Wellness Origin HubWatermelon mint cooler, blended and strained
A watermelon mint cooler made by blending ripe watermelon with lime and mint, then straining it smooth. No added sugar needed, ready in ten minutes.
A watermelon mint cooler is ripe watermelon blended with a little lime, a few mint leaves and a pinch of salt, then strained so it is smooth and light. A good melon is sweet enough that you need no sugar at all. Blend for 20 seconds, strain, pour over ice, and it is ready in ten minutes.
Watermelon drinks are an everyday thing wherever the fruit grows well. In Mexico, agua de sandía is one of the classic aguas frescas, blended watermelon thinned with water and sold from big glass barrels. In Vietnam and Thailand, fresh watermelon juice or shakes are poured at street stalls all summer. This cooler sits between the two: no water added, a little lime and mint for freshness.
How to make it
- Cut the watermelon into cubes, removing the rind and as many black seeds as you can easily reach. Pale, soft seeds can stay.
- Put the watermelon, lime juice, mint leaves and salt in a blender and blend for 15 to 20 seconds, just until liquid. Blending longer chops the seeds and makes it bitter.
- Pour through a fine sieve into a jug, stirring gently with a spoon so the juice passes through. Do not press hard on the pulp.
- Taste. Add the honey or sugar only if your melon is not very sweet, and a little more lime if it tastes flat.
- Pour over ice into tall glasses and add a mint sprig to each.
Choosing a good watermelon
The cooler is only as good as the melon, so it is worth a minute at the shop:
| Sign | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Weight | Feels heavy for its size |
| Field spot | A creamy yellow patch where it rested on the ground, not white |
| Skin | Dull rather than very shiny, with a firm rind |
| Sound | A deep, hollow note when you tap it, not a dull thud |
| Cut melons | Deep pink or red flesh, no white streaks, no dry or grainy patches |
If the melon turns out pale and bland, the drink still works with a teaspoon of honey and a squeeze more lime.
Tips for the best flavour
- Chill the melon first. Cold watermelon blends into a cold drink, so you need less ice and it does not get watery.
- Go easy on the mint. Six leaves give freshness. More can turn grassy, especially if the leaves are blended for a long time.
- Do not skip the salt. A tiny pinch makes the melon taste sweeter and rounder, the same way salt is sprinkled on fresh fruit in Mexico and much of Asia.
- Strain gently. Pressing hard on the pulp pushes through a cloudy, foamy layer. Stirring and letting it drip gives a clear, bright juice.
- Any blender will do. Watermelon is so soft that even a basic jug blender handles it. Our guide to blenders for smoothies covers the stronger models if you also make thicker drinks.
Variations
- Agua de sandía: blend 500 g of watermelon with 500 ml of cold water and a little lime for a lighter, longer drink to fill a jug.
- Sparkling: fill the glass two-thirds with the cooler and top with soda water.
- Cucumber: blend in a few slices of peeled cucumber for an even fresher taste, close to our cucumber, lime and mint agua fresca.
- Ginger: add a thin slice of fresh ginger before blending for a little heat.
- Frozen: freeze watermelon cubes ahead and blend them with the lime and mint for a thick, slushy drink. No ice needed.
- Basil: swap the mint for a few basil leaves, which pairs surprisingly well with watermelon.
Make ahead and storage
Watermelon juice is best within a few hours. It keeps in a closed jar in the fridge for up to 24 hours, but it separates and loses its fresh taste, so stir or shake before serving. Leftover juice freezes well in ice cube trays and can go straight into the next batch.
Questions people ask
Does watermelon juice count towards hydration?
Yes. Watermelon is around 90 percent water, and like other drinks, juice counts towards your daily fluids. Water is still the best everyday choice; our guide to how much water you need goes through the numbers. After a long, sweaty day, see electrolytes explained for when water alone is enough.
Is it all right to blend the seeds?
Swallowing a few watermelon seeds is harmless, but blended black seeds give a bitter, gritty taste. Pick out what you can, blend briefly and strain, and the few left will not matter.
Is a watermelon cooler high in sugar?
There is no added sugar, but the natural sugars in fruit become free sugars once the fruit is blended into juice. The NHS suggests keeping fruit juice and smoothies to a combined total of 150 ml a day, so treat a glass as a summer treat rather than something to drink all day.
Photograph: AI-generated image
