10 Super-Fun Ways to Eat Watermelon This Summer

Watermelon is the most sweet, refreshing and easy-to-love summer snack. (Try our favorite recipes!) It’s also a delicious—and enormous—addition to your shopping cart! The heaviest watermelon on record weighed in at a whopping 350 pounds, but I still think that would disappear from my house in under a week.

Turn It into a Shark

From now on, the only way I’m eating watermelon is if comes to me as a Watermelon Shark. It’s not even a question.The recipe calls for filling it for fruit, but I say you fill it with whatever you think that shark wants to eat. Like chocolate-covered bacon.

Bake It into a Cake

…that looks like a watermelon, of course! The recipe for this adorable dessert comes from the blog Bird on a Cake and includes watermelon puree in both the cake and the cream cheese frosting. So, you’re essentially eating watermelon… mixed with some cake. It’s practically health food.

Cover It in Chocolate

Freezing watermelon cubes and then dipping them in chocolate is a genius move, if you ask us. Kelly Senyei of the blog Just a Taste rolled hers in sea salt afterward, which sounds amazing, but we could see a whole host of possibilities here. Sprinkles? Mini chocolate chips? Coconut? Colored sanding sugar? Go wild.

Make It into a Mocktail

Cheers for hot weather! A mocktail is a drink anyone can enjoy and elevates your backyard celebration beyond a cooler full of sodas. A glass of Quick Watermelon Cooler will hit the spot with all your guests—it’s sweet, lemonade-y and full of the best flavors of summer.

See why watermelons cost $1,500 in Japan.

Read our guide to learn how to make sorbet out of almost any fruit.

Contest-Winning Watermelon Salsa

I entered this recipe in a local fair, and it took first place! This is one of my favorite dishes because all the ingredients (except for the lime juice) came directly from my garden and beehives. —Carolyn Butterfield, Lake Stevens, Washington

Whip Up the Easiest Salad Ever

Mix cubes of watermelon with bite-sized squares of salty feta, slices of fennel and a little bit of mint, and you’ll have a summer-perfect side dish that will make people think you’re a pretty fancy cook. (I like to add honey and olive oil, too.) Bonus: You can use the hollow watermelon and make a watermelon keg for another fancy party accessory.

Gummy It

Kids (and adults—who are we kidding?) will love this riff on watermelon. From the paleo blog Meatified comes this super fun recipe for Sour Watermelon Gummies. The sour comes from a dose of lemon juice and the gelatin they recommend is grass-fed.

Grill It

I can’t help but picture grilled watermelon, which is roughly 92% water, dissolving into the slats of a barbecue. But apparently that’s not the case! Grilled, watermelon indeed intact and transforms into a smoky and richly flavored side dish. Add your seasoning of choice to wedges—red pepper flakes, lime and honey or a sprinkle of cilantro and sea salt would all be good.

Make It Boozy

There are lots of variations on “drunk watermelon,” but you’ll get the best results by slicing the top off a watermelon and removing the fruit, cubing or balling it and soaking the pieces in your liquor of choice. (We recommend tequila!) Then, use the empty watermelon as a serving dish. Just keep the kids away from this one.

For anyone who can’t get enough watermelon, don’t miss this refreshing collection.