This lime watermelon juice recipe can chase the heat away.
When cold water just isn’t enough, I long for an iced beverage that comes from a juicer. If you love homemade organic drinks as much as I do, this lime watermelon juice might be what you’re looking for.
A fresh fusion of sweet and tangy, this satiating ruby concoction can make your day less hectic and keep you energized for hours. Plus, it can be made in large amounts and kept in the fridge to have on-the-go whenever you feel like!
Is Lime Watermelon Juice Good for You?
You may not find watermelon in the healthiest foods list, but the fruit does have a decent amount of nutrients. It contains various vitamins and minerals and elements that build a healthy body.
Lime juice, meanwhile, packs vitamin C. It gives our immune system a boost and potentially helps it fight diseases.
Besides, for beverages, we especially keep an eye on the amount of sugar we added. The USDA’s latest dietary guidelines recommend that we consume as little added sugar as possible.
Since watermelon is already sweet, we didn’t have to season it with much sugar. Per serving, there is only 1/2 tbsp of added sugar, which translates to just under 15% of what’s recommended.
Using Lime vs Using Lemon
Limes and lemons are cousins, so they can often be interchangeable. But before you make the swap, beware of these key differences:
Taste-wise, you can immediately tell whether you are tasting a lemon or a lime. The yellow citrus is far more fragrant with a stronger sweet note, and tastes less zingy.
In terms of nutritional profile, lemons yield more vitamin C than limes do (data from the USDA). But this difference is minute, considering our lime watermelon juice recipe uses only half a tablespoon of lime juice.
Overall, if you love drinks that are fragrant and on the sweeter side, feel free to opt for lemons. Here’s our version of the drink, with lemon juice instead of lime.
How Many Calories Does Lime Watermelon Juice Give?
All of the calories in this drink come from pure watermelon juice and the granulated sugar we added for flavor. Each serving yields 81 calories, equating to what a 10-oz watermelon wedge gives.
How to Make Lime Watermelon Juice
It’s simple: juice the watermelon and lime, and mix everything in a large pitcher to refrigerate.
Our chefs, however, have some tricks up their sleeves:
- First, dissolve the sugar with 3-4 tbsp of watermelon juice, then add the rest when everything’s dissolved. Having less liquid means you won’t need to stir as much, saving plenty of time.
- Sugar disintegrates more quickly in hotter water, so we recommend using room-temperature watermelons instead of chilled. If you only have chilled watermelons, dissolve sugar in 2 tbsp of hot water first — it gets the job done without diluting the drink too much.
- In the list of ingredients we mention rosemary in tablespoons. However that is for nutritional calculating, so you don’t need to tear the rosemary! One sprig of rosemary in each serving glass gives just enough fragrance, and makes the drink look stunning.
Can You Use Bottled Lime Juice for This Recipe?
You can, but here’s why we recommend fresh limes: Bottled lime juice promotes plastic production, has preservatives you don’t need, and doesn’t taste as fresh.
If you find juicing limes laborious or messy, there are many assisting tools that are low cost, and they will last a lifetime. We always juice our limes or lemons with a convenient handheld citrus juicer, and it only takes a few seconds.
How Long Does Lime Watermelon Juice Last?
The FDA says they last for 2 hours at room temperature, 2 days refrigerated, and up to a few months when frozen.
If you don’t want to pull out a knife and cutting board every time you get a craving, simply freeze your fruit after cutting them. They will be ready to juice whenever you need a cool drink.
Check out this healthy lime juice compilation or best watermelon juice recipes for more tasty drinks.
Is Watermelon a Fruit?
Yes, watermelon is a fruit.
The watermelon plant belongs to a Cucurbitaceae family (gourd family), which is a trailing vine type. Similarly to pumpkins, watermelons grow on the ground instead of on trees, like apples or lemons.
Now that we’ve established watermelon is a fruit, did you know that watermelons are actually considered berries, while strawberries are not?
To be classified as a “berry”, a fruit must grow from the flower’s ovary. Fruits like bananas, apples, watermelons, and even pumpkins are berry by this logic.
Strawberries, on the other hand, are called “accessory fruits” despite their name. This juicy, bright fruit grows not from the ovary, but from the receptacle — the part that holds the ovary.
Berries or not, they are all fruit and taste delicious. We hope this unique trivia will come in handy one day!
For more healthy drinks to put into your collection, check out this article.
Lime Watermelon Juice Recipe
Our lime watermelon juice recipe is a great solution for intense summer days. It's easy to make, super fragrant, and really refreshing!
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 5 mins
- COURSE Beverages, Drinks
- CUISINE Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 81 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 24 fl ozwatermelon juice (from 25-26 oz watermelon)
- 2 tbsplime juice
- 2 tbspssugar
- 1 tbsprosemary (fresh)
- 2 cupsice
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, mix sugar with roughly 1/4 cup of watermelon juice. When the sugar dissolves, pour in the rest of the juice and transfer the mixture to a large serving pitcher.
Add lime juice, ice, and rosemary sprigs. Serve and enjoy!
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer