Thai Watermelon Salad
on Jan 22, 2025, Updated Apr 03, 2025
Thai Watermelon Salad is a refreshing salad loaded with Thai flavors. Make it in under 10 minutes using simple ingredients (vegetarian, gluten-free).
If you love Thai food as I do, try some of these traditional Thai recipes, too – Thai Green Papaya Salad, Vegan Pad Thai Noodles, Thai Fried Rice, Thai Iced Tea, and Thai Chicken Panang Curry.
About Thai Watermelon Salad
Thai Watermelon Salad is one of the most delicious salads that I have ever eaten in my life!
Refreshing and loaded with Thai flavors, this salad is a treat to the taste buds.
This Asian Watermelon Salad comes together in under 10 minutes using simple ingredients. Serve it for a light lunch or pair it with soup or crusty bread for a filling meal.
This gluten-free salad can be easily made vegan. Double or triple the recipe if you plan to make it for a gathering.
Ingredients
Watermelon – Choose the best watermelon. Your salad is as good as the ingredients used to make it.
Cucumber – I like to use English cucumbers as they are seedless and very flavorful. You can also use Persian cucumbers or even regular cucumbers.
Peel the skin or keep it on; that’s up to you.
Onion – Red onions give a nice crunch and spicy taste to the salad, which pairs very well with the sweetness of the watermelon.
If they are too pungent, slice them and soak them in water for 10 minutes. Drain well and use in the salad.
Peanuts – Toasted peanuts give a lovely crunch to this salad. You can also replace peanuts with other nuts like cashew nuts or almonds or seeds like sunflower seeds, flax seeds, etc.
To save time, I toast a big batch of peanuts and store them in an airtight container for up to 15 days.
Herbs – I have added mint leaves and Thai basil to this salad. Mint gives a refreshing flavor, while Thai basil makes this watermelon salad THAI.
If Thai Basil is not available, then use regular Italian basil.
Dressing Ingredients – I like to make a simple dressing using fresh lime juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, grated fresh ginger, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
To make this salad vegan, skip adding fish sauce and replace it with soy sauce.
How To Make Thai Watermelon Salad
To make the dressing, stir the following ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Add the following ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- 4 cups of cubed seedless watermelon
- ½ cup of sliced cucumber
- 2 tablespoon of sliced onions
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts, 2 tablespoon whole mint leaves, and 2 tablespoon whole Thai basil on top. Serve immediately.
Storage Suggestions
This salad is best served immediately after making it. Watermelon and cucumbers have lots of water content, and when left for some time, they release a lot of liquid, making the salad very unappetizing. However, you can prep beforehand and toss the ingredients together when ready to serve.
Cube the watermelon and slice the cucumber and onions. Store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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Thai Watermelon Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For The Salad
- 4 cups seedless watermelon (cubed and chilled)
- ½ cup sliced cucumbers
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced onions
- 2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons whole mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons whole Thai basil leaves
For The Dressing
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix watermelon, cucumber, and onions in a large mixing bowl.
- To make the dressing, stir together lime juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, ginger, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper in a small mixing bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
- Sprinkle roasted peanuts, mint, and basil on top. Serve immediately.
Just tripled this recipe for an asian-themed potluck and it was delicious!
Awesome. Good to know that.
Hi…what could be used as a substitute to fish sauce
Since I m a vegetarian. Regards
Thanks
You can replace it with Soy sauce.