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Home Drinks

Korean Watermelon Punch (Subak Hwachae 수박화채)

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Posted:7/20/2022
Recipe Print Video

Korean watermelon punch aka Subak Hwachae is a wonderful way to cool down in the summer! Choose one of my 3 variations to serve as dessert or summer drinks with your Korean meal.

watermelon punch in white milky liquid in bowl with spoon

Korean Watermelon Punch or Subak Hwachae 수박화채 is a very simple yet refreshing way to enjoy watermelon but with a little extra flavor. As with many other dishes, Koreans love to highlight the full flavor of the ingredient without overpowering it with other ingredients.

You may think that just adding water, sugar and maybe milk then ice is not much of a recipe but it really makes the watermelon even more refreshing and yummy.

About Subak Hwachae (Korean Watermelon Punch)

Subak 수박 is Watermelon in Korean so that’s simple. The Hwa 화 in Hwachae 화채 literally means flower 🌸 and Chae basically means ‘edible plant’. Hwachae originally refers to the traditional punch/drink where Omija syrup is used to make the base drink and either edible flowers or fruits cut into flower shapes are added on top.

But over the years, Koreans have made variations where different fruit other than Omija is used. BTW, Omija is my absolute favorite drink and I sell the Omija syrup (cheong) on my shop so you can buy it there if you’d like.

When I was growing up, Subak Hwachae was the quintessential summer drink to cool down in the summer. There were no air conditioners installed at homes way back when so I probably had either this Korean Watermelon Punch drink or Misugaru Drink almost every day.

And so just among family, we just scooped out the watermelon with a large spoon and then sprinkled some sugar on top and added lots of ice. By the time you are about done with a bowl of it, you have a fabulous drink made from watermelon juice + sugar + ice that seals the final cold flavor punch 🥊 (haha) at the end!

Another fun memory that comes to mind with watermelons and childhood is one with my brother. I’m sure you know that the sweetest part of the watermelon is the center part of the melon. And watermelons were usually cut into half and stored in the fridge as halves until you are ready to eat. Now, it’s one thing if you are going to make punch with it but if you are going to slice it, then it would be a common courtesy that one would eat a slice of it – NOT just the center part of the whole half of a watermelon!!

BUT, my brother was sneaky and lazy… he would always scoop a few spoonfuls out of the watermelon RIGHT from the CENTER!!!

“아 뭐야!! 누가 가운데만 파 먹었어?” – HEY!! Who scooped out the center and ate only that part?! – said I.

And he smiled back and me.. “먼저 먹는 사람이 임자지” – basically telling me, you snooze you lose or in other words, the one who eats it first gets whatever they want!! I love my brother but he can be soo annoying at times 😝😡 HAHAHA

Ingredients for Korean Watermelon Punch

  • Watermelon
  • Sprite or Korean cider (Chilseong cider or Cheonyeon Cider)
  • Milk – optional
  • Sugar
  • Other fruits (optional) like blueberries, strawberries as long as it doesn’t overpower the watermelon

FROM JINJOO!

Tips for Korean Watermelon Punch

Subak Hwachae 수박화채

  • Keep every ingredient chilled until ready to mix and serve. Prep ahead by making watermelon balls OR cutting them into cubes OR spooning them and keeping them cold in the fridge until ready to use.
  • Pour cider or sprite RIGHT BEFORE serving for the most fizz!
  • Adjust the sugar amount depending on how sweet the watermelon is. This dessert is great if you get a watermelon that’s not as sweet as you’d like it to be. Just add sugar till desired sweetness.
  • Substitute Milkis instead of mixing milk and cider to make it even easier!

How to make Korean WATERMELON PUNCH

Recipe #1 (my family-style simple watermelon punch)

Just scoop out or cut the watermelon into cubes, add a whole bunch of ice and sprinkle some sugar. I would say about 1 Tbs per 1.5 cups of watermelon. You may say it’s too simple to be a recipe but if you haven’t had it this way, you should try it, it’s extra refreshing and thirst-quenching.

Recipe #2 (milky fizzy watermelon punch)

  1. Cut cold watermelon into cubes or balls with a melon baller.
  2. In a bowl, add cold milk, watermelon, sugar and ice. Then pour sprite or Korean ciders like Chilseong Cider 칠성사이다 or Cheonyeon Cider 천연사이다 right before serving. It will bubble up and be perfectly fizzy and milky like a MILKIS!

Recipe #3 (strawberry watermelon punch)

  1. Cut cold watermelon into cubes or into balls with a melon baller and set aside.
  2. In a blender, add strawberries, cut watermelon (the smaller amount), sugar, and milk. Blend until smooth.
  3. In a bowl, add the watermelon then pour the blended strawberry + watermelon juice. Add ice.

Make a Red White and Blue Watermelon Punch!

Add blueberries to the milk + cider combination and you have a RED, WHITE and BLUE patriotic 🇺🇸 Watermelon Punch!

korean watermelon punch with watermelon balls, blueberries in milky liquid with ice

Serve with some Red White and Blue straws like below which can also work like a toothpick to get the watermelon balls.

watermelon punch in cup with red white blue straw

WATCH QuiCK VIDEO

How to serve and store Korean Watermelon Punch

Serve the watermelon punch either as a refreshing snack in the summer or as a dessert drink at the end of a meal. In Korea, Subak Hwachae is usually served in a small bowl (instead of a cup) with a spoon for each person. People either drink from the bowl and/or use the spoon to eat the fruit – like below.

Storage – this drink can be stored in the fridge for a day or so but you will lose any carbonation if there was any cider added. You can always add a bit more milk and cider to liven it up if you’d like once it’s stored.

Korean watermelon punch subak hwachae served in glass bowl with spoon
Cubed Korean watermelon punch
fizzy foamy watermelon punch in bowl
Watermelon balls Subak Hwachae

Watch my fully narrated YouTube Video –

Korean Watermelon Punch - 3 WAYS!

Well I hope you can Stay cool with these wonderful refreshing punch drinkl!! 🍉🍉

XOXO ❤️

JinJoo

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watermelon punch in cup with red white blue straw

Korean Watermelon Punch (Subak Hwachae)

Korean Watermelon Punch is a great refreshing summer drink or dessert that you can easily make at home with just a few ingredients!
Prep: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
serves: 4

Ingredients

recipe #1 (Cooling)

  • 1/4 watermelon cubed, spooned or melon balled (1/4 watermelon is about 2 cups)
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/3 cup ice

recipe #2 (Fizzy Style)

  • 1/4 watermelon cubed, spooned or melon balled (1/4 watermelon is about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1.5 cup sprite or Korean cider like Chilseong Cider or Cheonyeon Cider
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 cup ice

recipe #3 (fruity and fun)

  • 1/4 watermelon cubed, spooned or melon balled (1/4 watermelon is about 2 cups)

Punch Liquid

  • 1/2 cup watermelon cut for blender
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 6-8 strawberries
  • 1/2 cup ice

Instructions

Recipe #1 (Just Watermelon)

  • Cut cold watermelon into cubes or balled with a melon baller or spooned with a large spoon. My favorite is the spooned style – probably because it's the easiest.
  • In a bowl, add the cold watermelon, some water, sprinkle with sugar and ice. It's soo simple but you will find this sooo refreshing and cooling than having watermelon by itself.

Recipe #2 (Fizzy Watermelon Punch)

  • Cut cold watermelon into cubes or balled with a melon baller.
  • In a bowl, add cold milk, watermelon, sugar and ice. Then pour sprite or Korean ciders like Chilseong Cider 칠성사이다 or Cheonyeon Cider 천연사이다 right before serving. It will bubble up and be perfectly fizzy and milky like a MILKIS!

Recipe #3 (Berry flavored Punch)

  • Cut cold watermelon into cubes or balled with a melon baller and set aside.
  • In a blender, add strawberries, cut watermelon (the smaller amount), sugar, milk and blend until smooth.
  • In a bowl, add the cubed or balled watermelon from 1st step then pour the blended strawberry + watermelon + milk juice. Then add ice.

Equipment

  • 1 melon baller optional
  • 1 blender only if you are making recipe #3
Author: JinJoo Lee
Course:Dessert, Drinks
Cuisine:Korean
Keyword:punch, watermelong
KoreanCategory:Che(채)
Did You Make This?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @Kimchimari or #kimchimari and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below!

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Nutritional Facts in my recipe cards are provided as an estimate and may not be accurate. Due to different brands of ingredients having different nutritional values, the values I provide here may be different from your preparation.
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