Cucumbers and watermelons belong to the same family of vegetables.
Furthermore, they’re both climbing plants, and most varieties of cucumbers and watermelons are green.
Interestingly, some cucumbers even bear a striking resemblance to watermelons.
Although their size and flavors may differ, their similarity in appearance is intriguing.
Let’s look at some of these cucumbers that look like watermelons.
Which Cucumbers Resemble Watermelons?
Cucumbers and watermelons belong to the same plant family, Cucurbitae.
So it’s not surprising that some cucumbers resemble watermelons.
However, the resemblance is limited to looks and not taste.
Here are some cucumbers that are strikingly similar to watermelons.
1. Mouse Melon or Mexican Sour Cucumbers
The Mouse melon, also called Mexican sour cucumber or Cucamelon, is a variety of cucumber that looks like a tiny watermelon.
It has an elongated oval shape with dark and light green striped skin that is commonly seen on watermelons.
This cucumber is a fast-growing climber with delicate foliage and solitary yellow flowers with five petals that change into tiny fruits.
The fruits are light green when they first form.
The striations on the skin appear over time, and this detail makes the melon look just like a watermelon.
Mouse melons have crisp and juicy white flesh. They taste like cucumbers with a hint of sourness.
These vegetables have a citrusy flavor.
You can eat the raw and tender fruits raw, but they’re also good for making pickles and salads.
The tendrils and the stem of this plant are quite delicate and shouldn’t be handled roughly.
2. Garden Cucumbers
Garden cucumbers are one of the most easily available cucumbers in grocery stores, supermarkets, and vegetable markets.
They have smooth, dark skin that is similar to certain types of watermelons, like seedless watermelons, with dark green skin and long, oval shapes.
These cucumbers have many big seeds. Their skin is usually thick and not tasty.
Hence, it’s a common practice to peel the skin of these cucumbers before using them in recipes.
Garden cucumbers are very versatile, and you can use them in many ways.
They taste good in salads and vegetable platters. You can also use them for pickling or in stir-fry recipes.
3. Corinto Cucumbers
Corinto cucumbers are a high-yielding variety that is popular with home gardeners.
The plant produces long dark green cucumbers with shiny skin.
These cucumbers don’t have spiny skin. Instead, their surface is smooth and soft.
Their oval shape and dark green color make them resemble certain watermelon varieties.
Corinto cucumbers are slicing cucumbers. They have a mild, delicate flavor. The flesh is soft and full of moisture.
Corinto cucumbers are generally disease-resistant plants, and they adapt well to adverse environments as well.
4. Mandurian Round Cucumbers
Mandurian round cucumbers are specialty produce with a round or oval shape.
The skin of these cucumbers has patches or spots of varying green and white.
When these cucumbers mature, the skin develops a fuzzy texture.
These cucumbers grow as big as tennis balls and should be harvested when they’re still green.
They have a sweet and crisp flavor, which is sweeter than typical cucumber varieties.
Leaving it on the plant will make it overripe and unsuitable for consumption.
Although Mandurian cucumbers are technically cucumbers, they resemble melons and watermelons more than other varieties of cucumbers.
The variegated skin of these fruits also contributes to this aspect.
5. Crystal Apple Cucumbers
Crystal apple cucumbers are a rare and almost extinct type of cucumber.
They have pale white skin and are round, which is unusual for cucumbers.
The color of this fruit is unique. Due to its shape and coloring, it resembles a watermelon.
However, it’s much smaller than watermelons and doesn’t grow bigger than a golf ball.
These cucumbers grow on delicate climbing vines that need trellis or cage support to prevent falling.
When the fruits appear, they are light green with a white tint on the skin. As it matures, the fruits turn yellow.
They’re sweet, with crisp and tender flesh. These cucumbers don’t have any bitter aftertaste.
They’re best suited for raw eating.
6. Ivy Gourd Cucumbers
Ivy gourd is a perennial vegetable that belongs to the cucumber family.
It grows so vigorously that it’s often considered a weed.
The fruits of this plant taste like cucumbers, especially when they’re under-ripe.
Ivy gourd fruits have plenty of seeds.
Ivy gourd thrives in warm, tropical weather conditions.
The plants disappear in winter but grow back in spring without any special care.
The fruits of the ivy gourd look like tiny watermelons.
Some varieties even have striations of light and dark green, like in common watermelon varieties.
The fruit is crunchy and crisp when it’s raw. It becomes yellow and then red when over-ripe.
The texture becomes soft at this stage.
You can use it in stir-fries and cooking. It releases moisture during cooking and shrivels up when cooked for a long time.
7. Diva Cucumbers
Diva cucumbers are an award-winning hybrid with various attractive traits.
They resemble watermelons with their dark green, semi-glossy rind and round shape.
The fruits have slightly tapered ends and are highly disease and pest-resistant.
Diva cucumbers also produce high yields and require less care.
The cucumbers are sweet, non-bitter, crispy, and moist.
They grow to 18 inches in length, depending on the variety. Diva cucumbers have tender and edible skin.
They grow on vines that reach a maximum height of 5 to 6 feet. Diva cucumbers are very flavorful and juicy.
You can eat them raw as well as add them to salads and vegetable platters.
8. Unistar Cucumbers
Unistar cucumbers are a compact variety with dark green semi-glossy skin, like watermelons.
This high-yielding hybrid variety produces multiple fruits on each node.
They’re considered cocktail cucumbers because of their small fruits.
This variety produces high yields, and the cucumbers are crunchy with good flavor.
Unistar cucumbers grow in well-drained fertile soil.
They need consistent irrigation to produce impressive yields.
Once the plants start producing fruits, you can expect a continuous yield.
The fruits are juicy, crunchy, and good for slicing. You can eat them raw or add them to salads.
9. Little Leaf Cucumbers
Little leaf cucumbers are tiny green cucumbers with variegated skin that resembles watermelons.
The skin is bright green when it’s ready to be picked, and it develops a tint of yellow as it ripens further.
It’s a pickling cucumber that produces flavorful fruits that you can eat raw as well.
This is a good cucumber cultivar for container and greenhouse farming.
The fruits appear on multi-branching vines.
Although the plant produces several vines, they’re compact and don’t spread in all directions.
They have small leaves, which allow you to spot the cucumbers easily.
The plant produces generous amounts of fruits.
Interesting Reading: Cucumber vs. Zucchini: 10 Big Differences
10. Fanfare Cucumbers
Fanfare cucumbers are high-yielding plants that produce slicing cucumbers.
The fruits are dark green with glossy skin.
They grow on compact vines of two to three feet, which makes them good for container gardening.
Fanfare cucumbers are an award-winning variety that is highly prized for their ability to withstand diseases.
It doesn’t have too many seeds, and the flesh is white, juicy, and crisp.
It’s a good slicing cucumber. You can eat it raw or add it to salads and platters.
