Hwachae (Korean Fruit Bowl)

Name: Hwachae (Korean Fruit Bowl)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 3 cups seedless watermelon, diced or balled, bite size; 1 cup chopped strawberries or ½ cup blueberries, or a mix of both; 2 cups cold ginger ale; 1 ½ tablespoon honey; 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar; Pinch of salt; Pine nuts for garnish (optional)

Tangy, sweet, and refreshing, hwachae is my go-to summer fruit punch. Made with various fruits, vinegar, and ginger ale, it’s super hydrating properties, high in vitamin C and so satisfying! I drink it whenever I need a boost of hydration and energy after spending quality time in the sun.

Hwachae is one of those food inventions I enjoy eating because it’s not only tasty, it’s also very pretty to look at. I’m a big fan of Asian drinks in general because they are so colorful and fun to sip on. Taiwan has boba tea, Japan has melon soda, and Korea has hwachae.

The traditional way to serve this Korean punch is with fruits and flower petals that have been submerged in honeyed water or honeyed magnolia berry juice. But more recently, hwachae has gotten a complete makeover and is made using a combination of carbonated drinks, fruit juices, vinegar, and sometimes strawberry milk or condensed milk, and is garnished with pine nuts instead of flower petals. My recipe is very basic and using easy-to-find ingredients. Once you taste it I promise it will become one of your favorite quenching summer drinks!

Why I love this recipe

Kid friendly. The vivid strawberry and watermelon colors, the sweetness of honey, and the fizz from the ginger ale, easily makes it a popular snack that kids will enjoy eating.
Can be enjoyed all day long. Hwachae is so quenching and delicious that it can be enjoyed day or night, as a drink, as a snack, or even dessert.
Versatile. You don’t need the exact list of ingredients in this recipe to make hwachae. I’ve made it several times using different fruit and drink combinations and the results are always delicious.

Ingredients
Variations
How To Make My Hwachae Recipe
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
What To Serve With It
Tableware

Ingredients

Watermelon: To find a perfectly sweet watermelon, look for a bright pinkish red color that also feels heavy. The heavier the watermelon, the juicier it is.
Strawberries: To find the sweetest strawberries, pick a carton with deep red ones that have a rich sweet and floral smell.
Ginger ale: Pick the type of ginger ale you like to drink as it is one of the main flavors of the recipe. If you don’t have or don’t like ginger ale, use Sprite or another type of lemon-lime soda such as chilsung cider.
Honey: I like to use organic raw honey because it’s less floral than other kinds of honey. But feel free to use any type of honey for this recipe.
Vinegar: Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar adds a tangy flavor that makes sipping this drink extremely quenching and refreshing.
Salt: A pinch of salt helps to balance the sweetness and tanginess.
Pine nuts: Pine nuts are used as a garnish and add a soft crunch and a little nuttiness.

Variations

While my recipe offers sweet, tangy, and clean flavors, there are plenty of other ways to serve hwachae depending on personal preferences. Hwachae can be made sweeter, more like a dessert than a drink, with different fruits, or even milky. Here are some of the more common ingredient options used:

Skip the vinegar and add 1/4 cup of condensed milk for pure sweetness. To make it milkier, swap half of the ginger ale for regular milk or strawberry milk. This will make the recipe a lot sweeter, more like a dessert than a drink.
Use canned fruit cocktail, including the heavy syrup, instead of strawberries. Again, this will make the recipe sweeter and more like a dessert than a drink.
Other fruits often used in Korean fruit bowls are blueberries, grapes, peaches, kiwi, and other types of melons such as honeydew and cantaloupe. Feel free to use any combination of fruits.
Use nata de coco or aloe to add a chewy texture.
Make a boozy hwachae by using a sparkling wine instead of a carbonated drink. Or add a few shots of vodka for a Korean style fruity Moscow Mule.

How To Make My Hwachae Recipe

Scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.

Chop the watermelon and strawberries into bite size pieces and place them in a large serving bowl. Or, for a prettier Korean fruit bowl, use a melon baller for perfectly rounded shaped pieces of watermelon.
Add the ginger ale and stir.
In a small bowl, whisk the honey and vinegar. Add the mixture to the fruit punch along with a pinch of salt and stir.
Garnish with pine nuts and serve cold.

Storage

Hwachae is meant to be enjoyed fresh and cold. It cannot be saved for later as it will lose its fizziness and the quality of the fruits will degrade over time.

However, you can pre slice the fruits and save them in storage containers up to 2 days before serving. This will save a lot of time in the kitchen, especially if you are planning to serve it as part of a dinner party or backyard barbecue with friends and family.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is hwachae gluten-free?

Most hwachae is gluten-free, although, if you are planning on using canned fruit cocktail,some brands may have ingredients in the syrup that contain gluten. It’s always best to check the label if you are planning on using canned fruit cocktail.

Is hwachae hydrating?

Yes, it’s a wonderful drink to enjoy in the summer months that’s very quenching. It can also help with dehydration because it contains sugar and is high in vitamins and antioxidants (from the fruits).

Where did hwachae come from?

Hwachae has been around for a few centuries, going all the way back to the Joseon dynasty. It was a popular drink enjoyed by royalty, used as a tonic to boost energy.

What To Serve With It

Hwachae can be served as a drink, as a snack, or a dessert. It’s a sweet treat that can be enjoyed with a side of ice cream or with a salad as part of a light and summery meal.

Here are some Korean dishes that will pair nicely with hwachae if you would like to serve it as part of a Korean feast:

Tableware

The bamboo basket used in the images, which you can find here, is from Musubi Kiln.

Musubi Kiln is an online store specializing in high quality handmade Japanese tableware and dinnerware. Each product is made by Japanese craftsmen using traditional techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Receive 10% off your purchase when using the code CAROLINE at checkout.

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Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!