Grilled Watermelon
on Jul 02, 2023, Updated Jan 25, 2025
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Grilling watermelon is a fun conversation piece, and it makes a beautiful appetizer, snack, side dish, or even dessert! The sprinkle of citrusy sugar elevates the flavor and helps it caramelize when cooked over the fire.
What’s even more exciting than watermelon at a barbecue? Grilled watermelon! It is a really nice way to add interest to a cookout menu. Barely kissed by the fire, the grill marks look super cool on the bright red flesh of the fruit. And the texture changes dramatically just from a few minutes on a hot grill.
A dusting of sugar and lime zest with a touch of heat from chile powder brings watermelon into another dimension. And, it’s kind of a showstopper and a surprising conversation piece, especially if your guests haven’t seen it before! Try both red and yellow melon varieties, and serve with little wedges of lime — the acidity complements the sweetness so nicely.
Grilled watermelon can be served as an appetizer, a snack, a side dish (try it with Grilled Chicken Salad!), and also a dessert. You might want to pair it with Grilled Peaches and Grilled Pineapple for a stunning grilled fruit platter.
Table of Contents
Grilled Watermelon: A dusting of slightly spicy and citrusy sugar help bring out watermelon’s natural sweetness on the grill for an unusual side or dessert.
Ingredients for Grilled Watermelon
You could grill watermelon without any seasoning, and it will be delicious. However, sprinkling of a blend of sugar, lime zest, a bit of salt, and chile powder over top makes the sweet fruit sing.
- Watermelon – Choose a seedless watermelon, preferably on the smaller side so you can cut it into manageable wedges for grilling.
- Sugar – A little bit enhances the natural sweetness of the fruit.
- Lime—The acidity emphasizes the sweetness. The zest is used as a ripe, and little wedges of lime are served with the grilled fruit.
- Kosher salt – Everything tastes better with a little salt, even sweet things! Salt simply enhances flavor.
- Chili powder – Make sure to use pure chile powder made solely from dried chilies. Chili powder or chili blend is made with ground dried hot peppers, but it also contains oregano, garlic, and other spices, which are a bit strange on watermelon. The pureness of a single-grind chile powder is what you want here. I used ancho, but you can use chipotle or New Mexico chile powder or any other single-pepper powder.
FAQs
The heat allows the sugars to caramelize, and the grill also adds some smokiness to the fruit. The texture will change notably on the grill. It’s terrific if you can serve and eat it while still warm. You may also see this called grilled watermelon steak or grilled watermelon ham — I prefer to call it what it is: grilled watermelon!
It still tastes like watermelon, but only subtly so. It surprisingly lost some of the sweetness even in the short grilling time. However, the sugar rub will intensify the sweetness on the outside a bit, and the live fire adds smokiness.
We found the most surprising thing about grilled watermelon was the texture. It became a bit chewy and immediately less crisp than uncooked watermelon. It tasted best right off the grill. The texture got a little less satisfying as it cooled. It’s quite different from fresh watermelon, and I know I’ll be going back and forth all summer.
Grill watermelon in wedges with the rind still on. This will make the pieces hold together. Cutting the watermelon into wedges makes it easy to flip on the grill and also easy to eat. You can eat it out of hand or slice it with a knife and serve it in strips if you prefer.
How to Grill Watermelon
- Make the spiced sugar: In a small bowl, combine the sugar, lime zest, salt, and chile powder.
- Prepare the watermelon: Cut the watermelon into wedges. Place the wedges on a wire rack. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the wedges and lightly rub it in with the tips of your fingers.
- Grill the watermelon: Grill for 2 or 3 minutes on each side, just until nice grill marks appear.
- Enjoy: Serve warm, if possible, with lime wedges.
Cooking Tips
- Use your fingers to rub the sugar and spice mixture together, which will allow the sugar to release the oils in the zest.
- Make sure to use a pure chile powder, not a chili spice blend.
- This is best eaten right after grilling.
How to Serve Grilled Watermelon
This can be served as a surprising appetizer, a fun side dish, an unusual dessert, or just for nibbling. You can also cube up the watermelon and add it to fruit salads or use it in Watermelon and Feta Salad instead of raw watermelon. You can also sprinkle the grilled watermelon with fresh herbs, like oregano or basil.
What to Serve With Grilled Watermelon
More Melon Recipes
- Melon-Cucumber Salad with Feta
- Prosciutto and Melon
- Watermelon-Feta Salad
- Grilled Pork Loin with Brown Rice and Melon Salad
- Agua Fresca
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Grilled Watermelon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 watermelon (about 4 to 5 pounds)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pure chile powder (such as ancho; not a chili powder blend)
- Lime wedges (to serve)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, lime zest, salt, and chile powder. Use your fingers to rub the mixture together, which will allow the sugar to release the oils in the zest.
- Cut the watermelon into wedges. Place the wedges on a wire rack. Sprinkle half of the mixture evenly over the wedges and lightly rub it in with the tips of your fingers. Flip the wedges and sprinkle the rest of the sugar mixture over the wedges then rub that in. Let sit while you heat the grill to medium-high.
- Place the watermelon wedges on the grill for 2 or 3 minutes on each side, just until nice grill marks appear. Serve warm, if possible, with lime wedges.
Notes
- Use your fingers to rub the sugar and spice mixture together, which will allow the sugar to release the oils in the zest.
- Make sure to use a pure chile powder, not a chili spice blend.
- This is best eaten right after grilling.
