Use it up · Fruits

Watermelon

Have extra watermelon? Here’s how to choose, store and prep watermelon, plus 5 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Pick a heavy melon with a creamy-yellow patch where it rested on the ground.

Best season: Summer. Timing varies by region.

🧊 Storing it

Counter: Whole: room temperature (more than 3 days in the fridge dulls the flavor)
Fridge: Cut: 3 to 4 days, covered

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

Scrub the rind, then cut into wedges or cubes. Refrigerate cut melon.

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: watermelon. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Watermelon. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	30 kcal	2%
Protein	0.6 g	1%
Total fat	0.1 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.0 g	0%
Total carbohydrate	7.5 g	3%
Dietary fiber	0.4 g	1%
Total sugars	6.2 g
Sodium	1.0 mg	0%
Calcium	7.0 mg	1%
Iron	0.2 mg	1%
Potassium	112 mg	2%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 167765 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

5 recipes, the ones that use the most watermelon first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.