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The second the temperature climbs above 90 degrees, I start craving one thing: watermelon. It’s juicy, refreshing, naturally sweet, and somehow makes even the hottest summer day feel a little more manageable.
This watermelon smoothie is my go-to when I want to cool off, stay full, and keep working toward my health goals without overthinking it. Blended with simple, nourishing ingredients, it tastes like a summer treat while still delivering the hydration, fiber, and protein. This is my favorite smoothie to make on repeat all summer long.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love It
Summer is overflowing with nutrient-dense produce. Take advantage of these ruby red, antioxidant-rich ingredients!
- Ready in 5 minutes. Toss everything in the blender, hit blend, and you’re sipping a refreshing smoothie in less time than it takes to slice the fruit. You can also check out my recommended smoothie blenders for the creamiest results.
- Hydrating and refreshing. Watermelon’s high water content helps support hydration, while lime adds a crisp, citrusy finish that keeps each sip light and energizing.
- Packed with real benefits. Strawberries and cherries bring fiber and antioxidants for heart and immune support, while watermelon delivers lycopene, a powerful antioxidant linked to heart health and cellular protection.
Watermelon Smoothie Ingredients
- Watermelon (fresh, chopped). Choose a heavy melon with a creamy yellow field spot for the sweetest flavor. Seedless makes prep quicker, but either works. This is how I cut melon.
- Strawberries (fresh or frozen). Look for bright red berries with green tops and no white shoulders. If using fresh, freeze extras at peak ripeness for future smoothies, or portion them into frozen meal prep smoothie packs so they’re ready to blend anytime.
- Cherries (fresh or frozen). Deep red cherries are usually the sweetest and richest in antioxidants. If buying fresh, pit and freeze them on a sheet pan so they’re ready to blend.
- Lime (fresh, peeled). Pick a lime that feels heavy for its size and has a slight give when squeezed. Lime adds a little zest and bite to make it extra refreshing.
- High-quality protein: Blend in chia seeds and collagen peptides for a protein boost along with some healthy omega-3’s and fiber to create a balanced smoothie.
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▶ Want healthy eating to feel easier? Start with my free 5-Day Smoothie Challenge— or jump into the 21-Day Cleanse for a full reset.
How to Make a Watermelon Smoothie
- Add ingredients to the blender. Place the chopped watermelon, frozen strawberries, frozen cherries, peeled lime, plant-based protein powder (if using), and chia seeds into a high-speed blender.
- Blend until smooth. Blend on high until the smoothie is completely smooth and creamy. Add a splash of water if needed to help it blend.
- Serve and enjoy. Pour into glasses and sprinkle extra chia seeds on top, if desired. Sip right away for the freshest flavor and best texture.
Want perfectly smooth results every time? Check out how to make a smoothie for simple blending tips before you start.
Recipe Tips
- Since watermelon is over 90% water by weight, you don’t need to add any extra liquid or ice to this smoothie.
- Use seedless watermelon for this recipe. No need to spend all day picking out watermelon seeds!
- Using frozen cherries and frozen strawberries rather than fresh ones yields a cool and frosty drink. If using fresh, add ice cubes to the blender.
- Serve this smoothie immediately after making it. The longer it sits, the more the watermelon separates from the other ingredients.
More Watermelon Smoothie Recipes
If you loved sipping my watermelon smoothie, then check out my favorite fruit smoothies and recipes with watermelon to cool down on a hot day:
- Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie that blends in spinach to get extra fiber.
- Watermelon Popsicles are such a simple summer win.
- Summer Melon Smoothie is a medley of summer melons and a hydrating sweet treat.
If you make this watermelon smoothie, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Watermelon Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups watermelon chopped
- ½ cup cherries frozen
- ¼ cup strawberries frozen
- ½ lime peeled
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 serving collagen peptides
Instructions
- Add watermelon, strawberries, cherries, lime and chia seeds to the blender.
- Blend on high speed until nice and smooth.
- Add a serving of collagen and blend on low speed until mixed in.
- Pour into cup and enjoy!
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Helpful Tools
Notes
- Use seedless watermelon if you don’t have time to pick out the seeds before blending.
- To lower the natural sugar, swap the cherries out for blueberries or raspberries, or add in homemade protein powder to help your body process the natural sugar.
- Feel free to add any of these low sugar fruits to change up the flavor and make it your own.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!My watermelon smoothie blends cherries, watermelon, strawberries and lime. It’s super refreshing and antioxidant-loaded!
Yes! When using any kind of melon in a smoothie, I cut back on the amount of liquid. Watermelon contains enough water on its own that you don’t need any more liquid. Also, don’t forget to remove the seeds!
Watermelon acts as both the liquid and fruit in a smoothie. If you freeze the watermelon, be sure to add extra liquid to help it blend well.
Light and refreshing, but the lime came through too strong for my taste.
Maybe next time you could just use lime juice instead of the whole 1/2.
This was refreshing and delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except that I bought fresh bing cherries and strawberries. I cleaned, pitted, sliced, and froze them.
I grow black raspberries and they are in full season. I used them as a garnish atop the smoothie. For fun, I enjoyed it in a beautiful red wine goblet! If you’re doing a five-day challenge, you gotta make it especially fun!
I love this! Yes, definitely make it fancy! Black raspberries sound amazing.
I love watermelon but I am not a huge watermelon in smoothies person. I added some unflavored protein powder to this and some of the zest from the lime. It is actually very good and I will drink it again, if I happen to have some watermelon that I can resist eating long enough to blend it into a smoothie. Sharing the recipe with my brothers
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
My children and I really enjoyed the smoothie, although we couldn’t really taste much watermelon – the cherry flavour was much more pronounced. But it was a lovely, refreshing summer smoothie.
That is awesome that your kids are drinking the smoothies as well.
I love the watermelon lime flavor. I did add some water to help blending. Even though I used a Vitamix, it was getting clogged. I prefer thinner versus thicker smoothies so it wasn’t an issue. I will definitely make this again.
So glad you enjoyed the smoothie. Way to make it work for you.
I am not a fan of melons, so I added an extra cup of cherries and an extra cup of strawberries to get the same amount of fruit. I added a tablespoon of homemade protein powder (thanks for that recipe!) and a tablespoon of dried nettle leaf. It was delicious, nutritious and filling.
I love that I can substitute or add ingredients and get a simply made breakfast.
Way to make it work for you. I have not tried dried nettle leaf in a smoothie. Sounds good.
Made this early AM before work (prepped the night before), and all I can say is WOW! The lime is the mwah-chef’s kiss to this smoothie, by adding just enough tartness to counterbalance the sweetness of the cherries, strawberries, and watermelon. Even with just fruit, the addition of chia seeds and collagen give this smoothie enough body to make it feel substantial going down. What a great way to start the summer morning! I’m borrowing my friend’s high speed blender to do this challenge, and it’s a totally new experience.
Amazing! Thank you for the wonderful review! So glad you enjoyed the smoothie.
I want to do the challenge but I’m probably the only person on the planet that watermelon makes me gag! Just thinking about the smell and texture I cringe. Can it be substituted for another melon?
You could definitely try another melon like cantaloupe. Let me know how it goes!
Looks yummy! Should I use half of a peeled lime or just the juice of half a lime? This is listed differently in the ingredients list and in the directions. Thank you!
It’s really up to you Brenda. I personally just cut a lime in half, peel it and toss it in the blender. This gets a little extra fiber— and I’m all about that fiber! Yet I also know people who cut it in half and just squeeze the juice in. Both we will get the delicious lime flavor paired with the watermelon nicely. You really can’t go wrong!
I need different recipes for the watermelon smoothies in the challenge. I really can’t stand watermelon. Thank you.
Hi Angela! We have a whole section of smoothie recipes on our blog, feel free to check them out and swap as needed!
I wanted a refreshing smoothie after dinner and this did the job. The fruit blended together to make a slightly sweet and tangy treat. I will definitely make this again!
Very refreshing!