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    Home » Healthy Appetizers & Hors D'Oeuvres » Watermelon Cucumber Salsa

    Watermelon Cucumber Salsa

    Jun 4, 2019 · by Valentina · 37 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Watermelon Cucumber Salsa Recipe is the essence of summer! It's sweet, cool and refreshing -- and it can be served as a snack with chips or alongside grilled chicken or fish for a fabulous dinner al fresco!Watermelon Cucumber Salsa in a green bwol with brown rim

    Watermelon salsa says poolside snack, it screams summer barbecue appetizer, it cools me off just to look at it, and it happens to be one of my favorite weekend recipes in the summertime!

    This Watermelon Salsa with Cucumbers is the best, most delicious way to celebrate summer!

    Ingredients for Watermelon Cucumber Salsa including watermelon, scallions, cucumber and jalapeno peppers

    Ingredients for Watermelon Salsa


    • watermelon
    • cucumber
    • scallions
    • cilantro
    • jalapeño peppers
    • lime juice
    • cayenne pepper, salt, freshly ground black pepper (and sugar, depending on the sweetness of the watermelon)

    How to Make it


    - Combine all of the prepared ingredients together and season to taste with salt and pepper.

    Half of a watermelon and jalapeno with fresh cilantro for Watermelon Cucumber Salsa

    Recipe Tips and Substitutions


    • Make this as close to serving time as you can -- or, if you have to make in advance (which is fine!), drain it a bit before serving. This is a salsa that will become very juicy the longer it sits.
    • ONLY add sugar (to taste), if the watermelon you're using isn't as sweet as you'd like it to be. Otherwise, it's not needed.
    • If you want more heat, add more jalapeño and/or cayenne pepper.
    • If you can find red jalapeños, they add even more beauty to this colorful salsa.

    Serving Suggestions


    This salsa is incredibly versatile and works alongside a handful of foods.

    • It's excellent over fish, shellfish, chicken, rice, on a tortilla chip, or even as a light summer side dish!
    • Spoon this summer fruit salsa over tacos, burritos and nachos! I've done it and people love it!
    • I love to mix it into greens and add shrimp for a main course salad.

    Mixed Watermelon Cucumber Salsa in a large glass bwol

    I hope you love this Watermelon Salsa recipe as much as my family and I do!

    Watermelon Cucumber Salsa on a chip and in a bowl below it

    More of my favorite summer salsa recipes:

    • Plum Salsa with Grapes
    • Roasted Double Hatch Chile Pineapple Salsa
    • Roasted Hatch Chile-White Peach Salsa
    • Roasted Tomato Poblano Salsa
    • Cherry Salsa
    Close up of Watermelon Cucumber Salsa on a chip and in a bowl below it

    Watermelon Cucumber Salsa Recipe

    Valentina K. Wein
    Watermelon Cucumber Salsa Recipe is the essence of summer! It's sweet, cool and refreshing -- and it can be served as a snack with chips or alongside grilled chicken or fish for a fabulous dinner al fresco!
    Makes about 3 cups
    5 from 7 votes
    Print
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Appetizers and Hors d'Oeuvres
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 13 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 cups watermelon, small dice
    • 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, small dice
    • ⅓ cup scallions, finely chopped, white and green portions
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
    • 2 tablespoons jalapeño, washed and dried, seeds removed, very finely chopped
    • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Gently combine all of the ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)
      Keep the salsa covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve!

    NOTES

    Calorie count is only an estimate.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 13kcal
    Keywords summer dinner party, good for summer bbq
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    More Appetizers & Hors D'Oeuvres

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      Strawberry Avocado Salsa
    • A few Spiced Avocado Fries on a white plate.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lentil Breakdown

      June 22, 2012 at 4:32 pm

      Oooh...I have all the ingredients, including yellow cukes. That would look pretty along with the green ones!

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 25, 2012 at 5:07 am

        Adair, ooh I love yellow cucumbers!

        Reply
    2. gabi

      June 22, 2012 at 9:14 pm

      try it with feta cheese crumbles!
      : )

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 23, 2016 at 1:09 pm

        oh yum! sounds delish!

        Reply
    3. Barbara Leckstein

      June 23, 2012 at 12:24 am

      This really is a great cold soup recipe, it was dinner tonight because of our 97 degree weather. I served it with a bowl of chilled old bay seasoned shrimp.

      Indian Gazpacho

      5 large vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
      1 small red onion, chopped
      1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
      1 cup coconut milk
      1 large vine-ripened tomato, whole
      2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
      Directions
      Combine the chopped tomatoes, red onion, ginger, and coconut milk in a blender and puree until smooth. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Core the whole tomato and add to blender. Pulse the blender 5 times, or until the tomato is coarsely chopped. Transfer the gazpacho to the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
      Serve the soup in small chilled bowls, garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 25, 2012 at 5:07 am

        Barbara -- this soup sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing with us! 🙂

        Reply
    4. MICKI

      June 24, 2012 at 10:15 pm

      This sounds awesome.
      summer foods to me are salads, watermelon and lemonade.

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 25, 2012 at 5:06 am

        Thanks for your comment, Micki! Yes, lemonade is so, so summertime to me, too! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Bijouxs

      June 25, 2012 at 1:27 pm

      I have lots of watermelon in the fridge - thank you Valentina for sharing a great new way to enjoy it! Happy Summer!

      Reply
    6. 2pots2cook

      June 04, 2019 at 11:10 pm

      5 stars
      So much easier to stand the heat with this beautiful salad Valentina. Thank you so very much and have a pleasant day 🙂

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 06, 2019 at 1:11 am

        Thank you so much! Hope you have a lovely day, too. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    7. John / Kitchen Riffs

      June 05, 2019 at 8:12 am

      Love fruit in salsa! This looks wonderful -- TONS of flavor and a lot of texture. Thanks!

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 06, 2019 at 1:09 am

        Many thanks, John. I hope you love it! ~Valentina

        Reply
    8. angiesrecipes

      June 05, 2019 at 8:15 am

      One of the BEST summer salads! So refreshing and tasty.

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 06, 2019 at 1:09 am

        Thank you, Angie! 😀

        Reply
    9. David Scott Allen

      June 05, 2019 at 4:03 pm

      When you think of it, cucumbers are melons also… So it makes perfect sense to mix them with the watermelon! I look forward to trying this once melons come in the season here!

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 06, 2019 at 1:08 am

        Thank you for teaching me that cucumbers a melon! Something I should have known, but I admit I had no idea. And now that I think about its structure, of course it's a melon! So yes, my salsa makes even more sense now. 🙂 Hope you love it. ~Valentina

        Reply
        • David Scott Allen

          July 02, 2021 at 12:49 pm

          Well, now more than two years later, I am getting watermelon at Trader Joe's (not season here yet) but I will get the cukes at the farmer's market - am going to make this on Sunday for the 4th! Yay! Happy 4th! Hope you are all doing something fun. xo

          Reply
          • valentina

            July 06, 2021 at 12:53 pm

            I hope they were a hit and thank you, David. Hope it was a great holiday weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina

            Reply
    10. Jeff the Chef

      June 05, 2019 at 8:05 pm

      This is completely new to me. I've had watermelon salad and was so surprised at how delicious it was. I have a feeling this salsa is really tasty.

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 06, 2019 at 1:02 am

        I hope you love it, Jeff. It's an unexpected salsa combination -- and so good! ~Valentina

        Reply
    11. Kelly | Foodtasia

      June 05, 2019 at 11:26 pm

      5 stars
      Valentina, this salsa looks so refreshing! I love when cool, sweet, and spicy are combined. Such a flavor explosion!

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 06, 2019 at 12:51 am

        Thanks, Kelly. Me too. 🙂 Enjoy! ~Valentina

        Reply
    12. Karen (Back Road Journal)

      June 06, 2019 at 5:24 am

      I don't think of using cucumbers often enough. Love the idea of them in this watermelon salsa, it is perfect for summer.

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 06, 2019 at 3:06 pm

        Thanks, Karen. Hope you give it a try over the summer. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    13. Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop

      June 07, 2019 at 5:05 am

      5 stars
      I love fruit salsas and using watermelon just makes sense. I'll bet this tastes fabulous served with a grilled chicken breast!

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 07, 2019 at 5:08 pm

        Yes! It does. Thanks, Kathy! 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    14. Ron

      June 07, 2019 at 6:26 am

      5 stars
      Another great salsa recipe. I love the watermelon and cucumber combo and it certainly appears to pack a sweet punch. Well done and worthy of a return appearance.

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 07, 2019 at 5:08 pm

        Thanks for the kind words, Ron. I do love this one. Hope you're having a lovely weekend. ~Valentina

        Reply
    15. Deb|EastofEdenCooking

      June 07, 2019 at 11:12 am

      I'm patiently waiting for California melons to come in. This salsa recipe would be a fabulous way to enjoy their arrival!

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 07, 2019 at 5:07 pm

        Thanks, Deb. The watermelon at our local market in LA has already been so sweet! I was surprised so early. Have a lovely weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    16. David @ Spiced

      June 17, 2019 at 5:36 am

      5 stars
      This salsa sounds delicious, Valentina! We eat watermelon like it's going out of style in the summer, but now I want to whip up a batch of salsa. I love the addition of jalapenos in this one. We didn't plant any jalapenos this year - the thought of a garden was a bit too much given all of the work in the new house. But I still have a big bag of frozen jalapenos from last year's harvest...and there are some red ones in there! Now I know how to use 'em! 🙂

      Reply
      • valentina

        June 18, 2019 at 1:54 pm

        Thanks, David. Awesome you froze last year's jalapeños. And yes, way too much while moving into a new house -- dust will be settled for next summer. 🙂 Cheers! ~Valentina

        Reply
    17. Gerlinde

      July 04, 2019 at 6:23 am

      5 stars
      What a refreshing and tasty salsa, it hits the spot on a hot day.

      Reply
      • valentina

        July 04, 2019 at 9:15 am

        It does! Thanks. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    18. Christina Conte

      July 05, 2021 at 4:57 pm

      5 stars
      This is soooo refreshing! Both watermelon and cucumber are such great "cool" foods for summer. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • valentina

        July 06, 2021 at 12:54 pm

        Right!? I love them both separately and together. Thank you, my friend. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

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