This Grilled Watermelon “Pizza” is ready in minutes and perfect for your summer BBQ! Topped with honey, fresh lime, pickled red onions, queso fresco, and a sprinkle of cilantro, this is a pizza you won’t soon forget!

Grilled Watermelon

If you’ve been following along with Hey Grill Hey for a while, you know that I like to grill everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. This watermelon is no exception. If you’re looking for a unique grilled recipe that tastes totally amazing, this grilled watermelon is for you.

Grilling watermelon is a great way to add a little twist to one of my favorite summer party sides. There’s always watermelon at a cook-out, and while a nice bite of fresh watermelon is heavenly, I think it time we kick it up a notch!

How to Grill Watermelon

It doesn’t take much effort to take a fresh watermelon and make it extra yummy (and extra pretty). Simply slice your watermelon into rounds about 1.5 inches thick and grill over High heat for a few minutes. You can leave the watermelon unadorned, or top yours with whatever you like, but the flavor combo I’m sharing in the recipe below is definitely my favorite!

When you grill fresh watermelon, the heat does a great job at bringing out the sweetness in the melon and gives it a little bit of that smoky charred flavor as well. Topped with sweet honey, tangy quick pickled red onions, creamy queso fresco, and bright cilantro and lime, this grilled watermelon pizza hits all of the right flavor notes. And you wanna know the best part? You can eat a whole pizza by yourself and won’t have to feel the tiniest bit guilty! Yay, healthy! 

Tips for Making Grilled Watermelon

I know what you’re thinking: How hard can sticking some sliced watermelon on a grill be? Not hard at all, in fact. But these three tips will help you create a perfectly crisp and tasty watermelon that doesn’t turn to mush on the grill.

• Make sure your grill grates are clean. This prevents your watermelon from picking up any other flavors that have been on your grill. Trust me, you do NOT want leftover grilled salmon flavor on your watermelon.
• Start with cold watermelon. You don’t want your watermelon turning to mush on the grill. Starting with a fully chilled watermelon will help to keep the watermelon nice and crisp.
• Cook on a hot grill. The high heat of the grill will allow the exterior of the watermelon to get nice and caramelized on the outside without cooking the watermelon on the inside.

More Grilled Fruit Recipes

Watermelon isn’t the only fruit you can stick on the grill. Pineapple and berries also go well with a little char from the fire and heat. Check out these other grilled fruit recipes and see for yourself:

• Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar and Sea Salt
• Cherry Berry Dutch Oven Cobbler
• Pina Colada Grilled Pineapple

Grilled Watermelon Pizza Recipe

Grilled Watermelon Pizza with Honey and Lime

This Grilled Watermelon "Pizza" is ready in minutes and perfect for your summer BBQ! Topped with honey, fresh lime, pickled red onions, queso fresco, and a sprinkle of cilantro, this is a pizza you won't soon forget!

Prep Time : 10 mins

Cook Time : 6 mins

Total Time : 1 hr 16 mins

Servings : 20 people

Calories : 46kcal

Print Recipe Save to Pinterest

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 20-25 pound seedless watermelon
• ▢ 2 cups cilantro leaves
• ▢ 6 ounces queso fresco
• ▢ ¼ cup honey
• ▢ fresh lime wedges (as garnish)

Sweet Pickled Red Onions

• ▢ 1 medium red onion (thinly sliced)
• ▢ ½ cup white vinegar
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon honey
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

• Make the sweet pickled red onions. One hour before you're ready to grill the watermelon, combine the sliced red onion, white vinegar, lime juice, honey, and salt in a small glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. These can also be made days in advance, simply transfer to a lidded glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Preheat the grill. When you're ready to cook the watermelon, preheat your grill to High heat (about 450-500 degrees F).
• Prep the watermelon. Slice your watermelon into 1.5 inch rounds using a large, sharp knife. Brush each side of the watermelon slice with the liquid from the sweet pickled onions.
• Grill the watermelon. Place the watermelon rounds on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until there are some light char marks on each side of the watermelon. You might need to work in a few batches at a time to get all of the watermelon grilled if your watermelon rounds are large and your grill grate is small.
• Add toppings and serve. Place each grilled watermelon round on a large cutting board, drizzle each round with some of the honey, a few slices of the pickled red onion, some of the queso fresco, and a sprinkle of cilantro. Serve with a fresh lime wedge to squeeze over the top. Serve while still warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

Ready to Become a Backyard BBQ Hero?Join The Grill Squad today!

**This post was originally published in May 2016. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.