Healthy Recipes Drinks This Watermelon-Lime Mocktail Is Good for Your Gut 5.0 (2) 2 Reviews This gut-healthy mocktail is the perfect sipper, featuring refreshing watermelon and probiotic kombucha to support healthy digestion. It has a subtle kick of spice thanks to the jalapeño but if you want to tame the heat, you can leave it out. By Amanda Holstein Amanda Holstein Amanda Holstein fell in love with baking at the age of 6, and has continued to grow her passion through culinary school and working in bakeries. For more than 10 years, she worked at multiple well-known restaurants and bakeries in the Orlando, Florida, area, preparing delicious scratch-made desserts and assisting with dinner events, before becoming a test kitchen assistant at Dotdash Meredith. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 7, 2024 Tested by Giovanna Vazquez Tested by Giovanna Vazquez Giovanna Vazquez is a part of Dotdash Meredith's fellowship program, working as a recipe tester and developer at the Birmingham food studio. Since she was a child, Giovanna has had a strong passion for baking, and her newfound interest in health led her to schooling under the culinary nutrition degree. Meet the EatingWell Test Kitchen Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD Emily Lachtrupp is a registered dietitian experienced in nutritional counseling, recipe analysis and meal plans. She's worked with clients who struggle with diabetes, weight loss, digestive issues and more. In her spare time, you can find her enjoying all that Vermont has to offer with her family and her dog, Winston. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 10 mins Servings: 2 Nutrition Profile: No Added Sugar Gut Healthy Anti-Inflammatory Sesame-Free Nut-Free Dairy-Free Soy-Free Vegan Vegetarian Egg-Free Gluten-Free Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe This Watermelon-Lime Mocktail is a light and refreshing drink that will have your gut thanking you. Add more diversity to your gut bacteria with tangy and satisfying watermelon kombucha, a naturally fermented probiotic beverage. Double up on the watermelon flavor by using fresh watermelon, which adds a hydrating boost to keep your digestive system moving smoothly. Check out our expert tips for tempering the spice level (if desired), plus simple shortcuts to save time in the kitchen. Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! To save time, you can use pre-cut watermelon or store-bought watermelon juice.Shop for an unsweetened kombucha without added sugars. We think this drink is flavorful enough without it!Muddle fresh pomegranate arils and mint for a different flavor combination. Nutrition Notes As the name implies, watermelon contains a high percentage of water. When increasing the amount of fiber in your diet to improve gut health, it’s also necessary to increase the amount of fluid in your diet, so watermelon is the perfect fruit to help you do that. Whether you make your own or buy it at the store, kombucha is a beverage that contains probiotics as a result of fermentation. These can be naturally present or added in after pasteurization—either way, you are getting a gut-health benefit by diversifying the bacteria in your microbiome. Lime juice is naturally rich in vitamin C—a powerful antioxidant that may offer an immune system benefit by improving the health of your gut bacteria. Jalapeños get their heat from a compound called capsaicin, which is largely responsible for the health benefits associated with chile peppers. Dietary capsaicin has been shown to decrease overall inflammation in the body. Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 2 cups cubed seeded watermelon, plus watermelon slices for garnish ½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish ¼ cup lime juice (from 2 limes) 1 tablespoon seeded and coarsely chopped jalapeño pepper Ice cubes 1 cup watermelon kombucha Directions Place 2 cups cubed watermelon, ½ cup basil, ¼ cup lime juice and 1 tablespoon jalapeño in a large cocktail shaker. Muddle until no large chunks of watermelon remain and the basil is fragrant, about 1 minute. Half-fill the shaker with ice; shake vigorously until chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into 2 chilled coupe glasses Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman Top each glass with 1/2 cup kombucha; stir gently. Garnish with basil and a watermelon slice, if desired. Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman Frequently Asked Questions Can I make this mocktail ahead of time? Absolutely. These mocktails are perfect for dinner parties because you can prepare and refrigerate the watermelon juice mixture up to 3 days in advance. The day before your event, you can whip up a batch of mocktails and store them in the fridge until ready to serve. What should I use if I don’t have muddler? A muddler is convenient, but any blunt-ended tool that fits in a cocktail shaker will work to gently press down on the ingredients and twist. You could use the handle end of a wooden spoon, a dowel, a pestle or the end of a French rolling pin. How do I choose the sweetest watermelon? You need to find a ripe watermelon—seedless if possible. The watermelon should be heavier than it looks. There should be a yellow spot on the green skin and, if you knock on the side of the melon, the inside should sound hollow. How can I make this drink less spicy? Muddling the jalapeño and basil infuses their flavors and aromatics into the watermelon juice. If you don’t want your drink as spicy, add the jalapeño toward the end of the mashing step or leave it out altogether. EatingWell.com, October 2024 Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 70 Calories 1g Fat 17g Carbs 3g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 2 Serving Size about 1 cup Calories 70 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 17g 6% Dietary Fiber 2g 7% Total Sugars 11g Protein 3g 5% Total Fat 1g 1% Saturated Fat 0g 0% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Vitamin A 58µg Vitamin C 25mg 28% Vitamin D 0µg Vitamin E 0mg 2% Folate 102µg Vitamin K 26µg Sodium 17mg 1% Calcium 33mg 3% Iron 1mg 4% Magnesium 29mg 7% Potassium 299mg 6% Zinc 1mg 5% Vitamin B12 0µg Omega 3 0g Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate. * Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.) (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs. Additional reporting by Sarah Pflugradt, Ph.D., RDN, CSCS Sarah Pflugradt, Ph.D., RDN, CSCS Sarah Pflugradt is a registered dietitian who holds a Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Her extensive background in dietetics has made her a sought-after expert in family and youth sports nutrition. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines and Linda Frahm Linda Frahm Linda Frahm has been a copy editor and fact checker working with food and nutrition content for the past 30-plus years for consumer print and online publications, such as Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country magazines, and has edited cookbooks for Dovetail Press and The Taste Curators. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines