Glistering melon vs Golden carrots: Which one is better in Minecraft?

There are more than a few food sources in Minecraft. Almost all animals drop meat that can be cooked (or eaten raw in a pinch). Growing crops like carrots, beetroot, potatoes and wheat is a big part of the game. All of them can be used in different ways to satisfy hunger.

Some of the best food sources, like cake or mushroom stew, require a bit of work to get, but they're more than worth it.

Two other food items that require a bit of work and can be considered moderately "expensive" are glistering melons and golden carrots. Both require golden nuggets, which are fairly valuable items to be put into food.

Glistering melon (Image via ToZaTop on YouTube)

Regardless, they're both still very good items, which begs the question: Which one is better? Here's the answer.

---

Which Minecraft item is better: Glistering melons or golden carrots?

There are several different ways to judge how good an item is. For food, the number of hunger points restored and saturation are both important, and the Minecraft Wiki also offers an effective quality rating that can be viewed as a ranking for food sources.

For other items, it can be a little more difficult to determine how good they are. For glistering melons, it's more challenging since they are not edible.

Best and better are also subjective terms, so it ultimately depends on the player. However, for certain things, one of these food items is better than the other.

Golden carrots restore six hunger points each, which makes them a very good food source. Only six food items have more hunger restoration.

In terms of saturation, they are the second best item in the game. They have a saturation of 14.4, just behind Suspicious Stew. Their overall effective quality is fifth overall, coming in at 20.4.

Overall, golden carrots are a great food source. How do they compare to glistering melons? Well, glistering melons are used differently. These items are inedible and are used for brewing potions of healing. It can also brew mundane potions.

Potions of healing are very valuable in Minecraft. Being able to heal quickly can be the difference between life and death. This makes glistering melons a good item to have.

However, golden carrots are arguably more useful. They're one of the best food sources in the game and while potions are good, they're not as commonly used as food.

Plus, golden carrots have the added benefit of being the food item that breeds horses. Purely for versatility, golden carrots are a better use of golden nuggets than glistering melons.

---

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the views of the author.

---