How to Freeze Watermelon
Don’t throw out that extra watermelon, freeze it! Frozen watermelon can be blended later to make homemade watermelon juice, smoothies, sorbet, cocktails, and more! Here’s How to Freeze Watermelon, including my top tips for freezing success.
Can You Freeze Watermelon? Yes!
I’m sure you’ve frozen your fair share of fresh produce. Spinach, berries, and bananas are all easy to freeze and I bet you’ve got at least one of these ingredients stashed in your freezer right now — but have you ever frozen watermelon before?
If you’ve never worked with frozen watermelon, it might sound strange to you. After all, this isn’t a fruit that you cook, so why would you freeze it to extend its shelf life?
Here’s one excellent reason to start freezing watermelon: it can be blended to create a number of different cocktails, drinks, smoothies, and sweet treats!
Blending watermelon creates watermelon juice, and that juice is the perfect building block for refreshing watermelon lemonade, spicy watermelon margs, frozen watermelon sorbet, and so much more.
Keep reading to learn the best way to freeze watermelon, as well as answers to FAQs about thawing watermelon and using the rind!
When Is Watermelon in Season?
For the best-tasting watermelon drinks and desserts, I highly suggest freezing in-season watermelon.
Depending on where you live in the world, watermelon is in season from May through September. Choose a watermelon that’s round and even in shape, dark and dull in color, and that has webbing on the ends (webbing means it’s very sweet!).
Want to check out more info about seasonal fruits and veggies? Head over to my Produce Guides:
Supplies Needed for Freezing Watermelon
You’ll need the following kitchen tools to freeze watermelon:
- Cutting Board: Use a clean cutting board that hasn’t recently been used to chop onion or garlic (that will infuse the watermelon with unwanted flavors!).
- Chef’s Knife: Sharpen your knife before cubing the watermelon.
- Baking Tray: Use a freezer-safe baking tray with higher sides so none of the watermelon juice drips into the freezer.
- Parchment Paper: Prevents the watermelon cubes from sticking to the baking sheet during the flash freezing process.
- Vacuum Bags: Freezing watermelon cubes in vacuum bags keeps them fresher for longer.
- Zip-Top Freezer Bags: A good alternative if you don’t own a vacuum sealing system.
How to Freeze Watermelon – 2 Ways!
You can freeze any variety and color of watermelon you like. Seedless watermelon is better for freezing (I hate dealing with those pesky seeds!), but freeze whatever kind you have on hand.
Method 1: Freezing Watermelon Cubes
Frozen watermelon cubes can be eaten as a refreshing snack straight from the freezer, or they can be blended to make sorbet, granita, or watermelon juice (which in turn can be transformed into lemonade or cocktails).
- Cut the watermelon into 1-inch cubes, taking care to remove the green rind and any white flesh around the edges.
- Spread the watermelon cubes over a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. They should be in an even layer, without any overlap.
- Flash freeze the watermelon for 1 to 2 hours, or until fully hardened.
- Once hard, transfer the frozen watermelon to a zip-top freezer bag or vacuum bag.
- Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Method 2: Freezing Pureed Watermelon
Pureeing watermelon before freezing it is a great idea if you want to save space in your freezer. Only freeze watermelon puree (aka watermelon juice) if you know you’ll be using it to make drinks later on.
Pureed watermelon can also be frozen in ice cube trays and used to chill drinks all summer long without making them watery like ice cubes do!
- Cut the watermelon into 1-inch cubes, taking care to remove the green rind and any white flesh around the edges.
- Fill the canister of a blender roughly ¾ full. Secure the lid on top and blend until smooth.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large pitcher or bowl. Strain the pureed watermelon into the pitcher or bowl to remove any pulp.
- Transfer the pureed watermelon to zip-top freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. An ice cube tray will also work.
- Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Freezing Tip: I suggest freezing watermelon puree in 1-cup increments so you can pull out the exact amount you need for future drink recipes. If you puree and freeze a whole watermelon in, say, a gallon-sized freezer bag, you will then have to thaw the entire gallon of watermelon juice later on!
Tips for Freezing Watermelon
- Seedless watermelon is easier to freeze. Watermelon seeds are safe to eat, but they can be a pain to deal with later, especially if you’re planning on eating the frozen watermelon cubes as a snack straight from the freezer.
- Freeze any color of watermelon! Red watermelon is most commonly sold at grocery stores, but your local farmer’s market might have yellow, pink, or even orange watermelons. All varieties can be frozen!
- Think about how you plan on using the frozen watermelon. If you don’t know how you’ll use it, freeze it in cubes. The frozen cubes can always be blended later! If you for sure plan on making drinks with the frozen watermelon, puree it now to save yourself time later on.
- Work quickly with frozen watermelon. The fruit is mostly water, so it thaws quickly once taken out of the freezer. If you’re making a smoothie or sorbet, have the blender or food processor plugged in and ready to go before removing the watermelon from the freezer.
Recipe FAQs
Got questions about how to make this recipe? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
Can any variety of watermelon be frozen?
Yep! You can freeze any variety of watermelon you like. Seedless watermelon is easier to handle after being frozen, but I’ve frozen regular watermelon many times as well.
Can I freeze a whole watermelon?
Please don’t! That would take up so much freezer space and would be very difficult to cut later on.
Watermelon changes texture once frozen, so don’t expect to freeze a whole watermelon, thaw it later, and then be able to cut it as if it were freshly picked.
Can watermelon rind be frozen?
Technically yes, you can cut the watermelon rind into smaller pieces and freeze them. You’d only want to do this if you plan on pickling the rind later.
With that being said, I’ve never frozen the rind of a watermelon because I don’t eat the rind!
How long does frozen watermelon last?
It will last up to 3 months, if not longer. Since the watermelon will likely be blended later anyways, it doesn’t really matter if it undergoes textural changes by being frozen for longer.
Should you thaw frozen watermelon before using it?
Nope! As frozen watermelon thaws, it releases tons of juices and is a pain to work with. Either eat the watermelon straight from the freezer or blend it to use in specific recipes (see all my ideas for using frozen watermelon below).
What to Do with Frozen Watermelon
- Eat frozen watermelon cubes straight from the freezer
- Blend to make watermelon popsicles
- Puree with simple syrup to make watermelon granita
- Blend to make watermelon sorbet
- Use in drinks such as: watermelon margaritas, watermelon lemonade, watermelon mojitos, or watermelon limeade
Try Freezing Fresh Watermelon at Home!
Next time you have an abundance of watermelon on your hand, try freezing it to use in drinks and snacks later!
Did you love how easy to follow this tutorial was? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see a photo of your frozen watermelon chunks!
More Summer Fruit Freezer Tutorials:
Freezing raspberries is a wonderful way to enjoy summer’s harvest year-round! This guide explains how to freeze raspberries, plus it answers the most commonly asked questions about thawing frozen raspberries and using them in recipes.
Learn how to freeze strawberries so you can enjoy the taste of summer all year long! Here are my top tips and tricks for freezing strawberries.
Do you know how easy it is to freeze fresh blueberries? You can then use them in smoothies, pies, bars, and more!
This tutorial will show you how to freeze blackberries using the dry method (unsweetened) and sugar pack methods. You’ll also learn how to thaw and use frozen blackberries.
Extend peach season in your household by freezing fresh peaches for later! In this post, I’ll explain how to freeze peaches fresh, blanched, or cooked and also give my top tips for success.
Freezing fresh cherries is the perfect way to take advantage of sale prices and enjoy the taste of summer all year round! Here’s How to Freeze Cherries, plus my top tips for thawing frozen cherries and the many ways to use them in recipes.
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
Get More Recipes via Email
Did you love this recipe? Sign up to receive Good Life Eats Email Updates and never miss another recipe!
How to Freeze Watermelon
Don’t throw out that extra watermelon, freeze it! Frozen watermelon can be blended later to make homemade watermelon juice, smoothies, sorbet, cocktails, and more! Here’s How to Freeze Watermelon, including my top tips for freezing success.
Ingredients
- Fresh watermelon (any variety; seedless works best)
Instructions
Freezing Watermelon Cubes
- Cut the watermelon into 1-inch cubes, taking care to remove the green rind and any white flesh around the edges.
- Spread the watermelon cubes over a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. They should be in an even layer, without any overlap.
- Flash freeze the watermelon for 1 to 2 hours, or until fully hardened.
- Once hard, transfer the frozen watermelon to a zip-top freezer bag or vacuum bag.
- Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Freezing Pureed Watermelon
- Cut the watermelon into 1-inch cubes, taking care to remove the green rind and any white flesh around the edges.
- Fill the canister of a blender roughly ¾ full. Secure the lid on top and blend until smooth.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large pitcher or bowl. Strain the pureed watermelon into the pitcher or bowl to remove any pulp.
- Transfer the pureed watermelon to zip-top freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. An ice cube tray will also work.
- Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
If freezing pureed watermelon: I suggest freezing watermelon puree in 1-cup increments so you can pull out the exact amount you need for future recipes. If you puree and freeze a whole watermelon in, say, a gallon-sized freezer bag, you will then have to thaw the entire gallon of watermelon juice later on!
Leave a Comment