How to cut a watermelon

Watermelon is one of summer’s most refreshing, healthy treats, but it’s not always the easiest to prep. We’ll show you how to cut it with ease, so you’re left with juicy morsels you can add to salads, smoothies and sangria.

Food Editor

Malou Herkes

Who doesn’t love a bite of delicious, juicy watermelon on a warm summer's day? Follow our step-by-step guide to prepping this hefty fruit, then enjoy straight up or add it to refreshing summer dishes – Thai-style watermelon salad anyone? Keep an eye out for our Yellow Flesh Watermelon, coming to your local Foodhall on 30 July, for a sunshine-sweet twist on the classic fruity fave.

Browse M&S melons

How to cut a watermelon: step by step

Before you begin, get yourself a large knife and a chopping board, making sure it’s secure on your work surface. For extra grip, place a wet cloth underneath to stop it from slipping. Now, let’s get into it...

Step one

Place the watermelon on your board and carefully slice off each end, then position it so that it’s resting on one of its flat edges.

Step two

Slice away the peel from top to bottom, rotating the watermelon as you go. Try to remove the white pith without cutting off too much of the red flesh with it.

Step three

Halve the peeled watermelon down the middle, then place it flat-surface-down on the board. Slice the flesh horizontally into equal-sized slabs. The thickness depends on how big you want the pieces to be – here, we cut them about 3cm thick.

Step four

Keeping the watermelon slabs neatly in place, slice the watermelon from top to bottom at roughly 3cm intervals, then from left to right at 3cm intervals, for delicious, even-sized watermelon cubes.

How to use watermelon this summer

Put juicy watermelon centre stage in this sweet, spicy Thai-inspired watermelon salad, paired with fresh mint and Thai basil, and topped with crispy onions and peanuts for gorgeous texture. Grilling melon slices on the barbecue will give your dish a whole new vibe in this grilled melon and feta salad – for this dish to work, don't peel the watermelon so it holds its own on the barbecue.

Transform watermelon into this melon and fruit tower – a refined sugar-free alternative to birthday cake – or throw it into this white sangria, worthy of a summer garden gathering.

More summer recipes

Is watermelon good for you?

Watermelon is not only refreshing and delicious, it's also packed with goodness. One of your 5-a-day and made up of over 90% water by weight, it will give you a fruity burst of hydration on hot days. Watermelon is naturally low in calories and can contain micronutrients which support overall health, such as vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene. Plus, its natural sweetness makes it a nourishing way to curb sugar cravings – swap the lolly for a slice of the good stuff.

More vitamin C foods

Melon mania at M&S

We’ve not only got everyone’s favourite red-fleshed watermelon in store this summer, look out for our new Yellow Flesh Watermelon (available 30 July). With a tiger-stripe peel and a deep-yellow, sweet and crunchy flesh, this is watermelon, but not as you know it.

Aside from juicy Honeydew Melon and fragrant Piel de Sapo Melon, we've also got brand-new Waikiki Melon. A first for the UK, it's a real beauty, with pearly-white peel and deep, salmon-coloured, vanilla-scented flesh.

Whatever you fancy, all our melons are sourced from trusted M&S Select Farms who only choose the pick of the crop for us.

More melon mania

Published 7.2.2025