How to Make Cold Press Watermelon Juice

Of course, there are the classic cold press apple juice and orange juice recipes, but sometimes you just need some cold press watermelon juice to really quench your thirst.

Oh look- we have that process for you right here!

Watermelon is Special 

It’s a pretty straightforward process to cold press these big melons and only requires a little hands-on work to get you to your glorious juice. Watermelon itself has a few unique properties that lend well to the cold press juicing process.

For one, watermelon doesn’t rise as much during pressing like most produce so you can go a little wild when filling your bag. Another is that it’s very water-dense while also being fairly firm. This means it releases its juice quickly, becoming nearly fully expressed in often just the first press cycle (what a time saver!).

How To Make Cold Press Watermelon Juice 

1. Peel the outer rind, removing as much white as you prefer
2. Cut your melon up into two-four inch chunks
3. Throw the chunks straight into the bag (no shredding necessary!)
4. Fill the bag almost to the very top
5. Turn the speed of the press down for a slow press

In a test run of this process with 20 pounds of watermelon, we were able to produce over 15 pounds of juice in a single bag with a single press on an M200 used as an M100 (single bag). How’s that for impressive! (Of course, your watermelon juice yield will vary based on your own watermelons and water density and all that)

If you are mixing watermelon with other produce for a recipe, feel free to shred your melon right along with the rest of the produce (read below about our take on the rind). We recommend using a pulping blade for mixed produce, but we also always recommend testing and finding the best process for you.

To Rind or Not To Rind? 

When making cold press watermelon juice, the rind can greatly affect the flavor. It adds a tartness that you may or may not appreciate.

One way we suggest testing this is to imagine you’re eating a watermelon. When you get close to the rind, do you enjoy the flavor? Does that tartness add to the finish of your melon treat? To maintain this tart finish, you can keep all or only part of the rind on your melon when you press.

Or are you a “red flesh only and can’t toss that rind into the compost fast enough” person? In this case, you’ll want to remove nearly all of the rind to achieve that smooth, sweet, jolly rancher flavor.

Of course, you can also test it by making juice with and without the rind to varying degrees. That works too and is very adventurous. (Don’t forget to take notes!)

Watermelon Juice  Additions To Try 

Mint

Freshen up your watermelon flavor with a minty profile by tossing some leaves directly into the press bag before pressing.

Sea Salt 

The lovely profile of a flavorful salt can really take your watermelon juice up a notch or two. (Remember all those relatives you have who salt their melon slices before snacking? They were on to something…) You can add sea salt when pressing or afterward directly into your freshly pressed juice.

NOTE: if you’re adding sea salt to the produce prior to pressing, don’t forget you have now “salted” your press bag and it WILL affect the flavor profiles of subsequent juicing! Also, add your salt to the bag then press right away! Watermelon will begin to “melt” once salted and the quality of your press will dramatically decline over time.

Second thought– maybe just add your sea salt to the final pressed juice for that special pop of flavor and avoid all the fuss of adding it to the bag. (But we won’t stop you!)

Lime 

No need to peel, just cut the limes into quarters and toss them straight into the bag with your watermelon. Do test out the ratios of how much– we’ve had some “heavy on the lime” watermelon juice and well… let’s just say it wasn’t our favorite. It really is possible to have too much of a good thing!

Happy Juicing!