Celebrate summer with this refreshing watermelon berry salad drizzled in a sweet-tart syrup. It's light, colorful, and packed with seasonal flavor—plus it's vegan, refined-sugar free and perfect for picnics, parties, or a healthy dessert.
🍉 Watermelon Berry Salad
As summer brings an abundance of fresh fruit and berries, there's no better way to enjoy the season than with a fresh watermelon berry salad. This fruit salad combines juicy watermelon with a medley of cherries and seasonal berries, all drizzled with a homemade syrup that adds a sweet-tart finish.
While the typical fruit salad is pretty much an afterthought and just a jumble of mismatched fruit tossed together in an attempt at dessert, this watermelon fruit salad with its vivid colors and vibrant flavors is decidedly more special and sophisticated. Whether you're hosting a barbecue, picnic, or simply craving a light dessert, this salad is sure to impress.
💚 Why You'll Love This Salad
- Seasonal Freshness: Utilizes in-season fruits like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and watermelon.
- Vibrant Color: The beautiful jewel tones of the fruit and syrup enhances the visual appeal.
- Balanced Flavor: The syrup's sweet-tart profile complements the natural sweetness of the fruit.
- Versatile: Perfect as a side dish, dessert, or refreshing snack.
- Diet-Friendly: Gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and refined-sugar free.
🛒 Ingredient Notes
- Watermelon: Opt for a small, ripe watermelon. Slice into small triangles for easy serving.
- Berries and Cherries: A combination of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and cherries works beautifully. Feel free to adjust based on availability or preference.
- Ruby Syrup:
- Frozen Strawberries & Raspberries: These form the base of the syrup, providing a rich, jammy flavor.
- Maple Syrup: Adds natural sweetness.
- Filtered Water: Dilutes the syrup to the desired consistency.
- Pomegranate (or Raspberry) Vinegar: Introduces a hint of acidity to balance the sweetness.
👩🍳 Directions
Prepare the Syrup:
- In a small saucepan, combine frozen raspberries, frozen strawberries, maple syrup, and filtered water.
- Bring to a simmer and let steep for 15 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Return the strained syrup to the saucepan and simmer on low for 1-2 minutes until it thickens to a syrupy consistency.
- Remove from heat and stir in the pomegranate vinegar. Let cool.
Assemble the Salad:
- On a large platter, arrange the sliced watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and halved cherries.
- Drizzle the cooled ruby syrup over the fruit, just enough to lightly coat.
- Toss gently to combine.
- Serve immediately for the freshest taste.
Variations & Add-Ins
- Herbal Twist: Add a handful of fresh mint leaves for a finishing touch.
- Citrus Zing: Incorporate a splash of lime or lemon juice into the syrup instead of the vinegar.
Final Thoughts
This watermelon berry salad is more than just dessert; it's a medley of summer's finest flavors. The combination of watermelon, cherries, berries and the tangy-sweet syrup creates a fruit salad that stands out from the rest. Perfect for any occasion, this watermelon salad is sure to become a seasonal favorite since the syrup and the fruit can both be prepared ahead of time. And speaking of syrup, if you have any leftover, it’s also pretty terrific over yogurt, ice cream or even stirred into sparkling water.
📌 Save This Recipe
Craving this vibrant salad? Pin it to your favorite board for easy access next time you're in the mood for a refreshing, fruit-filled delight!
More Watermelon Recipes
Watermelon Fruit Salad
Create a delicious and colorful watermelon fruit salad featuring a variety of seasonal fruit and berries in sweet/tart syrup. Perfect for summer gatherings!
Ingredients
For the Ruby Syrup:
- ¼ cup/46g raspberries (frozen)
- ½ cup/ 61g strawberries (frozen)
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml light maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml filtered water
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml pomegranate (or raspberry) vinegar
For the Fruit Salad:
- 8oz/227g strawberries, thinly sliced
- ½ a mini watermelon, thinly sliced into small triangles
- 8 oz/ 226g cherries, halved and pitted
- 6oz/275g g blueberries
- 4oz/ 113g blackberries
Instructions
- Place the raspberries, strawberries, maple syrup and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and turn off the heat. Let steep for 15 minutes.
- Strain syrup through a fine mesh strainer pressing firmly on fruit to extract liquid. Discard solids and return syrup to saucepan. Return to a simmer and simmer on low for an additional 1-2 minutes or until syrupy. Remove from heat, stir in vinegar and let cool. Store in fridge until needed.
- When ready to serve, place fruit on a large platter and pour a few spoonfuls of syrup over the top (enough to lightly coat). Toss gently and serve immediately.
Notes
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Paleo
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 4gSugar: 18gProtein: 2g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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