How to Cut a Watermelon
Here’s a quick visual guide for how to cut a watermelon into perfect rindless sticks or cubes. I find this way much easier to cut AND eat than the typical triangles that include the rind. Kids love to eat it this way too.
When watermelon comes into season for the summer, we have a bowl of it in our fridge constantly.
I love being able to reach into the fridge and grab a cold and refreshing piece of this delicious summer fruit. Or, set it out on the table as a healthy snack if a friend comes over.
Sometimes I even freeze the cubes and blend them into a Watermelon Slushie or turn the cubes into a Stacked Watermelon Salad.
This is the best way and easiest way to cut a watermelon for easy-to-eat rindless pieces. The nice thing is you save so much money, as pre-cut watermelon at grocery stores is so expensive!
Why This Method Is The Best
No rind = easier to eat – A lot of people cut watermelon into triangles that include the rind, but I find that much less easy to eat. It’s nice to give this to my 1-year old and not worry about her nibbling on a rind.
Takes less room in the fridge – If your fridge is as crowded as mine always is, it’s nice to save on space where you can. The rind is a significant part of the melon, and it’s nice to trash it from the start.
Easier to cut – Since you’re mostly cutting the soft flesh that’s just inside the rind, this is much easier to cut because you’re not cutting through the rind for each piece.
Cleaner – This is a little OCD of me to say, but even if I wash the outside of the melon, I don’t like it when the rind touches the edible part when I store leftovers. I don’t have to worry about that here.
Customize the shapes – You can vary up the shape into cubes, sticks, or even rindless triangles.
This is the best method, and it only takes a few minutes. Let’s take a look at how to do it.
Step by Step Overview:
An optional first step: refrigerate your ripe melon first. You will cut more clean and crisp pieces if the fruit is cold instead of at room temperature.
After you’ve washed and dried the watermelon, use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the top and bottom off (where the “belly button” is) so it can lay flat on a cutting board:
If you have a large cutting board like this (affiliate) with grooved edges, that can be helpful for catching the watermelon juice that inevitably run off.
Next, stand the melon up on one of the flat sides, and run a sharp knife along the edges to remove the green rind:
You want to curve the knife around the shape of the melon, so you only remove the thick rind:
As you keep turning and cutting away the rind, you will end up with a big ball of seedless watermelon:
Cut the watermelon ball in half through the middle so you have a flat surface for cutting, then cut a grid pattern into the melon like this, with the melon half on its flat side:
Placing the fruit on its cut side gives the most stability for cutting.
Then you can grab and eat these sticks as is. Perfect for a hot summer day!
Usually I leave it in sticks and put them in the fridge, but you can also cut the sticks into cubes and place in a serving bowl. This is especially great for fruit salads.
You can also cut thin disks, and use a cookie cutter to cut out fun shapes instead of classic cuts. You can also do rindless watermelon wedges!
And if you don’t know How to Pick a Good Watermelon, read that post for helpful tips for picking a sweet, ripe watermelon from the store. You’ll want to look for a yellow spot, a hollow sound during the knuckle test, a firm outer skin, and more.
FAQ:
Up to 5 days in the fridge, though it tastes best freshly cut. The edges start to get mealy after about 3 days.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. If it isn’t sealed, watermelon easily absorbs off flavors from the fridge, so I recommend an actual storage container instead of a bowl covered in plastic wrap.
Yes, but it’s not something you’ll want to eat again in a thawed state. I freeze leftovers to blend into a Watermelon Slushie or use it as ice cubes for Summer Drinks.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
How to Cut a Watermelon
Ingredients
- 1 large watermelon
Instructions
- Wash and dry the watermelon.
- Cut both ends off where the belly button is, to create a flat surface.
- Stand the melon upright on one of the flat ends, and run a sharp knife along the inside of the rind, turning the watermelon after each cut to remove all the rind.
- Cut the watermelon ball in half, then lay flat on the cutting board.
- Cut a grid into the cut half, which will give you sticks. They are ready to be enjoyed!
- You can also cut the sticks into cubes, if you prefer that shape instead.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
5 Comments on “How to Cut a Watermelon”
Awesome idea, thank you!
Fast, informative, solid information. I like it that way!
i’m 87 & all these years have avoided buying whole watermelons due to the effort of dealing with the peel. thanks so much for your easy to follow directions!
How very helpful,first time cutting a watermelon up ,and it was perfect thankyou.
so cool and simple!