Pink Power Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie

Watermelon smoothies sum up summer to me. It’s bright pink, and bright tasting, but not super sweet – and ultra refreshing. It’s is a great option for a watermelon that’s sweet but not really crisp. I love watermelon but don’t grow it myself – it’s tricky without a greenhouse – and my luck is about 50/50 with buying good ones.

Watermelon is about 92% water, but boasts a whole host of beneficial nutrients inside that green shell. It’s high in vitamins A, B6, and C (awesome for healthy skin and hair), lycopene, antioxidants, and amino acids. This smoothie also features strawberries, raspberries, and a bit of lemon.

This little melon has some of the highest lycopene levels of any fresh produce. Lycopene is linked to a healthy heart and bones, and can help prevent some types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Just keep in mind that if you eat a whole watermelon in a day, your body might overload on lycopene and make you sick. I know I’ve done it.

Try serving this with something like a Greek chickpea salad and zucchini cornbread for a summer picnic.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Berries: go for more strawberries or raspberries as you prefer, changing up the ratio to what you have on hand or your preference.
• Sweetener: as usual, I use honey and maple syrup interchangeably, but if you’re not vegan, I recommend honey for the flavour here. You really don’t need to add any if the melon is sweet.
• Limes: lemons and limes are equally good, though lime is maybe a bit more familiar in flavour. I can’t get limes as easily as lemons where I live, so I usually go with lemons now.

Recipe Notes

If the juice warms up after sitting out for a little while – if you’ve served it in a pitcher, for example – don’t be tempted to add ice. It won’t taste good. Either add frozen berries or watermelon squares, or refrigerate it again until chilled.

As I mention above, this is a good way to use a slightly soft or less sweet melon that you may not love on its own. A bad melon will mean a bad drink, but a just not-quite-right melon will be perfectly good with berries and a bit of honey in the mix.

It’s been harder for me to get frozen strawberries lately, so for the smoothie pictured I used mostly frozen raspberries and then some strawberries from my garden. You can use any variation on the ratio of strawberries to raspberries you like here.

How to Store

Storage: this keeps surprisingly well for a day or two in the refrigerator. If it’s in a pitcher, just cover with a plate or waxed wrap and give it a stir before serving.

Freezing: I think it would make for very nice popsicles, and you could freeze and then blend for a kind of slush.

Expert Tips

• For blender trouble: if you just have an immersion blender, like me, you may have a bit of a time getting the strawberries to blend fully. If I’m having difficulty with this, I let the strawberries mostly thaw but make sure the watermelon is chilled before starting.
• Sweeten to taste: the sweetener is optional, and the amount you use will depend entirely on how sweet the fruit is.

More Hot Weather Drinks

Strawberry Slush
Vegan Mango Lassi
Elderflower Lemonade
Vegan Strawberry Milk

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This post was originally published in August 2016. It has been updated with new photos and improvements to the text and recipe as of August 2020.