Watermelon Slushie
Having a watermelon slushie is a perfect way to get your daily fruit in a refreshing drink format in the summertime. Enjoy this summertime beverage made with real watermelon. Relax on the porch with a refreshing drink of watermelon, flavored with lime, raspberries, and mint.
For another refreshing summertime drink, try this raspberry mojito!
Exercise. Eat your fruit and veggies. Get your vitamin D. Reduce stress.
I’m here with a promise. Healthy food does not have to taste like insulation. And it doesn’t have to take days laboring over a hot stove either.
Today’s recipe is “short, sweet, and hard to beat” like my mom always says. I was inspired to make this recipe by my friend Kathy Patalksy’s site, Healthy Happy Life. What a fun site she has! I’m always looking for ways to get more variety in the foods I eat and sometimes that means mixing things up a bit…literally!
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Adding lime juice gives a splash of freshness to these smooth, refreshing drinks
- Raspberries add a bright, vibrant color and a little bit of sweetness too
- Using fresh mint leaves ads an undeniable summertime flavor, making this an irresistible slushie!
What comes to mind when you think of a typical slushie? Is it a super-sweet icee drink? I’m here to tell you there are healthy slushies and this frozen watermelon drink is a great example. It’s a real game-changer because it’s easy to make and full of all the refreshing flavors!
What You need
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Fresh watermelon — I bought a small, round watermelon which provided plenty of watermelon chunks for this recipe
- Lime juice — You can use fresh or boiled lime juice
- Water — You can use plain water or sparkling water
- Stevia — Watermelon is pretty sweet, but it needs a little boost. I add just a bit of stevia, but you could use maple syrup if you prefer
- Raspberries — We’ll add a few raspberries (fresh or frozen) to make the slushie a brighter color and to add flavor too
- Fresh mint leaves — We have lots of fresh mint in our garden, but you can also buy mint leaves in the produce section of your grocery store.
How to Make a Watermelon Slushie
This may be the easiest recipe ever!
- Chop & Freeze — Simply chop watermelon into chunks (don’t even worry about seeds!) and freeze them. This takes about 2 hours to get the watermelon thoroughly frozen.
- Soften — Then remove the frozen watermelon from the freezer and let it sit for a few minutes to soften just a bit.
- Puree — Add lime juice, water, and stevia to a blender and pulse to combine. Then add the frozen (and softened) watermelon chunks to the blender and pulse until it creates a slushie consistency.
- Serve — Pour into glasses and serve immediately with garnishes of fresh lime and watermelon wedges.
I love this refreshing watermelon icee and I think you will too!
Marly’s Tips
I like using seedless watermelons, however, if your watermelon has seeds, there’s no need to remove them. Everything is going in the powerful blender and seeds are healthy so you can leave them in!
Healthy Watermelon Slushies Recipes
Watermelons are healthy. Of course, like most fruits, they are higher in carbs than vegetables, but watermelon is so delicious, it’s worth it. I absolutely love the filling nature of this slush. It’s a perfect way to fill up on healthy, nutritious ingredients, without all that added sugar you’ll find in some slushie recipes.
In fact, this watermelon slushy recipe does not include any refined sugars. That’s a reason to celebrate! I’m always looking to share more whole-food recipes we can include in our lives!
Can you freeze watermelon?
You can freeze watermelon by cutting the flesh from the rind and chopping it into chunks, trying to keep them a consistent size. Add chopped watermelon to a freezer bag or container. They will keep in the freezer for 1 – 2 months. Please note that the texture of thawed frozen watermelon is quite mushy. You will mostly want to use frozen watermelon for smoothies.
I used stevia instead of something like maple syrup. Also, you can add sparkling water in place of the water in this recipe for a bubbly blended watermelon drink!
A few hours after freezing the watermelon, I had a delicious Watermelon Slushie. Sweet, delicious, and satisfying!
More Vegan Beverage
This watermelon slushy is great, and here are even more great beverages!
Watermelon Slushie
Ingredients
- 5 cups chopped watermelon
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon stevia
- ¼ cup fresh raspberries
- 5 fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Cut the watermelon into slices and remove rinds. Chop the fruit into chunks. If your watermelon has seeds, there's no need to remove them, unless you prefer it. Place chopped watermelon in a freezer storage bag and wait at least two hours for the watermelon to freeze.
- When the watermelon is frozen, remove from the freezer and let sit on the counter for about 10 minutes, until they soften a bit.
- Add the lime juice, water, stevia, raspberries, and mint leaves to a high speed blender. Pulse that for a few seconds.Â
- Add the softened but still frozen watermelon to the blender. The watermelon will break up into pieces. Continue blending until it transforms into a thick, slushie-like consistency. Taste and add additional stevia if necessary. If the freezer locks up, it is a sign the watermelon is still too frozen. Let it sit for a few minutes and then blend again.
- Pour the slushie mixture into 2 glasses. Garnish with watermelon wedges. Serve immediately.
- You can refreeze any leftover slushies. Remove from the freezer an allow it to sit at room temperature until it softens to a slushie consistency.
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The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Enjoy your healthy, vegan, gluten-free and completely delicious Watermelon Slushie!
This post was originally published in 2011 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2020.
This sounds just grand! I actually watched Kathy and Gena’s video this weekend and instantly went out to buy a watermelon.
This is perfect for this heat wave we’ve been having. And I love that it’s low sugar!
I love watermelon and I buy big ones but never can finish before it loses the freshness. Thanks for the recipe, Marly! I know what I am doing this weekend:)
Sounds good. And by the way, the watermelon rinds can be used to make watermelon pickles. I swear they’re fabulous! My favorite recipe has cinnamon and cloves and a syrupy brine, but there are other varieties as well.
Watermelon rinds! OMG, pickle them! They are really good. Thanks for this recipe.
I would have never thought of pickling them. Sounds great!
We’ve been enjoying watermelon slushies this summer. Love your recipe — will have to try!
Marly, what a healthy TREAT! I don’t think I would even notice it’s good-for-you it looks so appealing. 😉
This sounds so refreshing…especially since it is 105 degrees right now. I agree…healthy food does not need to taste gross! Thank you for always making me smile with your yummy food, thoughtful words and inciting recipes, Marly. I hope you have a blessed Sunday!
A perfect summer treat!
I want one, right now!
I’ll be right over!