Homemade Watermelon Juice (Video)

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 drink is 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.

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

1. Cut the watermelon into chunks and set it inside the fridge to cool for two hours
2. In a blender, puree watermelon, lime juice, and simple syrup.
3. Pour into cups and garnish with fresh mint leaves and a lime slice.
4. 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 cocktail, 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

4.77 from 30 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 Pin

Video

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 1 batch (6 cups, 1400 ml per batch)

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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

Calories: 150 kcal · Carbohydrates: 39 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 1 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 15 mg · Potassium: 370 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 34 g · Vitamin A: 1738 IU · Vitamin C: 29 mg · Calcium: 29 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa 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.