Whether it’s the summertime or you’re just looking for a refreshing way to rehydrate after a workout, a watermelon smoothie is the perfect option. With its high water content and subtly sweet taste, watermelon can help you replenish your body with a tasty snack.
This watermelon smoothie recipe is a year-round favorite, but it’s especially crisp and refreshing after a morning run on a hot summer’s day. Here’s how you can make a yummy, fresh watermelon smoothie with simple ingredients.
What Are the Benefits of Watermelon?
You might not immediately think of watermelon as the perfect source for smoothie flavoring, especially in a world dominated by berries and mangoes when it comes to blending up your fruit. But don’t discount these as a source of lots of healthy nutrients and flavor.
In terms of health, watermelon is super hydrating. As the name suggests, watermelon is made of 92% water, so you can help to keep your muscles pliable and flexible just from a serving a day. Hydration is essential, especially when training, as it can deliver nutrients to cells, help prevent infections, and keep your joints lubricated.
Watermelon is also loaded with tons of vitamins and essential minerals. One cup of watermelon contains:
- Vitamin A: important for skin health and eye health.
- Vitamin C: helps support the immune system and absorb iron.
- Vitamin B6: helps you properly break down the protein you eat while supporting nerve function.
- Potassium: can help support healthy blood pressure and nerve function.
Not to mention, the fruit is relatively low in calories while boasting a small number of carbs per serving, making it a super healthy snack at any time of day. It also has zero saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium, so you don’t need to worry too much about affecting any diet plans by incorporating this fruit into your next smoothie.
How Should You Prep Your Smoothie?
Before you can just start throwing watermelon chunks into your smoothie, you’ll need to do a little bit of prep. Watermelon generally won’t give you the best experience if you add it to a blender at room temperature — it might turn a bit sludgy and slushy, making for a smoothie with poor texture. So instead, you’ll first want to cut your watermelon and freeze it.
We recommend cutting your watermelon into about one-inch cubes, sort of like the size of an ice cube. You can then stick these in the freezer and use them whenever you need to add them to a smoothie (or whenever you want a snack). Just be sure to use seedless watermelon so you don’t get any seeds in your smoothie.
That said, while watermelon is an easy option, it doesn’t have a very strong flavor on its own. Pairing it with other fruits can help you get the most out of your smoothie, so we recommend getting some strawberries to freeze beforehand as well.
How To Make the Best Watermelon Smoothie Recipe
This watermelon smoothie recipe is easy to make and even easier to drink — and all you need are a few simple ingredients that you probably already have around the house:
- 1-1½ cups of frozen watermelon cubes
- ¼ cup of frozen strawberries
- ½ cup of vanilla greek yogurt (we prefer dairy-free yogurt)
- ¾-1 cup of almond milk or dairy-free alternative
- ½ cup of fresh mint leaves
- 1 scoop of TB12 Powdered Electrolytes (Lemonade flavor)
The Steps
- First, place all of your ingredients in a blender. For best results, add your liquid ingredients first, followed by your solid ingredients. Use gentle pulses to break up the fruit into smaller pieces before blending at full speed.
- Don’t forget your TB12 electrolytes to help boost hydration and give you some added nutrients to help you recover from the toughest of training sessions.
- Blend until smooth. If you feel that the smoothie is too thick, you can add more liquid. If it’s too runny, feel free to add more fruit or yogurt to thicken it up.
- Add additional sweeteners, like honey, if desired.
- Enjoy immediately so it doesn’t melt!
It’s as simple as four steps to get yourself a hydrating, crisp, and refreshing smoothie that will have you excited to get your workouts over with so you can reward yourself with something healthy and sweet.
Make It Your Own
This recipe is delicious and simple, which means you can modify and change it up however you want. For one, feel free to add any other fruits you want — frozen bananas, mangoes, and other tropical fruits can give the smoothie more of a tropical flavor. Or, go with blueberries and raspberries to give it a mixed berry kick.
You can also substitute the almond milk for really any other kind of liquid you want. Coconut water will amplify those tropical vibes, while whole milk will give you more protein in each sip. You can also add some TB12 protein powder to get an extra boost to support muscle growth after your intense training sessions.
You can also make it your own by adding ingredients like chia seeds or nut butter. You can also swap out the sweetener for something like maple syrup or agave.
What Are Some Other Ways To Use Watermelon?
If you have some leftover watermelon that you don’t want to eat right away but also don’t feel like freezing for a smoothie, there are a few things you can do instead.
For one, you can try making some watermelon juice. It’s super easy to extract, and you don’t need any special devices. Just blend your watermelon in a blender, and that’s it. If you want some of the texture removed, run it through a strainer or some cheesecloth to get out the solid bits.
From there, you can take it a step further and make tasty watermelon popsicles by taking the juice and pouring it into some ice trays. Place a sheet of foil or plastic wrap over the top and stick toothpicks or popsicle sticks into each one. In just a few hours, you’ll have mini popsicles for you to enjoy on a hot summer day.
The Bottom Line
Smoothies are an easy and effective way to get some necessary nutrients into your system without needing to put in too much work. And this watermelon smoothie is exceptionally easy to put together with just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your household.
Watermelon is loaded with essential vitamins and nutrients while also remaining low in calories. Plus, it is super hydrating to help you perform at your best at every moment of your game. And if you need something else to do with your remaining melon, you can juice it up and turn them into popsicles for friends and family.
If you need some more recipe ideas, try Tom’s Favorite Smoothie recipe, which is one of his daily sources of fuel and over 34 grams of protein.
Sources:
Vitamin A and Carotenoids | NIH.
