Hwachae is a type of Korean watermelon punch. I recently saw it going viral on Tiktok so I decided to try making it at home. It was a little sweet the first time I made it, so this time I am using lemon-flavored carbonated water instead of soda.
Have you heard of hwachae? It has been going viral on social media lately, and I can't believe I am just hearing about it. There is this girl on TikTok who makes it using a whole watermelon, dragon fruit, berries, Sprite, strawberry milk, and jellies.
I think the traditional version is made with way fewer ingredients, mainly Korean cider, milk, and watermelon juice. But the one she makes looks so good, so today, I will be sharing a version similar to hers.
Essential ingredients
Watermelon: Obviously, we need a watermelon. Many people like to scoop out the watermelon flesh and use the rind as a bowl. One pro tip is to put the watermelon rind in the freezer so it becomes a giant ice bowl. I have this melon baller that lets me scoop the watermelon into pretty little balls:
Carbonated drink: Traditionally, hwachae is made with Sprite but it is a bit too sweet for my taste. I could easily finish a whole bowl to myself, so I am using low-sugar soda water instead. The important thing is to add it at the end so the carbonation lasts longer. I pour it slowly along the side of the watermelon, so less fizz escapes.
Milk: You can use strawberry milk, regular milk, or regular milk mixed with another drink. Since I am going for a less sweet version today, I am using regular milk mixed with some cranberry juice.
Cranberry juice: I typically use cranberry or pomegranate juice. If you use cranberry/pomegranate juice, it does not have to be the expensive kind. You can just use the cheaper "cocktail" version.
Toppings
There really is no limit to what you can put in hwachae. Just think of it like a giant bubble tea. You can add jellies, fruit, tapioca, popping boba, yogurt, or anything you want. For mine, I added chopped strawberries and canned peaches.
The important thing is to chop the fruit into very small pieces. About the same size as bubble tea toppings that you can eat through a wide straw. This makes it way more enjoyable to eat without big chunks of fruit.
Hwachae
Ingredients
- ½ medium watermelon
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
- 1 cup chopped canned peaches (plus 2 tablespoons of syrup from the can)
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup cranberry juice (or pomegranate juice)
- 1 can carbonated water (I am using lemon-flavored soda water)
- 3-5 ice cubes
Instructions
- Scoop out the watermelon flesh using a melon baller or spoon. If you use a spoon, chop the watermelon into bite-sized pieces. Try to scrape out as much flesh as possible. Watermelon juice will build up at the bottom of the rind, leave this in the melon.
- Add the chopped strawberries, peaches, melon balls, milk, cranberry juice, and ice to the empty rind. Gently stir to combine.
- Pour the carbonated water around the edges of the watermelon so less fizz escapes then add a little bit of syrup from the canned peaches. Gently stir to combine then serve.
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