How to Cut / Cube a Watermelon

Watermelon is something I look forward to every summer. It’s so good for you, and so deliciously sweet! It’s packed with water (hence the name) so it’s very hydrating on a hot day. There are numerous other health benefits of watermelon – it’s packed with vitamins and minerals. When I was pregnant, I ate it to help with nausea.

Fun fact: did you know watermelon was domesticated in Egypt starting around 2000 B.C.E.?

I’m admittedly pretty lazy when it comes to prepping fruits and veggies but watermelon is one of those things I’ll never buy pre-cut. Because cutting it yourself is SO easy! When you take time to cut up fruits and veggies yourself, you’re getting much more for your money, and it’s also better for the earth because it’s not sold in plastic. Unlike hard produce like butternut squash, a knife easily slides through the rind and flesh, making it easy to handle. And it almost always tastes better when it’s fresh cut.

Here’s everything you need to know about the easiest way to cube a watermelon! Here’s a one-minute video for all you visual learners:

When you’re at the store getting your watermelon, the most important thing to do is look for a yellow spot. If a watermelon has a yellow spot, it’s likely to be very sweet.

Why? Because a yellow spot (called a “field spot”) indicates that it was ripened on the vine – the spot is where the heavy fruit sat on the ground before it was picked. If the whole thing is green, that means it was picked before it was ripe, and it won’t be as sweet. Just as vine-ripened tomatoes are much tastier, so is a watermelon.

There are other ways to choose a great watermelon, such as looking at the stripes. Here’s a guide for how to pick a watermelon at the store. I usually just aim for the yellow field spot, as I find it the most reliable indicator of a sweet, ripe, juicy watermelon.

First, slice the watermelon in half lengthwise. I like to start in the center and insert the knife in perpendicular to the watermelon, and press down to go to one side. Then, I flip it around and do the other side.

Tip: add a damp towel under your cutting board to prevent it from sliding around.

Then, slice each half in half again lengthwise so you end up with four quarters.

Depending on how much watermelon you want to cut up right away, you can save these cut quartered watermelon pieces to finish cutting up some other time, or to cut into wedges for another purpose. Just wrap the cut surface in plastic wrap and stick back in your fridge for a few days.

Slice the watermelon cross-wise, cutting all the way to the bottom of the flesh, but not through the skin.

Tip: use a very sharp knife for this. I used a chef’s knife, but a small knife should work just fine.

Now is the tricky part. It’s really not that tricky, but may take a little practice. Cut the watermelon lengthwise, to the bottom of the flesh but again not through the skin. Cut parallel to each opposite cut side. This means you’ll need to estimate the best angle of the knife to be parallel to the opposite cut side, and perpendicular to the side you’re cutting.

Tip: be careful! The watermelon is very slippery. You may need to go back over the cuts a couple times to get all the way to the bottom.

Now for the final cut: follow the curve of the rind with your knife, just where the red watermelon flesh turns white, on both sides.

Now, you should have cubes of watermelon! You can remove them with your hands, or just dump them into a large bowl.

Chances are, you’ll have some pieces still stuck to the rind. You can pick these off with your hands or use a paring knife to get them off. The more you practice this technique the fewer pieces will be left behind.

Ta da! You’re all done! You can just eat the cubed watermelon at this point, or use it in a recipe.