Watermelon Tomato Salad

Hot days call for hot food, and this spicy watermelon tomato salad is the perfect grilling side! A punchy ginger dressing ties it all together.

Spicy Watermelon Tomato Salad in a bowl with serving utensils

I hope you have lots of tomatoes. Why? Because I have a really great watermelon tomato salad for you! This one is completely different from Tuesday’s tomato salad – it’s really quick and full of spicy/sweet/savory/tangy flavor. You may recognize the gingery tamari-lime dressing from the cookbook and also from these rice bowls. It’s so perfect here because the contrasting flavors really make the sweetness of the watermelon pop. This is the salad that I’ll be eating until summer is over because it’s just so delicious and refreshing.

Spicy Tomato Watermelon Salad ingredients

Watermelon Tomato Salad Ingredients

And speaking of pop – this one is a little spicy because, in my opinion, hot days call for hot food. I use jalapeño to spice this salad up, but you can add more or less jalapeño depending on your spice preference. I recommend not skimping too much because the cool watermelon and the creamy avocado help chill down the spice. Somewhat 🙂

I finish the avocado, jalapeño, juicy watermelon & tomato combination with plenty of fresh basil and cashews for crunch. The tangy dressing mingles with the watermelon and tomato juices and really ties it all together.

Watermelon Tomato Salad

Watermelon Tomato Salad Serving Suggestions

I love to serve this salad as a side dish with whatever I’m grilling, whether that be veggie burgers, black bean burgers, or corn on the cob. It would also be delicious with these stuffed peppers, stuffed poblanos, or jackfruit sandwiches!


5.0 from 8 reviews

Watermelon Tomato Salad

 
Prep time
Total time
 
This spicy watermelon tomato salad is delicious & refreshing - the perfect summer side dish! If you're sensitive to spice, start with less jalapeño and add more to your taste.
Author:
Recipe type: Salad, side dish
Serves: 4 as a side
Ingredients
dressing:
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • ½ teaspoon minced ginger
salad:
  • 3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced into wedges
  • 5 cups cut watermelon (about 2-inch triangles)
  • 1 thinly sliced jalapeño and/or a few Thai chiles
  • 2 tablespoons Thai basil or regular basil
  • 2 tablespoons toasted cashews
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • Sea salt, to taste, if desired
  • Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
  1. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the tamari, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger.
  2. Arrange the tomatoes, watermelon, and jalapeños on a platter or in a shallow bowl. (This salad should not be served in a deep bowl because the flavorful juices will sink to the bottom.) Drizzle with the dressing and top with the basil, cashews, and avocado. Season to taste and serve with lime wedges.

 

19 comments

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. LINDA
    04.14.2022

    I am absolutely obsessed with your recipies. I can spend hours (making grocery list as I go) feeling like a kid looking at the Christmas catalog making a wish list lol.
    Thank you, thank you… my diet has improved tremendously and it feels great!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.15.2022

      I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying them!

  2. Heather
    06.01.2021

    Just made this and combined all ingredients with arugula, so delicious and nutritious❤️

  3. Maria Cisneros
    04.19.2021

    Hello,
    On the sweet corn gazpacho, do you use cooked or raw corn??
    Love your recipes😘

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.19.2021

      raw corn!

  4. Heather
    05.28.2019

    I made this for dinner tonight for my family (husband and boys ages 4, 2.5, and 1) – everyone loved it! There flavors are addicting. My 4 year old especially loved it. Because of the little ones we omitted the jalapeños altogether so I’d love to make it again, with them, for an adult crowd.

    Also, Jeanine, I just wanted to say – I’ve been making your recipes for several years now and I really just recognized tonight how much joy I have when I begin plating your recipes. With all of the fresh, colorful ingredients your meals really become a work of art and it’s so satisfying. Keep up the excellent work!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.29.2019

      Hi Heather, aww, you’re so sweet, I’m so glad you and your family have been enjoying the recipes! Thank you so much for taking a minute to come let me know!

  5. Shradha from radianthealthonline.com
    09.12.2018

    This recipe seems to be so unique and mouth-watering. I always keep hunting for healthy yet tasty recipes, thanks for sharing interesting flavors of recipes. Definitely going to try this.

  6. Monica from familymesshall.com
    08.23.2018

    What a pretty plate! Yum!

  7. Tried this last night! Incredible! Used regular tomatoes from my garden and no avocado because they were $2.49 each!! Will be making this for company. Thank you for such a lovely dish.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.23.2018

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  8. Siena Abbott from thesweetandsavoryvegankitchen.com
    08.20.2018

    Ok but what a genius idea! Anyway you can add watermelon to anything is a win in my book. And those photos, like wow. I’m in love. Thanks for the inspo.

  9. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    08.19.2018

    a wonderful salad complement to the watermelon margarita, even though I don’t think I’ve ever paired the two, love the dressing too

  10. Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite
    08.19.2018

    I’m intrigued to try tomatoes and watermelon together!! I’ve never thought of that.

  11. Terri
    08.19.2018

    Tried this last night! Incredible! Used regular tomatoes from my garden and no avocado because they were $2.49 each!! Will be making this for company. Thank you for such a lovely dish.

  12. Awww…this is exactly what I’m craving right now. I have tons of heirlooms from the farmers market waiting for this!

  13. Gaby Dalkin
    08.17.2018

    This sounds like a summer BBQ must-have!

  14. Ali from alimargo.com
    08.17.2018

    I swear I’m not a serial commenter but damn, girl your recipes are amAZZZzzzing! My husband works at a local private school that has a very large garden and he’s been bringing home heirloom tomatoes by the bucketload. Pairing them with watermelon and jalapeño (!!!) and combining it with that salty/sweet/sour dressing is brilliant. Excellent, easy, healthy and very colorful dish. And now I maybe using raw jalapeños in my salads a little more often–there is something about that lingering spice that takes it to the next level.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.17.2018

      Ha ha, you can become a serial commenter, I would love that :). I’m so glad you loved this one!!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.