Because really, has summer actually began if you’re not diving your face into a watermelon basket fruit salad? I know, I’m just THAT extra these days 😂 But hey, looks pretty neat right!?
Watermelon Basket
So when the heck are you going to make a watermelon basket?
A watermelon basket is perfect for any sort of get to together. Sure, a big bowl of fruit salad looks great, but stick it in a watermelon basket and people flock to it. I’m talking BBQs, potluck, picnics, dinner parties and realistically I’m talking any sort of event where there’s also a chocolate fountain. Can you imagine!? 😭
What do you need to make a watermelon basket?
Sharp Knife Melon Baller – to scoop out the flesh into balls. 2 Elastic Bands – to help guide the carving.
Process shots: wrap one elastic band horizontally through the centre and the other vertically through the centre (photo 1), gently carve an outline approx 1/2″ either side of the top elastic band. This will shape the handle. Gently carve an outline straight along the other elastic band (photo 2), once happy with the guidelines, slice through and remove the chunk (photo 3).
Can you actually hold a watermelon basket?
Yes – I have actually tested this 🤣 I mean what use is a basket if it can’t carry any weight! All jokes aside if the handle is around 1″ thick and you don’t overload the basket you should be totally fine.
How do you cut a watermelon for fruit salad?
The easiest way to get the flesh out of the watermelon is to use a melon baller. You should be able to find one of these in most stores. It’s an easy way to remove as much flesh as possible without cutting through the skin. Plus you get a ton of funky watermelon balls! Process shots: repeat with the other side, leaving the handle with flesh intact (photo 4), carefully cut through the flesh left underneath the handle. Level out the surface so it’s even if you need to (photo 5), use a melon baller to scoop out all of the flesh and combine with your favourite fruit (photo 6).
Watermelon Fruit Salad
A fruit salad is one of those recipes that has no real rules or boundaries. For me? I keep it fairly simple, garnish it well and tend to prefer fruit salads without juice. My tips for the best fruit salad are to keep the colours vibrant and steer away from your average everyday fruit. Here’s the usual suspects for me:
Pineapple Pomegranate Strawberries Blueberries Fig Passion Fruit
To juice or not to juice?
There will be a lot of excess watermelon juice once you’ve scooped out the flesh. You can keep this in the basket, or even combine it with extra fruit juice, or you can drain it away and have a slightly dryer fruit salad. Up to you!
Serving a Watermelon Basket
Once you’ve whipped up the fruit salad, just scoop it back into the basket and Bob’s your uncle! I also like to garnish with some fresh mint too.
Can you make a watermelon basket the day before?
You sure can! Just tightly cover in the fridge. It’ll last a good 3-5days.
What to do with leftover watermelon?
You’ll be left with leftover watermelon (from the two chunks you remove to make the basket). You can store it in the fridge then use it in any of these recipes:
Watermelon Salad Recipes
Grilled Watermelon Salad Watermelon Feta Salad Watermelon Mozzarella Salad More Watermelon Salad Ideas!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this watermelon basket shall we?!
How to make a Watermelon Basket (Full Recipe & Video)
If you loved this Watermelon Basket Recipe then be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
