This grilled watermelon recipe is such a fun summer side dish! I top each wedge with a tangy, spicy mix of fresh corn, feta, avocado, and basil.
Have you ever grilled watermelon? This summer, I’ve been grilling just about everything that enters my kitchen, and I finally got around to giving grilled watermelon a try. I have to say, I’m hooked!
See, I love summer fruit like berries, cherries, peaches, and watermelon, but unlike Jack, who’s happy to eat an entire pint of blueberries in a single sitting, I rarely eat fruit on its own. More often, I use it as a sweet accent in savory dishes, like these summer rolls or this strawberry salad. So for me, grilling watermelon only makes it better. Its sweetness becomes more concentrated, but it takes on a charred, smoky flavor as well. You could eat it on its own, but it’s even better with a tangy, spicy mix of fresh corn, feta, avocado, and herbs on top.
Grilled Watermelon Recipe Ingredients
Ready to cook? Here’s what you’ll need:
- Watermelon, of course! Look for a fairly large watermelon to make this recipe. You’ll want to be able to cut a few 1 1/2-inch-thick slabs out of the center. Then, you’ll slice the slabs into wedges to grill.
- Fresh corn – You’ll use raw corn here – no cooking required! Straight off the cob, it creates a sweet, crispy topping for the grilled watermelon steaks.
- Red bell pepper – It adds color and crunch.
- Red onion and garlic – For sharp depth of flavor.
- Green Tabasco Sauce – It gives the topping plenty of tang and a little heat. If you don’t have Green Tabasco on hand, lime juice and diced jalapeño will work fine in its place.
- Feta cheese – I love how its tangy flavor accents the sweet watermelon and corn.
- Avocado – For a creamy contrast to the crisp veggies.
- Basil and mint – Whatever you do, don’t skip them! Their fresh summer flavor takes this dish over the top.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
To make this recipe, start by mixing up the topping. Finely dice the red bell pepper and onion so that they’re about the same size as the corn kernels. Then, stir together the fresh corn, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and Green Tabasco Sauce. Season it with salt, and pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
While the topping chills, grill the watermelon! Place the wedges on the hot grill and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until grill marks form.
Remove the watermelon from the heat, and let it cool for a few minutes while you crumble the feta and dice the avocado. Finally, top the grilled watermelon with the corn mixture, feta, avocado, and herbs. Enjoy!
Variations
- Make it vegan. Skip the feta. Instead of using raw red onion in the topping, add pickled red onions. You could also garnish each grilled watermelon steak with a few pickled jalapeño slices!
- Char the corn. I love the crisp raw corn in this recipe, but grilled corn would be fantastic too. Char it lightly before slicing the kernels off the cob and mixing up the topping.
- Swap the herbs. Use fresh cilantro instead of basil and/or mint.
Let me know what variations you try!
Grilled Watermelon Serving Suggestions
This grilled watermelon is a fresh, fun summer appetizer or side dish. Serve it with classic cookout fare like veggie burgers, black bean burgers, quinoa burgers, or BBQ jackfruit sandwiches. It would also be fantastic with Mexican-inspired recipes like my veggie fajitas, vegan jackfruit tacos, spicy mango tacos, or any of these 11 Best Vegetarian Taco Recipes.
Round out the meal with cilantro lime rice, stuffed mini peppers, or grilled veggies and chipotle sauce or cilantro lime dressing. Don’t forget the margaritas to drink!
More Favorite Grilling Recipes
If you love this grilled watermelon recipe, try one of these delicious grilling recipes next:
- Grilled Asparagus
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Grilled Avocado with Veggie Ceviche
- Perfect Grilled Zucchini
- Grilled Potatoes
And if you have leftover watermelon, use it in my watermelon salad, watermelon tomato salad, watermelon gazpacho, or watermelon margaritas!
Grilled Watermelon
Ingredients
- 1½ cups raw corn kernels
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 teaspoons Tabasco Green Sauce*
- 6 1.5-inch watermelon wedges
- Cooking spray, for the grill
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 small avocado, diced
- Mint and/or basil leaves
- Lime wedges, optional
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to medium high heat.
- In a medium bowl, combine the corn, onion, red pepper, garlic, salt, and the Tabasco Green Sauce. Chill until ready to use.
- Spray the grill grates with cooking spray and grill the watermelon 2 to 3 minutes per side or until char marks form.
- Remove and let cool a few minutes, then top with the corn mixture, the feta, avocado, and fresh herbs. Serve with more tabasco or lime wedges on the side, if desired.
spot on color & texture composition ….
a must try, and a big step up from the over-simplified grilled watermelon steak w/ fresh squeezed lime over top usually served as weeknight dessert after heavy bbq.
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This looks delightful, such a fun idea. Definitely need to try this out next time I do a BBQ grill.
Thank you for the inspiration.
Anita xxx
It looks absolutely amazing, can’t wait to try it!
(Didn’t rate cuz’ I didn’t make it yet)
I love all kinds of grilled fruit, this looks fantastic!