Learn how to grill watermelon for an easy salad or a healthy dessert that the whole family will love. All you need are a few ingredients you may already have on hand! And you'll need my tips if you don't want your watermelon to be a mushy mess.
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My first mistake was grilling watermelon for the first time during a dinner party.
I'd never grilled watermelon, but seriously, how hard could it be? I mean, hello, I went to culinary school. Just throw it on the grill, and bingo baby, you have a healthy dish perfect for summer. Am I right?!
No. I was wrong. Very wrong.
The watermelon was mushy, tasteless, and broken up from where it stuck to the grill. Dinner was long gone, and there sat a pile of sad grilled watermelon on the table.
"It was really interesting", said one friend.
"Mmmm" said another, hoping I might excavate a compliment from his single, vague syllable.
I immediately owned up to the miserable result it was and apologized to the table and to the watermelon.
Determined to figure out this deceptively simple grilled dish, back to the kitchen I went. Most melons benefit greatly from a salt-lime-mint combo, and watermelon is no exception. Try it on cantaloupe if you don't believe me. So this was my super-easy solution for better flavor along with a little salt.
Onto the biggest issue: texture. The secret here is having a well-heated grill, so that you're just searing the melon, not cooking it. The watermelon shouldn't be on the grill for more than 2 minutes per side. Oh, and oil the grill to keep the melon from sticking. No huge groundbreaking breakthroughs here, but important guidelines all the same if you don't want your grilled watermelon to be the texture of mush.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Healthy. Watermelon is low-calorie and low-glycemic index for carbs.
- Easy. You only need 3 ingredients plus olive oil and salt.
- Fast. Make it in 5 - 6 minutes if your grill is already hot.
- Flexible. Use it as a fun summer side dish, appetizer, or dessert.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to many dishes often lies in the ingredients. For example, some ingredients make a huge difference to the flavor and/or texture of the finished recipe. And purchasing the right ingredients can save you valuable time in the kitchen.
This list only covers ingredients that require some notes. For all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Watermelon - Any watermelon is fine, but I prefer the small seedless watermelons that weigh around 2 ½ pounds.
- Fresh limes - You'll use the limes for both lime juice and lime zest, so make sure they're soft enough to juice.
- Fresh mint leaves - Finishing grilled watermelon slices with fresh mint is what makes this dish special. Use your best leaves for this.
- Feta cheese - The feta cheese is also a crucial ingredient as it adds the salty flavor the watermelon needs. I prefer feta cheese made with goat or sheep's milk.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 Recommended Equipment
Having the right equipment for recipes makes prepping much easier. If you want more fuss-free prepping and cooking, check out my updated list of favorite kitchen tools and equipment.
- Gas or charcoal grill
- Chef's knife
- Small bowl
- Whisk
- Zester
- Lime juicer
🔥 Preparing the Grill
Properly preparing the grill for the watermelon slices is very important to the finished texture of grilled watermelon.
Oil the grates. Watermelon can stick to the grates, so oil the grates well before arranging the watermelon on them by either spraying oil on the grates or rubbing them with a well-oiled clean rag.
Preheat the grill. Watermelon only needs a quick sear, so it's important to preheat the grill before arranging it on the grates. When you arrange the watermelon slices on the pre-heated grates, they should sizzle.
Don't overcook. The longer the watermelon sits on the grill, the more mushy it becomes. Only leave the watermelon on the grill long enough to get grill marks, 2 - 3 minutes per side at the most.
🧊 Can I make this dish ahead?
Grilled watermelon doesn't keep well in the refrigerator, so only make as much as you plan to eat.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
- Sprinkle the watermelon wedges with a little sugar before grilling to enhance the grill marks.
- Pre-salt the watermelon slices with salt and set on a cooling rack nested in a baking sheet for at least 15 minutes to draw out some of the liquid. Dry with paper towels and arrange on the grill. This is another way to enhance grill marks.
- Sprinkle a few dried aleppo pepper flakes over the top of the grilled watermelon before serving. Dried aleppo pepper flakes are smoky and moderately spicy.
If you like to grill fruit, check out these grilled peaches or this grilled pineapple dessert.
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How to Grill Watermelon (with Lime, Mint and Feta Cheese)
Equipment
- Outdoor grill
- small bowl
- Juicer
- zester
Ingredients
- vegetable oil for the grill
- 15 wedges of a personal size, seedless watermelon at least 1-inch thick at the rind
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
- ⅓ cup fresh blackberries
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Oil the grates by pouring a little vegetable oil onto a clean rag. Thoroughly rub the oil over the grates where you plan to sear the watermelon. Heat the grill on high for direct heat grilling.
- Whisk together the lime juice, honey, lime zest, and salt in a small bowl.
- Wash the watermelon, dry it, and slice into wedges. The easiest way to do this is:Slice the watermelon in half. Lay it on the flat side and slice in half again. Lay each quarter of the watermelon a flat side and slice into wedges using the dark stripes on the rind as a guide. The wedges should be at least 1-inch thick at the rind.
- Arrange the wedges on the grill directly over the burners and grill for 2 - 3 minutes per side. Do not grill for longer than 3 minutes on each side.Remove from the grill and arrange on a serving platter.
- Arrange on a serving plate, drizzle with the lime dressing. Finish with a sprinkle of mint, blackberries, and feta cheese.
cheri
Hi Susan,
How interesting, I thought that grilling watermelon would be easy like grilling peaches. Good to know, will have to try it. I bet it is very refreshing.
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Happy 4th of July
Rita
Yumm! When I posted a similar recipe on my blog a couple years ago, I got negative feedback, like "grilled melon? huh?" http://getcookingsimply.com/grilled-melons/
Evans Gathaku
Looks so yummy! Will definitely try it out.
Vegan Recipes
I love trying new recipes, and this one looks really great. I never tried grilled watermelon but sounds like a good idea. I will definitely try it! 🙂