What can I make with watermelon?
Watermelon is not only for dessert - it balances salt, chilli, and fat in savoury cooking too. Below are recipes using watermelon, then ideas for fruit that is slightly past its best.
Recipes with watermelon
Sweet and savoury ways to use watermelon
- 1Raw: a squeeze of citrus and a pinch of salt makes watermelon taste noticeably brighter.
- 2Roasted or pan-caramelised with a little butter, the sugars concentrate and it turns into a dessert on its own.
- 3Blended into a dressing or sauce, watermelon balances chilli, vinegar, and salty cheese.
- 4Overripe fruit is not waste - it is the best candidate for baking, smoothies, and quick compotes.
What goes well with watermelon
Watermelon is at its best with cinnamon, honey, yogurt, lemon, butter and oats. Any two or three of those, plus watermelon, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing watermelon
Ripen watermelon on the counter, then move it to the fridge to slow things down. Keep it away from bananas and apples, which release ethylene and speed everything nearby toward overripe. Freeze pieces on a tray for smoothies.
Substituting watermelon
If you are out of watermelon, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Watermelon recipes: common questions
- What can I make with watermelon and not much else?
- Plenty. With watermelon plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest watermelon recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute watermelon?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover watermelon?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover watermelon without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.