How To Freeze Watermelon

Learn how to freeze watermelon so you’ll never have to throw away those leftovers again…and you can have a little taste of summer all year long!

this recipe

Watermelons are more than 90% water (hence the name!), and so they freeze well. And the process is actually very simple!

Dribble-down-your-chin juicy, sweet, crisp, and oh so refreshing, watermelon is the official fruit of summer (well, at least in my house, it is).

But the thing about watermelon is that it’s so good, but just so darn big. Even the small ones are big compared to other fruits, and there’s often too much, especially for a two-person household like ours.

And as much as we love watermelon, it’s just like any other leftover. We get tired of eating it for days on end in an effort to keep it out of the trash or compost pile…because perfectly good food should never be wasted!

Sure, I could buy a small quantity of already-cut-up watermelon from the grocery store for a ridiculously high price. But that seems silly to me when you can get a whole watermelon for just about the same price.

So since I learned you can freeze watermelon and how easy it is, I no longer worry about having extra.

And even though the texture and sweetness aren’t quite the same after thawing (it will be softer and a little less sweet), the frozen or thawed cubes are perfect for using in smoothies, drinks, ice pops, sorbet, and other recipes!

Ingredients you need:

• Watermelon

Here’s a look at How To Freeze Watermelon:

Note: This is just a quick overview of the steps. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full recipe with detailed instructions.

Tips & Tidbits:

• Make sure you start with watermelon that’s fresh, ripe, and sweet so that your frozen watermelon is delicious too. If it doesn’t taste good going into the freezer, it won’t taste good coming out!
• Watermelon doesn’t continue to ripen or sweeten after it’s picked, so you’ve got to try and pick a good one. Although you’ll never really know until you cut it open and taste it, here are a few quick tips:
  • The melon should be heavy for its size (lost of water = juicy!).
  • Give it a thump. It should sound deep and hollow.
  • A melon with spots of brownish webbing is usually sweeter (fun fact: this is from bees pollinating the fruit).
  • If there’s a stem attached, it should be dry and brown. Green = not ripe.
  • A melon with dull skin is more ripe than one that is shiny.
  • Check the field spot (the lighter spot on the melon where it rested on the ground as it grew). The larger and more yellow this spot is (or even a little orange), the longer the melon spent ripening on the vine and the sweeter it should be. If it’s white, keep looking.
• Always remove any seeds (especially the large brown ones) before freezing since they would be very difficult to remove once the watermelon is frozen. If using a seedless watermelon, it’s okay to leave the tiny white seeds.
• Flash-freezing the watermelon before putting it in a freezer bag helps the pieces stay separated instead of forming one large clump, so you will be able to take out just as many pieces as you need. Don’t skip this step!
• Frozen watermelon cubes can last for up to 8 to 12 months in the freezer when stored properly (but I say the sooner you use them, the better). Freezer burn is the enemy, so remove as much air as possible before you seal the bag.

Frozen watermelon isn’t just for using in recipes. For a super refreshing and delicious cold snack on a hot summer day – or any day of the year – just slightly thaw the watermelon so that it’s not super hard and enjoy!

Up next is a recipe for a super yummy Creamy Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie that uses frozen watermelon. Stay tuned!

I hope you liked this post on How To Freeze Watermelon and found it helpful. Thanks for visiting today!

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• Strawberry Refrigerator Jam

If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it went! Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!