Description
This watermelon rind jam is low sugar so it won’t last forever but it will be delicious! Add your favorite fruit to create different flavours!
Ingredients
Kathryn’s Pick – Watermelon Rind Strawberry “Jam”
- 3 – 5 cups white watermelon rind (375g – 625g)*
- 1 lemon, juiced (or 3 tbsp concentrated lemon juice)
- 3 – 5 tbsp cane sugar (depending on how much rind you have)
- 1 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced*
- optional: 1 tbsp chia seeds
- optional: 1 tbsp arrowroot starch (dissolved in 2 tsp water before adding)
Bryan’s Pick – Watermelon Rind Apple “Jam”
- 3 – 5 cups white watermelon rind (375g – 625g)*
- 1 apple (peeled, cored, and diced)*
- 1 lemon, juiced (or 3 tbsp concentrated lemon juice)
- 3 – 5 tbsp cane sugar (depending on how much rind you have)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
*Fresh Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
*Since this recipe uses less sugar this “jam” will be closer to the texture of applesauce. It will also need to be refrigerated and ideally used within a week.
- To prepare the watermelon; remove the outer green peel (I often use a potato peeler), then slice the white rind away from the sweet fruit. Dice the strips of rind as small as you can for the quickest cooking time. If you’re making the “jam” from frozen watermelon rind see the notes below!
- Combine diced watermelon rind, lemon juice, and sugar in a medium pot. If making the apple jam, add the diced apple now. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low boil, cover, and boil for 20-25 minutes stirring periodically until the watermelon pieces are translucent.
- If making the strawberry jam add 1 ½ cup strawberries and cook with the lid on for an additional 10 minutes to soften the strawberries.
- Carefully test a piece of watermelon and make sure it’s quite tender. When tender and translucent, remove the pot from the heat and either carefully blend with an immersion blender. Or allow the mixture to cool and transfer to a stand blender. Blend until it forms a smooth sauce.
- For the apple version you can stir cinnamon into the blended “jam” to finish it. If the strawberry version has too much liquid for your liking you can return it to the pot and add chia seeds or a starch to thicken the consistency. If using a starch, make sure to dissolve the starch in a bit of water before adding it to the blended jam and heat the jam back up until it reaches a low boil. If the jam doesn’t come to a boil you may be able to taste some of the starch. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until your desired consistency has been reached.
- Allow your watermelon rind jam to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Best enjoyed within the first week!
Notes
I tend to use a mini watermelon but if you have a larger watermelon, adjust the recipe to suit how much rind you have OR freeze some of the rind so you can make more sauce when you need a top up!
If you’re using frozen watermelon rind you can add the frozen pieces to your pot and heat them to defrost. You can pour out that first bit of water that is released. Then add the lemon juice and sugar and continue with the recipe. I have tried not discarding that initial water that is released and allowing the rind to cook with the pot lid off to encourage evaporation. However, I found that the flavour of the finished sauce tasted watered down.
For a sugar-free version know that less water will be released from the rind as it cooks. Stir the rind occasionally to ensure it is not sticking to the pot. You may find that you will want to add 1 – 2 tbsp maple syrup or another less refined sweetener to the finished sauce. The watermelon rind doesn’t have a lot of natural sweetness on its own.
Make sure to use the watermelon flesh for our Spicy “Tuna” Watermelon Poke Bowl!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Thrifty How-Tos
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Canadian