Watermelon Mint Mojito Mocktail

This healthy watermelon mojito mocktail makes for a perfect vibrant summer drink to cool off on a hot day. Features fresh watermelon, limes, mint and sparkling water... so simple, stunning and delicious!

A fresh, tart, colorful and fruity ice cold drink to beat the heat? Yes! If you are anything like me, then getting your hands on a mojito mocktail during a hot summer afternoon might be the best part of your day.

I have been making my virgin strawberry mojito so often (aka every other day) during peak berry season, but now that the seasonal strawberries are getting more rare, I started making this watermelon mojito mocktail instead. What a fun twist to the classic drink!

It is SO refreshing and bursts with amazing summery flavors from the juicy watermelon, zesty lime and fresh crisp mint. Pair these fresh flavors with sparkling water and you are setting yourself for a nice - yet healthy- bubbly summer treat.

Actually, this drink is similar in flavor to our all time favorite summer recipe: vegan watermelon feta salad, so no wonder this mojito mocktail was a huge hit for us.

And what's great about this version is that you won't need any "filling" ingredients at all. Blending the watermelon alone creates enough juice for making a sweet and light base for a mojito syrup. I love to include fresh mint into the watermelon syrup to boost its flavor even more and you can simply add a little sweetener to taste depending on how sweet your watermelon is.

Hopefully you can stay hydrated in style with this watermelon mojito mocktail this summer!

Why you'll love this recipe

• Easy to prepare and the watermelon juice can be made ahead.
• Perfect summer drink to cool off on a hot day.
• Great non-alcoholic refreshing drink to enjoy during pregnancy or to share with kids.
• Makes for a healthier drink: contains no alcohol, is rich in nutrients from fruits, can help you stay hydrated and is made without refined white sugar.
• Can be made under 10 minutes.
• Great recipe to use an overripe watermelon.
• Delicious way to enjoy more fruit!

Ingredients

• Watermelon: choose a seedless ripe watermelon if possible.
• Limes: freshly squeezed lime juice straight from fresh limes is essential for best flavor. Avoid store-bought pre-made lime juice. I used 2 whole large limes, but adjust the amount depending on your taste. Lemons can be used instead if that's all you have.
• Fresh mint: necessary for a classic inspired mojito drink.
• Sweetener: use any kind and to taste. I like to add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to the blender when making the watermelon juice, but granulated sugar would also work well. Omit the sweetener if you prefer!
• Sparkling water: an unsweetened lime flavored sparkling water works amazingly in this recipe, but plain sparkling water is fine or even another citrusy sparkling water such as grapefruit or lemon flavors would be great. You can of course use club soda as well.

How to make a virgin watermelon mojito mocktail

It should take about 10 minutes to make this mocktail. The longest step really is to chop the watermelon, which you can skip by buying one that's already chopped if that's easier for you.

Make the watermelon lime juice

In a blender, combine the watermelon, lime juice, sweetener and mint leaves. Blend on high until smooth and without any pieces of mint visible. You won't need to add any extra liquid, the watermelon is going to be juicy enough!

Once the juice is made, I like to transfer to a storage container and then keep in the fridge. Ideally, you would make this ahead of time so the flavor can develop more and the juice can get nice and ice cold, but you can also use it right away.

Make the mocktail

When ready to make your drink, then start by placing a slice of lime and extra leaves of mint to the bottom of your serving glass. Then, muddle the leaves and lime together until they get all bruised. This will help get their tasty oils out to better flavor your drink.

Then, add about ½ cup of the watermelon juice over. I usually estimate how much I add, so this does not have to be perfect at all. Then, add a handful of ice cubes and top with sparkling water.

Garnish with slices of lime, pieces of watermelon and a few leaves of mint for a nice look!

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Watch how to make it

Pro-tips 💡

• Double or triple the amount of the watermelon lime juice you prepare if planning on making many mocktails during the week or if serving for a gathering.
• I find that adding a slice of lime to the bottom of your glass with the mint works better to muddle the leaves as the oils from the herbs simply diffuse into the lime juice as you go.
• Depending on your blender and what you are looking for, you can also strain the watermelon juice to remove excess pulp or larger pieces of mint. I don't do this as I don't mind at all if there are tiny pieces of fruits, which I find add more texture anyway.
• I highly recommend you to make the watermelon juice ahead of time and keep it in the fridge, but definitely wait for the very last minute to build your mocktail to get the full bubbly effect on your drink.
• I used whole ice cubes when making the drink, but I think that pebble ice would work really well here and give it a nice frozen drink consistency.
• If you don't have a muddler, then simply use the back of a spoon.

Customize your drink

You can personalize your mocktail in so many ways! Here are a few ideas:

• Swap the herbs: If you don't have any fresh mint, then fresh basil would be great here and would even pair well with the watermelon. Lemon balm also is a fun idea for this drink. But, for a more classic mojito flavor, fresh mint is better.
• Make it frozen: this would be such a great way to cool off when it is really hot outside. To make it, it will require a little more preparation as you will need to dice the watermelon and then freeze it first. The best way to freeze the pieces without having them clumping together is by spreading the cubes of watermelon (apart from each other) on a parchment paper covered baking sheet and transfer to the freezer. Then, blend the frozen watermelon alongside the other ingredients listed. The mixture will be harder to blend as it will be thicker, so add a splash of water if needed or even better, use the tamper from a Vitamix blender if you have one. Follow the rest of the directives, topping the frozen watermelon mixture with sparkling water, yum!
• Add more fruits: you can easily add more fresh fruits to your mocktail! Simply muddle sliced strawberries, blueberries or raspberries alongside the mint and lime wedge at the bottom of your glass to add more flavors. Or, use this passion fruit syrup to sweeten your mocktail, yum!

Storage

If you make the watermelon juice ahead of time or have some leftovers, then simply cover well and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. I like to use a pourable jar (such as these juice bottle that you can find online) for easy storage and serving.

Once you combined the juice with the sparkling water, then drink right away to enjoy all the bubbles.

FAQ's

Pairing recipe ideas for a nice summer meal

• Vegan fish tacos
• Red lentil pasta salad
• Kale crunch apple salad
• Spicy peach salsa
• Chickpea and zucchini burgers
• Avocado and cherry tomato pasta
• Lentil walnut tacos
• Cucumber pico de gallo

More refreshing summer drinks you might like

• Dragon fruit lemonade
• Iced blueberry matcha latte
• Chia seed iced tea
• Strawberry mojito mocktail
• Mango water
• Passion fruit mocktail
• Piña colada mocktail
• Strawberry acai refresher
• Pineapple slush
• Vegan horchata
• Ginger turmeric healthy shots
• Oolong peach iced tea

I hope you like this watermelon mint mocktail as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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