Three Ways to Eat Watermelon Rind

Watermleon rind pickles in two glass canister/jars, pictured with goat cheese and deli meats on wooden cutting board

When most people eat a watermelon, they devour the red flesh inside and toss the rest of the watermelon in the trash (or, if you’re a gardener, the compost heap). If that’s you, that’s okay, but you should know that there are some very real benefits to using the entire watermelon, including the rind and seeds.

Using the whole watermelon is a fantastic way to make multiple meals and lessen waste. The key to chowing down on watermelon rind is knowing how to prepare it. Here are three ways to put that rind to good use:

1. PICKLED – Watermelon rind is pretty similar to a cucumber, which is why it’s no surprise that that pickled watermelon rind is such a popular option. If you’d like to try it for yourself, here’s a recipe.

2. JUICED – By now, we’ve all heard about watermelon juice, which is made from the juicy, red flesh of the melon, but did you know you can juice the rind, too? Just like the watermelon flesh, rind is loaded with water and nutrients. Looking for some inspiration? Check out this recipe for a Watermelon Rind Gazpacho.

3. STIR-FRIED – When it’s cut up, watermelon rind is just like a vegetable, which means it can be tossed in a pan and stir fried right alongside broccoli and carrots. This recipe for Watermelon Rind Stir Fry will show you how to turn up the heat on the rind with delicious consequences.

Comments

Very interesting, never knew that you could us watermelon in this way, thank you Paul

I tried watermelon rind as a sweet candy. Just peel its green coloured part outside and cut in 1 inch pieces. Boil its till looks transparent. Add sugar, lemon juise and food colour of you choise. Heat on medium flame till sugar and water disappear and absorbed in watermelon rind. Your sweet candies are prepared. Enjoy it. Add orange or other asense like rose, grapes, etc for more taste.

Sounds like a wonderful sweet treat! We received a similar type recipe from a “Use the Whole Watermelon” recipe contest in the Rind category a couple summers ago: https://www.watermelon.org/recipes/watermelon-lemon-laced-rind-candy/.

My mom make preserves. Delicious family recipe.

I’ve tried watermelon rind and was very surprised and so was my girlfriend. I ate a lot of watermelon rind while the watermelons were in season and was disappointed when I could not get watermelon when there not in season. Bought my first watermelon yesterday. And eating thewatermelon rind right now . How can I store watermelon rind so I can save it for the off season

If you add all of these things ….then its not at all healthy …instead try eating its pickle

Can’t one just go ahead and eat it raw without following any recipes?

You absolutely can eat the watermelon rind raw. It is very crunchy, and the flavor is more like a cucumber with the texture of something close to jicama. Because of the density, it holds up well to cooking methods like stewing, stir frying, pickling or roasting.

How very interesting. I have discovered that we are throwing away a lot of the best parts of fruits and vegetables. I like the idea of eating the rind raw but just because I am lazy and there is no preparation. LOL

That’s good to know about the rind. thank you as my kids like to eat the rind I wanted to check it was safe to do so. Which not only that it gives them even more benefits 🙂

Brilliant,thanks for the info,I’ll be trying the stir fry tonight

What a wonderful website to discover. I have used the rind to make jam and relish. It’s great to know it lends itself very well to stir fries too.
Can the outer most green part be used as well? Does it have a waxy feel to it?

Yes, the outer green rind is safe to eat! You can learn more about using the whole watermelon here.

Could you please give me your recipe for the Jam
Thank you

wow a jam and relish! would you mind sharing the recipe

Growing up in south Texas in the 1950s I remember eating watermelon candy made from watermelon rind that my grandmother and aunt made for our family. The only watermelon that I remember eating back then was the Black Diamond.. big round dark green color melon. I was the youngest of 7 kids I didn’t know about recipes so when my grandmother passed the recipe went with her. I’ll be looking for a recipe online.

We have a recipe for a lemon laced watermelon rind candy – you can find it here!

Wonderful.

Remove the green outer skin ,then use the rind as you would use squash .The taste is wonderful..Can also be cooked with some chicken.Can be added to soup..

I have a wonderful squash sweet relish recipe. Would watermelon rind work for it as well?

I like to spread some guacamole on the rind. It’s very similar to a cucumber. I’ve even diced some of the rind and added it directly to the guacamole. It adds a little extra crunch.

Hi,I would like this recipe…would u like to share it?Thanks

Please refer to this link for many Watermelon Rind recipes: https://www.watermelon.org/recipe-categories/rind/

I have loved to dehydrate watermelon, though it absorbs water through the air. It’s a great way to salvage that less-than-perfect melon.

So I tried doing the same with the rind. I sprinkled a bit of sugar on it. I could hardly tell the difference.

Then I mixed about a half a cup of sugar and a half a cup of beet powder in a cup of water. I dipped the rind in there and then put it in the dehydrator. I had a little left over so dabbed it on as it dried.

People prefer this to regular dehydrated watermelon. I can’t keep it for long. I am now in the process of dipping the core of a pineapple in the mix.

Love the stir fry idea. I might suggest leaving it in the refrigerator uncovered for a day to lose a little water. And the smoothie idea is good. I might strain it for a lovely glass of watermelon juice.

Its rich in nitric oxide. Great for heart!

Thank you! ♥️ I am currently looking for ways to gain nitric oxide. Especially tasty ones.

The blog is so apt about the benefits of watermelon seeds and the recipes are very well explained. I would recommend this blog and recipe to my friends and family. I have been using Raw Watermelon Seeds from True Elements – a clean label food brand Raw Watermelon Seeds and I have them during my breakfast.

Thank you for all the wonderful dedication! My students are going to pickle, stir fry, and apparently make jam out of the rind now. LOL just kidding about that part, but really. Thank you.

Watermelon is one of my favorite summer fruits. I always threw the seeds away, but recently one of my friends told me about the benefits of eating watermelon seeds. He bought roasted watermelon seeds from Eatier, & recommended it to me.

After reading this fantastic blog I also came to know about the use of watermelon rind & now I am going to try the stir fried recipe. I was lucky to find this blog.

Cheers

Does the outer green part need to be removed for these uses of the rinds?

The darker green outer skin, or peel, is in fact edible as well. You can leave it on when pickling. However most watermelon rind recipes are best achieved when removing the skin because of the waxier texture. Once you cook it, the skin is a bit gummier in texture than the white part of the rind.

I can see myself dehydrating the peel to powder and add to dishes but..I need to leave something for the composter

Hi very interesting. I Peeled greener part. I .only used white part for my recipe. what Iam asking is can we eat green part?
PLEASE CLARIFY MY DOUBT.
Thanks
Rosie

Absolutely you can, but it is not something we would eat on its own without cooking and flavoring. 100% of the watermelon is edible — flesh, juice and rind!