Don't Waste Your Watermelon Rinds — Candy Them Instead

It's that time of year once again: The skies are sunny, grills are sizzling-hot, and supermarket bins are chock-full of freshly picked watermelons. The juicy, red fruit is perhaps the poster child of summertime and is the perfect accompaniment for a day at the beach or a picnic in the park. But as many have come to know, once those succulent slices have come to an end, you're left with nothing but sticky hands and a mountain of uneaten watermelon rinds. Here at Tasting Table, we're big proponents of reducing food waste, and believe it or not, watermelon rinds are completely edible and packed with vital nutrients like vitamin C, fiber, and potassium. At the same time, we understand that eating rinds plain isn't always desirable, so, rather than throwing out your watermelon rinds, try candying them for an easy and delicious treat.

Candied watermelon rinds are practically unrecognizable from their raw counterparts. You've probably come to associate rinds with their firm texture, requiring a substantial amount of force that's tough on your teeth with each bite. But, after simmering in a simple syrup mixture, the rinds are much chewier, with an almost gumdrop-like texture. Plus, they're significantly sweeter, losing that cucumber or jicama-adjacent flavor that turns so many away from eating them raw. Candying watermelon rinds might sound daunting, but the process is surprisingly straightforward, requiring just three ingredients. The best part? It's incredibly inexpensive.

The first step, as you might have guessed, is to separate the white watermelon rinds from the fruit's sweet, red flesh using a large knife. You could also use a wire cheese cutter with the wheel removed to do this, which is an easy trick courtesy of Alton Brown. Once separated, you can either eat the red flesh on its own or you can use it in some of our favorite summer watermelon recipes. Then, with a paring knife or vegetable peeler, remove the green outer skin. From there, cut the peeled and separated rinds into small pieces, a few inches in length. Note that these rinds will greatly reduce in size, so be sure to make the pieces substantial enough to survive the shrinkage. 

Meanwhile, fill a large pot on the stove with water, stirring in sugar until it dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then set the heat to low, simmering the prepared watermelon rind pieces in the simple syrup for about 20-40 minutes, or until translucent. Make sure that your syrup isn't turning a dark, caramel color, as this indicates your heat is too high. Once the rinds have finished boiling, arrange them on an oven-safe wire rack in a single layer, making sure they don't overlap. Place the rack in a low-temp oven or dehydrator for a couple of hours, or leave at room temperature for about a day. Once set, roll the candy into granulated sugar.