• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About Chelsea
    • All About Paleo
  • Recipe Index
  • My Favorites
    • Favorites: Paleo Foods List
  • Subscribe

Chelsea Joy Eats

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Chelsea
    • All About Paleo
  • Recipe Index
  • My Favorites
    • Favorites: Paleo Foods List
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Chelsea
      • All About Paleo
    • Recipe Index
    • My Favorites
      • Favorites: Paleo Foods List
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Gluten Free Salad Recipes

    Jun 12, 2018 · Modified: Mar 4, 2022 by Chelsea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · Tags: dairy free, Egg Free, gluten free, grain free, paleo, primal, sugar free, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Life Challenge, Whole30

    Watermelon Arugula Salad with Chili Honey Lime Dressing

    Sharing content is one of the best ways to support this blog!

    1.9K shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Print
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Watermelon Arugula Salad with Chili Honey Lime Dressing tastes peppery and sweet, making it a wonderful salad for summer.

    Of course, this salad is gluten free and paleo, with a Whole30-friendly option.

    Watermelon Arugula Salad Recipe

    Watermelon Arugula Salad on a white oval plate and dark background

    Now, like so many of my recipes, I sought to keep this salad as simple as I could while still packing in flavor. Watermelon doesn't need a ton of help in that department since it's so sweet. To balance it out, I paired it with peppery, bold arugula. Then, fresh mint and basil add a big more depth.

    Seriously, this watermelon arugula salad makes a great combo. I initially got the idea from a Minnesota State Fair offering I read about a couple years ago. I wasn't able to actually go to the state fair, but one day I found myself reading up on the food offerings. Yeah, that's how I get my kicks.

    Watermelon Arugula Salad on a white plate beside forks

    Anyway, watermelon and arugula stuck out to me as a great combo, so I jotted it down to eventually test out. Well, it took me a couple years, but here it is!

    Historically, arugula is not my favorite leafy green. Read anything about arugula, and you'll see the descriptor "peppery"... And it's true. Arugula certainly booms with spicy pepper. Because of that, I don't often pick up arugula.

    But it turns out watermelon and arugula make a great match. Actually, I'm sure fruit + arugula is a great combo no matter what.

    Watermelon Arugula Salad garnished with herbs and almonds on a white oval plate with two forks on a dark background.

    As you've noticed, I've been on a salad kick this spring/summer. I always find it easier to create veggie-licious recipes in the warm months rather than the winter. I'm sure I'm not alone there, but that's maybe something I need to work on this winter! After all, I'm supposed to be giving YOU ideas!

    This watermelon arugula salad keeps things pretty simple. With those two ingredient, fresh herbs, and slivered almonds for some crunch, you've got the base of the salad ready to go.

    As for the dressing, it's a basic blend of lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, honey, and sliced dried red chiles.

    Watermelon Arugula Salad garnished with herbs and almonds on a white plate with two forks to the right.

    Yeah, dried chiles. I use them quite a bit in my recipes, because they're better-available than fresh chiles in my area and they're way better than subbing spices. I keep a whole menagerie of different chiles on hand to kick up a sauce or boost the flavor of salsas. Trust me, they're worthwhile to have around!

    But, I totally get if that's a barrier for you. So feel free to sub in dried chile flakes.

    Now let's get cooking, shall we?

    More Paleo Summer Salad Recipes

    • Mediterranean Cauliflower Salad
    • Easy Cucumber Salad
    • Mediterranean Watermelon Salad
    • Grilled Peach & Walnut Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

    Watermelon Arugula Salad garnished with fresh herbs and almonds on a white plate.

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Watermelon Arugula Salad garnished with herbs and almonds on a white oval plate with two forks on a dark background.

    Watermelon Arugula Salad with Chili Honey Lime Dressing

    • Author: Chelsea at Do You Even Paleo
    • Prep Time: 25 minutes
    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: 4 servings 1x
    • Category: Salad
    • Method: tossed
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Simple gluten free and paleo watermelon arugula salad with fresh herbs, slivered almonds, and a chili honey lime dressing. An easy salad recipe for summer!


    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the Dressing

    • 4 small dried red chiles (or ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes)
    • ½ tablespoon raw honey (optional)
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons lime juice

    For the Salad

    • 4 cups cubed watermelon
    • 2 cups arugula
    • ¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds
    • ¼ cup fresh basil, ribboned
    • ¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

    Instructions

    1. Place the dried chiles in a shallow bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for 10 minutes to reconstitute. Once chiles have soaked, discard the water. Slice each chili open and remove the seeds. Slice into thin strips.
    2. Add the red chile, honey, lime juice, and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
    3. In a large bowl, add the cubed watermelon, arugula, basil, and mint. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. Garnish with almonds (they tend to sink to the bottom so I add them last). Best if served immediately.

    Notes

    I used fairly generic dried red chiles for this recipe. If you have your hands on some dried arbol chiles (also small and red), start with only one - those suckers are spicy!

    Keywords: Watermelon Arugula Salad

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @chelseajoyeats on Instagram and hashtag it #chelseajoyeats

    [PIN IT!]

    Two images of watermelon arugula salad with the text "paleo | gluten free | whole30 option, Watermelon Arugula Salad, DoYouEvenPaleo.net" between them

    More Gluten Free Salad Recipes

    • BLT Breakfast Bowls (Low Carb)
    • Bacon, Spinach, and Red Onion Salad
    • Classic Chicken Salad (Paleo & Low Carb)
    • Mediterranean Tomato & Cucumber Salad

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    About Me:

    DoYouEvenPaleo.net
    Hello! I'm Chelsea, the author, recipe developer, and photographer behind Chelsea Joy Eats (formerly DoYouEvenPaleo). Life should be full of flavor, and I've made it my mission to bring you recipes and lifestyle advice that do just that. Most of the recipes here are paleo and gluten free! Want to know more?

    Latest Videos

    Me, In Your Inbox:

    Footer

    Heads up! Some of the links above may be affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. There's no additional cost to you for doing this, and it's incredibly helpful for me. If you do decide to purchase something from an affiliate link, thanks in advance for your amazing support (which helps to keep me going)! Check out my entire disclosure, privacy policy, and copyright for more info.

    FeedFeed

    Copyright © 2023 Chelsea Joy Eats on the Cookd Pro Theme

    1934 shares