Sandía Loca is the perfect party snack for summer. A colorful fruit piñata with a mix of flavors that ranges from sweet to salty, to sour, and even spicy. Learn how to make this crazy watermelon snack and surprise everyone at your next party!
Sandía Loca is a popular Mexican snack made using the flesh and shell of watermelon and filling it with various fresh fruits, salty snacks, and Mexican candies.
It is then drizzled with chamoy salsa and a good sprinkle of tajín chili powder. This fun snack means crazy watermelon in English and we believe is because of all the flavors and textures going on!
Ingredients
- Fresh produce: In Mexico, the most used are jícama, pepinos (cucumber), orange, pineapple, and mango. But you can also add anything you have locally available, such as strawberries, apples, pears, blueberries, etc.
- Candies: Some candies you might like to include are Banderillas (straws with tamarind), Vero Mango (mango-flavored lollipops sprinkled with chili), Pulparindos, and Salsagheti.
- Savory snacks: The one you don’t want to miss is Japanese peanuts, also known as cracker nuts. This popular Mexican snack can be also found as cacahuates japoneses.
- Seasonings: Tajin (Mexican chili powder blend), chamoy (hot salsa with lime), and any type of hot salsa you prefer, like Valentina salsa or Cholula salsa.
NOTE: All snacks, salsas, and tamarind candies can be found at online Mexican stores or on Amazon.
How To Make Sandía Loca
Wash thoroughly the watermelon and then pat dry it with kitchen paper towels. Carefully, cut the watermelon in half.
TOP TIP: Cut a little bit of the stem end of the watermelon so it prevents the fruit from rocking back and forth and helps it to sit flat.
Now, score the flesh of the watermelon into a deep grid, then, using a spoon, scoop the fruit carefully and place it in a large bowl.
I also made a few balls for the skewers using a watermelon baller (this is optional).
Cut the other fruits into cubes, bars, or any format you’d like. Place everything into the bowl with the watermelon chunks.
IMPORTANT: Before placing in a bowl, make 2 or 3 skewers with the fruit and set them aside. Those will be for decorating at the end.
Add lime juice, chili powder, and hot salsa to the fruit in the bowl. Carefully toss everything, taste, and adjust to your preferences adding more lime juice, salt, salsa, or chili.
Add the fruit salad to the watermelon shell. You can either place it all at once or make layers with peanuts, candies, and fruit.
Place the candies on top inserting them here and there. Place the fruit skewers and lollipops inserted into the watermelon rind to keep them in place.
Drizzle with more hot sauce and sprinkle more Tajin on top. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes & Variations
- Keep your snack on the healthy side and go easy with candies. Instead of making layers with fruits and candies, I prefer adding all the fruit salad and then just topping it with the rest of the ingredients.
- Once assembled, don’t let your crazy watermelon sit too long, it should be eaten straight away, otherwise, the fruit and snacks will become too mushy.
- You can also add a splash of Clamato juice, this is an optional ingredient but surely add a flavorful kick to this snack!
- When buying a watermelon, look for the yellow spot where the fruit was sitting on the ground, it should be creamy yellow and not green.
Pair With
Sandía Loca is a snack that you can serve mostly for parties and gatherings. Since its a bit spicy I really recommend pairing it with some Mexican frescas, here are the ones you might like:
Make Ahead
Sandía Loca can be made a few hours or even one day ahead. Here is how:
- Cut the fruit and store them in a large air-tight container in the fridge.
- Cut and carve the watermelon shell and store the flesh in a separate container.
- Wrap the watermelon shell with cling film and keep it stored in the fridge.
- Season and assemble your crazy watermelon when you intend to serve it.
FAQ
What is sandía?
Sandía in Spanish means watermelon and loca translate into crazy.
What goes in sandía loca?
From fruits and vegetables like mango, jicama, and oranges, to peanuts, tamarind candies, hot salsa, chili powder, and lime juice.
More Sandía Recipes
If you loved this fresh and super fun crazy watermelon, please don’t forget to rate it in the comments below! we’d love to hear from you. Also, you can follow this blog on… PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, and YOUTUBE.
Video
Sandía Loca (crazy watermelon)
Equipment
- watermelon baller optional
Ingredients
- 1 medium watermelon
- 1 medium mango (diced)
- 1 medium orange (cut into half-moons)
- 1 large cucumber (diced)
- 1 cup jícama (diced)
- Mexican sweet-spicy candies (read notes)
- 1 cup Japanese-style peanuts (or salty peanuts)
- Chamoy sauce
- Tajín powder
- 2 limes
- ½ cup clamato juice (optional)
- salt
Instructions
- Wash thoroughly the watermelon and then cut it in half.
- Cut a little bit of the stem end of the watermelon so it prevents the fruit from rocking back and forth and helps it to sit flat.
- Score the flesh of the watermelon into a deep grid, then, using a spoon, scoop the fruit carefully and place it in a large bowl.
- Cut the other fruits into cubes, bars, or any format you’d like. Place everything into the bowl with the watermelon.
- IMPORTANT: Before placing in a bowl, make 2 or 3 skewers with the fruit and set aside. Those are optional but can be used to decorate.
- Add lime juice, Tajín powder, and Chamoy to the fruit in the bowl.
- Carefully toss everything, taste, and adjust to your preferences adding more lime juice, salt, or spicy.
- Add the fruit salad to the watermelon shell. You can either place it all at once or make layers with peanuts, candies, and fruit.
- Place the candies on top inserting them here and there.
- Insert the fruit skewers and lollipops into the watermelon rind to keep them in place.
- Add some clamato if you want (optional). Then drizzle with more Chamoy and sprinkle more Tajín on top and serve.
Notes
- You can find a large variety of typical Mexican candies at online stores (like Amazon) and Mexican grocers. Choose whatever you like, even though, candies with tamarind are the most used.
- Some candies you might like to include are Banderillas (straws with tamarind), Vero Mango (mango-flavored lollipops sprinkled with chili), Pulparindos, Salsagheti, etc.
- Nutrition info doesn’t include candies and peanuts.
What a fun and lovely idea, I am just so sorry I didn’t see this recipe before, as there’s no way I can find a good watermelon right now. But I bookmarked this recipe anyway.
Omg you just gave the most beautiful idea! I’ll go to a party next weekend and was wondering what to bring, this sandia loca is perfect!