This juicy and spicy watermelon Pico de Gallo is going to be the perfect teammate to your nachos and tortilla chips this summer.
It is sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy all at the same time- just like mango Pico de Gallo, and is perfect to serve as an appetizer or side with some tortilla chips, or even use as a topping for your chicken Fajita rice bowls.
I’ve recently been experimenting with a lot of watermelon recipes this summer, and after the huge success of my watermelon Tajin salad and watermelon lime sorbet, I really wanted to try making something refreshing and healthy using the fruit.
And that’s when I thought of making another version of Pico de Gallo.
Quick Look: Watermelon Pico de Gallo
- 🔪 Prep time: 10 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 0 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Watermelon, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Chop → mix → season → chill or serve.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Serve with tortilla chips, Tajin shrimp tacos, grilled fish, chicken, shrimp, or as a refreshing summer salad.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It comes together in just under 10 minutes, which makes it a great no-cook summer side to make and enjoy with everyone in the family.
- It's really versatile- just like pineapple Pico de Gallo. You can enjoy it with tacos or just scoop it up with some tortilla chips.
Recipe Ingredients
Watermelon: Choose a juicy, ripe watermelon for this recipe. It is the base of this salsa, so you’ll need to be sure it has that delicious sweetness too.
Jalapeño: I like to keep my homemade salsas spicy, so I used quite a handful of these. You can use as much as you prefer.
Bell pepper: To bulk up this salsa, I also added some bell peppers. Used orange and red ones here, because that’s what I had. You can use green bell pepper or pretty much any color you prefer or have.
Red onion: To balance out the sweetness of the watermelon and bell peppers, I added some red onions into the mix too!
Lime juice: Lime juice brightens up the fresh salsa like nothing else! Add lime zest for extra tanginess.
Cilantro: And of course, some cilantro too, for that added freshness.
Seasonings: To season, I used some salt, crushed black pepper, and a dash of brown sugar. You can use an infused salt like jalapeno salt or lemon salt.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Don’t have cilantro? Use fresh basil or parsley instead or any other fresh herb of your choice.
- If you don’t have lime, you can use lemon juice instead to bring that tanginess and flavor.
- I also like to add a bit of my homemade Tajin seasoning to the salsa when I’m in the mood for something a bit more spicy.
How to Make Watermelon Pico de Gallo
Step 1: Finely chop and combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add lime juice and seasonings and toss well. Chill for 15 minutes and it is ready to serve.
💭Top Tip
To make things easier and quicker, I would recommend using seedless watermelon.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Depending on what I have at hand, I also like to add other veggies to the salsa. Cucumbers, tomatoes, white onions, corn and celery are all great choices. I've actually tried making avocado Pico de Gallo and cabbage Pico de Gallo recently and they both turned out super yum!
- During the hot summer months, I also like to add some fresh mango into the mix and make a nice watermelon mango Pico de Gallo.
- Using fresh ingredients is the key here, so make sure you use the best produce you can, preferably organic.
- If you’re planning to make this watermelon salsa for a potluck or a BBQ party, I would recommend assembling everything right when you want to serve it.
How to Serve Watermelon Pico de Gallo
This fresh watermelon salsa tastes incredible when paired with your tacos, enchiladas, and other Mexican favorites. You can have a spread filled with Mexican caviar, some avocado lime crema, tortilla chips and glasses of refreshing Pepinadas.
I also love teaming this up with some Texas toothpicks and Mexican roasted potatoes whenever I'm hosting.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
The easiest way to make sure you pick a good watermelon is to check for a consistent stripe pattern on its surface. The stripes should ideally be creamy, and pale yellow in color, and the fruit should, overall, look dull on the outside, which signifies that it is ripe.
Of all the Pico de Gallo recipes I’ve tried (and believe me I’ve tried a LOT), this is one version I would NOT recommend storing for later. The reason? Watermelon is unbelievably juicy and can start to release water and turn limp even as you’re cutting it.
More Mexican Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this watermelon pico de gallo or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Watermelon Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 3 cup watermelon chopped
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper chopped
- 1 teaspoon cilantro chopped
- 2 jalapeno chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Finely chop and combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add lime juice and seasonings and toss well. Chill for 15 minutes and it is ready to serve.
