Watermelon is all the rage these days. Okay, it’s all the rage every summer. But what about the watermelon rind? Not only is it edible, it’s delicious when prepared properly. I think of the watermelon rind as more of a vegetable than a fruit. It’s dense and mild in flavor, unlike the fruit’s sweet and watery red flesh. And, as I mentioned in my watermelon rind curry recipe, research shows that the rind is rich in nutrients. Today, I’m sharing a recipe for watermelon rind chutney, a sweet and spicy condiment that you’ll love putting on top of everything.
This recipe is made using 5 cups of watermelon rind, though you can easily make more or less of this recipe according to how much rind you’ve got. Just make sure to remove the thin tough green skin. You only want the light green/white/pinkish rind for this chutney. This picture is from my rind curry recipe – for this chutney I cut my rind into smaller cubes than what you see here:
This chutney is simple and I made it using my slow cooker but you can also make this on the stove if you want. It’s made with a small handful of ingredients, including coconut sugar and apple cider vinegar. For heat, I used a serrano pepper – be sure to use less than you think you can handle. The rind soaks up flavor really well – and can easily become too spicy. My husband loves spicy food, so for him “too spicy” isn’t a real thing. For me, it is.
Use this chutney on top of everything. I’ve had it with fish, on top of a burger and served alongside an Indian meal.
Ingredients
- 5 cups watermelon rind tough green skin removed and cut into small pieces – or grated
- 1 cup Coconut Sugar
- 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 inch ginger minced or grated
- 4 cloves garlic minced or grated
- ½ serrano pepper remove seeds, minced
- ½ tsp Fine Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours.
- Spoon the chutney into mason jars along with the remaining sauce/juice.
- Store in refrigerator for a few weeks.
Darlene Thompson says
Thank you, Ashley, for creating a wonderful site! I can’t tell you how many times I type weird ingredients into Google and your site comes up! We either have similar tastes or similar ingredients!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Darlene, haha, that’s awesome! Happy to hear that 🙂
Olga says
Can I use reg. Sugar
My Heart Beets says
Yup, regular sugar is fine to use!
nunu says
How would you cook it on the stovetop?
Elizabeth brister says
Would you serve this with cauliflower-rice?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Elizabeth, you can eat this curry on top of cauli-rice, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash or with paleo naan. Or you can eat it on its own – with some protein on the side or mixed in (shredded chicken/meat, ground beef, etc).
Cheryl says
Is it possible to can/process the watermelon rind chutney for later use?
Cheryl says
Can this recipe be canned/processed for later use?
Candace says
Do you think this recipe could be canned in jars to be shelf stable?