Yesterday evening, I made a pitcher of sweet, refreshing watermelon juice to keep me hydrated while I packed up my house.
It took me back to San Pedro Island, where I sipped watermelon juice under the shade of a palm tree earlier this month.
We walked down the beach to Estel’s, where we enjoyed a leisurely, traditional Belizean breakfast—scrambled eggs, refried black beans and fry jacks, complete with watermelon juice. It was a good start to a very good day.
How to Make Watermelon Juice
Watermelon juice couldn’t be easier to extract. You don’t need a fancy-schmancy juicer, just a blender.
Scoop the watermelon into the blender, blend for about thirty seconds, and ta da! You’ve made watermelon juice.
Taste your juice straight from the blender. If you like it as is, you don’t need to strain it.
If your watermelon had seeds in it, or you want your juice to be less pulpy, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher. Easy!
If your juice separates as it sits, give it a little whirl with a spoon. If you’re thinking about adding a splash of tequila or white rum… I can verify that that is indeed a good idea.
Watch How to Make Watermelon Juice
Watermelon Juice Nutrition
As you would expect, watermelon juice is good for you. It’s high in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. It’s about 92% water, so it’s plenty hydrating, too (nutrition source).
I thought my juice was perfectly sweet without any added sugar, but I added a squeeze of lime juice for that extra zing.
Watermelon Juice Recipe
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Mexican
Refreshing, naturally sweet watermelon juice couldn’t be easier to make in a blender. Yield will vary based on the size of your watermelon, but my 6.5-pound watermelon yielded about 5 cups of juice.
Ingredients
- 1 small sweet watermelon (a 6 pounder will do)
- 1 small lime, juiced (optional)
Instructions
- Slice the watermelon in half. Using a big spoon, scoop chunks of sweet watermelon into the blender. Discard the rind.
- Blend the watermelon until it is totally pulverized. This shouldn’t take more than a minute. For extra flavor, squeeze the juice of one small lime into the blender and blend for a few seconds.
- If your watermelon is notably pulpy or seeded, pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher. If not, you can pour it directly into glasses filled with ice. Watermelon juice will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days. The juice will separate over time; stir it with a spoon to recombine.
Notes
- Watermelon juice inspired by my trip to Belize for the launch of Flavors of Belize, the cookbook.
- Your juice will only be as good as your watermelon, so find a good one at a farmer’s market or health store.
- You can make cantaloupe juice using the exact same method!
- You might also like my melon cocktails—try the watermelon cucumber cooler or cantaloupe fiesta cocktail.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Ann Jessup
I sure did and also was just in Belize and got hooked on it there! So simple and delicious!
Kate
That’s great, Ann! Thank you for your review.
Janice
I have made watermelon juice but I put in 1/8th teaspoon of cayenne pepper to a quart of juice to spice things up. Yummmmmy.
Kate
I like that you got creative, Janice!
mia
yum! my family was eating watermelon and I got my wisdom teeth removed yesterday so this was a delicious way for me to participate and get some variety in my diet. thanks for the awesome idea!
Kate
You’re welcome, Mia! Thank you for your review.
Rakib
Watermelon is very popular during summer. I love drinking watermelon juice too. It’s so quick and simple. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Mindy
My husband and I were gifted three huge watermelons. We’ve had grilled watermelon and watermelon salad and watermelon and more watermelon and we still had two left! They became juice – we added a little salt, a little tajin, and a little lime juice and really enjoyed the beverages! And none went to waste.
Thanks!
Kate
That’s a lot of watermelon! I’m glad you found this recipe to use too. Thank you for your review, Mindy.
Sue
Is it possible to can watermelon juice? It would be great to have during the winter months, like a taste of summer during those cold winter days.
Kate
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
Bongus Belamoor
I tried adding some of my buddy’s special sauce and let’s just say it tasted amazing. 10/10 recomend. To get it really fresh try going to the alleyways of las vegas, you can get it pretty cheap as well.
Jennifer
Are you telling people to get watermelons or “special sauce” from an alley?? Also…don’t ever get watermelons or whatever special sauce is from an alley. Lol!
Gloria Bowser
Make watermelon juice everyday
Jamie
Delicious! Thank you for sharing! I wish I knew it was that easy before I threw out a bunch of mealy watermelons throughout life!
trace everly
Thank you, Kate. You answered my long-standing question about where to buy watermelon juice. Now I know: Just make it! The lime sounds great too. Can’t wait to start making it and sharing it with friends. You go!
Trace
Chesapeake Bay
Kate
Great to hear, Trace!
angela
The watermelon recipe came out great with the fresh squeezed lime added. Thank you for that tip (adding lime) and the recipe. I served it over ice and also chilled it for a few minutes in the fridge.