Hwachae Recipe

Sharing is caring!

This refreshing Korean watermelon punch, called hwachae, is so fun to make and full of tasty ingredients!

Hwachae is both a drink and dessert! The combination of fresh watermelon, juicy fruit, flavored milk, and a fizzy drink makes for an unusual and compelling combination that is perfect on a hot summer day.

Subak hwachae has recently gone viral on TikTok because of this cute video of TikToker Amy Flamy's mukbang hwachae video. She made the punch bowl look so refreshing and fun to eat I knew I had to try it! We've made it five times since then, and it's so good.

This Korean fruit punch is a popular summer drink in South Korea in the summer months.

The watermelon is the one non-negotiable in the dish, but the rest is quite customizable - use your favorite fruit, whatever type of milk you'd like, and top it off with carbonated water or soda of your choice.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• More Fun Fruit Recipes
• Substitutions & Variations
• Storage
• Tips for Making this Recipe
• Hwachae Recipe

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this traditional Korean punch.

• Fresh watermelon (try to use a seedless watermelon)
• Fresh berries or other fresh fruit (bananas, melon, etc.)
• Can of Fruit Cocktail
• Strawberry Milk (or other flavored milk like banana)
• Carbonated Drink (7Up, Sprite, Ginger Ale, or other lemon-lime soda)

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Place the chopped watermelon, different fruits of your choice, 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 soft drink and stir gently to combine.

Serve immediately.

More Fun Fruit Recipes

Try some of our other flavorful fruit recipes.

• Watermelon Pizza
• Strawberry Milk
• Magic Shell Smoothie Bowl

Substitutions & Variations

This recipe is endlessly customizable - here are a few ingredient swaps you can make.

• Watermelon - Feel free to cube the watermelon or get fancy with a melon baller and make watermelon balls.
• Fruit - Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, pomegranate seeds, banana, dragon fruit, or any other types of fruit will work in this recipe.
• Fizzy Drink - I used sugar-free 7Up, but you can use Sprite, Lemon Lime Lacroix, ginger ale, or any sparkling lemon juice.
• Toppings - If you want to add some garnish, serve with a lemon slice or edible flowers.

Storage

This recipe is best served fresh because of the carbonation, but it can be stored for one day in the refrigerator if necessary. Add an additional fizzy drink if you'd like it to be bubbly again.

Tips for Making this Recipe

Ingredient Tips - Keep everything chilled before using it - everything should be cold when added together.

Recommended Tools - Use a large, sharp knife to cut the watermelon and a small knife to chop strawberries or other fruit.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Connect with us on Instagram and share your photos or leave us a rating.