Watermelon – the official fruit of summer picnics and barbecues everywhere. It’s hard to imagine a picnic table piled high with hotdogs, hamburgers, sweet corn, macaroni and potato salads without bright red triangles of watermelon as well.
When the party is over, and you’re left with lots of pale green rinds, the obvious step is to head to the compost pile. But only because most of us don’t realize that watermelon rinds are edible, too. If you slice those off before you serve your watermelon, you’ve got another ingredient for all kinds of tasty dishes.
Sure, the sweet red flesh is the best part, but that crunchy rind can be used in a number of ways. Watermelon rinds are packed with nutrients and water. They’re also a great source of fiber. Eaten raw, it’s a bit like a firmer cucumber in flavor and texture. If you’ve never considered eating watermelon rinds before, I’ve got a number of great ways you can try it this summer.
A quick note before we dive in. If you grow watermelon and don’t use pesticides or other harmful chemicals, you can eat the outermost skin of the watermelon. If you purchase your melons and aren’t sure if they have been treated with pesticides, you’ll want to peel that outer skin off using a veggie peeler.
1. Eat it Raw
As mentioned, raw watermelon rinds are fine to eat on their own. Slice away the hard green skin, and you’re left with a crispy, crunchy, hydrating addition to salads, smoothies or snack on them by themselves. You can also leave the green outer skin on. Use them in much the same way you would a cucumber. You’ll want to season them. Like cucumbers, plain raw watermelon rind doesn’t have much flavor. They’re pretty great sprinkled with garlic salt.
2. Watermelon Rind Pickles
By far, the most well-known and popular way to eat watermelon rinds is pickled. I have fond memories of these pickles showing up at my grandmother’s table on special occasions like Thanksgiving. I also remember my mother scolding me for eating so many.
The combination of pickling spices along with vinegar and sugar turns bland, crunchy rinds into a spiced, almost candy-like treat. The texture is wonderful, something akin to a gumdrop, but with a sweet-tart flavor with a little bite to it.
Our own Cheryl Magyar shares her recipe for pickled watermelon rind.
The nice part about canning your own is you don’t have to save them for special occasions, and you can eat as many as you like without upsetting your mother.
3. Candied Watermelon Rind
These candied fruit peels may be a bit old-fashioned, but they always feel like a decadent treat. Candied watermelon rind is no exception. Not only are these delicious and easy to make, but they make for a truly unique gift for your favorite foodie. They also make incredible garnishes for summer cocktails.
4. Use Watermelon Rind in Stir-Fries
Watermelon rind is perfect for stir-fries. Their fiber and water content mean they hold up well to this style of cooking, holding their shape and texture. Slice the rinds into long, thin strips for a softer addition to your favorite stir fry or in chunks for added crunch to your finished dish.
5. Watermelon Rind Curry
If you’re a sucker for a good curry, then you’ll certainly want to make up a batch of Kalingar nu Shaak or watermelon rind curry.
Because of its bland flavor, watermelon rind is perfect for soaking up all the wonderful spices and flavor of a curried dish. Give this traditional Gujarati curry a go after your next barbecue or picnic, and you won’t be sorry. The best part is that this particular recipe for watermelon rind curry is made in an Instant Pot, so you won’t have to heat up the kitchen in the middle of the summer.
6. Watermelon Rind Halwa
Sticking around in India but heading further south from Gujarati, we’re ready for some dessert after our delicious curry. And nothing is better than a creamy, spiced halwa topped with chopped cashews.
If you’re unfamiliar with halwa, it’s a traditional southern Indian sweet dish—a paste made from semolina, butter and spices. Often, finely grated root veggies like carrots are used in halwa. But this time, we’ll make be making watermelon rind halwa.
7. Watermelon Rind Jam
If jam is your jam, save your watermelon rinds and make up a batch of sweet watermelon rind jam. This delightful jam looks like the color of a sunset in the jar. It will be your new breakfast go-to as it’s wonderful on toast, spread on pancakes or stirred into a hot bowl of oatmeal. Move over, boring ol’ grape jam. You’ve got competition.
8. Watermelon Rind Chutney
We can’t have a recipe for jam without also having a recipe for watermelon rind chutney. A cousin to jams but a bit more savory, chutneys are a great addition to cheese and charcuterie boards. They’re fantastic to spread over broiled pork tenderloins or roasted chicken. Or, if you’re like me, spread chutney liberally on crackers and gobble it all up until the jar is empty.
9. Watermelon Rind Kimchi
Again, because watermelon rind is bland, it becomes a blank canvas for whatever spices and seasonings your dish calls for. I can’t think of a better place where this characteristic of watermelon rind could shine than in a batch of Korean kimchi.
Traditionally, kimchi is made with a base of fermented cabbage. However there are so many other veggies you can use in its place. In this case, we’ll be using our watermelon rinds. Customize the heat of your kimchi with how much gochugaru you add. Hot heads, you can set your face on fire with this watermelon rind kimchi recipe or tone it down so it’s only slightly zesty.
From the mild to the wild, there are so many great ways to use leftover watermelon rind. Try out a few, and you may find that the word “leftover” no longer applies. Rather, it’s simply another part of everyone’s favorite summer fruit to enjoy.
Get the famous Rural Sprout newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Including Sunday musings from our editor, Tracey, as well as “What’s Up Wednesday” our roundup of what’s in season and new article updates and alerts.