This refreshing Korean watermelon punch, called subak hwachae, is so fun to make and full of tasty ingredients! It's a delicious, hydrating treat full of high-water-content fruit.
Hwachae is both a drink and a dessert! The combination of fresh watermelon, juicy fruit, flavored milk, and a fizzy drink is unusual and compelling, perfect on a hot summer day.
If you love viral recipes like this one, check out some of our other Korean recipes that have are popular - strawberry milk, California roll cucumbers, or cucumber kimchi.

Recipe Features
- Refreshing Korean fruit punch that can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert.
- Endlessly customizable with your favorite fruit!
- So easy to make and very fun to eat. Perfect for a warm day!
Hwachae Ingredients & Substitutions
Here's what you'll need to make this traditional Korean punch.
- Fresh watermelon (try to use a seedless watermelon) - I highly recommend hollowing out your watermelon and serving the punch in it if you can. It's a really pretty way to serve it if you're making it for a group. Feel free to cube the watermelon or get fancy with a melon baller and make watermelon balls.
- Fresh berries or other fresh fruit (bananas, melon, etc.) - you can use your favorite fruit like strawberries, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, dragonfruit, cantaloupe, or kiwi.
- Can of Fruit Cocktail - this is optional, but I like that it recreates the chewiness of fruit jelly. You could also add a popping boba instead of a fruit cocktail.
- Strawberry Milk (or other flavored milk like banana) - choose your favorite creamy flavored milk of choice.
- Carbonated Drink - I used sugar-free 7Up, but you can use Sprite, Lemon Lime Lacroix, ginger ale, or any sparkling lemon juice.
- Ice - you'll add several ice cubes to keep the punch chilled.
See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

- Step 1: Place the chopped watermelon, different fruits of your choice, and drained fruit cocktail in a large bowl. Stir to combine.

- Step 2: Pour the strawberry milk over the fruit. Add the ice and stir to combine. Pour in the soft drink.

- Step 3: Stir gently to combine and serve immediately.


Hwachae Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped fresh watermelon
- 1 ½ cups fresh fruit berries, melon, etc
- 1 can (14 ounces) fruit cocktail drained
- 12 ounces carbonated beverage Sprite, 7Up, etc
- 14 ounces strawberry milk
- 1 cup ice cubes
Instructions
- Place the chopped watermelon, additional fruit, and drained fruit cocktail in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Pour the strawberry milk over the fruit. Add the ice and stir to combine. Finally, pour in the carbonated drink and stir gently to combine.
- Serve immediately.
Kristina says
I usually use regular whole milk. I will definitely have to make it with strawberry or banana milk! That sounds so delicious.
EW says
Oh yeah, the strawberry is my fave (I like it with banana milk, but I'm not as wild about banana milk in general). The strawberry milk makes it feel extra dessert-ish to me 🙂
Valerie Ching says
I didn’t see your pics before I bought the ingredients so I got Nestle strawberry powder to make the strawberry milk. Do you think that’s okay taste-wise? Or should I get premade strawberry milk like the fairlife one?
EW says
Absolutely fine to use the Nestle powder! It will taste great 🙂
LaToia Lemmons says
Can I use a strawberry coconut milk instead or will that mess up the flavors?
EW says
No that should be fine!