Sour Watermelon Rind Candy

If you're a fan of sour gummy candies, then you're going to love this Sour Watermelon Rind Candy! Similar to our sour candied citrus peels, they're made with watermelon rinds, which are normally just discarded, and they taste super similar to Sour Patch Kids Watermelon.

This recipe is definitely on the trickier side, but the end result is so worth it! Plus, you only need 3 ingredients to make it.

From scraps, to sweets!

Over the years, we've developed quite a few homemade candy recipes for our Better Than Store-Bought series. We've made gummy fruit snacks, peach rings, and even peeps!

One of the most fun recipes we've made is our Sour Candied Citrus Peels, which taste just like Sour Patch Kids but are made with the *normally* discarded peels of lemons, limes, oranges, or grapefruits. This got our wheels turning... Could we recreate this process and make our own Sour Patch Watermelon?

Normally, watermelon rind is thrown out, but this recipe utilizes most of it and turns it into a gummy, sugary, and sour candy. The texture is soft and chewy, and the taste is fruity and sour. You will be shocked that these are made with natural ingredients, and no gelatin.

We tested this recipe possibly the most out of any recipe we have ever developed! We won't lie, they're a bit tricky to get right. But thankfully, several of our failures helped inform the best possible process for success.

First, we tried a popular technique of boiling the rind and soaking in salt, then candying and coating in sugar. The result was too wet and weirdly salty, so we tried to dehydrate it, but this took too long and was too fussy.

We settled on a technique somewhat similar to our candied ginger, where you cook the rinds on the stovetop until the sugar crystallizes. This process worked GREAT for the watermelon, but it's definitely a bit tricky to get right, so keep reading if you're interested!

Jump to:

• From scraps, to sweets!
• Key Ingredients and Equipment Needed for Sour Watermelon Rind Candy
• How to Make Sour Watermelon Rind Candy
• Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!
• More Homemade Candy Recipes You'll Love
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Key Ingredients and Equipment Needed for Sour Watermelon Rind Candy

• Candy Thermometer: I like to use this to ensure our sugar doesn't get too hot as the watermelon cooks. If you don't use a thermometer, it's highly likely that the mixture will get too hot and burn.
• Citric Acid: The key ingredient to sour candy! You can find it in some specialty food stores or online. Customize your candy to whatever level of sourness you enjoy!
• Watermelon: We use just the rind, so make sure to save it next time you cut up watermelon for a fruit salad or cocktail.

How to Make Sour Watermelon Rind Candy

1. Peel the outermost green peel off of your leftover watermelon rinds and cut the rinds into ¼-inch thick slices with a knife or a mandoline.

2. Place the rinds in a shallow container and pour the sugar over the watermelon rind slices, then stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours, or overnight.

3. The watermelon will release a lot of water. Transfer the watermelon rind and all of the liquid into a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
4. Add 1 cup of water to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. The water will boil off for about 15-20 minutes or so, and in the process the watermelon will become glassy and translucent.

4. If you're using a candy thermometer (which we strongly suggest), you'll notice the temperature will start to climb into the 220˚F range. Keep cooking until the temperature reaches 235˚F - 240˚F, about 10-12 minutes, then move to a wider, shallower pan (more surface area is better here) over low heat.
5. The goal now is to dry out the sugar without burning it, so stir frequently and keep a close eye on the mixture. If you start to get a burnt sugar smell or golden brown color, remove from heat immediately, stir, and then return to low heat in a minute or two.
6. Keep stirring until the sugar starts to dry out and crystallize on the watermelon rind. Once you see the sugar has mostly crystallized, add 1 tablespoon of citric acid to the candied rind and stir to coat. 
7. At this point, there should not be any remaining liquid in the pan. Transfer the candy out onto a wire baking rack set atop a sheet pan, and use tongs to unfurl any pieces that have curled up during the cooking process.
8. Optional: Sprinkle on more citric acid, depending on how sour you like your candy.

Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!

• Use a peeler to remove the dark green part of the rind. Even if you cook this part down, it becomes too bitter and tough in the end. We also kept a little bit of the red part of the watermelon on the rind so the color comes through in the final product, but this will work fine if you only use the light green part of the rind.
• Pot sizes matter: We like to start cooking the watermelon in a narrower pot so that the water doesn't boil off too quickly. We want to soften up the watermelon in this phase of the cook and then bring the sugar slowly up to temperature. Then, we pour it out into a larger pot because we want the opposite effect - to dry out the sugar syrup as quickly as we can without burning it. The extra surface area of the larger pan is key to quick drying without burning the sugar.
• Monitor the temperature. We use a candy thermometer to make sure the sugar never gets above 240˚F, and then in the final stages of the cook, you'll want to use your eyes and your nose. If you start to smell burnt sugar or the color of the sugar starts to darken, remove the candy from the heat and stir it around to cool it off before returning to low heat.

More Homemade Candy Recipes You'll Love

We can't wait for you to make this Sour Watermelon Rind Candy in your own home! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

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