20 Unexpected Watermelon Recipes That Are Simple & Satisfying

Salted Watermelon Margarita Popsicles

Summers can be so sweltering hot that even iced tea won’t help you cool down. That’s when it’s time for frozen drinks – or even better – these boozy popsicles.

Not only is there tequila, but a shot of Grand Marnier is in the mix to add the rich notes of brandy and touch of orange to complement the freshly squeezed lime juice.

Too much alcohol means the mixture won’t freeze, though, so don’t go overboard. The whole recipe has less than three shots, which means you won’t be left with a popsicle hangover even if you eat the entire batch.

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Moroccan Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Pistachios

Watermelon salad doesn’t just have to be for picnics. This one is easy to assemble and awesome enough to bring to a potluck, but it’s also great for everyday eating as part of a light lunch or afternoon snack.

And in the summer when it’s too hot to want to eat a hot plate of food, this salad makes a great side dish to a chilled entrée like tuna, shrimp, sea scallops, or chicken breast topped with fresh herbs.

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Watermelon Chia Parfait

A Sicilian-style watermelon pudding can come together in a saucepan with just sugar, cornstarch, and a touch of vanilla extract. But what it’s too hot to stand over the stove, use fresh watermelon to make a nutritious no-cook pudding with chia seeds instead.

To give this watermelon chia pudding a savory note that’ll kick-start your morning, sprinkle on a touch of chili powder or crushed red pepper. For something sweeter, a pinch of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey would be delicious as well.

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Watermelon Jellies

This is a fun snack that’s so light it’s practically calorie-free. To make watermelon gelatin that doesn’t actually contain gelatin, you’ll need agar powder. It’s a plant-based thickener made from seaweed, and luckily it contributes no flavor or odor.

It’s not exactly the same as gelatin, leading to a firmer texture, but that’s better for making bite-sized vegan Jello snacks.

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Sparkling Watermelon Lemonade

Watermelon lemonade should be just as popular as other fruit blends like strawberry. It’s easy to make, and it’ll quench your thirst even better thanks to watermelon’s hydrating nature.

Beat the summer heat by blending the fruit and then stirring in the lemon juice and simple syrup. That’s a great drink as is, but it gets even better when you top it off with club soda to make it bubbly.

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Smashed Watermelon Rum Cocktail

Watermelon is one of the best fruits for a summer cocktail because it’s so cool and refreshing. You can even cut a hole in a watermelon, fill it with vodka or your liquor of choice, and then patiently pour in the whole bottle until it’s all absorbed. But that could take a few hours or a whole day.

If you don’t have the patience, don’t worry about it because you can blend the same ingredients together for instant results. Or, as with this cocktail, muddle the watermelon at the bottom of a tall glass so there are still chunks of the fruit remaining for texture.

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Watermelon Bread

You’ve had banana bread. You’ve had pumpkin bread. There’s even bread made out of vegetables like zucchini and carrots.

For a unique quick bread that’s just as easy to make, try this summer version with fresh watermelon. It even uses the seeds, which are strained out, cleaned, and then roasted to go on top. The watermelon seeds add a nice crunch, plus essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and copper.

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Watermelon Sorbet

Watermelon contains so much juice that it’s easy to turn into a sorbet. You can even freeze it in an ice cube tray and blend them up for a quick one-ingredient frozen dessert. If you have an ice cream machine, though, you can make it into a smoother textured sorbet with even more concentrated flavor.

For a smart presentation, freeze your sorbet in a cylindrical shape, and mix in mini chocolate chips to look like seeds. You don’t need any fancy molds for this. Try using a snow cone paper cup, and you can peel it off before serving.

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Watermelon Iced Green Tea

If you love to cool off with a tall glass of iced tea, make this refreshing summer drink with just a few simple ingredients.

You don’t need to steep anything in hot water, which makes this the perfect iced tea for sweltering weather. So that the green tea powder dissolves and doesn’t clump up, mix it with water first.

Blend fresh watermelon, and then either layer the two in a glass as pictured, or stir together before sipping.

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IPA Watermelon Skewers

Watermelon, fresh mint, and cheese make a quick summer salad. If you want to take it to the next level for an appetizer – or maybe dessert – take a half hour to soak the watermelon cubes in beer.

Other kinds of alcohol could work too, including white wine or rum, but an IPA will add a bite that goes perfectly with the salty Cotija cheese.

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Watermelon & Peach Salsa

There are endless ways to make a great salsa, and here’s one you probably haven’t tried.

Rather than the standard diced tomatoes, this recipe uses watermelon as the base. Of course, they’re also great together, so if you’re going to miss the tomatoes, dice one up to mix in too.

This watermelon salsa also highlights other fresh summer ingredients: white peaches, cucumber, and cilantro. If you want to make it spicy, add a chili pepper like jalapeno or Serrano to taste, and remember that it’ll get spicier the longer the salsa sits in the fridge.

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Watermelon, Mozzarella & Prosciutto Skewers

These skewers are a refreshing snack whether you’re enjoying a lazy afternoon in the sun, or greeting guests at a backyard barbecue. And once you assemble them, they’ll keep in the fridge for a couple days, so it’s worth putting them together for a healthy snack.

These watermelon kebabs could even be great for fueling up before a workout, or biting into as soon as you finish cooling down from a run or some heavy lifting.

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Watermelon Muffin Crumble

If a muffin doesn’t fill you up in the morning, don’t worry about finding a second breakfast. Crumble it up to layer as part of a yogurt parfait, and you’ll get more protein.

That’s also a good excuse to add some fresh fruit, especially something juicy like watermelon since it’ll counter the dryness of a fiber-filled bran muffin.

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Watermelon Gazpacho

Although gazpacho is usually made with tomatoes, it can be just as good with watermelon. And for those new to eating cold soups, it might be the better bet since watermelon is most often served chilled.

In this savory soup, it’s paired with cucumber, bell peppers, and several fresh herbs to make an ultra-fresh dish that requires zero cooking.

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Shrimp, Tomato & Watermelon Salad

This refreshing shrimp salad doesn’t need any mayo, just a quick balsamic vinaigrette. That makes it lighter on the palate and in your stomach.

Yet this savory watermelon salad doesn’t hold back on the flavors. And with a half-pound of shrimp per person, it’s a super filling lunch or dinner. Leftovers would be great to have for breakfast too.

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Chilled Watermelon Coconut Soup

If you love bubble tea, try this watermelon soup that also contains tapioca pearls. It’s a healthy dessert that only requires four ingredients, and it’s a cool way to cap off a summer party since the soup can be served up in the watermelon.

Once the fruit has been scooped out of the inside, the hollow watermelon rind can be used as a fun bowl for salad, soup, or sorbet.

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Watermelon Wine Slush

Sangria is a great summer drink, but the downside is that it takes a while to prep all the fruit, plus you need to get some rum, brandy, or another kind of liquor.

This watermelon cooler is way easier to make, and the result is equally refreshing. Just pick up a few ingredients like lemons and a bottle of white wine. Chop up the watermelon, blend it all together, and freeze the mixture for a few hours until it gets slushy.

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Watermelon Cucumber Slushie

Upgrade from ice water to this fruit slushie. The combo of watermelon and cucumber is refreshing and full of vitamins, but there are even cooler benefits on top of that.

Watermelon juice is thought to reduce muscle soreness, based on a study of athletes that was reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. So drink this up before a big workout, or make a watermelon smoothie with a scoop of whey protein powder.

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Watermelon Crab Cups

With a sharp knife, you can slice watermelon into rounds and hollow out the middle to fill with something sweet or something savory. Watermelon cups would be great with a berry salad, or use them to serve a chilled soup as an appetizer.

They’re also great for a crab salad. This simple recipe doesn’t take much work aside from cooking the crab (or opening a can) and mixing everything together. And if you’d rather not use mayonnaise, try using Greek yogurt instead.

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Watermelon Rind Soup

Even though the rind usually gets thrown away, it’s an edible and nutritious part of the watermelon too. You can juice it, blend it into a smoothie, or make a Southeast Asian curry or soup.

The green part of the rind has chlorophyll, an antioxidant that can actually speed up the healing of wounds. And the white area – although it seems less beneficial – contains more of the amino acid citruline than the pink part of the fruit.

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