Spicy Watermelon Salad with Cilantro and Lime

This spicy watermelon salad with cilantro and lime is a real crowd-pleasing delight during the warm summer months! It’s spicy, sweet, and draped in a bright and citrusy dressing for the ultimate watermelon salad experience. Refreshing and FULL of summer flavor! GF, dairy free, vegetarian, paleo, vegan option, Whole30 option.

The best spicy watermelon salad

This recipe is the good stuff. Like, instantly craveable stuff.

And I feel like I have this unofficial contract with you to always share the best of the best.

What’s there to love about this watermelon salad?

We’re talking cold watermelon wedges with a cilantro, jalapeño lime-drenched, chili-flecked dressing that will send your taste buds over the MOON. It’s like a spicy-salty-sweet-limey party in your mouth that will keep everyone coming back for bite after bite. 

And besides being incredibly flavorful, it’s also super refreshing and only takes 10 minutes to make!

You could cut the watermelon into cubes if you want it to be more fork friendly, but in the name of casual summertime dining, I prefer the watermelon wedge option so you can pick it up with your hands and chow down.

Spicy, citrusy watermelon dressing juice dripping down the chin and all. It’s part of the summer experience, don’t you think?

And if you love watermelon EVERYTHING in the summer as much as we do, be sure to check out this dreamy Watermelon Arugula Salad and my favorite SUPER EASY Watermelon Lime Juice (also known as the perfect way to use up leftover watermelon every and any time).

Recipe features

• Not your average fruit salad. The spicy, lime-heavy dressing is the bright and delightful twist you need to bring watermelon’s juicy texture and sweet flavor to life.
• It is built for summer. The simplicity of this recipe that so perfectly highlights the best of the season makes it an excellent dish to make and serve alongside your favorite BBQ fare.
• Light and healthy. Made with fresh watermelon, herbs, jalapeño, and the easiest homemade vinaigrette, this salad brings together some lovely flavors that won’t leave you feeling weighed down. It’s also dairy free, vegan friendly, paleo, and Whole30 compatible with one little tweak to the recipe! Details on those simple modifications can be found below.

Ingredients and substitutions

You can find the full list of ingredients, along with measurements, in the recipe card below. These are my ingredient notes and recommendations for easy swaps and substitutions!

To make this salad, all it takes is a few fresh and simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

Watermelon

The star of this salad is, of course, watermelon!

You’ll need one mini watermelon or 1/4 of a full-sized watermelon for this recipe. Make sure to choose a ripe and juicy watermelon for the best flavor! Buying watermelon that has been cut into halves or quarters at the grocery store is a great way to ensure the watermelon’s interior is high quality.

I’ll share some more tips on how to pick a good watermelon in the section below.

Cilantro

Cilantro adds a fresh and herbaceous flavor to the dressing. Fresh basil or mint would be delicious substitutions.

Jalapeño

For a bit of fresh heat! You can adjust the amount of jalapeño based on your spice tolerance.

Simple citrusy vinaigrette ingredients

The dressing for this salad is made with lots of fresh lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt, and chili flakes. I love using Aleppo pepper chili flakes for recipes like this, as they’re about half as spicy as regular chili flakes and have a lovely, slightly floral flavor.

How to Pick a Good Watermelon

Inspect the Stem

The stem of a watermelon can tell you a lot about its ripeness. A dry, yellow-brown stem indicates that the watermelon is ripe and sweet. On the other hand, a green stem means that the watermelon is not yet ripe and may lack flavor and sweetness.

Examine the Shape

A symmetrical watermelon is generally a good sign of a well-developed fruit. Avoid watermelons with odd shapes or irregular bumps, as they may not have matured properly.

Check the Weight

A heavy watermelon is usually juicy, which means it is ripe and ready to eat. When you pick up a watermelon, it should feel heavier than it looks.

Look for the Field Spot

The field spot is the area of the watermelon that was resting on the ground as it grew. A creamy yellow or orange field spot indicates that the watermelon is ripe and sweet. The watermelon may not be fully ripe if the field spot is white or green.

How to make spicy watermelon salad

All you need to do to put this salad together is cut up your watermelon and whisk together the dressing!

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Cut up watermelon

Cut watermelon into handheld-sized wedges or bite sized pieces.

Step 2: Make the dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt, and chili flakes. Add cilantro and jalapeño and stir together.

Step 3: Serve & enjoy!

To serve with watermelon wedges: Assemble watermelon wedges on a large serving platter or as individual wedges on salad plates. Spoon dressing over the top of the watermelon and finish with flaky sea salt and an extra pinch of chili flakes if desired.

To serve with cubed watermelon: Add cubed watermelon to a bowl along with the dressing. Gently toss to coat and serve immediately topped with extra cilantro, jalapeno slices, and finish with flaky sea salt and an extra pinch of chili flakes if desired.

Recipe variations

You could tailor this recipe in so many ways to suit your tastes or dietary preferences!

Vegan option: To make a vegan version of this salad, omit the honey and opt for maple syrup instead.

Whole30 option: The only change you’ll need to make to this recipe to make it Whole30 compatible is to omit the honey from the dressing.

Optional additions

Many other flavorful and texture-rich additions could be made to this salad to make it your own!

It would pair well with:

• Chopped pistachios
• Thinly sliced red onion
• Diced avocado
• Halved cherry tomatoes
• Fresh pineapple
• Diced mango
• Sliced cucumber
• Fresh mint, basil, or parsley

Serving suggestions

We love serving this watermelon salad as a fresh, simple side dish or appetizer for family dinner or summer get-together.

It would pair perfectly with our Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs and some fresh Whole30 Coleslaw for the ultimate summer spread!

Can you make watermelon salad ahead of time?

I don’t recommend assembling the salad beforehand since the acid in the dressing will start to break down the integrity of the watermelon.

You can, however, prepare the components in advance and assemble just before serving!

Here’s what I would do to make as much of this salad ahead of time as possible:

• Chop the cilantro and jalapeño
• Whisk together the dressing (without the cilantro and jalapeño)
• Cut the watermelon

Store everything in sealed containers until ready to assemble and serve! The dressing will need to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before using to ensure the olive oil is no longer solidified.

Now run out to the store before it’s too late, buy the juiciest, ripest watermelon you can find, and make this for dinner tonight! Eat it with your hands, maybe with bare feet in the grass and a cold glass of white wine, because the flavors of summer aren’t going to be around forever, and they deserve to be enjoyed to the fullest while they’re here. And this spicy watermelon salad is just that. 

Did you love this summer salad? Try these other fresh favorites!

• Watermelon Arugula Salad
• Summer Peach Salad with Almonds and Feta
• Lemony Chickpea Feta Salad
• Gluten Free Italian Pasta Salad
• Colorful Vegan Chickpea Salad
• Simple Arugula and Radish Salad

If you enjoyed this recipe, we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review it below! It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe. 

And thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!

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