Watermelon Salsa

Juicy Watermelon Salsa is sweet with the perfect touch of spice. It’s a tasty summer salsa that whips up in minutes!

Watermelon Salsa is a tasty fruit salsa, perfect for dipping. We also love Fresh Peach Salsa, Pineapple Salsa, and Strawberry Salsa for more fruity dipping!

Sweet + Spicy

Salsa is typically a spicy sauce with a base of diced tomatoes, chopped onion, and jalapeno. It is often served with Tortilla Chips or used to add flavor to many Mexican Dishes. This Watermelon Salsa uses many of the same classic ingredients, except we substituted the tomatoes with cubed watermelon. Some other fruit-based salsas include: 

• Mango Salsa
• Salsa with Strawberries
• Peach Salsa
• Tomatillo Salsa
• Pineapple Salsa

Like traditional salsa, this Watermelon Salsa can be eaten using Tortilla Chips or used to flavor dishes like Cilantro Lime Chicken, Salmon, or Carne Asada Tacos.

How to make watermelon salsa

PREP. Place chopped watermelon in a colander to let excess juices drain. Don’t skip this step!

MIX + ENJOY! Combine watermelon, green pepper, lime juice, green onions, jalapeno, and garlic salt. Add chopped cilantro right before serving.

How to seed a jalapeño pepper. The jalapeno pepper brings both heat and flavor to the salsa. Adjust the amount of heat by how you cut them up. 

Cut the stem off the top and then slice, lengthwise, down the center. Inside each half there is a lighter-colored membrane and seeds.

• For a mild-flavored salsa use a spoon or knife to remove all the seeds and membranes.
• For a hot salsa leave them in.

Note- some jalapeños are quite spicy and people choose to wear gloves when they dice them. 

Recipe Tips

Watermelon: Since watermelon is the main ingredient of this dish be sure to Choose the Best Watermelon that yields a sweet taste. We also have a post on how to easily Cut a Watermelon.

Make chunkier pieces of watermelon or more finely diced watermelon. In either case, make it easy to scoop up with a Tortilla Chip. 

Keep Watermelon Salsa from getting extra watery by allowing the cut cubes to drain in a colander. Make the salsa a couple of hours ahead of time, but note that the longer the watermelon sits, the more watery it will become.

Make a Watermelon Bowl. Serve this Watermelon Salsa out of any type of bowl, but using a bowl made out of a watermelon rind is particularly fun. Choose a smaller-sized watermelon.  

• Cut the watermelon in half. Use a knife to slice the flesh around the circumference of the melon as close to the rind as possible. Remove the flesh. Use a spoon to scrape the rest of the rind clean.
• If the bottom of the watermelon bowl doesn’t sit steadily, slice a small flat section off the bottom to stabilize it. 

Variations + SToring Tips

Watermelon Salsa is sweet, spicy, and perfect as it is, but here are a few suggestions for mixing things up!

• Herbs. Add chopped fresh mint leaves, lemon, or lime zest.
• Veggies. Add diced red onion, diced cucumber, or yellow or orange bell pepper.
• Fruit. Add cubed cantaloupe or cubed avocados.

How to Store?

STORE. Leftover Watermelon Salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Keep in mind the longer that it sits, the more watery it will get. Also, stored watermelon tends to get a bit slimy. 

For some Savory Dips:

• Bean Dip
• Tamale Dip
• Chicken Enchilada Dip
• Jalapeno Popper Dip
• 7 Layer Bean Dip