Don’t throw out your watermelon rind just yet! Instead, why not make a delightfully sweet and chewy homemade watermelon rind candy? Get ready with your peeled watermelon rind and coat it with sugar for a festive white frosting.
All About Watermelon Rind Candy
To make this candy, you will need the rinds of the watermelon, which is its hard outer skin.
After making watermelon popsicles and watermelon mochi, I found myself with some leftover watermelon rinds.
You may wonder, how can you eat the watermelon’s hard shell?
In this recipe, the watermelon rinds become edible after a few easy steps. It is coated with sugar and placed in the fridge overnight. Afterward, it is cooked in the pot until it boils with the sugar. The sugars eventually become white and form the outer coating of the rinds like a sugar frosting.
As a result, you get a sweet and chewy candy, similar to a gummy worm. You can further enhance the flavor with lemon or lime slices, cinnamon sticks, and ginger. Store the candies in an airtight container in the pantry.
What You Need To Make Watermelon Rind Candy
The kitchen tools you need are all rather basic. Take out your knife for chopping and cooking pot for boiling. I highly suggest using a peeler to peel the outer layer of the skin easily, but a regular knife will still do the job. Here’s everything you need for kitchen tools and ingredients.
Equipment
- Peeler
- Knife and chopping board
- Bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Cooking pot
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1000g of watermelon skin (with a bit of red flesh for color and flavor)
- 400g of white sugar
How To Make Watermelon Rind Candy
The key steps in making watermelon rind candy are chopping it into strips, setting it with sugar overnight in the fridge, and boiling it in water until the sugar solidifies. It is generally fast and easy to make, but it may take longer since it is left in the fridge overnight.
Watch my quick tutorial of this recipe on Instagram and TikTok. Don’t forget to tag @kitchenmisadventures after creating this candy!
Prepare the watermelon rinds by peeling the green outer skin first.
Then, cut it into 1-inch chunks and cut each piece into thin strips about 1 centimeter wide.
Place the watermelon rind strips in a bowl and add the white sugar.
Mix the watermelon rinds and sugar thoroughly until the sugar is evenly distributed.
Next, cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight.
Afterward, put the watermelon rinds in the cooking pot. Add a bit of water for boiling if needed.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
Once it boils, lower the heat to low and continuously stir.
Stir continuously while gently scraping the bottom of the pot.
Keep stirring until the sugars thicken.
Afterward, the sugar should become whiter and harder, coating the rinds with a frost-like layer.
Enjoy this sweet and chewy candy! Store it in an airtight container in a dry location away from heat. Storing it in the fridge may cause it to turn sticky.
Sugary Homemade Watermelon Rind Candy
Equipment
- Peeler
- Knife and chopping board
- Bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Cooking pot
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1000 g of watermelon skin with a bit of red flesh for color and flavor
- 400 g of white sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the watermelon rinds by peeling the green outer skin first.
- Then, cut it into 1-inch chunks and cut each piece into thin strips about 1 centimeter wide.
- Place the watermelon rind strips in a bowl and add the white sugar.
- Mix the watermelon rinds and sugar thoroughly until the sugar is evenly distributed.
- Next, cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight.
- Afterward, put the watermelon rinds in the cooking pot. Add a bit of water for boiling if needed.
- Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once it boils, lower the heat to low and continuously stir.
- Stir continuously while gently scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Keep stirring until the sugars thicken.
- Afterward, the sugar should become whiter and harder, coating the rinds with a frost-like layer.
