Home » Homemade Watermelon Juice (Video)
4.76(29)
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
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There’s nothing better than a chilled glass of fresh Homemade Watermelon Juice on a hot summer day. With a splash of lime and garnished with mint, this sweet and refreshingly cool drink will help you beat the heat anytime.
It’s a given that watermelon is the ultimate flavor of summer. The fruit itself is already delicious, but oh how I love it when you turn it into a sweet, slushy-like drink that keeps you hydrated, cool, and carefree on a hot sweltering day. Yes, homemade watermelon juice (スイカジュース) is all we need.
This heatwave balm of a summer drinkis nothing revolutionary, but sometimes we need a reminder of life’s simplest pleasures. That’s why I am here to remind you: If you haven’t made watermelon juice, you need to make it right now.
Table of Contents
- Why Make Watermelon Juice at Home
- How to Make Homemade Watermelon Juice
- The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Substitution Tips
- The Cooking Steps
- Recipe Tips and Variations
- How to Store Fresh Watermelon Juice
Why Make Watermelon Juice at Home
For anyone who finds drinking plain water a little boring, watermelon juice will be your best hydrator and thirst-quencher—thanks to its high water content.
As you would expect, watermelon juice is also good for you. The fruit offers a great source of nutrition, boating a good source of vitamins and nutrients like vitamin A and vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium. Nature sure has us in mind, doesn’t it?
Besides exuding the best summer vibe, the juice is perfect to go with all your summer eating. Serve it with your BBQ and grills, seafood spread, sandwiches, or snack boards. You can keep the juice simple like I share here or spike it with a splash of alcohol for the adult-version.
So many reasons to love and enjoy at home!
How to Make Homemade Watermelon Juice
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Watermelon
- Lime
- Homemade Simple Syrup (optional)
- Mint leaves (for garnish)
Substitution Tips
All you need is sugar, water, and 5 minutes to make Homemade Simple Syrup. However, watermelon itself is naturally sweet, you can leave it out if you don’t need any added sugar. Otherwise, feel free to use honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, or sugar for a little more sweetness.
The Cooking Steps
- Cut the watermelon into chunks and set it inside the fridge to cool for two hours
- In a blender, puree watermelon, lime juice, and simple syrup.
- Pour into cups and garnish with fresh mint leaves and a lime slice.
- Serve as is with ice cubes or chilled.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- It’s ideal to get watermelon that’s at its peak ripeness. Seedless watermelon would make it even easier for juicing. But no worries, if you find yourself with a less-than-stellar melon, the simple syrup and fresh mint will doctor that.
- Prefer the juice pulp-free? Strain the liquid with a fine mesh strainer or sieve after blending. You will also need to double the portions for each ingredient per glass.
- For a summertime co*cktail, spice it up with vodka or tequila.
- Working hard to reduce food waste? Save the leftover rind and make my Pickled Watermelon Rind!
How to Store Fresh Watermelon Juice
Watermelon juice is best served chilled and freshly made. Keep the watermelon juice in the fridge in a sealed container for up to four days. The liquid may separate, so shake it well before you drink it.
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Homemade Watermelon Juice
4.76 from 29 votes
There’s nothing better than a chilled glass of fresh Homemade Watermelon Juice on a hot summer day. With a splash of lime and garnished with mint, this sweet and refreshingly cool drink will help you beat the heat anytime.
Print RecipePin Recipe
Video
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 15 minutes mins
Servings: 1 batch (6 cups, 1400 ml per batch)
Ingredients
- 1 small watermelon (6 lbs, 2.7 kg; seedless; chilled, if you will serve the juice right away)
- ½ lime (plus more slices of lime for optional garnish)
- 2 Tbsp Homemade Simple Syrup (it takes just 5 minutes to make my recipe; or replace with sugar)
For the Garnish (optional)
- mint leaves
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Instructions
Gather all the ingredients.
With a sharp knife, slice 1 small watermelon in half.
Using a spoon (I use a big serving spoon), scoop out the flesh and transfer it to a blender (I use a Vitamix) or food processor. Remove the seeds, if your watermelon is not the seedless kind. Tip: I like this method more than cutting the watermelon into cubes because you will never lose watermelon juice and the working surface stays clean!
Pour the juice left at the bottom of the watermelon half into the blender. Don‘t discard the rind (I‘ll show you a delicious recipe with this below). Then, continue with the other half.
Squeeze the juice from ½ lime into the blender (I use a lemon squeezer).
Blend the watermelon until it liquifies and is totally pulverized. Tip: At this stage, cover and cool in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours if your watermelon wasn‘t pre-refrigerated.
Taste the watermelon juice to check the sweetness. I usually mix in 2 Tbsp Homemade Simple Syrup even if the watermelon is naturally sweet. It takes off the sharpness. Alternatively, you can always add simple syrup to your individual glass later.
Simple syrup is made of equal parts sugar and water. If you have 5 extra minutes, you should definitely make a big batch and keep it around, especially in the summer months. Because it‘s a liquid sweetener, it blends easily with all kinds of beverages!
To Serve
Pour the Homemade Watermelon Juice into a glass. Optionally, garnish with a slice of lime and mint leaves. You can also add a few ice cubes to the glass to keep the juice well chilled.
To Store
The watermelon juice will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2–3 days. The juice will separate, so stir it with a spoon before serving.
To Repurpose the Watermelon Rind
My family and I absolutely love this Pickled Watermelon Rind recipe and hope you will like it as much as we do.
Cut the watermelon rind into small pieces. Then, cut off and discard the tough, dark green skin from the white part of the rind.
Now, slice the white watermelon rind into a uniform size and shape for optimal pickling. For this batch, I used ½ inch (1.3 cm) pieces, but you can cut yours into cubes or other shapes. Now, hop over to this recipe for the pickling sauce and instructions!
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Watermelon Juice
Amount per Serving
Calories
150
% Daily Value*
Fat
1
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
Sodium
15
mg
1
%
Potassium
370
mg
11
%
Carbohydrates
39
g
13
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
34
g
38
%
Protein
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
1738
IU
35
%
Vitamin C
29
mg
35
%
Calcium
29
mg
3
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Author: Namiko Chen
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: watermelon
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 26, 2013. It’s been republished with new step-by-step images, video, and more information on August 22, 2023.
Meet the Author
Namiko Chen
I'm Nami, a Japanese home cook based in San Francisco. Have fun exploring the 1000+ classic & modern Japanese recipes I share with step-by-step photos and How-To YouTube videos.
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