Natural form

A whole watermelon showing the smooth dark green rind with lighter stripes.

Teaches readers the exterior appearance and scale of an uncut watermelon so it is recognizable at market.

Produce

Watermelon

Crisp, refreshing melon for summer salads and snacking

Sweet, crisp, and dripping with juice, watermelon cools a summer day, cubes into salads with feta and mint, and blends into agua fresca. Keep cut pieces cold and wrapped.

Watermelon is summer refreshment incarnate — sweet, crisp, and dripping with juice, about ninety percent water, eaten in cooling wedges straight from the rind. Beyond the picnic slice it cubes into salads (the feta-mint-watermelon combo is iconic), blends into agua fresca and granita, grills to a surprising savory-sweet, and even pickles (the rind) and chars. Picking a ripe one from the outside is the whole trick, since you can't open it to check.

Measured in: g
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 7 days

Find it in

Produce

Types & varieties

Seeded (picnic)

Large, classic, sweet; the traditional black-seeded melon

Seedless

The common convenient type; tiny edible white seed traces

Mini (personal)

Small, round, sweet; fits a fridge shelf

Yellow / orange flesh

Sweeter, honeyed varieties with golden interior

How to choose a ripe one

Since you buy it whole, judge from outside: it should feel heavy for its size (lots of water = ripe), have a creamy-yellow or buttery 'field spot' where it rested on the ground (white or green there means picked too early), and give a deep, hollow thump when knocked. The rind should be dull, not shiny, and firm with no soft spots, cracks, or bruising.

Heavy for its size = juicy and ripe
Creamy-yellow field spot, not white
Deep hollow thump; dull firm rind

How to store

Keep a whole watermelon at room temperature until you cut it — it actually develops a touch more lycopene and flavor off the fridge, and just tastes better chilled briefly before serving. Once cut, wrap the pieces tightly or store cubed in a sealed container in the fridge, and use within a few days.

Beyond the wedge

Watermelon's sweetness loves a savory counterpoint: pair it with salty feta, briny olives, sharp red onion, mint, and lime for a classic summer salad. Blend it into agua fresca, freeze it into granita, or grill thick slabs until lightly charred for a smoky-sweet side. Don't toss the rind — it pickles beautifully. A pinch of salt or chili-lime makes the sweetness sing.

Common uses

Watermelon, feta, and mint saladAgua frescaGranita and slushiesGrilled watermelonFruit saladPickled rindGazpachoCocktails (margaritas, spritzers)

Tips & pitfalls

Look for the creamy-yellow field spot — it's the best ripeness clue on a whole melon
A pinch of salt or a squeeze of lime makes the sweetness pop
Cube and freeze for blender drinks, granita, and slushies
Pair with salty feta and mint for the classic summer salad
Pickle the rind instead of binning it

Nutrition

30kcal

Energy

126 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 7%Carbs 89%Fat 4%

Protein

0.6g

1% DV

Carbs

7.6g

3% DV

Fat

0.2g

0% DV

Fiber

0.4g

1% DV

Sugars

6.2g

of which

Sodium

1mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Vitamin C9% DV

Vitamin A3% DV

Thiamin (B1)3% DV

Vitamin B63% DV

Riboflavin (B2)2% DV

Magnesium2% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · Watermelon, raw

View on FDC →

In the shops

Matched grocery products

Seedless Watermelon
4.58 kg · Mercadona
€10.76
Half Seedless Watermelon
2.26 kg · Mercadona
€5.99
Orange Watermelon 1 unit
ud · Bonpreu
€10.95
Fashion Watermelon 1 unit
ud · Bonpreu
€11.48
Fashion Watermelon 1 unit
Bonpreu
€11.49
Seedless Watermelon 1 unit
Bonpreu
€7.99

Good to know

Peak season: Summer (peak June–September)
Flavor: Sweet, crisp, intensely refreshing; very juicy
Origin: Northeast/Sudan region of Africa; domesticated from the Kordofan melon of Sudan, eaten in the Nile Valley over 4,000 years ago
Nutrition: ~30 kcal/100g; ~90% water; lycopene, vitamins C, A, hydrating
How to buy: Heavy for size, creamy-yellow field spot, hollow thump, dull (not shiny) rind

Substitutes