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Home Vegetarian Cooking 101 Ingredient Guides

Watermelon 101

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By: Sarah BondUpdated: Jan 24, 2023 Leave a Comment

This post contains affiliate links.

How to cut watermelon

Everything you need to know about watermelon, including the different varieties, how to cut watermelon, how to store it, and nutrition information.

Slices of watermelon on a white background

What are watermelons?

Well this mystery is best solved by breaking it down (and you don’t need to be a nutritionist to understand this equation!)

Water: Watermelons are 92% water by weight!

Melon: Watermelons are very loosely defined as melons. They’re actually (scientifically and botanically) classified as a type of berry – a berry called a pepo. (But if you’re from Oklahoma, you likely don’t consider it a fruit at all, as the watermelon is the official Oklahoma state vegetable!)

Watermelon Around The World

Call it what you will, watermelons originated in southern Africa but quickly made their way around the world. In America it’s usually eaten cold as a sweet snack. In China the seeds are eaten as a snack, and the rind is cut up like a vegetable and put into stir fries and stews. In Japan “cubic watermelons” have become a bit of a novelty. The watermelon is grown in a glass box and the fruit takes the shape of the box!

How do you pick the best watermelon?

Watermelons reach peak season between May and August. You’ll want to look for the most ripe melon in the grocery, because these don’t get any sweeter after being picked (like bananas do, for example). Gently thump on the melon. If it has a hollow sound, it’s ripe.

How do you store watermelon?

Uncut watermelons are generally good for about 10 days. Cut watermelon should be covered tightly and stored in the fridge for about 4 days.

Closeup of watermelon cubes

Health Benefits of Watermelon

Watermelon is 91% water and loads of nutrients, making it a great choice for summer snacking or cooking into a number of watermelon recipes! Let’s break the nutrition down. The following watermelon nutrition information is for 100 grams of watermelon (about 2/3 cup)!

Calories: 30 calories
Watermelon is a low calorie, especially when compared to other fruits! This makes it a great option for those looking to cut calories and lose weight.

Carbohydrates: 7.6g
All of the calories in watermelon come from carbs, namely the natural sugars in the fruit. At 7.6g per serving, it’s still relatively low carb, and could be suited for a keto diet.

Fiber: 0.4g
Watermelon isn’t high in fiber…well, the fruity flesh isn’t. You can cut and cook the watermelon rind, which contains more fiber!

Protein: 0.6g
As with most fruits, watermelon is not a good source of protein.

Fat: 0.2g
Similarly, most fruits (including watermelon) are very low fat.

14% Daily Value of Vitamin C
Watermelon is a good source of vitamin C. This antioxidant helps maintain your immune system as well as helps to create collagen.

11% Daily Value of Vitamin A
Watermelon is also a good source of Vitamin A, which is essential in many components of healthy vision, as well as immunity!

Lycopene
Watermelon is also a great source of the plant compound lycopene, which is an excellent antioxidant (it has even more lycopene than tomatoes!)

Do you have a hungry dog in your life? Everything that makes watermelon healthy for humans also makes this melon healthy for dogs!

Slices of watermelon on a white background

Variations of watermelon

Did you know there are 1200 varieties of watermelon? SO MUCH WATERMELON! But there are 4 main types of watermelon: icebox, picnic, yellow/orange, and seedless.

Icebox: 5 to 15 lbs (can fit in an icebox)

Small watermelon on a white background

Picnic: 15 to 50 lbs (a big picnic I guess)

Large watermelon on a white background

Yellow/Orange: 10 to 20 lbs with yellow skin and fruit

Yellow watermelon on a white background

Seedless: Seedless watermelon are not GMO. They’re made by cross-breeding a specific male watermelon flower with a specific female watermelon flower to produce a sterile (unable to reproduce) watermelon. This variety does still have seeds, but they’re very small, soft, and white.

Watermelon slices on a plate on a white background

How to cut watermelon

Call me lazy, but one of the most motivating reasons for me not to buy a watermelon is the thought of having to cut the thing up. But with this handy trick for cutting watermelon, there’s way less mess and the pieces are easier to eat!

  1. Cut the watermelon in half and lay the flat side down.
  2. Slice into roughly 1 x 1 inch pieces.
  3. Serve!
How to cut watermelon

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