Watermelons are summer’s juiciest treasure, offering a perfect balance of sweetness and refreshment on hot days. While most people grab whatever watermelon looks good at the store, true melon enthusiasts know there’s a whole world of varieties with different sweetness levels, textures, and even colors.
From tiny personal-sized melons to massive picnic favorites, these 15 varieties represent the sweetest, most delicious watermelons you can grow or find at farmers’ markets.
1. Sugar Baby
Holy sweetness overload! Sugar Baby watermelons pack more sugary punch per bite than most desserts you’ve eaten. These perfectly round, dark green beauties typically weigh just 8-10 pounds, making them ideal for smaller households or limited garden space.
Despite their modest size, they deliver concentrated sweetness that’ll make your taste buds dance. The deep red flesh contains fewer seeds than many varieties, letting you enjoy more uninterrupted bites.
2. Orangeglo
Prepare for a mind-bending watermelon experience! Orangeglo shatters expectations with its shocking bright orange flesh that looks like sunset captured in fruit form. First-timers often do a double-take – yes, it’s actually orange inside!
Flavor-wise, this rebel delivers an intoxicating honey-like sweetness that’s more complex than traditional red varieties. The large, oblong fruits typically weigh 15-25 pounds and feature a light green rind with jagged dark green stripes.
3. Sweet Beauty
Supermodel of the watermelon world! Sweet Beauty flaunts long, elegant oval fruits with tiger-striped rinds that practically scream ‘eat me!’ Crack one open to reveal intensely crimson flesh that’s firmer than most varieties, giving it an almost crisp bite that watermelon connoisseurs adore.
Size-wise, these stunners typically weigh 6-8 pounds – perfect for refrigerator space. The flavor profile? Imagine concentrated watermelon essence with honey undertones and zero bitterness.
4. Sweet Princess
Royalty has arrived in your garden! Sweet Princess watermelons command attention with their massive 20-30 pound oblong fruits and unparalleled juiciness. The moment your knife pierces the thick, dark green rind, prepare for juice to cascade everywhere – seriously, you’ll want to cut these outdoors!
The flesh? Ruby-red perfection with a texture that melts rather than crunches, creating an almost creamy mouthfeel. Seeds are relatively sparse and concentrated in the center, maximizing the edible portion.
5. Yellow Doll
Surprise your friends with this sunny imposter! Yellow Doll tricks the eyes but delights the taste buds with its canary-yellow flesh that looks nothing like traditional watermelon. The bright color isn’t just for show – it delivers a distinctly honey-sweet flavor that’s less acidic than red varieties.
These personal-sized treasures typically weigh 5-7 pounds, perfect for small families or solo watermelon enthusiasts. The outer appearance features light green skin with dark green stripes, giving no hint of the golden surprise inside.
6. King Of Hearts
Game-changing seedless perfection! King of Hearts revolutionizes summer picnics by eliminating the spit-or-swallow seed dilemma entirely. These medium-sized beauties (typically 15-20 pounds) feature deep crimson flesh that’s consistently sweet from rind to center – no disappointing pale spots or bland areas.
The texture strikes the perfect balance between firm and juicy, holding its shape when sliced yet releasing plenty of sweet juice with each bite. The dark green rind shows subtle lighter veining, giving it a distinctive appearance in the garden or at market.
7. Black Diamond
Absolute unit of the watermelon kingdom! Black Diamond watermelons command respect with their massive 40-50 pound fruits that can feed an entire neighborhood. The nearly black-green exterior earned this heirloom its jewel-inspired name, while hiding the intensely sweet, deep red flesh within.
Dating back to 1942, this classic variety offers old-fashioned flavor that puts modern hybrids to shame. The flesh texture is distinctively dense and crisp rather than watery, with a perfect sugar-to-juice ratio that creates rich, complex sweetness.
8. Crimson Sweet
America’s backyard champion! Crimson Sweet dominates home gardens nationwide because it simply refuses to fail, even for novice growers. The distinctive light green skin with dark green stripes houses some of the most reliably delicious red flesh in the watermelon world.
These medium-large 15-25 pound fruits strike the perfect balance between manageable size and generous servings. The flesh texture is remarkably consistent – never mealy or stringy – with a high sugar content that develops even in less-than-ideal conditions.
9. Golden Midget
Nature’s perfect single serving! Golden Midget watermelons will make you do a double-take with their extraordinary golden-yellow rinds that signal ripeness without any guesswork. These adorable 3-pound wonders fit in the palm of your hands, offering personal portions of sweet, salmon-pink flesh.
Developed in the 1950s by Elwyn Meader and Albert Yaeger, these genetic marvels change color from green to gold when perfectly ripe – the only watermelon variety with this unique trait! The flavor concentrates into an intensely sweet profile with subtle honey notes.
10. Mini Love
Apartment dwellers rejoice! Mini Love watermelons deliver full-sized flavor in apartment-friendly packages. These adorable 7-8 pound fruits grow on remarkably compact vines that need just 3-4 feet of space – perfect for balconies, small raised beds, or container gardens.
Crack open the dark green rind to reveal intensely red, seedless flesh that rivals any full-sized melon for sweetness. The texture hits the perfect balance between crisp and juicy, with a clean, refreshing finish that makes it impossible to eat just one slice.
11. Blacktail Mountain
Cold-climate miracle worker! Blacktail Mountain shatters the myth that delicious watermelons require southern heat. Developed in northern Idaho’s mountains, these remarkable 8-12 pound fruits thrive where other varieties fail, producing sweet harvests even in zones with short summers.
The nearly black-green rind conceals bright red flesh with exceptional sweetness that develops fully even in cooler temperatures. The texture is distinctively crisp rather than mushy, with a clean, refreshing finish that’s never watery.
12. Jubilee
Picnic legend status achieved! Jubilee watermelons have dominated summer gatherings since their 1963 introduction for good reason – they’re massive crowd-pleasers in every sense. These elongated giants typically weigh 25-35 pounds and feature a distinctive light green rind with dark green stripes that’s instantly recognizable.
The bright red flesh offers the perfect balance of sweetness and refreshing qualities, with an ideal texture that’s firm enough to hold up on paper plates but juicy enough to satisfy on scorching days. Seeds concentrate in the center, making it easy to serve seed-free slices from the ends.
13. Millionaire
Luxury in fruit form! Millionaire watermelons earn their opulent name by delivering an eating experience that feels like hitting the jackpot. These Japanese-bred beauties typically weigh 8-10 pounds – the perfect size for refrigerator space – and feature a dark green rind with subtle black striping.
Slice one open to reveal absolutely perfect seedless flesh in deep crimson red. The texture achieves watermelon perfection: firm enough to hold its shape when sliced, yet explosively juicy with each bite. The flavor profile centers on pure sweetness with subtle honey notes and zero bitterness.
14. Little Baby Flower
Cuteness overload alert! Little Baby Flower watermelons will make you squeal with delight at their diminutive perfection. These baseball-sized fruits weigh just 1-2 pounds each and feature light green rinds with darker speckles that look hand-painted by nature.
Don’t let the adorable size fool you – these tiny treasures pack concentrated sweetness that rivals any full-sized melon. The bright pink flesh contains few seeds and offers a distinctive floral quality to its sweetness, hence the charming name.
15. Charleston Gray
Southern heritage in fruit form! Charleston Gray watermelons have defined summer in the American South since the 1950s with their distinctive light gray-green rinds and massive 20-35 pound elongated fruits. These heirloom beauties represent watermelon royalty – the standard against which newcomers are judged.
The bright red flesh offers old-fashioned flavor complexity that modern varieties often lack – a perfect balance of sweetness with subtle fruity undertones. Seeds distribute evenly throughout rather than clustering in the center, but the exceptional flavor makes this minor inconvenience worthwhile.