What Is A Yellow Watermelon? Origin, Taste & Benefits

We’re talking yellow flesh on the inside—the golden, crispy sweetness inside the rind. You may need to hunt around to find yellow watermelons. Larger grocery stores sometimes carry them; this season, we’ve found them at Trader Joe’s. 

Also, check at local co-ops, specialty food stores, and your local farmers’ market. Talk to the growers if you don’t find any at the market. Often, they’ll adjust next year’s crop plans based on customer input. If enough people are interested in a crop, someone there will grow it. And, of course, they’re easy to grow yourself.

What Is a Yellow Watermelon?

Watermelons, whether round or oval, striped or uniformly colored, red, pink, or yellow-fleshed, are all the same species, Citrullus lanatus. Buy a yellow watermelon and you might not notice any difference, but the inside yellow flesh. From the outside, they look the same.

Just like red watermelons, yellow watermelons are available in sizes from small, personal watermelons (where’s the fun in that?) to giant, cooler-sized ovals. They can be seeded or seedless, although if you opt for seedless, you won’t have a chance to practice watermelon seed spitting for National Watermelon Day. The current watermelon seed-spitting world record is just over 75 feet!

Watermelon cultivation began as early as 5000 years ago in southern Africa. By 4000 years ago, they had become popular enough in ancient Egypt to be depicted in tomb paintings. Watermelons were likely introduced to the Americas in the 16th century, although we don’t know if they were red or yellow–or both.

Taste

Yellow watermelons are slightly sweeter than reds, and many folks find they have a slight honey flavor (although maybe that’s our brain interpreting the taste based on the color). Some varieties also have a hint of apricot. 

Imagine a red watermelon’s flavor, then add a bit more sweetness and a hint of fruitiness. The texture is the same and should be crisp and juicy. They can be seedless or have seeds.

Health Benefits

As the name suggests, watermelons are mostly water–about 92%. They’re excellent for hydration on a hot summer day. They are also a good source of vitamin C and B6 and contain about 46 calories per cup.

Snacking on watermelon is a low-calorie way to grab some antioxidants, vitamins, and hydration. It also helps you feel full, so you won’t have as many cravings between meals. Since most of us don’t get our recommended 1.5 to 2.5 cups of fruit per day, a big serving of watermelon is a pretty painless–and tasty–way to increase our intake.

Yellow watermelons get their bright color from beta-carotene, the same compound that makes carrots orange. The beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, meaning that your body can form vitamin A from beta-carotene as needed. By contrast, red varieties are red because of lycopene. 

Types of Yellow Watermelons

You won’t likely find more than one variety of yellow watermelon at the farmers’ market, but if you grow your own, the options are expanded. Buy some seeds, sneak them into your friend’s melon patch, and wait for their surprise in summer!

• New Orchid: a hybrid melon yielding 7-9lb fruits. This variety is favored for its sherbert-like flavor and golden meat. The rinds are dark green with lighter stripes for a classical-looking, slightly oval melon.
• Tropical Sunshine: This round, dark green striped melon lives up to its name and is a favorite. Larger 11-13-pound fruits are seedless.
• Yellow Petite: a smaller melon perfect for solo snacking, with fruits averaging about six pounds. This melon is an early maturing variety with a more mild flavor. A great choice for areas with shorter growing seasons.
• Mountain Sweet Yellow: if you like a huge melon, here’s the ticket. These classic-looking oval melons are bright green with beautiful dark stripes and canary yellow flesh. Best of all, you won’t need to bring more than one to the party. At 25 to 35 pounds each, these melons bring a lot of sweet, yellow flavor. 

Differences From Red Watermelons

Buy a yellow watermelon–some folks pick them up accidentally from the store–and you might not notice any difference but the inside color. From the outside, they look the same. While some varieties are sweeter, they vary, just like with red watermelons. The most important factor is to choose one that is ripe. Any melon will taste disappointing if it isn’t at its peak.

Unlike common red varieties, you may have to search around and pay a little more for one of these less common yellow varieties. However, growing them in the garden is exactly the same, and the seeds are easy to find online. See the Almanac’s growing guide on how to plant, grow, and harvest watermelon.

Using Yellow Watermelon in Your Diet

The best way to eat a yellow watermelon might be to take a fat half-moon slice, head outside so you drip on the grass and just chow down. Fresh watermelon is the ultimate summer treat! Eating a local, summer-ripened watermelon can’t even be compared to an imported winter grocery store melon picked early and refrigerated for weeks. Get ‘em while you can!

However, there are other ways to enjoy them:

• A fun addition to summer drinks and cocktails, with its fun yellow color and light sweetness.
• On skewers with other fruits is fantastic. 
• Try yellow watermelon in any recipe for red melons, including in fresh watermelon salads, smoothies, sherbert, salsa, or even watermelon punch. 
• Try making a watermelon simple syrup.

Ever tried yellow watermelon yourself? Please share what you think below!