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This Watermelon Peach Salad tastes like summer in a bowl — juicy fruit, a bright lime dressing, and a salty pumpkin-seed crunch, all ready in 10 minutes. No cheese, no cooking, no fuss. The type of salad that disappears within minutes of setting it on the table.
Looking for more delicious vegan salads this summer? You’ll love my Vegan Caesar Salad, Baby Kale Salad, Mango Avocado Salad, and Vegan Potato Salad.
Quick Look: Watermelon Peach Salad
- 🔪 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 0 minutes
- 🍽 Total Time: 10 minutes
- 👨👩👧👧 Servings: 4
- 🌱 Calories: 239
- 🫘 Protein: 3g
- 🍠 Dietary breakdown: Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and soy-free.
- 😋 Flavor Profile: Sweet, juicy, hydrating, bright, and fresh with a salty, nutty crunch to finish.
- ✅ Difficulty: Quick and easy — perfect for busy summer days!
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Praise for Watermelon Peach Salad
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I created this watermelon peach salad recipe a decade ago for a beach picnic, and have been making it every summer ever since. It’s refreshing, hydrating, and wholesome. The best part? People are always pleasantly surprised to find you don’t need cheese to make a really good watermelon salad. Just fruit, herbs, and a bright little dressing. A guaranteed winner wherever you choose to serve it!
For more recipes to use up the rest of your watermelon, try my Watermelon Smoothie, Spicy Watermelon Margarita, Watermelon Rind Relish, and Wonderful Watermelon Recipes.
Key Ingredients
Watermelon: Juicy, sweet watermelon is the star here — you’ll need 4 cups, cubed or thinly sliced (as pictured). Seedless is the most convenient, but a seeded melon works fine if you pick out the seeds as you cut. To choose a ripe one, look for a melon that feels heavy for its size with a deep yellow patch on one side, where it ripened on the ground.
Peaches: Two fresh yellow peaches add bright, fragrant sweetness. Choose ones that smell fragrant and give slightly when pressed. Super soft peaches are not ideal for this recipe. You can peel them if you like, but it’s not necessary — the skins are tender and add a little color.
Limes: You’ll need 3 tablespoons of fresh juice from 1-2 limes. Roll them firmly on the counter before juicing (or microwave for 20 seconds) to get the most out of them.
Agave: Sweetens the dressing while keeping everything vegan. No agave nectar? Maple syrup or coconut nectar work just as well, but will give their own distinct flavor notes (earthy for maple syrup and tropical for coconut nectar).
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A good-quality oil earns its place here — its peppery notes play against the sweet, juicy fruit and give the salad real dimension.
Pumpkin Seeds: For a nutty, salty finish. Use salted for a contrast that makes the fruit taste even sweeter, or unsalted if you prefer or are watching sodium. See instructions for toasting them in the recipe card notes.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Variations
This peach watermelon salad is a flexible base, delicious with any of these fun and fresh twists:
- Yellow watermelon: Swap in yellow watermelon for a slightly sweeter, honey-like twist — and a pretty color contrast against the peaches.
- White peaches: Use white peaches for a softer, more floral sweetness in place of the classic yellow ones.
- Nectarines: No peaches on hand? Ripe nectarines work just as well — same juicy stone-fruit flavor, with smooth skin and a little more tartness.
- Fresh mint: Trade the basil for mint to lean cool and refreshing instead of peppery and herbal.
- Pistachios: Use chopped toasted pistachios in place of pumpkin seeds for the same salty crunch with a richer, buttery flavor.
How to Make Peach Watermelon Salad
- Prepare produce. Cut the watermelon into cubes or thin wedges, as pictured. Do the same with the tomatoes and pitted peaches. Thinly slice the basil.
- Make the dressing. Add the lime juice, agave, salt, and olive oil to a jar with a lid. Tighten the lid and shake until well blended.
- Assemble. Assemble one layer of the watermelon, peaches, and tomatoes on a serving platter (or add all of the sliced fruit to a mixing bowl). Pour half of the lime dressing over the fruit, followed by half of the chopped basil. If you choose to use a mixing bowl, add all of the fruit and all of the dressing and basil and toss well to combine.
- Complete the salad. Add another layer to the platter using the remaining fresh fruit, and top with the rest of the dressing and basil. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.
Jenné’s Recipe Tips
- Dress it in two parts. Toss the entire salad with about 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette and let it marinate for an hour or so — that’s the sweet spot where the flavors come together. Save the rest to drizzle on right before serving. Just don’t make it more than a few hours ahead; watermelon and peaches are delicate, and they’ll go soft and watery if they sit too long.
- Serve with a slotted spoon. Watermelon releases a lot of juice as it sits, so once the salad has marinated, spoon it up and leave the extra liquid behind. It keeps every bite bright instead of soupy.
- Cut everything the same size. Aim for watermelon, peaches, and tomatoes in roughly equal pieces so you get a little of each in every forkful — and an even mix of flavor and texture.
- Toss gently. Ripe fruit bruises easily, so fold everything together with a light hand to keep the pieces intact.
- Pick the ripest fruit you can. This salad is only as good as what goes in it. For watermelon, choose one that feels heavy for its size with a deep yellow patch on the side where it ripened on the ground. For peaches, go by smell — they should be fragrant — and give just slightly when you press near the stem.
Serving Suggestions
This watermelon and peach salad is right at home as a light lunch, an alfresco happy-hour snack, or a refreshing side at dinner. It pairs especially well with smoky, grilled, or spiced summer mains — the bright, juicy fruit cuts through anything rich or charred. Serve it alongside any of these:
- BBQ Tofu
- Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Tajín
- Mushroom Carnitas Tacos
- Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Grilled Eggplant
- Summer Salad
- Fennel Salad with Beets
- Jackfruit Tacos
And if you’re looking for even more, check out my roundup of the best vegan salad recipes!
Storage Directions
This salad is best the day it’s made, but leftovers will keep for up to a day. Store them covered in an airtight container in the fridge — and if you can, keep any undressed salad separate from the vinaigrette so the fruit stays firm and fresh. Already dressed? It’ll still be good for a day; just expect the watermelon and peaches to soften and release more liquid as they sit, so drain off the extra before serving.
I don’t recommend freezing this one. Watermelon and peaches have such high water content that they turn mushy and watery once thawed.
Watermelon Peach Salad FAQs
Yes, with a small asterisk. You can cut the fruit a few hours ahead and store it covered, but hold off on dressing it until close to serving — watermelon and peaches soften and release liquid the longer they sit. For the best texture, toss it together no more than an hour or two before serving.
Watermelon naturally releases a lot of juice once it’s cut and salted, and the longer the salad sits, the more it does. To keep things crisp, dress the salad in two parts, serve it cold, and spoon it up with a slotted spoon to leave the extra liquid behind.
Yes, completely. It’s sweetened with agave nectar (or maple syrup) instead of honey, and it has no cheese or dairy.
It’s a natural side for smoky, grilled, or spiced summer mains, such as BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches or Caribbean Jackfruit Tacos — the bright fruit cuts right through anything rich or charred.
Nope. Peach skin is tender and adds a little color, so you can leave it on. Peel them if you prefer a softer texture — either way works.
More Summery Salad Recipes
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If you tried this Watermelon Peach Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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Watermelon Peach Salad
Ingredients
Watermelon Peach Salad
- 4 cups watermelon, cubed or thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 pound)
- 2 peaches, pitted and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 pound)
- 1 cup tomatoes, any variety, halved or sliced the same size as watermelon pieces (about 1/2 pound)
Lime Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed from 1-2 limes
- 1 tsp agave , or other liquid sweetener
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
To Finish
- 1 handful fresh basil, chopped or chiffonade (rolled and thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, plain or salted (*see note for toasting)
Instructions
- Prepare and slice the fresh fruit.
- Add the lime juice, agave, salt, and olive oil to a jar with a lid. Tighten the lid and shake until well blended. OR place the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until blended.
- Assemble one layer of the watermelon, peaches, and tomatoes on a serving platter (or add all of the sliced fruit to a mixing bowl). Pour half of the lime dressing over the fruit, followed by half of the chopped basil. If you choose to use a mixing bowl, add all of the fruit and all of the dressing and basil and toss well to combine.
- Add another layer to the platter using the remaining fresh fruit, and top with the rest of the dressing and basil. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.
Notes
- Dressing the salad: Add the dressing in two parts: toss with about ¼ cup and let it marinate up to an hour for the best flavor, then drizzle the rest on just before serving. Don’t prep more than a few hours ahead — the fruit and tomatoes soften and lose their fresh bite.
- Uniform vegetables: Cut the watermelon, peaches, and tomatoes roughly the same size so every bite gets a little of everything.
- Use a gentle hand: Toss gently so you don’t crush the fruit.
- Ripe fruit is best: Use ripe peaches and watermelon for the best flavor. Look for a watermelon that feels heavy for its size with a deep yellow patch where it rested on the ground, and peaches that smell fragrant and give just slightly when pressed.
This didn’t sound like it would be as delicious as it was, but I had all the ingredients so I gambled on trying it. Everyone LOVED it! I would definitely recommend making it. So refreshing and different!
I’m thrilled you liked it!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Do I really need to add that oil?
I can’t have any oils.
This was amazing! Made it for dinner alongside the succotash from your cookbook. What a great combination!
Awesome!! I’m glad you found it. I hope you enjoyed it 🙂
Awesome! I have been looking for a watermelon salad recipe.