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You are here: Home / Recipes / Side dishes / Watermelon Rind Pickles – Grandma’s Recipe

Watermelon Rind Pickles – Grandma’s Recipe

August 22, 2018 By Shannah Coe 19 Comments

Don’t toss the watermelon rind when you are done enjoying summer’s best fruit. Save it and make watermelon rind pickles instead to make a treat you can enjoy all year long.

Everyone knows the benefits of eating watermelon. But, instead of googling can dogs eat watermelon rind and try to give it to them. Save it and make pickled watermelon rind instead. You’ll fall in love with this southern treat and will always want to save watermelon rind to make more.

Grandma's Watermelon Rind Pickles

I remember the first time my mom made these watermelon rind pickles. All I could think was “can you eat watermelon rind?” The answer is yes and pickled watermelon rind is a super delicious way to enjoy it.

Grandma's Watermelon Rind Pickles

One thing to look for when selecting a watermelon to make pickled watermelon rind is a really thick watermelon rind. It makes the entire pickling process so much easier. The one below was way too thin and we had to start over!

There are tons of benefits of eating watermelon, including the rind, such as:

  • good amount of fiber in watermelon
  • good amount of potassium in watermelon
  • helps you hydrate
  • contains compounds that may help reduce the risk of cancer
  • contains several heart healthy components
  • contains anti-inflammatory antioxidant such as lycopene and vitamin C

In addition to the health benefits of eating watermelon, pickled watermelon rind just tastes great. Plus, it is usually a great conversation starter too. My family typically gives some as small gifts too.

Grandma's Watermelon Rind Pickles

Since you need a watermelon to make these watermelon rind pickles, be sure to try some of these other recipes to use up the watermelon before you use the watermelon rind:

  • Cucumber Watermelon Salad
  • Watermelon Brie Bites
  • Watermelon Crush
  • Watermelon Shrimp Kabobs
  • Blueberry Glazed Watermelon

If you make this pickled watermelon rind or any other recipe from the blog, I’d love to hear about your experience. Let me know in the comments or snap a photo and tag it #MySuburbanKitchen  on Instagram or Twitter.

Grandma's Watermelon Rind Pickles
5 from 4 votes
Print
Watermelon Rind Pickles
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Resting time
12 hrs
Total Time
2 hrs 15 mins
 

Pickled watermelon rind is a way to enjoy all of summer's best fruit!

Servings: 5 pints
Ingredients
Brine
  • 1 quart water
  • 1/4 cup salt
Pickles
  • 4 lbs watermelon rind peeled
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 2 cups vinegar
  • 1 tsp whole cloves
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
  1. Cut watermelon rind into 1-2 inch pieces. 

  2. In a large pot, combine 1 quart water and 1/4 cup salt. Bring to a boil and add watermelon rind pieces. Cook for 5-8 minutes. Drain.

  3. In a separate pot, mix together sugar, vinegar, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Add rind and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and cover. Let sit over night.

  4. Bring mixture to a boil again. Remove from heat and pack in hot sterilized pint jars. Cover with syrup and seal.

Recipe Notes
  • The original recipe used 1/2 tsp oil of cloves and 1 tsp oil of cinnamon but I had difficulty locating those so I replaced them with whole cloves and cinnamon sticks.
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Filed Under: Cooking, food, Recipes, Side dishes, Snacks

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Comments

  1. Lane says

    August 22, 2018 at 10:37 am

    5 stars
    This is the perfect end of summer recipe!

    Reply
  2. Nellie Tracy says

    August 22, 2018 at 10:45 am

    5 stars
    These look delicious! Can’t wait to try them.

    Reply
  3. Andy Bishop says

    September 19, 2018 at 5:30 am

    5 stars
    Great idea Shannah! I’m excited to make these for the fam. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Rachel says

    July 2, 2019 at 10:09 pm

    When you cover it and let it sit overnight, does it need to be put in the fridge or does it stay out at room temperature ?

    Reply
    • Shannah Coe says

      July 18, 2019 at 8:47 pm

      I let it sit out at room temperature.

      Reply
  5. Sandi says

    June 22, 2020 at 10:40 am

    Are these refrigerated after jarring them? When sealing…is this in a water bath or just putting the lids on them, then placing in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Shannah Coe says

      June 22, 2020 at 12:57 pm

      Yes, I do refrigerate them after jarring them. I do not water bath seal them. However, if you were to seal them in a water bath, you would not need to refrigerate until you opened the jar.

      Reply
  6. Lesley says

    August 28, 2020 at 7:14 pm

    Would you happen to know how long to water bath can the pints, at 10#s of pressure?

    Reply
    • Shannah Coe says

      September 2, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      Unfortuntely, I do not. I have never done a water bath with them.

      Reply
  7. Roberta says

    August 30, 2020 at 5:05 pm

    How long does canned watermelon rind last

    Reply
    • Shannah Coe says

      September 2, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      I keep mine in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. If you do proper water bath canning, it would last up to a year unopened.

      Reply
  8. Billie H Dove says

    August 23, 2021 at 4:48 pm

    Oil of cloves and oil of cinnamon can be found at a pharmacy. I buy mine at Walmarts pharmacy. Also some pharmacies carry rennet and mother for vinegar

    Reply
  9. Chriatinw says

    August 26, 2021 at 10:00 am

    Do you cut the outer green off of the rind, or leave it on? I’m looking forward to making a huge batch of these.

    Reply
    • Shannah Coe says

      November 1, 2021 at 7:47 pm

      You need to cut off the outer green rind

      Reply
  10. Mike M. says

    March 18, 2022 at 12:25 am

    5 stars
    This is as close to a straightforward watermelon pickle recipe as I have ever seen, and I have eaten them for over five decades. The thought of using garlic, peppercorns, or jalapenos is simply wrong. If you want to make savory or spicy pickles, call them that, but don’t call them pickled watermelon rinds.

    Reply
  11. Janet says

    July 5, 2022 at 4:33 pm

    What can you do if you add too much cinnamon

    Reply
  12. Patsy says

    August 12, 2022 at 5:54 pm

    I made these yesterday a d finished them this morning. They are. delicious. I will be making more.
    Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  13. Ann says

    August 29, 2022 at 3:38 pm

    Hi, I am the only one in my family who likes pickled watermelon rind. I LOVE them, but only eat them on occasion. How long can I keep them in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Shannah Coe says

      September 5, 2022 at 7:44 pm

      They will keep about 6 months in the fridge.

      Reply

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About Me

Hi, I'm Shannah! Welcome to My Suburban Kitchen, where you'll find tons of recipe ideas including family friendly dinners, sinfully delicious desserts and even Paleo and Whole30 recipes. I love spending time in our kitchen and also share little glimpses of my life as a wife to one awesome Mathlete and working mom to 2 cute kids! I hope you'll grab a seat at our table and enjoy your time in the kitchen with us.

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