How to Make Homemade Watermelon Frose (Easy Frose Recipe)

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Cool off this summer with homemade Watermelon Frose recipe! A classic frozen cocktail made with rosé wine, this frosé is simple, slightly sweet and utterly delicious. Makes 5 drinks, but easily can be doubled or halved to make 1-2.

Love a frozen drink for the summertime? Don’t miss Frozen Strawberry Margarita and Frozen Moscow Mule!

Three glasses holding pink slushy Watermelon Froses garnished with watermelon wedges on a silver platter

My friend, Chrissie, wrote a cookbook. And that cookbook landed on bookshelves last Tuesday! (You can order it from her site here.)

And I think y’all are going to L-O-V-E it.

Chrissie, like me, is all about the easy entertaining. And in her book, she’s sharing spreads, appetizers, finger foods, drinks and more that are great for any type of gathering.

Basically—she’s compiled her favorite approachable recipes that she serves whenever she and her husband have folks over.

Here are a few Chrissie fun facts for you before we dive into the meat of this post and her watermelon frosé recipe, which you can find inside her cookbook.

Chrissie is a public defender in Charlotte, North Carolina.
She and I have a mutual friend—Susannah—and (finally) met in person at Susannah’s wedding last September! We spent a lot of time chatting at the wedding’s after-party at a speakeasy.
Chrissie is passionate about the local Charlotte food scene, and she’s on a quest to find the best pizza in town.
Chrissie and her husband, AJ, have a menagerie of animals (four cats and a dog!) that now includes bees AND the deer in their backyard.
I didn’t know Chrissie when she and her husband were tying the knot, but I heard all about it because they had to move their wedding from the Outer Banks to Charlotte because of Hurricane Matthew… and our mutual friend made a vat of hurricanes for their reception.

More summertime drink recipes: Spiked Watermelon Limeade / Blackberry Gin Slush / Vodka Lemonade with Raspberry / Bourbon Peach Slush

Looking for an awesome mixed drink, but aren’t sure where to begin? My Cocktail Recipe Index has some ideas for you…

Frozen watermelon, rose wine, lime juice and sugar on a blue striped towel on marble

What you’ll need to make Homemade Frose

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A blender
A liquid measuring cup
A Jigger or a Mini Stainless Steel Angled Measuring Cup
A citrus juicer or a citrus reamer

In addition to these tools, you’ll need some ingredients, too:

Watermelon—make sure you choose one that’s nice and ripe and extra juicy. We freeze it before tossing it into the blender with the other ingredients.
Lime—you could also purchase cold press lime juice from the store if you don’t have a lime. That said, the shelf-stable bottles from the store just won’t do here.
Granulated sugar—for just a little bit of sweetness! The amount we add will be determined by our tastebuds because all rose wines are a little different in how sweet (or not sweet) they are.
A bottle of rose wine—use your favorite of the season. Roses can be widely variable in sweetnesses and flavors, so use one you know and love.

How to make Frose

Freeze the watermelon

First and foremost, you’re going to remove the peel from the watermelon and cube it with your knife. You don’t have to be precise with this, but you’re going to want to freeze about 4 cups of the cubed watermelon if you’re making the regular recipe.

When it’s cubed, place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for 3-4 hours (or overnight.)

Blend up the frose

When the watermelon is frozen solid, simply place the frozen watermelon cubes into the base of a blender. Add the wine, too.

Squeeze in that fresh lime juice, as well. Personally, I like to juice my limes into a separate container so I can make sure no seeds go into the final drink, but you do you.

Also, if you like a sweeter drink (like I do!), sprinkle in the sugar.

If you’re unsure if you’re going to like it sweeter or if your watermelon is super sweet, hold off on the sugar. For now. 😉

Blend the ingredients together, and taste ‘em. If it needs the sugar, add it in. If you think it needs more wine or watermelon to make the consistency something you like, add it accordingly.

Serve immediately with a small slice of watermelon, and enjoy.

Overhead of a blender on a marble countertop holding a slushy pink mixture

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

It should come as NO surprise that this homemade frose recipe is a perfect party drink for the summertime. And since it only requires a few simple ingredients, it’s easy as pie to put together when entertaining.

Here are some things I’d recommend when making it:

Double the recipe to serve a crowd.
Freeze your watermelon in advance. And freeze more than you think you might use so you’ve got extra… in case you and your guests are thirstier than expected.
Don’t mix it until people are ready to drink. While this frose recipe would be beautiful in a pitcher and could be enjoyed that way, but it separates as it sits, so you have to stir or swirl it to prevent this.

Three coup glasses hold a pink slush drink, surrounded by watermelons and limes on a marble surface

Frequently Asked Questions

What is frose?

It’s a mixed drink that’s highlights frozen rosé wine. This frose highlights frozen watermelon, which is naturally sweet, and doesn’t call for much sugar, like a lot of frozen cocktails.

Is frose alcoholic?

Yes. Frose is alcoholic. This recipe for frose uses chilled rose wine, though it can be substituted with sparkling water if you or your loved ones don’t drink.

How do you make frose at home?

Basically, you throw cold rose wine into the blender with frozen watermelon, lime juice and sugar, and blend ‘em together until smooth.

I don’t have lime juice. Can I make this with other citrus?

Yes! While I love the combination of watermelon and lime juice, you could easily use orange juice or lemon juice if you don’t have lime juice on hand.

How many limes will yield 3 ½ ounces of juice?

Limes come in different sizes and shapes, but you’ll generally get about ½ to 1 ounce of juice out of each lime. So by that logic, you’ll need 3-5.

Be sure that your limes are at room temperature when you’re planning to juice them because cold limes won’t release as much juice.

I don’t have watermelon. Could I use another melon or fruit?

While I honestly think watermelon is perfect for this cocktail because it’s so summery and lightly sweet, you could use another melon or frozen fruit in its place. I think adding frozen strawberries to rose and the other ingredients would be delightful, too!

Overhead of a slushy pink drink inside three glasses, garnished with watermelon, on a silver platter

Quick tips for making this Watermelon Frose recipe

Double or triple the frose recipe for a crowd!
If you have leftovers, store the frose in the refrigerator in a pitcher, covered with plastic wrap. You’ll have to stir it to combine the ingredients again when you’re ready to drink it, but it can be done.
Have your ingredients prepped—the watermelon frozen, the rosé chilled, the limes juiced and the sugar out—so that when guests are ready for a sipper, all you have to do is blend this up.

5 drinks

Watermelon Frose

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Freeze Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Cool off this summer with homemade Watermelon Frosé! A classic frozen cocktail made with rosé wine, this frosé is simple, slightly sweet and utterly delicious.

Ingredients

4 cups watermelon, chopped and frozen
1 ½ cups rosé wine (about half of a 750 ml. bottle)
3 ½ oz. lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)

Instructions

Remove the rind from the watermelon, and cube.
Freeze in a food-safe container for 3-4 hours.
Once frozen, measure the wine and 3 cups of the watermelon into the blender. Blend until smooth.
Evaluate the consistency and add more watermelon or wine, if necessary. (We found the above combination perfect, but you do you!)
Measure in the lime juice and sugar, if using, and serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe is very slightly adapted from Chrissie Nelson Rotko's Stunning Spreads cookbook.

Chrissie’s original recipe calls for freezing 4 cups of watermelon and using a whole bottle of rosé. Please feel free to add more of both to your blender if your tastebuds tell you to do so!

If you want to make this nonalcoholic, leave out the wine and add sparkling water instead.

Can this be made with other citrus juice if I don't have limes?

Yes! While I love the combination of watermelon and lime, you could easily use orange or lemon juice instead. If you do, report back and let me know how it was!

I'm going to get limes, but how many will I need to yield the 3 ½ ounces of juice?

Limes come in different sizes and shapes, but you’ll generally get about ½ to 1 ounce of juice out of each lime. So by that logic, you’ll need 3-5.

Be sure that the limes are at room temperature when you’re planning to juice them because cold limes won’t release as much juice.

Could I use another melon if I don't have watermelon?

Probably so… but I honestly think watermelon is perfect for this cocktail because it’s so summery and lightly sweet.

Watermelon Frose

What you’ll need to make Homemade Frose