Cantaloupe
Peak season in the Midwest · down 25% this week
This fruit is at its local-harvest peak from June through September, and is generally in stores from May through October. This week it's peak season in the Midwest — buying it in season usually means better quality and, as the regional prices below show, a lower price.
Per a typical 160g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Melons, cantaloupe, raw).
- 1 SouthcentralCheapest $2.16/ea
- 2 Southwest $2.21/ea
- 3 Midwest $2.64/ea
- 4 Northeast $2.81/ea
- 5 Southeast $2.89/ea
- 6 Northwest $3.06/ea
Buying cantaloupe in the Southcentral saves about 29% versus the Northwest this week.
- How to pick a good one
- Smell the blossom end, opposite the stem — a ripe cantaloupe is unmistakably fragrant, and one that smells like nothing is not ripe. The stem end should have a smooth, slightly sunken scar, meaning it separated naturally rather than being cut early. The netting should be raised and coarse.
- What a good price looks like
- Whole melons run $2 to $5 each, cheapest from June through September. Under $3 for a good-sized melon is a fair price. Precut melon is convenient and costs three to four times as much per pound of edible fruit; it also spoils within about three days.
- What you actually get
- A whole cantaloupe is 3 to 4 lb and gives about 4 cups of cubed flesh, serving six to eight. Rind and seeds are close to half the weight, which makes per-melon pricing misleading — a precut tub at twice the per-pound price can genuinely be the cheaper option for one person.
- How to store it
- Whole on the counter until fragrant, then refrigerate. Once cut, cover and refrigerate and use within three days.
- In the kitchen
- Wash the rind before cutting, always — the netted surface holds soil and bacteria that the knife will otherwise carry straight into the flesh. Judge ripeness at the stem end: it should be smooth and slightly sunken, with a sweet smell, and the blossom end should give a little. A melon picked underripe never sweetens further, so the smell at purchase is the whole decision.
- Getting the most out of it
- Melon is mostly water and its flavour is mostly sugar and aroma, so salt and acid make it taste more like itself — lime, chilli, or prosciutto all work for that reason. Wash the rind before cutting, since a knife carries whatever is on the skin into the flesh.
- Mozzarella and Cantaloupe Salad RecipeRecipe by Foodie Crush~$2.12 / serving 1 in-season
- Melon & Prosciutto SaladRecipe by Two Peas & Their Pod~$2.61 / serving 3 in-season
- Prosciutto and Melon (Prosciutto e Melone)Recipe by The Mediterranean Dish~$0.32 / serving 1 in-season
- Tropical Fruit SaladRecipe by Cookie + Kate~$0.62 / serving 4 in-season
- Chilled Cucumber Melon SoupRecipe by Feasting at Home~$0.78 / serving 4 in-season
- Cucumber Melon SaladRecipe by Skinnytaste~$0.98 / serving 2 in-season
See all 18 recipes with cantaloupe →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA National Retail Report. Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Cantaloupe — FAQ
When can you buy cantaloupe in season?
This fruit is at its local-harvest peak from June through September, and is generally in stores from May through October. This week the Midwest has cantaloupe marked peak season.
What's the price of cantaloupe right now?
As of the week of September 4, 2026, the price of cantaloupe in the Midwest is $2.64/ea, down 25% from last week. It's cheapest in the Southcentral at $2.16/ea.
How many calories and how much protein are in cantaloupe?
A typical 160g serving of cantaloupe has about 54 calories, 1.3g protein, 13.1g carbohydrates, 0.3g fat, and 1.4g fiber, per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I make with cantaloupe?
SeasonSort indexes 18 recipes that use cantaloupe, each with its cost per serving computed from this week's prices — starting from about $0.32 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.