4 Ways to Tell if a Honeydew Is Ripe

Honeydew is the unsung hero of your favorite fruit salads.

By Ann Walczak

Published on July 9, 2023

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Watermelon and cantaloupe tend to take center stage in the summer, but honeydew is the unsung hero of your fruit salad. When ripe, it's incredibly juicy and has a sweet, almost candy-like flavor. It's also packed with vitamin C, not to mention fiber and hydrating water content that makes honeydew perfect for that summer heat.

Honeydew is easily the most divisive of the melons, earning a bad rap as a "flavorless alternative to cantaloupe." (How rude!) The rate of purchase and consumption is a fraction of other melons, despite being consistently less expensive. Sampling a sad honeydew at a buffet one time and never trying again is a tale as old as time. If this sounds like you, consider this your sign to try again. Here's how to make sure the melon you take home will meet your expectations.

How to Choose a Good Honeydew Melon

Unlike some other melons, honeydews won't fall off the vine naturally or develop an overwhelming scent in the field. Choosing a good one simply involves relying on 4 of your 5 senses: sight, touch, smell, and sound.

How to Tell if a Honeydew Is Ripe

Appearance

Color is the first sign of ripe melon, even though the green hue is one that would usually mean immaturity in other fruits. The green rind of honeydew will adopt a creamy, yellowish hue when ripe. Additionally, there shouldn't be any blemishes. Look for a melon as even in color as possible, gorgeous and buttery all around.

Feel

Gently push on the blossom side (opposite the side where the stem was attached) with your thumb. If it gives a bit, take it home. If it's rock hard, it's unripe — and if it's mushy, it's too ripe. The melon should allow just a little depression, and then bounce back.

The whole exterior should be smooth and waxy, not dusty or dull. The latter likely means it was taken too soon.

Smell

If you're buying your honeydew from a farmers market, where the melon is warm and has perhaps been in the sun, you may be able to smell its sweet aroma through the skin. You'll also get hints of flowers and/or musk along with the sugary scent – fittingly, like warm honey. But if you're in a grocery store, this trick may not be applicable.

Sound

Go ahead and knock on the melon with your fist like you'd do on someone's door. If it answers back with a nice hollow sound, there's a good chance it's ripe.

Get the recipe: Minted Melon Summer Salad

Will Honeydew Melon Ripen on the Counter?

Honeydew will not ripen once it's been cut off from its nutrient-delivering vine. But should you find yourself with a melon purchased prematurely, fear not. Leave it on the counter for a few days to soften a bit, then toss it in a smoothie, refreshing cold gazpacho, or on the grill to coax out a little extra sweetness.

Ways to Use Ripe Honeydew Melon

The most commonly used form of honeydew is cut up and added to a chilled fruit salad. Like cantaloupe, honeydew pairs well with salty, cured meats, makes a fine salsa for something like tropical fish tacos, and its water content lends itself perfectly to frozen drinks or frozen treats like sorbet or popsicles. In terms of melons, honeydew is perhaps the best suited for a chilled soup like gazpacho, and for ice cube molds that make drinks a summer luxury.