Watermelon candy is a delicious natural candy recipe with incredible concentrated flavor! Brightly vibrant with surprising flavor, these are the hit of summer!
recipe originally published October 26, 2011
Watermelon Candy
Watermelons always make me think of Grandpa Z. We shared a mutual love of watermelon, and I have many memories of enjoying it with him. I have photos of Grandpa Z sitting on the kitchen floor, holding our dachshund Hansel, with a huge watermelon in front of him.
We called grandpas mom - my great grandma - Watermelon Grandma. We had watermelon eating contests - to see who could "clean" their piece the fastest. We looked for the largest watermelons always, and often used the dachshund as a reference measure.
Dehydrator Recipe
I have been wanting to dehydrate watermelon for years. I tried it in the oven once, it really didn't work. Now that I have my dehydrator, I picked up a watermelon, and I made my first natural candy!
This tastes amazing - natural watermelon flavor intensified! Chewy and pliable like it should be, it is easy to bite and mmm, too easy to eat the entire tray (uh oh - I'm sensing a theme).
Do you share the love of watermelon? What should I dehydrate next (wrings hands)?
Did you make this recipe?
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Watermelon Candy
A delicious natural “candy” with incredible concentrated flavor! Brightly vibrant with surprising flavor, these are the hit of summer!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ fresh watermelon
Instructions
- Carefully cut rind from watermelon.
- Slice watermelon into uniform strips, about 6 inches long, almost 2 inches wide, ½ inch thick.
- Arrange in single layer on dehydrator sheets.
- Set dehydrator to 125 °F.
- Place dehydrator sheets inside dehydrator, close and set timer for 6-8 hours. Check after several hours.
Notes
vegan, gluten free, whole foods, dehydrator recipe
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
5 stripsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 21Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 0g
nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.
about Kristina:
Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food! Read more...
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Dorry says
Genius! That's not something I would have thought to dehydrate but I'm sort of drooling at the thought of how tasty that much be. I'm a big fan of dried mango, peaches, cranberries!
Dorry says
p.s. I've made Billy banana chips in the dehydrator before and they were tasty! I'm not even a banana chip fan.
spabettie says
that's one of the things Jason requested... making them today for a "welcome home" treat. 🙂
spabettie says
yes, dried mango is one of my favorites...
veganlisa says
Watermelon leathers were on my to-make list all summer and I never got around to it. Your recipe and photos proved how easy it is. I won't let another year go by without giving it a try.
Thanks.
spabettie says
yes, you really will love these! they take a while, but the wait is well worth it!
spabettiemom says
OOHHH....AAAHHHH...I think I NEED a dehydrator too!!! Watermelon; my absolute favorite....And wouldn't it be cool just sit on the floor with Grandpa Z, Watermelon Grandma, Hansel and a few others I can think of like "Uncle Dudley"?..We would all laugh so hard we would wet our pants!!!!::)
spabettie says
yes... I would so love to see all of those beautiful people again! so full of life, all of them!
Kath (My Funny Little Life) says
This is actually PRETTY COOL! 😀 And now I want a dehydrator, of course. *sigh*
spabettie says
I know - I was really happy with the result. so SO tasty!
natalie (the sweets life) says
this blows my mind...by next watermelon season i need to find a dehydrator so i can try this!!
spabettie says
I know, I really didn't know what to expect - I had an idea in my mind, and they turned out exactly like that - so good!
Cookin' Canuck says
That does it - I HAVE to get a dehydrator to make treats like these for my kids. What a great idea!
spabettie says
I imagine all kids would LOVE these! and it's fun for you too - this thing is like a new toy! 😀
Lisa says
What a great idea! I love watermelon flavored things, especially when the flavor comes from real watermelon!
I'm always trying to think of new things to dehydrate....some other unexpecting fruit should be next!
spabettie says
I have a few other ideas... 😀
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
omg why didnt I think of this during watermelon season.
genius!!!!!!
my big, dusty, hot box, i.e. my dehydrator, just re-earned it's keep in my kitch if I can make these. and now i know why you were so in love w/ your dehyd via email 🙂 I'd be too. PERFECT pics, too.
spabettie says
yeah, I know SOME things can be done in the oven... but I actually tried to make these once, and it was a mess! I think the dehydrator is a good accessory for me to have 😀
Christin@purplebirdblog says
Oh hell yes! I can just imagine the delectable texture!
spabettie says
mmm HMMM! 😀
Mama Pea says
I would NEVER have thought you could dehydrate watermelon...I'm mean, it's like 99.9% water! I'm so glad you tried it and it worked!
spabettie says
I know... I really didn't know what to expect. I had this grand idea in my head of these perfect strips of chewy goodness... and that's what I got! 😀 If only all my ideas worked so well 😉
hope all is good, Sarah - I miss our emails too! 😀