This watermelon wedge salad is super refreshing and comes together quickly without any cooking! Wedges of juicy summer watermelon are topped with a tangle of sprouts, pistachios, and mint and a very simple lime dressing. This vegan salad is best enjoyed with sweet, ripe watermelon!
Ahhh summer, a time for exploring every possible no-cook recipe imaginable, like this watermelon wedge salad! Thick wedges of sweet, ripe watermelon make the perfect vehicle for a simple sprout salad packed with fresh flavors and textures. There’s absolutely no cooking involved and the prep is fairly minimal, requiring some light chopping and mixing. I love the sweet and savory elements going on here and you just can’t go wrong with the pairing of watermelon, lime, and mint!
Notes on Ingredients
The base of this vegan salad is watermelon and the sweeter, the better. The dressing is made up of a combination of lime juice and zest, olive oil, and maple syrup for a touch of sweetness. As for the salad, the base is sprouts (any kind — your choice!), pistachios, flaked coconut, hemp seeds, and fresh mint. Basil is a great option if you don’t have mint as it pairs really well with watermelon. You can try lemon juice/zest in place of the lime in the sprout salad but you might need to increase the maple syrup a bit to compensate for the more tart flavor. I love the combination of raw pistachios and flaked coconut here but you could also use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
Recipe Tips
- The sweeter the watermelon, the better! Look for watermelons that have a yellow field spot (the patch of skin the watermelon sat on as it grew in the field) and dull rather than shiny skin. These will be the sweetest.
- To achieve even, attractive wedges, slice your watermelon into thick rounds (below). Then, cut each round into 4 equal wedges.
- Add the sprouts to the dressing right before you’re going to serve the salad as they will start to wilt fairly quickly.
- If you aren’t vegan and want to add a tangy, salty bite, add a handful of crumbled feta cheese.
Have leftover watermelon? Use it to make my melon agua fresca with mint and lime! It’s super refreshing on a hot summer day.
Watermelon Wedge Salad with Sprouts and Lime
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 side servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This watermelon wedge salad is super refreshing and comes together quickly without any cooking! Wedges of juicy summer watermelon are topped with a tangle of sprouts, pistachios, and mint and a very simple lime dressing.
Ingredients
- 8 small/medium wedges of watermelon
- 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/4 cup raw pistachios
- 1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
- 1 tablespoon hulled hemp seeds
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, julienned, plus extra for garnish
- 2 cups sprouts
- flaky sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Zest the lime and add it to a medium sized bowl along with the juice from half of the lime. Add the olive oil and maple syrup and whisk to combine. Add in the pistachios, coconut, hemp seeds, and mint and toss to coat in the dressing. Add the sprouts last, carefully tossing to combine everything. Serve a tangle of the sprout salad on top of each watermelon wedge. Garnish with a pinch of flaky sea salt and a pinch of mint.
This salad is best enjoyed the day it is made as the sprouts will wilt considerably once mixed with the dressing.
Notes
- To get perfect and even wedges, slice your watermelon into rounds (as pictured), then slice each round into 4 equal wedges. The thickness of the slices is up to you!
- Use any sprout you like! Broccoli and alfalfa tend to be the easiest to find and both taste great here. You can also use an equal amount of microgreens.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: salad
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