It doesn’t get more refreshing and delicious than this fresh watermelon juice recipe! This drink is easy to make and the perfect alternative to an alcoholic cocktail.
This homemade watermelon juice is an invigorating fresh fruit juice that is the perfect drink for a hot summer day and parties! The best part is, it contains no added sugar.
When watermelon season is upon us, it’s time to make this easy watermelon juice recipe that the entire family can enjoy. You don’t need a fancy juicer to make this tasty drink! Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to make your own fresh juice.
Also, check out our hydrating cucumber cooler and cucumber lemon water for summer!
Have you ever made fresh-squeezed watermelon juice? It’s a little more time-consuming than just juicing an orange or lemon, but it tastes so refreshing and it’s worth the extra steps.
We like to make watermelon popsicles in the summer or a big batch of watermelon punch with fresh juice!
It’s a good alternative to a cocktail and the perfect summer drink. Read below on how to make some for yourself and check out our 10 best watermelon recipes.
How To Make Fresh Watermelon Juice
We’ll cover everything you need to know to make your own homemade watermelon juice by answering frequently asked questions and sharing our expert tips for recipe success!
If you prefer to jump to the recipe, scroll to the bottom of the post and you’ll find the recipe card and step-by-step instructions.
Supplies
- Cheesecloth – A lightweight, cotton gauze fabric that is used for food preparation.
- Fine Mesh Sieve – Used for separating wanted elements from unwanted elements. In this case, separating the seeds and thicker texture from the juice.
- Blender – High powdered blender.
- Large bowl and pitcher
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
This recipe only uses one simple ingredient, watermelon! If you want you can add a little lemon or lime juice to your watermelon as well.
Whole Watermelon – Look for a ripe and juicy watermelon for this recipe. You should look for one with deep yellow or brown spots on the shell, as this indicates that the fruit has had enough time to ripen in the sun. Look for a melon that has smooth rinds and no dull or bruised spots.
Directions
- Using a sharp knife, dice watermelon chunks.
- In a blender, blend the cubed watermelon on high speed until fully pureed and liquid.
- Layer cheesecloth over a fine-mesh strainer and pour the pureed watermelon into the cheesecloth. You can use a spoon to help push the juice through the mesh. If you have a nut milk bag, that will also work for this fresh watermelon juice recipe.
- Strain the juice into a bowl and pour it into a large glass pitcher.
- Serve over ice and enjoy!
Tips For Making This Recipe
- Make sure you buy the best fruit you can afford, ideally organic.
- Use a ripe watermelon to make a sweeter juice.
- A juicy watermelon will have high water content creating more juice.
- Make sure you puree the fruit until it has a juice-like consistency.
- Use a spoon to push the juice through the fine mesh strainer.
- Seedless watermelon is great, but it’s okay if it has seeds since the recipe will be strained.
- Serve over ice.
Watermelon Juice Variations
Here are ways you can elevate and change this watermelon juice recipe:
Coconut Water – Mix half watermelon juice and coconut water and pour it over ice. This makes a refreshing and healthy drink.
Fresh Mint Leaves – The most wonderful summer herb! Mint adds color and a beautiful fragrance to the drink.
Lime Juice – Add an ounce of lime juice to give the recipe more acidity. You can also do this with lemon juice.
Watermelon Ginger Juice – Add a small amount of ginger into the blender and blend for a spicy flavor.
Lime Zest – Add a little lime zest over the top for extra color and fragrance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Watermelon contains mostly water, but it’s also full of vitamins like A, B6, and C, lycopene, as well as antioxidants. Here are a few more benefits:
Keeps you hydrated which is perfect during the summer.
May Lower Inflammation and Oxidative Stress.
May Help Relieve Muscle Soreness.
This delicious pulp-free juice can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. If freezing, leave 3/4 to an inch of room in the top of the jar for expansion. Watermelon juice will store in the back of the freezer for 30-60 days.
Whether you’re picking it off of the vine or off of a shelf at the grocery store, you’ll want to follow these tips for choosing the right watermelon.
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First, pick up a watermelon that is uniform and feels heavy for its size. You want to avoid ones that have any blemishes like bumps or dents.
Turn it in your hands so that you can see the “field spot“. This is the discolored part of the melon where it sat in the field. It starts off white and becomes yellowish when it’s ripe and at its full sweetness. Look for the yellow spot when picking out the watermelon. This will be a very juicy watermelon!
Another tip is to look at the stem if there is one. A dry stem indicates that it’s ripe, while a green stem indicates that it wasn’t ready yet.
What is the Sweetest Kind of Watermelon?
Although “sweetness” can be subjective, fruits are often rated on a Brix Scale. Here’s how the ratings go:
- 7.8-8.2: Somewhat sweet
- 8.3-9.0: Sweet
- Above 9.0: Very sweet
This is useful if you’re choosing watermelon varieties to grow. The seed company should provide this information.
If you’re simply wanting to buy the best melons, choose from the following types:
- Bradford
- Crimson Sweet
- Diana
- Jubilee
- Yellow Doll
For the record, the sweetness of a melon doesn’t depend on its size, color, or shape.
How Do You Keep Watermelon From Getting Mushy?
There are a few ways to tackle this problem.
First, keep the watermelon in the fridge before you cut it for up to 4 to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat it, cut it into cubes or long slices.
If you want to save it for later, lay the pieces on parchment paper and put them in the freezer. When it’s solid, you can put it into a container or bag (but be sure to leave room for your grapefruit negroni popsicles).
If you’re looking to keep it in the fridge for easy snacking, drain out the juice before sealing the lid to the container. Every day, drain out the excess juice to keep it from getting mushy.
What flavors go well with watermelon?
Safe combinations include using other fruits on a tray or in a salad such as berries and other melons.
You can add avocado, red onion, and jalapeno to create complex flavor profiles. You may also want to use seasoning for watermelon dishes like chili pepper, salt, and mint.
If you want it by itself, you can simply add seasoning or make a DIY fruit soda with it.
Watermelon Juice Benefits
Aside from it being refreshing, watermelon has a range of health benefits. It’s full of amino acid, vitamin a, and vitamin c. Watermelon can:
- Have anti-inflammatory effects
- Hydrate
- Improve heart health
- Improve digestion
- Relieve muscle soreness after exercise
- Strengthen skin and nails (from vitamins A and C)
This fresh fruit has plenty of nutrients. This includes vitamins A, B1, B5, B6, C, as well as potassium and magnesium.
Is Watermelon Full of Sugar?
Watermelon isn’t necessarily full of sugar. 92% of it is made up of water alone.
Still, there is a good chunk of sugar in the remaining 8%. A cup of watermelon has around 10 grams of sugar, depending on the variety. Keep in mind that this is natural sugar, not processed junk.
Plus, it’s naturally fat-free, very low in sodium, and only has about 40 calories per cup.
Added Sweetness
This is a delicious watermelon juice with natural sweetness. However, if you want to add more sweetness to it here are the best options:
Maple Syrup – Add a little maple syrup to the blender when blending.
Honey – A natural sweetener that goes perfectly with watermelon.
Agave – A sweetener that comes from the agave plant. This is also a natural sweetener that will add even more flavor to the drink.
Easy Ways to Use Watermelon Juice
Watermelon juice is refreshing and one of our favorite summer drinks. It’s versatile and can be used in many ways. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use watermelon juice:
When to Serve Watermelon Juice
Serve this super refreshing watermelon juice recipe at one of these occasions:
Summer BBQ’s and Summer Pool Parties
Garden Parties and Backyard Carnival Party
More Recipes You’ll Love
If you love this refreshing recipe, try these!
Lavender Pineapple Juice Recipe
Check out all of our summer cocktail recipes too!
Now that you know how to make our favorite drink, let us know if you try this fruit juice drink by leaving a comment and review below!
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Watermelon Juice
Ingredients
- 1 large watermelon , ripe and ready to be eaten
Instructions
- Cut the watermelon into large cubes and discard the rind.
- Add the cubes to a blender and blend until smooth and liquid.
- Add cheesecloth over a strainer and place them over a large bowl or pitcher.
- Pour the watermelon juice into the strainer/cheesecloth and let it drain into the bowl.
- The watermelon residue will remain in the cheesecloth and the the jucie will strain out into a bowl.
- Store the juice in a pitcher in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
I’ve drank watermelon juice for bladder infection…..for me it’s better than cranberry juice, and works quickly.
We used this as a base for watermelon margaritas. SO GOOD and so easy. Plus the kids had just the juice and enjoyed that too 🙂
So refreshing! Our local watermelons are the BEST in summertime. I can hardly wait to make this recipe!
My family loved this juice! So refreshing on a hot summer day!
This sounds INCREDIBLE!
Thank you!!
Can you use a juicer ?
Watermelon is one of my favorites. It sounds so refreshing! I have made fresh watermelon margaritas on a couple occasions, which seem to go over well!
I MUST TRY THIS IMMEDIATELY!
Yum, yummmmm
I used watermelon with seeds. No need to de-seed first because the strainer will catch them 😉
Do you de-seed it first? Or just put seeds and flesh into the blender?