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How to Make Watermelon Candy – Summer’s Sweet Treat

When someone talks about Watermelon Candy do Jolly Ranchers come to mind first?  That’s what I used to think too until I made watermelon candy for the first time last year.

I bet you didn’t know you could make your own watermelon candy using just a watermelon and nothing else.  Well, you need a few other things but no other food items, and no added sugar.  Queue the mom applause here.

I wanted to get this post published before Independence Day since watermelons are so closely tied to the 4th of July.  We were out of town recently and I wasn’t able to get it all pulled together until today.  Thankfully it’s still watermelon season so you have time to try this yummy-ness yourself.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience.  You can read my full disclosure here.

Watermelon Candy Supply List

We’ve been using the techniques I learned through a FB post shared a few years ago and we haven’t had a bad melon since.  They go like this….

    • Symmetrical shape
    • Dark green
    • Heavy for it’s size
    • Big butter spot (the bigger and deeper the yellow spot the longer it ripened on the vine)
    • Tight lines on the end
    • Brown dots on the vine spot

This watermelon is perfect!  You’ll only need a few slices to fill your dehydrator so enjoy the rest of the fresh juicy melon like you would normally.  There’s not much active time to making this yummy watermelon candy, but you should plan to make it when you’ll be home to check on the progress.

Whole watermelon on cutting board on counter top.

Now that you know how to pick em let’s get to the candy makin’ part.  Slice off a section of watermelon approximately 1-1/2″ thick.  Cut off the rind and then slice it into sections of 1-1/2″ by 2″.  Take each section, turn it on its side and slice into 1/2″ slices.

thick slice of watermelon cut into cubes on cutting board.

Place your slices onto the trays of your dehydrator, leaving some space between each slice for air movement.  You could try 1/4″ slices because they will dehydrate into watermelon candy quicker.  I wouldn’t cut them any thinner than that or your resulting candy will be very thin.

Square slices of watermelon on dehydrator trays.

After all your trays are filled place on the top and plug it in.

dehydrator filled and plugged into outlet on counter top.

Set the temp on your dehydrator to 125 degrees.  The idea is to dry or dehydrate the melon without cooking it.

Top view of dehydrator set to 125 degrees.

At about 24 hours start checking your pieces.  When done they’ll be a little firm and not squishy.  If they’re squishy there’s still too much liquid.  I usually flip them over at this point.  This helps them not to stick to the tray.

See how small they get once all the liquid is gone?  You could start with larger slices but then you can’t fit as much onto the round trays.

Watermelon candy pieces on dehydrator trays

By now I’m sure you’ll have taste tested many pieces of the yummy watermelon candy.  It’s so hard to stop eating it 🙂

Store the candy in an airtight container. I like to use mason jars for my watermelon candy because they keep it so fresh.  Those two 1-1/2″ slices of watermelon turned into a quart jar of yummy watermelon candy 🙂

Watermelon candy in a quart jar on counter top.

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After I shared this post I decided to finally buy some extra trays for my dehydrator.  You should search for the correct model number, but I bought these trays for mine.  Now I can make more watermelon candy at one time 😀

A healthy and tasty treat; it’s perfect when you want a little something sweet.  From this….

Fresh watermelon in an artsy display  on a blue and white plate.

to this!

pile of watermelon candy on a blue and white plate

I bet you can’t eat just one… 😉

Watermelon candy on a blue and white plate

Pin this yummy recipe to your favorite candy or sweet treat board.

Watermelon candy pic collage.

I wish I could send you all a piece to sample but my supply is already very very low.  I better get to makin’ some more before watermelon season is over.

If you’ve ever made your own watermelon candy (or make some in the future) I’d love to hear what you think of it.

Until next time,

Toni

 

Debbie

Monday 11th of July 2016

So I never heard of a "butter spot" before and had no idea how to determine a ripe watermelon! Thanks. I have been interested in a dehydrator for the past few months thinking about putting it on my Christmas list. I love watermelon and the flavor, don't do Jolly Ranchers so your technique making it healthy is a great idea for our family! Thank you

Toni Harvey

Tuesday 12th of July 2016

Debbie, I had no idea what those spots meant either. I love my dehydrator, you should put it on your Christmas list for sure!

Marjan

Saturday 9th of July 2016

Never tried dehydrating, looks easy enough. Thanks for sharing.

Toni Harvey

Tuesday 12th of July 2016

It is very easy! Thanks for stopping by :)

Susie from The Chelsea Project

Thursday 7th of July 2016

Don't mind me...just here to Stumble. Already pinned. :-)

Toni Harvey

Tuesday 12th of July 2016

You are sweet my friend!

Susanne

Thursday 7th of July 2016

I would have never thought of doing this! Looks yummy!!

Toni Harvey

Thursday 7th of July 2016

Susanne, I've tried quite a few things and I've had some failures but mostly successes. This was one of the successes as you can see :) I use my dehydrator more than I thought I would. My hubby wants me to try making beef jerky but I haven't got around to that one yet.

Sam@Raggedy Bits

Wednesday 6th of July 2016

Perfect combination! Two of my favourites! Will be sure to try out your delicious recipe! YUMMY!

Toni Harvey

Thursday 7th of July 2016

I'm almost out so I better hurry and make more before all the good watermelons are gone until next year :)