreshing, it’s sweet and you can even get your kids to eat it. But there’s a lot you can do with this pretty-in-pink fruit besides cutting it up. Here, 50 watermelon recipes that are sure to be a hit at your next barbecue.
1. Grilled Watermelon Steaks
Tell beef to take a seat. These smoky, seasoned slices hold up beautifully on a hot grill. Serve over a green salad spritzed with lemon.
2. Watermelon Salad With Almonds And Dill
It only takes eight ingredients and 15 minutes to make this impressive appetizer. Crumbled feta and sliced radishes add salt and crunch, creating a snack so addictive that you'll have a second bowl before you even touch all those burgers and dogs.
3. Watermelon Poke Bowls
Stand back, tuna: This main is totally vegetarian. With scallions, cucumber slices and sprouts, this crunchy gem will be the lunch envy of the office. Oh, and the soy-sesame dressing? You’ll want to put it on everything.
4. Grilled Watermelon Feta Skewers
Salad’s always better on a stick. Here’s what we like to call a twist on a traditional Caprese, using sweet watermelon and tangy feta in place of tomatoes and mozzarella. Not only is it simple to make, but the char marks will make you feel like a total grill master.
5. One-ingredient Watermelon Sorbet
In the summer, we try to chill as much as possible. Luckily, this sweet fits right into our schedule since it’s made of nothing but twice-frozen watermelon.
6. Strawberry Watermelon Wine Slushies
Sorry kids, this one’s for grown-ups. All you need is a bottle of white, fruit and a blender. Serve it in a hulled watermelon rind to blow your guests away.
7. Spicy Grilled Watermelon With Crème Fraîche
This sweet fruit comes alive with smoky grill marks, lots of chili powder and fresh lime juice. Stay fancy with a fork and knife or dig in sans cutlery. Either way, we support you.
8. Cucumber, Basil And Watermelon Salad
You’re going to fall hard for the zingy soy-ginger dressing spiked with garlic, lime and serrano pepper. Ahh, we feel more refreshed already.
9. Watermelon Salad With Mint
This dish is packed with watermelon, sliced grapes and grape tomatoes. Toss it all in a simple vinaigrette with fresh herbs and your work is done.
10. Watermelon Raspberry Slushies
The kids can sip the fruit-and-agave version all day long, but we give you permission to add a splash of raspberry-pomegranate vodka to yours.
11. Watermelon Gazpacho
This dish stars our other favorite seasonal fruit, tomatoes. Blended with cucumber, red onion and bell pepper, it’s a great way to cool off and get your vitamins for the day. (Bonus points for homemade croutons.)
12. Watermelon Salsa
Grilled chicken. Fish tacos. Tortilla chips. There are a million things to put a scoop of this stuff on. And with six simple ingredients, it’s a cinch to put together too.
13. Jalapeño Watermelon Margaritas
It’s fiesta time. Spicy margs are always a treat, but with fresh watermelon juice? Keep ’em coming, bartender.
14. Grilled Chicken With Watermelon Mango Salsa
Meet the cookout’s guest of honor. Bust out of your chicken rut with this fresh, easy recipe that leaves you with minimal cleanup. Keep the salsa for up to five days in the fridge. (We’re having it with chips.)
15. Watermelon Pizza With Cream Cheese Icing
Surprise the kids with a breakfast they’ll beg for over and over again. This pie has berries and a light drizzle of icing, but feel free to let them run wild with decorating.
Yellow Bliss Road
16. Watermelon Lemonade
Regular ice cubes? Yawn. Frozen watermelon ice cubes, on the other hand, are just what your picnic needs.
Get the recipe
Yellow Bliss Road
17. Spinach And Watermelon Salad
Greens loaded with Cotija cheese, sweet onions and glazed walnuts? Now this is a salad we can get behind. We’ll meet you on the patio with extra red-wine vinaigrette.
Get the recipe
19. Watermelon Agua Fresca
Forget about hopping a flight to Puerto Vallarta. This drink will take you there in ten minutes.
20. Grilled Watermelon And Balsamic Chicken
Meet us on the porch. Store-bought balsamic reduction is just fine, but you can totally handle making it on your own.
21. Moroccan Watermelon Cucumber Salad With Pistachio
The only way this salad—loaded with mint, Italian parsley, feta and toasted nuts—could be any better? Serve it with juicy grilled steak.
22. The Best Watermelon Margarita
Does it get any easier than a three-ingredient cocktail? Didn’t think so. We’ll take ours with extra salt.
23. Watermelon Boba Slushie
Bubble tea fans, this one's for you. Sip your way to the bottom of this honey-watermelon drink to reach all those black tapioca pearls.
24. Grilled Gochujang Pork Chops With Watermelon Mint Salad
Your grill will be so psyched to meet Korean gochujang, a sweet-and-spicy fermented red chili paste. Better yet, you’ll get to feed everyone in just half an hour. Serve it over cauliflower or jasmine rice.
25. Watermelon Coconut Lime Popsicles
Take four ingredients for a spin in the blender, freeze and voila. You’ll never want store-bought pops again.
26. Watermelon Peach Cooler
Make the most of your farmers market haul with this blended beauty. We’re already planning to add a dash of coconut rum.
27. Strawberry Watermelon Agua Fresca Popsicles
Sometimes shouting at the kids to come inside isn’t enough. These four-ingredient pops will get their attention.
28. Watermelon Water
Staying hydrated is priority one when the temperatures rise, but water can feel plain when we’re craving something sweet. Skip the soda and opt for this one-ingredient refresher, made with nothing but watermelon and water. Add agave or honey for extra sweetness.
29. Red, White And Blue Watermelon Blueberry Fruit Salad
No one’s ignoring this looker at the dessert table, featuring watermelon mixed with cubed jicama, mint and feta, all dusted with chili powder.
30. Shrimp And Watermelon Ceviche
Aren’t you fancy? Ceviche always impresses, but this take is actually a breeze to put together. Just boil and chill the shrimp, combine with the produce and top with salt, mint and cilantro. Serve with yucca chips.
31. Coconut Rice And Watermelon Salad Bowls
A dish that’s totally vegan, gluten-free and extremely delicious. Warning: The coconut cream and honey may ruin plain rice for you forever.
32. 3-ingredient Watermelon Raspberry Popsicles
You’ll be host of the year once these hit the table. Don’t look now, but we’re drizzling ours with dark chocolate.
33. Watermelon-kiwi Ice Pops
Three ingredients + paper cups + popsicle sticks = the easiest summer treat you've ever made. The only hard part? Waiting for them to freeze before digging in.
34. Coconut-lime Mahi Mahi Tacos With Tequila-soaked Watermelon Salsa
Like a taco and a margarita had a sweet-and-spicy baby. If mahi mahi isn't your speed, feel free to swap it with tilapia, red snapper or even salmon.
35. Pistachio Feta Watermelon Salad
Crunchy, fresh, salty, sweet—this mélange of fresh herbs, nuts, fruit and cheese hits all the right notes. Don't even get us started on the pomegranate-balsamic dressing.
36. Melon Basil Burrata Salad With Crispy Prosciutto
Melon and cherry tomatoes, a match made in summer heaven. Feel free to use watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew or a mix of all three. (After all, the balsamic-fig vinaigrette will taste good on just about anything.)
37. Grilled Fruit Kabobs
Just a few minutes on the grill turn fruit into dessert, since the hot grates caramelize its natural sugars. Use a mix of berries, banana, pineapple and melon, then serve it with sweet yogurt dip, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
38. Spicy Watermelon Gazpacho
The classic ingredients are upgraded with watermelon, minced serrano chiles and ginger, so each spoonful packs a punch of fresh, complex heat.
39. End Of Summer Fruit Salad
Peppery arugula is the perfect green to pair with sweet blueberries, juicy peaches and refreshing watermelon. The lemon vinaigrette will brighten the arugula's bitterness just enough.
40. Cedar Plank Salmon With Watermelon Feta Salsa
Cook any piece of fish on a cedar plank and it's bound to be delicious. Soak the plank in orange juice overnight and it'll be even tastier, as it will impart a subtle citrusy flavor to the fillet.
41. Watermelon, Tomato, And Feta Farro Salad
Quinoa, it was fun while it lasted. We've moved on to farro, a nutritious whole grain that can work in everything from salad to soup to casserole.
42. Thai Peanut Chicken Noodles With Charred Corn And Lime Watermelon
Ready for the most decadent peanut sauce that you'll want to drizzle over everything from noodles to tofu to pork? All it takes is easy canned coconut milk, creamy PB and Thai red curry paste.
43. Watermelon Cucumber Salad
The season's most refreshing fruits have united for a crisp salad that will cool you off on even the hottest summer days. It's a must for every picnic you attend this year, trust.
44. Chicken Gyro Salad With Homemade Pita Chips, Watermelon And Feta
Proof that every salad should be crowned with freshly baked pita chips tossed in garlic-herb olive oil.
45. Spicy Grilled Watermelon With Honey Yogurt
We've seen plenty of charred watermelon steaks in our day. But French fry-inspired watermelon batons that make dipping a breeze? Now, that's plain genius.
46. Caribbean Jerk Salmon With Curried Pineapple Goat Cheese Salad And Fruit Salad
You're only 30 minutes away from this tropical flavor bomb. The salmon is perfectly balanced, thanks to a sticky, spicy sauce made with fresh-squeezed orange juice, molasses, curry powder and other spices.
47. Baked Watermelon Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks
The marinade is equal parts smoky and sweet, since it stars watermelon, chipotle peppers in adobo and a few pantry staples. Instead of serving them with ranch dressing, try citrusy blue cheese yogurt dip instead.
48. Watermelon Kimchi
PSA: Save your watermelon rinds. You can peel them into paper-thin slices, then season them with gochujang, scallions, ginger and fish sauce. Once it has marinated for at least a day, you can use the "kimchi" on sandwiches, rice bowls and beyond.
49. Garlic Butter Scallops With Watermelon Salsa
Scallops don't need much more than salt, pepper and butter to taste straight-up divine. But the refreshing watermelon salsa certainly doesn't hurt.
50. Watermelon Ice Cream Floats
As long as you have a blender or juicer, this recipe will take you a grand total of five minutes to pull together. We'll be sipping ours by the pool, thank you very much.
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.
Food Editor
- Contributes to PureWow's food vertical
- Spearheads PureWow's recipe vertical and newsletter
- Studied English and writing at Ithaca College