How To Eat A Kiwano (Horned Melon): 11 Steps (with Pictures)

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Eat a Kiwano (Horned Melon) PDF download Download Article Reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward

Last Updated: March 10, 2025 Fact Checked

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  • Preparing the Kiwano
    • |
  • Eating the Kiwano Raw
    • |
  • Using Kiwano in Cooking
    • |
  • Recipe Ideas
    • |
  • Video
    • |
  • Q&A
    • |
  • Tips
    • |
  • Warnings
    • |
  • Things You'll Need
|Show more |Show less X

This article was reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward. Jeff Woodward is a Private Chef and the Owner of The Rogue Chef based in Branson, Missouri. With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, he has cooked for esteemed clients including The Harlem Globetrotters, Peyton Manning, Mark Wahlberg, and Justin Timberlake. Chef Jeff won the Branson Tri-Lakes News Reader's Choice Award 2023 for Best Catering. He has been the Featured Chef Demonstrator for 2 years in a row for The Women's Show in Springfield, MO. The Rogue Chef has been the Hollister Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Chef, an award published in Tri-Lakes News. Chef Jeff's food has been featured on KY3 Television. He publishes a recipe weekly in the Branson Globe newspaper and monthly in Lost on the Lake Magazine. He published a feature article for Chef Talks in Discover Home and Style Magazine. He has an associate’s degree from Southwestern Illinois College and a Culinary Arts degree with a Certification in Baking from Ozark Technical College. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,312,500 times.

Native to the Kalahari Desert, the Kiwano is also known as the Horned Melon, the melano, the African horned cucumber, the jelly melon, and the hedged gourd. When allowed to ripen, the fruit tastes like a mix of cucumbers, kiwis, and bananas. Now that you have one of these interesting fruits, where do you start? Read on to find out.[1]

Steps

Part 1 Part 1 of 3:

Preparing the Kiwano

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  1. Step 1 Choose a kiwano that is fully ripened. 1 Choose a kiwano that is fully ripened. It'll have an orange rind with orange spikes. Squeeze it slightly to make sure it has some give and isn't rock hard and green.[2] If you can't find a fully ripened fruit at the store, wait for it to turn orange before eating it.
  2. Step 2 Give it a rinse. 2 Give it a rinse. While you won't be eating the outside, it's always a good idea to rinse fruit you're planning on cutting, to avoid any pesticides or other chemicals on the outside when you cut into it with a knife. Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Cut the fruit in half short-ways, across the equator. 3 Cut the fruit in half short-ways, across the equator. Set one half aside. This is the best way of cutting the fruit for eating it by itself.
    • If you want to scoop the seeds out for use in a recipe or fruit salad, it can be easier to scoop if you cut it lengthwise.[3] It's up to you.
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Part 2 Part 2 of 3:

Eating the Kiwano Raw

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  1. Step 1 Hold one half of the fruit up to your mouth. 1 Hold one half of the fruit up to your mouth. Slowly, but firmly, squeeze the fruit from the lower end. Each tiny greenish sac will contain a cucumber-like seed, and they should come to the cut surface of the fruit easily with a little pressure.
  2. Step 2 Eat them. 2 Eat them. Like a pomegranate, the seeds are perfectly edible, but are somewhat bland. What you're after is the sweet green flesh around the seed. You can take one at a time into your mouth and separate the seed before spitting it out, or take a whole mouthful and chew it up.
    • If you don't like the seeds, try pinching the sac of fruit gently with your front teeth. Suck the sac of fruit through your top and bottom teeth, pinching enough to hold the seed on the outside of your teeth, yet still allowing the fruit to pass through.
  3. Step 3 Consider scooping out the fruit. 3 Consider scooping out the fruit. You can also scoop out the seeds into a bowl and eat them with a spoon if you prefer. Its easier to break the little green kernels that way, but can be somewhat easier if you don't want to bury your face in the fruit.[4]
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Part 3 Part 3 of 3:

Using Kiwano in Cooking

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  1. Step 1 Add kiwano to... 1 Add kiwano to a fruit salad. Like kiwi, kiwano can make a nice colorful addition to a fruit salad, and an unexpected treat for guests. Mix bananas, mango, and melon with a sprinkling of kiwano for a beautiful summer fruit salad.[5]
  2. Step 2 Garnish roasted meat with kiwano. 2 Garnish roasted meat with kiwano. Grilling steaks or chops? Instead of topping with rich cheese or mushrooms, consider sprinkling some kiwano kernels on top of your meat a few minutes before serving for an exotic and tangy highlight.
  3. Step 3 Make kiwano salsa. 3 Make kiwano salsa. Seed one kiwano melon into a bowl and mix it with:[6]
    • the juice of one lime
    • a clove of garlic
    • a palm-full of fresh chopped cilantro
    • one green onion, or a 1/8 of a white onion
    • a quarter-teaspoon of cumin
    • Mix in a small amount of vegetable oil to coat the mixture and use the salsa as a garnish for meat, grilled vegetables, or eat it with chips for some surprising nachos.
  4. Step 4 Garnish cocktails with kiwano. 4 Garnish cocktails with kiwano. Sprinkle a few green kernels into a champagne flute before mixing up a mimosa or to highlight a gin and tonic instead of a lime slice.
  5. Step 5 Make the Intergalactic Nebula. 5 Make the Intergalactic Nebula. Remove the Kiwano melon seeds and place in a cup. Fill the cup with sparkling red grape juice cocktail 3/4 of the way to the top of the cup. With the remainder space, add half and a half (optional), Serve in layers for the best look before stirring.
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Recipe Ideas

Ways to Incorporate Kiwano Horned Melons Into Meals

Community Q&A

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  • Question Can I make a smoothie with it? Jason Swiatkowski Jason Swiatkowski Community Answer Yes, but you may want to strain the seeds out first. Scoop out the inside and pass the pulp through cheesecloth or a fine strainer to separate the seeds from the juice. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 4 Helpful 20
  • Question Can I plant the seeds? Community Answer Community Answer Yes! Plant the seeds about an inch into the soil during the spring. After that you can find instructions online for caring for the plants. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 8 Helpful 31
  • Question How long does it last in a Ziplock bag? Community Answer Community Answer It will not last very long before it spoils. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 7 Helpful 22
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Video

Tips

  • Cut the horns off the fruit if they bother your hand, but there should be ample space between the horns to hold the fruit with comfort. Thanks Helpful 174 Not Helpful 98
  • You can use a straw to suck up the still sacked-seeds from a bowl. Thanks Helpful 136 Not Helpful 77
  • You can squeeze out all the seed sacs at once into a bowl, and then work on them from there without having to deal with the horned shell. Thanks Helpful 120 Not Helpful 73
Show More Tips Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Warnings

  • The spines aren't dangerous, but can be somewhat sharp. Be careful when handling. Thanks Helpful 84 Not Helpful 27
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Things You'll Need

  • Kiwano fruit
  • knife
  • Bowl

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Horn_Melon_656.php
  2. ↑ https://www.myfoodchannel.com/tag/how-to-pick-kiwano/
  3. ↑ https://youtu.be/8K2xTb9vKq4?t=110
  4. ↑ https://themom100.com/how-to-eat-kiwano-melon/
  5. ↑ https://parade.com/64398/lindsaylowe/what-the-heck-is-a-kiwano-melon-and-how-do-you-eat-it/
  6. ↑ https://www.eatme.eu/en/recipes/kiwano-salsa

About This Article

Chef Jeff Woodward Reviewed by: Chef Jeff Woodward Private Chef This article was reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward. Jeff Woodward is a Private Chef and the Owner of The Rogue Chef based in Branson, Missouri. With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, he has cooked for esteemed clients including The Harlem Globetrotters, Peyton Manning, Mark Wahlberg, and Justin Timberlake. Chef Jeff won the Branson Tri-Lakes News Reader's Choice Award 2023 for Best Catering. He has been the Featured Chef Demonstrator for 2 years in a row for The Women's Show in Springfield, MO. The Rogue Chef has been the Hollister Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Chef, an award published in Tri-Lakes News. Chef Jeff's food has been featured on KY3 Television. He publishes a recipe weekly in the Branson Globe newspaper and monthly in Lost on the Lake Magazine. He published a feature article for Chef Talks in Discover Home and Style Magazine. He has an associate’s degree from Southwestern Illinois College and a Culinary Arts degree with a Certification in Baking from Ozark Technical College. This article has been viewed 1,312,500 times. 9 votes - 71% Co-authors: 53 Updated: March 10, 2025 Views: 1,312,500 Categories: Featured Articles | Eating Techniques Article SummaryX

To eat a kiwano, rinse the melon off and slice it in half short-ways, across the equator. Hold one half of the fruit up to your mouth and squeeze the lower end to enjoy the fleshy green kernels. Kiwano melons have edible seeds, but feel free to spit them out if you don't like the taste. You can also add raw kiwano to fruit salad, blend it into a tasty salsa, or garnish your favorite cocktail with a few of the sweet green kernels. If you want to learn how to tell if a kiwano is ripe for eating, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Reader Success Stories

  • Kathleen Farina

    Kathleen Farina

    May 5, 2016

    "I have never eaten a horned melon. I've seen them in the supermarket, but wasn't sure what was safe to..." more
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Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Chef Jeff Woodward Reviewed by: Chef Jeff Woodward Private Chef 9 votes - 71% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 53 Updated: March 10, 2025 Views: 1,312,500 Kathleen Farina

Kathleen Farina

May 5, 2016

"I have never eaten a horned melon. I've seen them in the supermarket, but wasn't sure what was safe to..." more SuSan Gonzales

SuSan Gonzales

Jun 6, 2016

"Love to try new foods, saw these at our local Sprouts and had to get one. Loved it and it was quite the..." more Donna Lea

Donna Lea

Nov 13, 2017

"I bought the kiwano on a whim and just cut it in half and ate it. The step by step was wonderful, and I also like..." more Sheila Hillberry

Sheila Hillberry

Sep 7, 2018

"A friend gave us seeds to grow in our garden. We have lots of fruit, but weren't sure when to harvest it or..." more Rated this article: Jason Coleman

Jason Coleman

Jun 17, 2016

"The ripe stage was important to illustrate, as they are a new fruit in Australia. I had no idea what to do with my..." more Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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