Watermelon Juice Recipe + How to Cut Watermelon

When the weather is brutally hot, there’s nothing quite like fresh Watermelon Juice to cool and refresh your body while quenching your thirst. Here I’ll show you how to make three different versions of this healthy, all natural drink recipe.

Why Homemade Juices

Even though most of us know that soft drinks and artificially flavored juices are not great for our health, many of us still end up drinking them.

We’re conditioned by swaths of slick marketers who get our favorite celebrities to endorse them and advertise to us constantly.

“Drinking this beverage will make you cool,” they promise. What they omit from their campaigns is how damaging these calorie-laden drinks truly are.

While I don’t like the marketing game and refuse to buy what they peddle, what is cool is drinking beverages made from fresh fruits.

Drinks like these watermelon juice recipes are not only good for the body, but good for the soul, too!

I can’t help but smile when I taste a sip of this gorgeous ruby red drink, and I bet you won’t be able to either.

Watermelon Health Benefits

Watermelon is rich in anti-oxidants, a good source of potassium and has been linked to a reduced incidence of cardiovascular diseases and colon cancer. If that’s not a superfood, I don’t know what is!

Naturally sweet and 92% made of water, this delightful fruit is the perfect candidate to replace sugary beverages. My recipes for watermelon juice don’t call for any added sugar because they are perfectly sweet on their own!

I love eating fresh slices of watermelon that have been sprinkled with chaat masala and black salt. But sometimes I am so dehydrated and worn out from the heat that only a slurp-able, thirst-quenching drink will do the trick. When that happens, I make this super easy watermelon juice recipe.

How To Choose A Good Watermelon

Fresh, summer fruit is one of the great joys of life. When something is in season and perfectly ripe, it is as though nature has bestowed the ultimate gift. Watermelon is no exception to this rule.

There are a few things you should look for when seeking a good watermelon. First, the fruit should be heavy for its size. This indicates one of the hallmark qualities of a good watermelon: juiciness.

Next, check the field mark. This is the spot where the watermelon rested on the ground as it grew. A ripe watermelon should have a yellowy tone; if the field mark is white, the watermelon is immature.

Now look at the rest of the skin. It should be somewhat dull, which indicates it has had time to harden. The stem is another good spot to look – it should de dried and yellowed, like that of a pumpkin. If the stem is still green, that means it’s too young!

How to Cut and Seed a Watermelon

Cut Watermelon

The only cumbersome part of making watermelon juice is removing the seeds. But don’t worry! Here I share an easy method to remove the seeds.

Tip: If you want to skip the seeding part, opt for a seedless watermelon! Contrary to popular thought, seedless watermelons can be just as delicious as their seeded brethren.

1. Rinse the watermelon and wipe dry it. Using a chef’s knife, carefully cut in two equal parts to get two half circles.

2. Now cut each of the halves in half again to get two wedges. NOTE: If your watermelon is large, you may have to cut it three or four times.

Cut the Portion Which Has Seeds

3. Again using a sharp knife, carefully begin to cut slightly below the part where you see the seeds. Aim to have the knife cut about halfway through the pink flesh.

4. Keep on moving with the knife and cut to the middle axis.

5. Now give a similar cut to the other side, just below where the seeds are visible. You’re aiming for your knife to cut through about half of the pink part to roughly meet up with your cut from the other side

6. Finally, cut the narrowest part of the wedge, again right beneath the seed line.

7. Now cut and separate the new, smaller wedge you have created.

8. Remove any seeds you see on the watermelon wedge.

Remove Seeds

9. Remove the black seeds from the smaller wedge, then chop into cubes. You can keep the white seeds as they blend easily while making the juice.

10. Slice the pink part of watermelon flesh away from the rind.

Cube Watermelon

11. Repeat with the remaining watermelon wedges. Cube the fruit, removing any remaining seeds you might find.

Tip: Don’t compost your watermelon rind just yet! You can do one of two things:

1.) Extract the flavor from the rind by steeping it in cool water for about an hour. To do this, cut the rind into small enough pieces to fit in into a pitcher, then top with cool water. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 24 hours, then strain into cups and drink.

2.) Pickle the watermelon rinds. You will get some nice recipes of watermelon rind pickle on the web.

How to Make Watermelon Juice – 3 Variations

Watermelon juice is a beautiful beverage all on its own, but the flavor also plays nicely with others. I’ve listed three potential ways for you to try making this yummy summertime beverages, but I have also listed additional flavoring ideas below in the FAQs.

1. Classic Watermelon Juice Recipe

1. Add cubed fruit to blender.

Note: Feel free to add ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped ginger a small handful of mint leaves at this step if you’d like!

2. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice, depending on your preference for acidity.

3. Blend until smooth.

4. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Note: Feel free to garnish with dash of black pepper or black salt.

2. Watermelon Mint Juice

Fresh mint adds a delightfully refreshing twist to simple watermelon juice. It is both cooling and has beneficial digestive properties. Thus, the combination of watermelon and mint is ideal for summers.

Ingredients

• 1 water-melon, medium-sized – chopped and deseeded
• 2 tablespoons mint leaves
• 2 to 3 pinches black salt or chaat masala, optional
• some ice cubes, optional
• few mint leaves, for garnish

Method

1. In a blender, add the chopped watermelon (from 1 medium-sized watermelon) and 2 tablespoon mint leaves. No need to add water. Blend well.
2. Pour the watermelon juice in tall glasses and optionally sprinkle some black salt and chaat masala from top. Add ice cubes if required.
3. Garnish watermelon juice with some mint leaves and serve straightaway. Enjoy!

3. Watermelon Orange Juice

Bright orange and fresh watermelon combine make a winning refreshment, especially when topped with mint leaves. Not only does it taste delicious, it also quickly recharges the body after a long day in the sun.

You Will Need

• 1 orange, sweet tasting – medium to large-sized or ¾ to 1 cup orange juice
• 1 medium-sized watermelon or 4 to 5 cups of chopped watermelon – seeds removed
• 5 to 6 mint leaves
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of raw sugar, optional
• some mint leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. Peel and separate the orange segments from 1 sweet orange (medium to large). Extract the juice. You can use a juicer to extract the orange juice. You will need about ¾ to 1 cup of orange juice.
2. Transfer 4 to 5 cups of chopped watermelon, 5 to 6 mint leaves and 1 to 2 tablespoons of raw sugar (optional) in a blender.
3. Blend until smooth. Pour the watermelon juice in a jar or bowl. Add the orange juice to the watermelon juice.
4. Mix well and serve straight away with or without ice cubes and garnished with mint leaves. Enjoy!

More Juice Combinations

Best of all, watermelon juice can easily be adjusted to suit your tastes and what you have on hand. As you have read above, here I have offered recipes for plain & classic watermelon juice, as well as options that include fresh mint and fresh orange.

Don’t feel limited by these options though! Ginger, sabja (also known as sweet basil seeds), and rose blossom water are other delightful flavoring ideas.

Feel free to mix other citrus like lime, pomelo or lemon. If you like floral flavors, add a dash of rose water, orange blossom water or gulkand (rose preserve).

Include mint, basil, cilantro or tarragon for a lovely fresh herbal flavor. For a kick of spice, add ginger, ground cumin or cinnamon.

Now let’s go find you a good watermelon, shall we?

FAQs

Reference Links:
https://www.healthline.com/
https://www.realsimple.com/

This Watermelon Juice recipe from the archives was first published on April 2012. It has been updated on December 2024.