This post is sponsored by Watermelon.org. All opinions, comments and enthusiasm remain my own!
Trust me here, Churro Watermelon Rind Fries are a good thing. In fact, this easy watermelon snack recipe is a REALLY, REALLY GOOD THING that tastes yummy, reduces food waste, and can be made in the air fryer in minutes.
Your mouth is probably hanging open for a couple reasons. The first is you may not have known you can actually (and should) eat watermelon rind. Sadly, watermelon rind is the most tossed away part of the fruit by far. Why not rescue it for a recipe and reduce watermelon food waste?! Just cut off the off the thin green skin layer and then chop, dice, slice, shred or otherwise prep the mild white part of the rind for use in recipes like smoothies, salsas, salads, appetizers and more.
You also might be surprised that cinnamon (the primary flavor in Mexican churros, those little fried cinnamon-sugar pastries) is AMAZING on watermelon. Something about the earthy, woody flavors of this warming spice adds something extra to watermelon – and watermelon rinds. Watermelon rinds are mild and play well with a variety of spices.
What surprised me was how easy these watermelon rind fries were to make in an air fryer with little mess. I simply sliced rinds into French fry-sized pieces and then rolled into cinnamon mixed with a stevia baking blend (you can also use regular table sugar, I’m moderating carbs over here). After an 8-minute session in my air fryer (flipping once), these tasty morsels came out sweet and delicious with a pleasantly firm and slightly chewy texture – not soggy, or mushy or messy. Delicious served with vanilla yogurt as a dipping sauce!
Check out these other ways to use the whole watermelon – the rind, the juice, the flesh and (if your watermelon has ‘em), seeds.
Watermelon Rind: Rise and “rind,” put chopped up rind in your breakfast smoothies or use in a relish for dinner like watermelon rind kimchi. OR, how about something completely different – use a scooped out half watermelon rind (skin on) as a compostable vase or potting vessel. After making my watermelon rind fries, I had even MORE scraps of rind, so I got crafty and made a quick centerpiece for a summer pool party – a fish! Get creative – and check out my pin story <<insert link>> on other food hacks and ways to repurpose the rind!
Watermelon Juice: Comprised of 92% water, watermelons are prolific juice-makers and a smart choice for staying hydrated. There are a couple ways to get juice from your watermelon. The first way is to drain the seeped-out juice from a watermelon – both from the actual cutting up session, to the juice that seeps out overnight. I drain this juice off daily, and also think it helps the watermelon flesh stay fresher in the fridge. A plus of this method is that you get to enjoy all the flesh of the fruit to, but a negative is having to wait for juice to seep out. So, not the best method if you need a lot of watermelon juice at once. Blending up watermelon chunks and straining off the pulp is the second way to get watermelon juice (watch this watermelon juice tutorial) – it’s fast and makes a lot, but you lose the flesh. It’s a super solution to “save” a watermelon that’s become overly ripe. Use juice in smoothies, cocktails, popsicles and other sweet treats. It can also be used as a cooking liquid for quinoa or oats!
Watermelon Flesh: Chunks, wedges, balls, fries, balls, diced – there are so many ways to cut up watermelon flesh. Of course, watermelon is delicious unadorned, but it’s also exciting dressed up with simple seasonings. Check out these four ways to season watermelon that will blow your mind. Watermelon is also adds nutrition and sweet yum to every recipe category in existence. Works in sweet OR savory recipes! Watermelon.org has a drool-worthy watermelon recipe collection and I’m pretty proud of my own creations too, like Grilled Watermelon with Cherry Balsamic Salsa, and lots of others — just type “watermelon” in my search bar!
Watermelon Seeds: Most watermelons these days are the seedless variety. But, if you see those little white unmatured hulls, they are just fine to eat. And, so are the big black seeds for that matter, they are just like any other seed and offer plant protein along with other beneficial nutrients! If you have a bunch of black seeds, toss them with olive oil and a bit of salt before roasting in the oven at 325F for about 20 minutes. Then, crack open the hull and eat the tender seed in the center (like a sunflower seed eating experience) I’ve written and entire post singling about the wonders of watermelon seeds with recipe ideas too, check it out!
Don't toss away the watermelon rind! Use it to make an easy, nutrition and yummy snack that is also economical and helps prevent food waste.
- 1 lb. watermelon rind
- ¼ cup sugar or stevia baking blend
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 6- ounce vanilla yogurt carton
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Use paring knife to slice green skin off rind and discard.
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Cut rind into approximate finger-sized portions (like the size of a thicker fry)
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In shallow bowl, mix together sweetener and cinnamon.
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Roll each piece of rind through mixture, coating all sides a bit.
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Place in basket tray of pre-heated (375F) air fryer and air fry for approximately 8-9 minutes, flipping once after about 4 or 5 minutes.
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Serve warm vanilla yogurt as dipping sauce.
