Name: Fresh Watermelon Fruit Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons fresh mint, sliced thinly or minced; 1 Tablespoon honey or agave (use agave for vegan); Zest of 1 lime (about 2 teaspoons); Juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tablespoons); 5 cups diced watermelon (cut into a 3/4-1″ dice); 2 cups sliced or halved strawberries; 1 cup pitted, halved cherries; 1 cup blueberries; 1 cup raspberries (or more cherries or blueberries); Extra fresh mint, for garnish

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Fresh Berry Watermelon Fruit Salad topped with lime mint dressing is the perfect light summer side dish. We love this easy watermelon salad recipe!

Overhead view of watermelon fruit salad in a bowl.

I will take ALL OF THE SUMMER SALADS please.

We’ve hit 100 degrees already, and we’ll basically be in the 100s until October over here (yes, really!), so we are 100% here for all of the fresh, light, easy summer recipes.

For me summer salads are where it’s at, and this yummy watermelon fruit salad recipe is everything good about summer. Plenty of fresh berries, juicy fresh watermelon, and the best fruit salad dressing I know all mixed together to make one amazing summer side dish.

Count me ALL the way in! You too?

Here’s all you need to get started on this simple watermelon salad recipe…

This Summer Fruit Salad Recipe, At A Glance:

Ingredients For Watermelon Fruit Salad
How To Make Watermelon Berry Fruit Salad, Step By Step
Tips For Picking A Great Watermelon
FAQ + Tips For The Best Watermelon Fruit Salad
More Summer Salads To Try
RECIPE: Watermelon Fruit Salad

Overhead view of ingredients for watermelon fruit salad with mint lime dressing

Overhead view of a bowl of watermelon berry fruit salad with fresh mint lime dressing

Here’s What Goes Into Watermelon Fruit Salad:

Rather than playing around with too many colors (like oranges, mangos, pineapple, bananas or kiwi), this watermelon salad keeps to a really tight color palette. I love how pretty it looks! Here’s what you’ll need for this fresh fruit salad:

Fresh Watermelon. You can’t make watermelon fruit salad without plenty of fresh watermelon! I like to use seedless watermelon and cut it into bite-size pieces here, so the watermelon isn’t too much larger than the berries. It makes for a prettier presentation & makes this salad easier to eat than when its cut into large chunks–win-win!
Strawberries. Next up is plenty of sweet strawberries. I love strawberries + watermelon together. You can halve, quarter, or slice your strawberries into circles. Whichever is easiest for you.
Cherries. When they’re in season, I love adding fresh cherries. Use a peach pitter to make prepping go faster! If you can’t find good cherries, feel free to swap in red grapes.
Blueberries. The pretty pop of blue adds such beautiful flavor to this yummy watermelon berry fruit salad. It makes it extra perfect for things like Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day!
Raspberries (If You Want). If they’re in good shape, I like to add fresh raspberries too. Raspberries are more delicate and more likely to break down in fruit salad, so feel free to swap in more cherries or blueberries instead if your raspberries are too soft to hold up well.
Fresh Mint. A little bit of fresh mint adds gorgeous color contrast and bright flavor to this dish. Don’t worry–it won’t taste like toothpaste! It’ll just add freshness.
Our Quick Lime-Mint Dressing. Then, you’ll finish this salad with a riff on our signature fruit salad dressing. This one’s made from fresh mint, a little honey or agave, lime zest, and fresh lime juice. It’s like MAGIC.

Overhead view of mint lime fruit salad dressing

How To Make Watermelon Berry Fruit Salad, Step By Step:

First, Mix Up The Dressing. In a jar or small bowl, combine fresh mint, honey or agave, lime zest, and lime juice. Whisk to combine well & set aside. (You can mix this up in advance if you like and store in the fridge!)
Assemble Your Salad. In a large mixing bowl, combine watermelon, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and raspberries.
Drizzle With Dressing. Pour the dressing over the fresh fruit and gently toss to combine. You want to coat the fruit evenly with the dressing without crushing the berries.
Garnish With Fresh Mint. For a final flourish, add a few fresh mint leaves or a chiffonade (thin ribbons) of fresh mint.

3 Tips For Picking A Great Watermelon:

There are ALL kinds of tips, tricks, and wives’ tales out there for choosing a great watermelon, and if you have one that works for you, KEEP ON KEEPING ON! If you have a hard time choosing a good watermelon, here are some of my favorite tips for picking a great watermelon:

Look For A Yellow Sun Spot. There’s a little “sunspot” (sometimes called a “ground spot” or “field spot”) on a watermelon, and watermelons with a yellow sunspot tend to be more ripe than those with a white or light green sun spot.
It Should Feel Heavy For Its Size. This can be a little trickier to gauge, but a ripe watermelon will feel heavy for its size. This typically means it’s more ripe and juicy inside. Compare a few similarly-sized watermelons and go for the one that feels heavier.
It’ll Sound Hollow. Yes, I’m the lady who knocks on all the watermelons before choosing one. But similar to choosing a heavy watermelon, watermelons that sound more hollow and deep tend to be more juicy inside.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Watermelon Fruit Salad:

Our Favorite Way To Cut A Watermelon. For years and years, I’ve been using this method. Cut off the two ends of the watermelon, then stand it up on one of the sliced ends. Trim off the rest of the rind with a sharp knife, then slice, dice, or cut it any way you please!

Variations To Try. Feel free to play around with this watermelon fruit salad! Try:

Using a melon baller for the watermelon. (Learn how here!)
Cut the watermelon into stars with a cookie cutter (Learn how here!)
Leaving out the raspberries & using more cherries and blueberries
Substitute the raspberries out for blackberries.

Swap Out The Mint! If you’re not a fan of fresh mint, you can omit it all together, or you can swap it out for a little fresh basil. It might sound strange, but basil goes great with watermelon & berries! (Like in this yummy lemonade!)

Try Serving It In A Watermelon Bowl! For an extra show-stopping presentation, go big with a watermelon bowl! It makes delicious recipes like this really stand out!

Have Leftovers? Blend them up into a smoothie & sip or freeze in popsicle molds. It’s DELICIOUS!

More Summer Salad Recipes & Sides To Try: