Servings
Font
Back
5.0 from 12 votes

Watermelon Salad with Queso Fresco, Lime, and Cilantro

This refreshing watermelon salad with queso fresco, lime, and cilantro is the perfect balance of sweet and salty! It's easy to make this vegetarian side dish in advance and perfect for your summer festivities.

Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 256 kcal
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 1 small seedless watermelon rind removed, cut into 1" cubes (about 4-5 cups)
  • juice and zest from one lime divided
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped and divided
  • 4 oz. queso fresco crumbled and divided
  • kosher salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Mix the watermelon with the lime juice, half the zest, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, and half the queso fresco. Transfer onto platter.
  2. Add the rest of the lime zest, cilantro, and queso fresco on top of the salad. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  3. Top with salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

Notes

  • The queso freso is salty, so go easy on adding more salt to taste (you can always add more!).
  • How to crumble queso fresco: Use a fork to crumble the queso fresco to get the smallest crumbles that coat every bite of the watermelon salad.
  • Variation: add a little bit of chili powder, cayenne pepper, or a chopped jalapeño to the mix for a spicy kick.
  • The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.

Nutrition Information

Calories 256kcal (13%) Carbohydrates 13g (4%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 21g (32%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Cholesterol 20mg (7%) Sodium 215mg (9%) Potassium 207mg (6%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 10g (20%) Vitamin A 1161IU (23%) Vitamin C 15mg (17%) Calcium 171mg (17%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 256

% Daily Value*

Calories 256kcal 13%
Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 215mg 9%
Potassium 207mg 4%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 10g 20%
Vitamin A 1161IU 23%
Vitamin C 15mg 17%
Calcium 171mg 17%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.