Watermelon Chia Smoothie

This watermelon chia smoothie recipe is a simple, light, sweet drink, made in just two minutes with a few easy ingredients. Truly this drink is the perfect beverage for summer! With watermelon, strawberries, banana and lime this deliciously refreshing smoothie is both hydrating and invigorating.

A love for watermelon like no other

If I had to choose one food that signified the start of summer for me more than any other food, my only choice would have to be watermelon. I have ALWAYS had a strong love for watermelon.

In fact one summer while at a girls camp with my church, my best friend and I decided we wanted to see how much watermelon we could each eat. We had someone cut up the slices for us to keep things fair. (To help paint the picture these were hefty sized wedges we are talking about.) Normally someone would get their watermelon fix in with one or two, MAYBE three slices. But Heather and I had our sights set for much, much more.

If you've ever seen any kind of eating competition you know it can get ugly, pretty quick. Although we were covered in sticky watermelon juice and had to wash off in the lake afterwards, I can triumphantly say I polished off 27 pieces of watermelon that day.

Now, I am not saying it was our smartest idea. The next morning I literally had to crawl to the bathrooms because walking was no longer an option if I wanted to keep my bladder from ripping to smithereens. But I have no regrets. We became girls camp legends that day. (Heather and I even got awards for our feat at the end of camp.)

And I'd never regret a good slice of sweet, refreshing watermelon. So when I saw this recipe for a watermelon chia smoothie I just knew we had to give it a try. And boy was it soooo worth it. We have enjoyed this smoothie for weeks here, it is definitely my go-to summer smoothie right now.

Watermelon Chia Smoothie Ingredients

Watermelon:

When making a watermelon chia smoothie the importance of selecting the perfectly sweetened, ripe watermelon is huge. But have no fear. We here in the Dashley's Kitchen are watermelon picking pros and I'm here to share with you all the tips you'll ever need. It's all about these 5 simple things: Scarring, Weight/Shape, Yellow Spot, the Color/Shine and of course the ever important Tail. For more details check out this awesome chart below and article with all the details here!

Frozen Strawberry:

One of the things I love most about smoothies is that you can choose how thin or thick you'd like them to be. I usually ere on the side of a thicker, more shake like consistency. Using frozen Strawberries helps me acheive this. If wanting to go really thick you could definitely freeze your watermelon beforehand as well.

Chia Seed:

With a picky eater in the house we are always trying our best to get as many good nutrients into our meals as possible. Smoothies are a GREAT way to accomplish this as you can easily disguise so many foods your picky eaters may not otherwise try. Chia Seeds is one of these fabulous disguisers. Packed with fiber, protein and antioxidants these little guys pack a serious punch! For more on the benefits of Chia Seeds check out this article. It'll have you adding Chia Seeds to all your recipes.

Banana:

While the banana does add a certain level of sweetness, this is one of those flavors you can play around with. Not a huge fan of banana in your smoothies, wanting to let your creative side loose? Here is your chance, substitute the banana for just about any other fruit your heart desires. We are talking countless fruit combos here!

And if you are a lover of all things bananas you have got to give our Banana Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese frosting, a whirl ... you can thank me later.

Honey:

Did you know that eating local raw honey provides sooo many extra benefits to your health!? Eating unfiltered, unheated, raw honey produced within a 50-mile radius of your home is like receiving a natural anti-allergy shot! It can help boost up your immune system and immunity to allergens. We challenge you to use local raw honey in this recipe for an extra immune boost, you won't regret it!

Lime Juice:

Bottled lime juice versus fresh squeezed limes. Any time we can, we try to use fresh lime juice. The flavor of fresh lime juice is much brighter and more intense than any thing you can get in a bottle, but if in a pinch, bottled lime juice works just fine. They say that one juiced lime is the equivalent of two tablespoons lime juice.

True Lime Powder:

We've sung this little guy's praises before. And we will do it again! True Lime Powder is seriously such a great item to have on hand for all those summer time recipes. TRUE LIME's crystalized powder gives such a punchy lime flavor to this smoothie and really brightens up the flavor profile.

If you don’t have True Lime on hand and don’t want to make an extra trip to the store, you can substitute the powder for additional lime juice but we promise it'll be worth the extra trip. And it will totally give you an excuse to also go ahead and make one of my favorite summertime pies, Key Lime Pie!

Milk:

First things first. Milk is not necessary in this smoothie. The original recipe actually doesnt call for it. But I love a good creamy smoothie and think it truly pushes this watermelon chia smoothie over the top. Now let's not pretend skim milk is just as good as whole milk. For the creamiest and best tasting smoothies, don't skimp with skim. Because I don't have whole milk on hand, I can confidently say 2% milk makes for a great smoothie.

Ice:

The amount of ice you use in this recipe will determine the thickness of your shake. I like my smoothies to be thick, more like a shake, so I typically add a little more ice than called for.

How To Make a Watermelon Chia Smoothie

It doesn't get more simple than this. Put all of the ingredients into your blender. Blend on high until smooth. Serve immediately and enjoy!

For even easier cleanup, my favorite way to clean our blender is to add a little dish soap and warm water to our blender after emptying it. Put the lid back on the blender and place on blender base. Turn on blender for 1-2 minutes. Once done, empty blender and rinse out with warm water. No scrubbing necessary.

Now get back to enjoying that delicious smoothie and soaking in all the summer vibes that come with it! And if you find yourself on the hunt for more delicious summer time smoothies be sure to try our Orange Julius Smoothie next.

Looking for more Lime recipes?

Try our light and refreshing Key Lime Pie recipe! Zesty, delicious and so easy to make.  A dreamy combination of citrus and sweet simplicity.  The perfect dessert that will have you feeling all those summer time feels.