Homemade Watermelon Juice

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. With a sharp knife, slice 1 small watermelon in half.
3. Using a spoon (I use a big serving spoon), scoop out the flesh and transfer it to a blender (I use a Vitamix) or food processor. Remove the seeds, if your watermelon is not the seedless kind. Tip: I like this method more than cutting the watermelon into cubes because you will never lose watermelon juice and the working surface stays clean!
4. Pour the juice left at the bottom of the watermelon half into the blender. Don‘t discard the rind (I‘ll show you a delicious recipe with this below). Then, continue with the other half.
5. Squeeze the juice from ½ lime into the blender (I use a lemon squeezer).
6. Blend the watermelon until it liquifies and is totally pulverized. Tip: At this stage, cover and cool in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours if your watermelon wasn‘t pre-refrigerated.
7. Taste the watermelon juice to check the sweetness. I usually mix in 2 Tbsp Homemade Simple Syrup even if the watermelon is naturally sweet. It takes off the sharpness. Alternatively, you can always add simple syrup to your individual glass later.
8. Simple syrup is made of equal parts sugar and water. If you have 5 extra minutes, you should definitely make a big batch and keep it around, especially in the summer months. Because it‘s a liquid sweetener, it blends easily with all kinds of beverages!

To Serve

1. Pour the Homemade Watermelon Juice into a glass. Optionally, garnish with a slice of lime and mint leaves. You can also add a few ice cubes to the glass to keep the juice well chilled.

To Store

1. The watermelon juice will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2–3 days. The juice will separate, so stir it with a spoon before serving.

To Repurpose the Watermelon Rind

1. My family and I absolutely love this Pickled Watermelon Rind recipe and hope you will like it as much as we do.
2. Cut the watermelon rind into small pieces. Then, cut off and discard the tough, dark green skin from the white part of the rind.
3. Now, slice the white watermelon rind into a uniform size and shape for optimal pickling. For this batch, I used ½ inch (1.3 cm) pieces, but you can cut yours into cubes or other shapes. Now, hop over to this recipe for the pickling sauce and instructions!