What Is Cantaloupe and How Can I Use It?

Cantaloupe is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 75 recipes to get you started.

Nutrition

Where found

Cantaloupe is usually found in the fruit section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group

Cantaloupe is a member of the Fruits and Fruit Juices US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

How much does cantaloupe weigh?

Related

Fruits and Fruit Juices

Recipes using cantaloupe

There are 75 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Peach Melon Conserve

Peach melon conserve with cantaloupe, crystallized ginger, and pecans. A glossy, slightly chunky preserve perfect for biscuits, cheese boards, and roast pork.

Cantaloupe Sorbet

Cantaloupe sorbet with honey-sweetened melon puree and brandied melon balls for garnish. A refreshing palate cleanser or summer dessert that captures peak melon flavor in a frozen scoop.

Cantaloupe Ice Cream

Cantaloupe ice cream blends ripe puréed cantaloupe with egg yolks, sugar, milk, lemon juice, and whipped cream. Pale orange, floral, and frozen without an ice cream maker for a refreshing summer dessert.

Mixed Fruit Salad with Citrus Mint Dressing

Mixed different kinds of melon together, use mint, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice to make a fresh dressing, a good start of a day with these fresh fruits salad.

Sacramento Fruit Bowl

This fruity delicious dish is made with pineapple, honeydew melon, cantalope and nectarines.

Ben & Jerry's Cantaloupe Ice Cream

This homemade cantaloupe ice cream will for sure make you keep coming back to scoop out more. This fruity and creamy ice cream is a winner at any occasion.

After School Fruit Cup

A special fruit treat for kids perfect for after school.

Fresh Pineapple with Rum Cream

Fresh pineapple with rum cream pairs ripe sliced pineapple with a silky rum-spiked sabayon-style sauce of egg yolks, butter, and whipped cream. An elegant New York chef-style fruit dessert.

Double Melon Soup

Chilled two-tone melon soup with cantaloupe and honeydew poured side by side for a striking orange-and-green presentation. A refreshing no-cook summer appetizer with sherry, citrus, and fresh mint.

Morning Fruit Salad

Morning fruit salad with cantaloupe, kiwi, strawberries, and raspberries, tossed with fresh mint and orange juice. Light, vibrant, no-cook breakfast or brunch side ready in 20 minutes.

Minted Peaches & Melons

Minted peaches and melons is a fresh summer fruit salad of ripe peaches and cantaloupe in a light orange-lemon dressing, finished with chopped mint and toasted almonds. No cooking, and easy to make ahead.

Mellow Melon Soup

Chilled melon soup made with pureed cantaloupe, honeydew, sweet white wine, and cardamom. A refreshing no-cook summer soup garnished with fresh mint.

Chunky Tomato Fruit Gazpacho

Chilled fruit gazpacho with tomatoes, honeydew, cantaloupe, mango, nectarines, and cucumber in fresh orange juice with basil, mint, and a jalapeño kick. A stunning summer starter.

Melon-Citrus Mingle

Big-batch melon and citrus fruit salad with honeydew, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, bananas, and cherries in fresh orange juice. Feeds 20 and keeps a week.

Chilled Fruit Soup with Spiked Nuts

Chilled fruit soup with spiked melon: champagne-sweetened fruit broth ladled over vodka-and-tequila-marinated melon, grapes, and plums. A grown-up summer starter built for heat waves.

Freddi's Fruit Cocktail Mix

Homemade frozen fruit cocktail mix with watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, grapes, and blueberries in an orange-lemonade syrup. Freeze in pint containers for up to 8 months of fresh fruit cups.

Seafood Coctail Salad

Seafood cocktail salad with shrimp, avocado, honeydew, cantaloupe, orange, and strawberries on lettuce, dressed with a tangy cocktail-sauce-and-salad-dressing mix. A light summer main course.

Melon & Hearts of Palm Salad with Chutney Vinaigrette

Melon and hearts of palm salad with honeydew, cantaloupe, and artichoke hearts dressed in a mango chutney-lime vinaigrette. An elegant, refreshing summer salad.

Melon-Mango Sorbet

No-churn mango cantaloupe sorbet sweetened with maple syrup and brightened with lime juice. A low-fat, dairy-free frozen dessert made entirely in a blender and freezer.

Melon in Mint Sauce

Fresh melon salad with cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon tossed in a creamy mint and cardamom sauce. A chilled summer fruit dish with light sour cream dressing.

Minty Fresh Fruity Salad

Fresh fruit salad with cantaloupe, blueberries, and strawberries tossed in orange juice, honey, and strips of fresh mint. A light, refreshing side ready in 10 minutes.

Minted Cantaloupe & Blueberries

Cantaloupe balls and blueberries in a fresh mint sugar syrup served as a fruit salad or chilled dessert with whipped cream. A light, refreshing summer fruit dish.

Melon Soup

Chilled cantaloupe soup blended smooth with fresh orange juice, cream, and a pinch of ginger. A no-cook cold soup that's refreshing on hot summer days.

Melon Fresco

Melon fresco, a Latin American blender drink made from fresh cantaloupe, lime juice, and a whisper of sugar. Four-ingredient summer refresher that's halfway between juice and smoothie.

Lime Mold

Retro lime gelatin mold layered with orange sections, grapefruit, pineapple, maraschino cherries, and melon balls. A colorful vintage fruit salad.

All 75 recipes