watermelon blueberry salad with mexican jicama

Watermelon and Jicama Salad Recipe: Fruit Salad for Summer Parties

Name: Watermelon and Jicama Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Fruit Salad
Ingredients: 1 pound Watermelon; 1 pound Jicama; 7 ounce Blueberries; 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup, optional

July 6, 2021

This recipe for watermelon salad makes a fun and unique party food for your Fourth of July party or summer cookouts. It’s a hydrating and refreshing summer fruit salad recipe that has a beautiful presentation and unique flavor. Keep reading to discover more about jicama. Plus learn how to make this watermelon and jicama salad as a healthy treat for your outdoor summer parties.

Watermelon Jicama Salad With Blueberries

It’s too hot during the summer for hot foods, and I’m always on the lookout for summer fruit salad recipes. Most cold salad recipes are similar and made with only fruits and sometimes a cream cheese based dressing.

This red, white and blue fruit salad has a unique twist with jicama. Jicama isn’t a common food, but it complements the fruit in this watermelon and blueberry salad. It gives it a little bit of crunch similar to what apples do in a fruit salad, but it doesn’t turn brown as it sits.

This simple watermelon jicama salad recipe is easy to make, too. You can prepare it in about 10 minutes, so it’s perfect for summer parties. I made mine a red, white and blue fruit salad with star shaped jicama, but you can simply mix watermelon and blueberry salad together if you’re serving it as a summer fruit salad and not for the holiday.

What Fruit Salads are Popular in Summer?

In the summer, there are several summer fruit salad recipes that you can try. You can simply mix cut up pieces of your favorite fruits and serve that for easy 4th of july salads. You can also make a fruit vinaigrette or a cream cheese based dressing. Mint salads also make a refreshing 4th of July fruit salad.

What is Jicama?

Jicama is the start of this Mexican watermelon salad. This root vegetable has a white interior. It’s crunchy and juicy, so it’s a perfect addition for a watermelon blueberry salad.

Jicama is slightly sweet, but it has an almost nutty flavor. It tastes almost like a mix between a pear and a potato. Some people say it tastes like a water chestnut with a similar texture. It gives this watermelon salad recipe a crunch similar to using apples, but the jicama doesn’t brown when exposed to the air.

Where is Jicama Grown?

Jicama is native to Mexico. As it’s grown in Mexico, it is also called a Mexican potato or yam bean.

Where Can I Buy Jicama?

Jicama is starting to become more popular in the United States, so more stores are carrying it. It’s easier to find in bigger stores that have more food options or organic grocery stores. If there’s a Mexican grocery store in your area, they will most likely carry this vegetable.

What Goes Well With Jicama?

Jicama goes well with citrus fruits. It also pairs well with red pepper and hot pepper sauce. Since it’s native to Mexico, it also tastes good with avocado and cilantro.

Jicama also complements this watermelon and blueberry salad. It’s slightly sweet and nutty flavor goes great with the sweet fruit in this Mexican watermelon jicama salad.

How Do You Prepare Jicama to Eat?

To prepare jicama for this watermelon jicama salad recipe, simply peel the vegetable with a paring knife or vegetable peeler. Then cut in half and cut into slices.

How to Store Jicama

Store jicama in a dry place uncovered. If it gets moisture in it, it can start to rot. Do not store it in the fridge. It will last for about three weeks after you buy it, so you have plenty of time to make this simple jicama salad. Once cut, jicama will last tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.

What are the Nutritional Benefits of Watermelon and Jicama Salad?

This watermelon and jicama salad is a simple recipe made with healthy ingredients. It only uses fresh fruits and vegetables, so there are no preservatives or artificial ingredients.

Watermelon Nutritional Benefits

The nutritional benefits of eating watermelon are as follows:

Watermelon is 92 percent water, so it can help you hydrate.
Each 1 cup serving of watermelon has only 46 calories.
Watermelon is a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamins B1, B5 and B6. It also has potassium and magnesium.

Jicama Nutritional Benefits

The nutritional benefits of eating the vegetable jicama are as follows:

A 1 cup serving of jicama has 49 calories, 12 grams of carbs, 6.4 grams of fiber and 1 gram of fat.
Jicama is also a good source of Vitamin C, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and manganese.
One serving of jicama has 17 percent of the recommended daily intake of fiber for men and 23 percent for women.

What Seasonings and Additions Can I Add to This Summer Fruit Salad Recipe?

This simple Mexican watermelon jicama salad is delicious on its own, but you can also add one of the following flavors:

Cayenne pepper
Jalapeno and lime
Feta cheese
Cotija cheese
Fresh mint leaves

What Can I Serve With a Simple Jicama Salad?

This recipe for watermelon salad pairs well with most grilled foods. So it’s perfect for outdoor summer parties and cookouts. You can serve this summer salad with the following dishes:

Grilled chicken
Grilled steak
Any type of grilled fish
Grilled pork chops

How Far Ahead Can I Make a Watermelon and Jicama Salad?

Most fruit browns rather quickly. Therefore it’s best to make a fresh fruit salad for summer no more than a day ahead of time. This way, it has the best flavor and appearance for your party or cookout, and it’s still great leftover the following day.

As a fruit salad with watermelon and jicama does not contain fruits that normally brown when exposed to air as apples, pears, bananas and peaches do, you can enjoy this salad for up to week after preparation. Simply store tightly covered in your refrigerator.

Mexican Watermelon and Jicama Salad Ingredients

To make this watermelon blueberry salad, you will need the following ingredients:

Watermelon
Jicama
Blueberries
Maple syrup (optional)

Tools To Make Summer Fruit Salad with Watermelon

You will need the following tools to prepare this healthy summer fruit salad recipe:

How to Make Watermelon and Jicama Salad

Your guests will love this red, white and blue fruit salad when you host an outdoor summer party. To make this summer salad with watermelon and jicama, follow these steps:

Cut the ends off the jicama using a sharp knife. Then use a vegetable peeler to peel the jicama. Cut the vegetable into ½ inch thick slices.
Next, use a 1 inch star shaped cookie cutter to cut out star shapes from the jicama slices. Use a knife to cut any remaining jicama into sticks.
Now cut the watermelon into sticks. To do this, first wash the watermelon. Then use a sharp knife to cut the watermelon in half. Lay the flat half of the watermelon on the cutting board. Use the knife to cut slices across the watermelon. Then turn halfway and cut in the other direction to form sticks. You can then cut off the rind from the ends.
Place the watermelon and jicama slices in a shallow bowl or serving dish. Arrange the red fruit and white vegetable to create a flag by stacking them in rows on top of one another. Be sure to leave the upper left hand corner open.
Fill the upper left hand corner of your serving bowl with blueberries to fill in the dish. The blueberries will serve as the blue portion of the flag.
Now top the blueberries with the jicama stars you cut out using the star shaped cookie cutter.
Finally, drizzle maple syrup over the Mexican watermelon salad. (This step is optional.) You can also place the maple syrup on the side so guests can add it if they want for a sweeter flavor.

Tip: If you are serving this summer salad for a crowd at an outdoor summer party or barbeque, you can make this fruit salad in a large dish or use two dishes. You can also cut the watermelon and jicama into 1 inch cubes and combine with the blueberries for a mixed 4th of July fruit salad.

Tip: You can substitute the maple syrup with honey if desired.

Yield: 4 servings