How To Cut Watermelon

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Learning how to cut a watermelon can be so intimidating… Watermelons are huge and have such thick rinds! But my method for cutting watermelon makes it super easy, even if you’ve never cut a watermelon before. Perfect for enjoying all summer long!

1. Cut both ends off the watermelon. Try to get them as even as possible, since you’ll be sitting the watermelon on one end while you cut the rest.

2. Stand the watermelon up on one of the flat ends. Use your knife to cut in between the green rind and pink flesh (as if you were cutting the flesh off of a kiwi or pineapple).

Watermelon with part of the rinds cut off

3. Repeat the last step, cutting off large slices of the rind until all of it is removed. Now you should have a big ole naked watermelon! There may be some white bits remaining on the pink flesh, but that’s totally okay.

Watermelon standing up with rind removed

4. Slice lengthwise down the peeled watermelon, making cuts about 1 inch apart to make inch-wide slices. Make sure to cut all the way through the flesh.

5. Take half of the slices and place them with the middle side down (so that the slice that was closest to the rind is on top). This will help stabilize the stack by putting the largest, most solid slice on the bottom. Cut slices lengthwise down the stack, about 1 inch apart (like you did in the last step). Then turn the stack 90º, and make the same 1 inch cuts perpendicular (or diagonal) to the slices. This makes a square pattern and cuts the watermelon into 1 inch cubes. Transfer the cubed watermelon to a bowl or container. Repeat with the other half of the slices.

Top Tips For Cutting Watermelon

Make sure you use a large, sharp knife to cut the watermelon. A sharp knife will cut much more easily through the watermelon rind and flesh, which means it’s less likely to slip and cut your hand. With a knife with a dull blade, you are more likely to use the point to cut and use more pressure, both of which makes for easy slippage (and cutting things you don’t want to!) A sharp knife also means it takes a shorter amount of time to cut through an entire watermelon.

How To Pick A Watermelon

There are three easy steps to get a juicy, sweet watermelon every time:

Look for a yellow “field spot.” The spot is on the “belly button” of the watermelon, or where the watermelon is attached to the ground. It should be a creamy, yellow color.
Pick a heavy watermelon. No matter if big or small, a perfectly ripe watermelon will be heavy for its size.
Listen for a hollow sound. Tap or thump the watermelon. If it sounds dull, skip it. A good watermelon will sound hollow.