When you think of juice, the first thing that comes to mind is probably apple juice or orange juice. While these are both tasty and nutritious, there are many other fresh fruits that make excellent juice! Have you ever tried cantaloupe juice? While not the most common way to enjoy a cantaloupe, cantaloupe juice is a delicious and refreshing way to enjoy this sweet summer melon.
Keep reading to learn all about cantaloupe juice, including ways to use it and how to make your own!
Why Drink Cantaloupe Juice?
Cantaloupe has a high water content. so it’s perfect for juicing. Fresh fruit juice is easy to digest and is a good way to help your body absorb nutrients quickly.
On a hot summer day, a cold, refreshing drink is just the thing to cool you down. Cantaloupe juice has a fresh flavor that is sweet and tasty. It’s the perfect refreshing beverage to beat the summer heat.
If that wasn’t enough reason to drink it, there are many great health benefits in cantaloupe juice as well!
Health Benefits of Cantaloupe Juice
Cantaloupes are one of the most nutrient-dense fruits you can get. They are full of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, folate, zinc, potassium, and magnesium. They even have small amounts of calcium and iron.
Cantaloupes are especially high in Vitamin C which makes them fantastic for supporting healthy immune function. Just one cup of cantaloupe juice provides over 100% of your daily value of Vitamin C. Step aside orange juice, there’s another immune-boosting juice on the block!
Cantaloupe is naturally low in calories so you can still enjoy a glass even if you’re following a strict diet.
Drinking a glass of cantaloupe juice is a great way to rehydrate after a workout. Instead of drinking a sports drink filled with added sugar and artificial flavors and colors, try a cool and healthy class of refreshing cantaloupe juice.
Where to Get Cantaloupe Juice
You can get fresh cantaloupe juice from juice bars and specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods. You can sometimes find it at the regular grocery stores, though it’s not as common as many other juices.
Bottled cantaloupe juice has many of the same health benefits as fresh cantaloupe juice, though you should check the label to watch out for added ingredients like sugar and artificial preservatives that you may want to avoid.
How to Make Your Own Cantaloupe Juice
If you can’t find cantaloupe juice at the store, it’s easy to make your own at home. It’s so simple, you’ll wonder why you never tried it sooner!
How to Juice a Cantaloupe
With a juicer, making fresh cantaloupe juice at home is easy and fast.
Start by peeling the cantaloupe and removing the seeds. Next, chop it into chunks that are the right size for your juicer. If you like, leave some of the rinds to add to the juicer. The rind actually contains a lot of beneficial nutrients that usually just get thrown away.
Follow the instructions on your juicer and drink the juice right away for the most benefits. You can also pour the juice into a cup, cover it, and place it in the fridge to save for later.
What if I don’t have a Juicer?
If you don’t have a juicer, don’t worry! You can still make cantaloupe juice at home even if you don’t have a juicer.
After peeling and chopping, add chunks of cantaloupe to a blender or food processor. Add a bit of water for a thinner juice or blend the cantaloupe alone.
Blend until smooth then strain the juice with a fine-mesh sieve. You can also drink the juice without straining to get more fiber. The texture of unstrained cantaloupe juice is somewhat like a melted smoothie.
Does Cantaloupe Juice Need a Sweetener?
You can add a sweetener like, sugar, maple syrup, or homemade simple syrup if you like, but cantaloupe is sweet on its own and tastes just as good without sweetener.
Ways to Enjoy Cantaloupe Juice
One of the best ways to enjoy cantaloupe juice is by drinking it on its own. You can drink cantaloupe juice by the glass or the pitcher if you can’t get enough. It’s lightly sweet and very refreshing.
Another way to enjoy cantaloupe juice is to mix it with other fruit juices. Cantaloupe juice pairs well with juice from other melons like honeydew and watermelon. You can also mix it with other fruit and vegetable juices like pineapple, orange, celery, or carrot.
Cantaloupe juice makes a great addition to smoothies and cocktails as well. Try one of the combinations below for a refreshing drink with all the health benefits of nutritious cantaloupe juice.
Recipes
- Cantaloupe Juice with Ginger and Lime
- Cantaloupe Juice with Orange, Cucumber, and Carrot
- Simple Cantaloupe Smoothie
How to Choose the Perfect Cantaloupe
If you’re making cantaloupe juice at home, you’ll want to start with a sweet, ripe, cantaloupe. If you’re not sure how to pick out the best cantaloupe, I have some tips for you!
Isn’t it just the worst to pick out a fresh melon then get home and cut it open only to realize it’s underripe, overripe, or just plain bland and overall not good?
These tips will help you avoid that problem and help you pick out a sweet, ripe, cantaloupe every time.
Keep an eye out for:
Color: the cantaloupe should be a nice beigy gold color. Not green.
Stem scar: Find the place where the stem was attached to the fruit. A stem scar indicates the cantaloupe was picked when it was ripe. A piece of stem left behind means the cantaloupe was picked before it was ripe and won’t be as sweet.
Texture: The skin should be rough and very firm when you touch it. If the surface of the cantaloupe is smooth that means it’s not ripe yet, and if it’s soft when you gently press on it, that means it’s overripe.
For more details on how to tell if a cantaloupe is ripe, check out our more detailed outline.
Can I Grow my own Cantaloupes?
Absolutely! Cantaloupes from the store are convenient, healthy, and delicious, but growing your own fresh cantaloupe is even better.
Cantaloupes like nutrient-rich soil, full sun, lots of water, and plenty of heat. The plants grow large so they need plenty of room to expand. To maximize space in a small garden you can use a trellis to support your cantaloupe plants.
To grow cantaloupes from seed, start indoors or direct sow onto raised mounds.
If starting from seed, plant five seeds on a mound and thin to the best two or three plants once sprouts emerge. If transplanting seedlings, put two or three plants on each hill with hills at least eighteen inches apart.
Cantaloupe seeds are available to purchase at most retailers that sell garden seeds. But it’s easier for you to buy them online! You often find cantaloupe starter plants at garden centers and nurseries in the spring and early summer months to make it even easier to grow your own cantaloupes.
Time to Enjoy some Refreshing Cantaloupe Juice
Whether you’re making your own or buying a bottle from the store, fresh cantaloupe juice is a tasty treat with many amazing health benefits. Remember to keep an eye out for the telltale signs of ripeness next time you’re at the grocery store.
Excited for more cantaloupe content? Then check out my cantaloupe page for growing tips, info guides, recipes, and more!