• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Vegan Atlas

  • Home
  • Vegan Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Breads and savory baked goods
    • Casseroles & Skillets
    • Desserts & Sweets
    • Gluten-Free
    • Holiday Roundups
    • Jewish Vegan Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Pasta & Noodles
    • Pizza
    • Recipe Roundups
    • Salads & Sides
    • Sandwiches & Wraps
    • Sauces & Dressings
    • Soups & Stews
    • Stir-Fries
    • Tofu & Tempeh
    • Tortilla Dishes
    • Veganize This!
  • Good Food Guides
  • Vegan Living
  • About
  • Nava’s Books
  • Contact

How to use watermelon radish — tasty and colorful ideas

July 4, 2020Updated November 18, 2023 By Nava Atlas Leave a Comment

Here are some fun and easy ideas for how to use watermelon radish, the root vegetable whose vivid interior adds color and crunch to a variety of dishes. Just a few short years ago, no one in the western culinary world had heard of watermelon radishes, and now they seem to be popping up everywhere.

how to use watermelon radish

What is watermelon radish?

It’s an heirloom daikon radish. Despite their name, these roots have nothing to do with watermelon, but rather, they’re an heirloom variety of daikon radish. With origins in China, where it’s called shinrimei, this blushing root vegetable is a relative of other Brassicas like cabbage and broccoli.

A little bit peppery, a tiny bit sweet, watermelon radishes look pretty unassuming from the outside, with their pale green and white exteriors. But once you cut them open, they reveal their gorgeous pink interior hue. Now you’ll see why it was named for the fruit.

Larger than ordinary radishes, with a circumference much like a good-sized daikon root but round, the flesh should ideally be crisp and a little juicy.

More information on watermelon radish:

  • Watermelon Radish, the Unsung Hero of Storage Vegetables
  • If Cinderella Were a Vegetable, She’d Be a Watermelon Radish

Watermelon radish at market

Buying tips

Watermelon radish is in season starting later in the fall and into spring, as they prefer a cooler growing climate. Look for firm, unbruised radishes. But don’t forget, they can look pretty plain on the outside, but always reveal a vivid interior.

Pop them into a plastic container, where they’ll keep well for at least a couple of weeks in the vegetable crisper drawer of your fridge.

Where to buy watermelon radishes: Not long ago, these delightful radishes were a rare find in the U.S.; now many supermarkets and specialty groceries carry them. Look for them in big, fresh bunches in farmers markets in late summer through late fall.

If you don’t have a local source, Melissa’s Produce is a great resource for watermelon radishes in larger quantities, as well as many other varieties of radishes.

watermelon radish with its greens

How to use watermelon radish

Though you can use them lightly cooked or sautéed, their vivid color gets washed out and they lose some of the texture and flavor that makes them so appealing. 

Best used raw: With a flavor and texture somewhere between daikon radish and jícama, simply slice and use watermelon radishes raw for best results.

Also good roasted: One exception, like all roots, they’re really nice when roasted. Here are recipes for simple Roasted Watermelon Radishes and Roasted Watermelon Radishes with Herbed Tahini Sauce.

Watermelon radish slices

They’re good pickled, too: Here’s a recipe for Easy Watermelon Radish Pickles.

How about the greens? Sometimes watermelon radishes come with their greens, sometimes not. As with all other kinds of radish greens, these are edible. Rinse well to get rid of grit, and give them a taste. If tender, use raw, but if they’re a bit tough, cooking lightly will make them more palatable. Simple use as you would any other greens like spinach, arugula, chard, etc.

Recipes not needed: Generally, there’s no need not follow any specific recipes. Just make sure to wash well (no need to peel) and use in the following ways:

Watermelon radish salad with cucumber and onion

Team with other radishes in simple salads: As part of salads, they’re compatible with other types of radishes, cucumbers, herbs, and onions.

Green Salad With Watermelon Radish and oranges

Team with citrus in simple salads: Watermelon radishes go well with citrus and slightly bitter greens in mixed salads. A simple vinaigrette will do.

Buddha Bowl With Watermelon Radish

A natural to beautify Buddha salad bowls: Watermelon radishes are a gorgeous addition to Buddha Bowl type salads, where the ingredients are arranged rather than mixed.

Buddha bowl with Tofu, Avocado, watermelon radish

Amped up color in your main dish Buddha bowls: With color as vivid as watermelon radishes have, team them with other vivid veggies like purple potatoes, orange squash or sweet potato, and more … often the more color, them more antioxidants. Incorporate grains and plant protein to make main dish bowls.

Watermelon radish salad with apple and parsley

They’re great grated: Here’s an easy recipe for Watermelon Radish Salad with Apples and Parsley. 

Vegan poke bowl with watermelon radish

Vegan poke bowls: Use watermelon radish slices to embellish vegan poke bowls. This one features edamame, cucumber, sea vegetable, tofu, and ginger.

Vegan Poke Bowl With Avocado and watermelon radish

Vegan rice bowls: As part of vegan rice bowls, these colorful radishes add visual interest and great texture. No need to mix or measure, simply arrange your favorite in a large shallow bowl with cooked rice.

Watermelon radish and other purple vegetables with hummus

Use to scoop dips: As part of raw vegetable platters, watermelon radish can be used as a scoop for dips (like hummus) instead of or in addition to crackers.

Cocktail garnished with watermelon radish and cucumber

A cocktail garnish: Can you think of a more decorative garnish for beverages (including cocktails)?

Here are more of this site’s food guides.

Photos: Bigstock

Filed Under: Good Food Guides

About Nava Atlas

Nava Atlas is the author of many vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including Vegetariana, Plant-Powered Protein, 5-Ingredient Vegan, Wild About Greens, Vegan Holiday Kitchen, and many more. A longtime dedicated vegan, find out more about her on this site's About page.

Previous Post: « Mashed Potato Volcanoes — Kid-Friendly & Fun
Next Post: A Guide to Dried Fruits: Varieties, Tips, and Recipes »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

More results...

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
Appetizers & Snacks
Beverages
Breads and savory baked goods
Breakfast & Brunch
Casseroles & Skillets
Desserts & Sweets
Gluten-Free
Good Food Guides
Jewish Vegan Recipes
Main Dishes
Nava's Books
Pasta & Noodles
Pizza
Recipe Roundups
Salads & Sides
Sandwiches & Wraps
Sauces & Dressings
Soups & Stews
Stir-Fries
Tofu & Tempeh
Tortilla Dishes
Travel & Dining
Uncategorized
Vegan Holiday Roundups
Vegan Living
Vegan Recipes
Vegan Thanksgiving
Veganize This!
  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • rss
  • youtube

Recent Posts

Broccolini with tahini sauce

Broccolini with Tahini Sauce

Pickled cucumber salad

25 Plant-Based Cucumber Recipes – Soups, Salads, Pickles & More

Apple pistachio salad with arugula

Apple Pistachio Salad (served over greens)

Boba Coffee Latte

A Guide to Tapioca — Tapioca Starch (Flour) and Pearl Tapioca

Caribbean pigeon peas and rice copy

Caribbean Pigeon Peas and Rice

Vegan Cheese Scones by Ellen Kanner

Vegan Cheese Scones — Easy, Rich & Tender

Copyright © 2025 The Vegan Atlas · Privacy Policy · WordPress · Log in