Our 12 Juiciest Watermelon Recipes to Brighten Your Summer

Watermelon is one of summer's most refreshing fruits, and these recipes take full advantage of the melon's cool-you-down power. Once you try these colorful, flavorful salads, smoothies and desserts, you'll never have to wonder what to do with that extra fruit again. Recipes like our Watermelon, Cucumber & Feta Salad and Creamy Watermelon Smoothie were made for hot summer days.

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Watermelon & Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Watermelon & Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Jason Donnelly

In this watermelon and goat cheese salad, the contrasting flavors and textures of crisp, sweet melon and creamy, tangy goat cheese are magical partners. Top with sliced grilled chicken to make it a meal.

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Watermelon Juice

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Clean and simple, it just takes a blender to whip up this DIY watermelon juice. You can enjoy this refreshing drink with no added sugar on its own, or jazz it up with one of our variations (see below).

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Watermelon with Mint Gremolata

watermelon with mint gremolata

This flavor-boosting combo of mint and lime, inspired by the traditional Italian herb-and-garlic gremolata recipe, livens up juicy watermelon. Put a platter out at your next cookout and watch it disappear in an instant.

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Mojito Blueberry & Watermelon Salad

Mojito Blueberry & Watermelon Salad

Inspired by the classic mojito cocktail, this festive and healthy fruit salad gets zing from rum, lime and mint. The optional piment d'Espelette--a sweet, spicy ground pepper from the Basque region of France--adds a hint of heat that's a nice contrast to the sweet fruit. Look for this spice at specialty stores, well-stocked markets or online. You could also swap in chile-lime seasoning blend (such as Tajín) for a similar subtle kick or omit the spice altogether. Feel free to skip the rum if you prefer an alcohol-free salad. With or without the rum, this salad has summertime backyard BBQ written all over it.

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Watermelon Fruit Pizza

Watermelon Fruit Pizza

This refreshing fruit dessert pizza recipe swaps classic cookie crust with a healthier watermelon crust. Topped with yogurt sauce, your favorite berries and mint, this fresh dessert can easily be doubled for a party or halved for every day.

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Watermelon, Cucumber & Feta Salad

watermelon salad

Here's a healthy salad recipe to make at the height of summer when watermelon and cucumbers are at their juiciest and most flavorful. Feta adds the perfect creamy, salty, tangy edge, and mint makes this salad taste even brighter. This is one easy side salad you'll want to serve at all your summer BBQs.

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Grilled Watermelon

Grilled Watermelon
Victor Protasio

Grilling watermelon brings out its natural sweetness that's complemented by adding some simple sweet or savory toppings. Try this easy grilled watermelon recipe for a fun and festive summer appetizer or dessert.

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Creamy Watermelon Smoothie

Creamy Watermelon Smoothie
Victor Protasio

This creamy vegan watermelon smoothie has a subtle coconut flavor thanks to coconut-milk yogurt. Strawberries add color and banana adds a smooth texture while letting the watermelon flavor shine through.

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Watermelon Caprese Salad

watermelon caprese salad

This refreshing twist on the classic caprese salad replaces tomatoes with sweet, juicy watermelon. Basil and balsamic vinegar push this easy summer salad to the savory side, but if you want some sweeter notes, opt for balsamic glaze. An optional drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil at the end helps marry the flavors.

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Frozen Watermelon Cocktail

Frozen Watermelon Cocktail (Watermelon Mojito)
Victor Protasio

Watermelon is the dominant flavor in this frozen rum and watermelon cocktail, with a subtle hint of mint shining through. Making simple syrup is easy, plus, having leftover mint syrup on hand is nice for whipping up extra cocktails.

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Watermelon, Cucumber & Corn Salsa

Watermelon, Cucumber & Corn Salsa

This refreshing summer salsa combines cooling watermelon and cucumber with the kick from jalapeño. The heat from jalapeños can vary widely. For those that like the heat, use a whole jalapeño. Serve with tortilla chips on the side.

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Watermelon, Orange & Cucumber Salad with Castelvetrano Olive Vinaigrette

Watermelon, Orange & Cucumber Salad with Castelvetrano Olive Vinaigrette

This easy and superfast salad is incredibly refreshing, thanks to juicy watermelon and oranges! The Castelvetrano olives lend a briny hit, while the herbs add lots of delicious depth to the salad. Pair this colorful salad with grilled shrimp or chicken.

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