Smoothies & milk drinks
Melon Smoothie (Jus de Melon)
عصير البطيخ الأصفر · aseer el battikh asfar
Melon smoothie uses Morocco's sweet, fragrant cantaloupe-style melons, blended cold either on their own or with a little milk, for a mellow, honeyed summer drink quite different in character from the sharper watermelon juice beside it. It shares the juice cart's summer season with watermelon and figs, part of the same wave of orchard and field fruit that peaks through the hottest months.
- Type
- Blended melon smoothie
- Served
- Cold, in a glass
- When
- Summer, a fragrant cooler
- Key flavour
- Sweet, honeyed, fragrant
What Melon Smoothie is
This smoothie is made from Morocco's sweet, orange-fleshed melon (battikh asfar, similar to a cantaloupe), blended cold into a thick, honeyed, deeply fragrant drink. It is milder and sweeter than watermelon juice, with a rounder, more perfumed character.
It can be made purely from the fruit or lightened with a little milk for extra body, and it is a summer specialty, appearing on juice carts and home tables when the melon harvest is at its peak.
How it's made & served
Ripe melon flesh is blended, sometimes with a splash of milk for a creamier texture, and chilled well or blended directly with ice. Because good melon is very sweet on its own, sugar is rarely added, and a squeeze of lemon is occasionally used to sharpen the flavour slightly.
It is served cold in a glass, best made fresh and drunk promptly, since melon smoothies separate and lose their bright fragrance if left standing too long.
In the glass, at a glance
- Ripe cantaloupe-style melon (battikh asfar)
- Optional splash of milk
- Ice
- Rarely any added sugar
A flavour snapshot of what goes in.
When & where you drink it in Marrakech
Melon smoothie is a summer fixture at the juice carts around Jemaa el-Fnaa and in neighbourhood fruit markets, appearing alongside watermelon juice during the same hot months.
A summer juice and smoothie tour is a good way to try it fresh, and ripe melons themselves are piled high in the produce markets at the height of the season.
Cultural notes
Melon's popularity as both a fruit and a blended drink reflects the seasonal abundance of Morocco's irrigated plains through summer, when a handful of very sweet, fragrant fruits — melon, watermelon, fig — briefly dominate the market stalls and juice carts alike.
Choosing between a melon and a watermelon smoothie on a hot day is a small, pleasant dilemma unique to this stretch of the calendar, one of the clearest signs that Marrakech's drinking habits follow the land's own rhythm. Read more in our guides.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of melon is used in Moroccan melon smoothie?
Most commonly a sweet, orange-fleshed melon similar to a cantaloupe (battikh asfar), blended cold into a fragrant, honeyed smoothie.
Is milk added to Moroccan melon smoothie?
Sometimes, for a creamier texture, though it can also be made purely from the blended fruit with ice and no milk at all.
When is melon smoothie available in Marrakech?
Through the summer months, when Morocco's melon harvest peaks, appearing on juice carts alongside watermelon juice and other seasonal summer fruit drinks.