Watermelon Balls with Lime and Mint Simple Syrup

Watermelon balls with lime & mint simple syrup is a refreshing summer treat! 4 ingredients with an option to add vodka, rum, or tequila for spiked watermelon balls!

These watermelon balls with lime and mint simple syrup is such a refreshing treat during hot summer days! It’s flavored with fresh lime juice and zest and mixed with mint simple syrup that pairs wonderfully with fresh watermelon.  You could also add vodka, rum, or tequila to turn this into spiked watermelon balls for a wonderful summertime boozy treat!

With just four ingredients, you can make this refreshing chilled watermelon ball salad with lime and mint! It’s so perfect for cooling off during the summer. Also it’s great to make when entertaining friends and family and can be made hours ahead of time.

How to Make Watermelon Ball Salad with Lime and Mint Syrup

The four ingredients you’ll need are:

• about 4 – 5 cups of watermelon
• lime
• sugar
• mint
• Optional: vodka, rum, or tequila if you want to make spiked watermelon balls

How to Make Mint Simple Syrup

Start with making the mint simple syrup as it needs to cool.

Simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water. You can infuse these with fresh herbs, fruit peels, or spices.

It’s important to not boil the fresh herbs. Once the sugar dissolves and the syrup simmers, turn off the heat and steep the fresh herbs in the syrup until the syrup has cooled. This allows the simple syrup to retain the fresh mint flavors by not overheating the herbs.

Store your mint simple syrup in the fridge for up to 5 days. Discard the syrup if the color changes or if it becomes cloudy.

Soak the Watermelon Balls, the Longer the Better

While your mint simple syrup is cooling, prepare your watermelon. Using a melon baller, scoop out the flesh of your watermelon and add them to a large bowl. One personal sized watermelon yielded about 4 – 5 cups of watermelon balls. You could also use a regular sized watermelon. You’ll find the flesh is actually a little softer and easier to use with a melon baller if you’re using a regular sized watermelon. Also if you don’t have the time or energy, just simply cut your watermelon into cubes.

Add in the juice of half a lime and the lime zest. If you want to make drunken or spiked watermelon balls, add in your vodka, rum, or tequila. The longer you let the watermelon salad soak up the dressing, the better it will taste. You can soak the watermelon balls for up to a day ahead but I don’t recommend any longer as the watermelon texture will get too soft.

I recommend adding the mint simple syrup after tasting the watermelon and knowing how sweet it is. You don’t want the watermelon salad to be overly sweet as the fruit is sweet to begin with. Start with a tablespoon at a time until you’ve reached your preferred sweetness.

Chill the watermelon balls in the fridge until ready to serve. This tastes best when served cold.

Serve the watermelon ball salad in a wine glass with a skewer for easy melon kabobs that’s great for entertaining. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint and slice of lime for presentation.

Suggested Substitutions:

• other fruits:
  • cantaloupe
  • honeydew
  • strawberry
  • apples
  • pear
  • any fruit that doesn’t bruise too easily
• other herbs:
  • basil
  • thyme
  • rosemary
• other infused simple syrups:
  • citrus peel
  • cinnamon
  • vanilla
  • lavender
  • ginger
  • lemongrass

You can also add a splash of soda water to make this a watermelon mojito cocktail!

Taste your watermelon ball salad before serving and adjust the flavors as needed. The watermelon may release some of its juices during the chilling/soaking process so you may need to add more mint simple syrup or vodka according to your tastes.

I hope you make these watermelon balls with lime and mint simple syrup! Please share, rate, and comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

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5 from 13 votes

Servings: 4

Watermelon Balls with Lime and Mint Syrup

By Jamie

Watermelon balls with lime & mint simple syrup is a refreshing summer treat! 4 ingredients with an option to add vodka or rum for spiked watermelon balls!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 30 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 - 5 cups of watermelon , about one personal sized watermelon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon lime zest
• ▢ juice of half a lime

Mint Simple Syrup

• ▢ ¼ cup sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ 2 sprigs of mint, about 1/8 cup

Optional

• ▢ ⅛ cup vodka, adjust amount to your liking; can substitute with rum or tequila

Instructions 

Mint Simple Syrup

• Add sugar and water to a small saucepan and heat until it comes to a simmer. Take it off the stove, add the mint, and cover with a lid. Allow the mint to steep until the syrup cools and then remove the mint.

Assemble

• Using a melon baller, scoop out the watermelon into a large bowl. You can also cut into cubes to save time.
• Add in the lime zest, lime juice, and optional liquor. Adjust amount of mint simple syrup to add depending on how sweet your watermelon is. Start with 2 Tablespoons and adjust to your liking.
• Chill the watermelon balls in the fridge and serve cold. The longer you let it soak, the more infused your watermelon will be. Soak for up to a day.

Notes

• You can soak watermelon balls for up to a day but any longer and the watermelon texture may get soft.
• The watermelon may release some of their juices during the chilling/soaking process. Adjust with more mint simple syrup or vodka according to your tastes right before serving.
• Store the mint simple syrup in the fridge for up to 5 days. Discard if cloudy or the color changes.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 1g, Sodium: 1mg, Sugar: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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