How To Make Watermelon Jerky
What made me want to make watermelon jerky?
I’ve been trying to show folks ways they can save money to combat rapidly rising grocery costs and one of those is, of course, buying food at today’s prices and preserving it. With that in mind, I’ve done a lot of dehydrating videos lately. I really feel the dehydrator is an often overlooked appliance that can save every household money – and freezer space! I’ve shown you how to dehydrate frozen vegetables, make your own instant rice (for pennies a serving instead of $1 a serving), and even how to make shelf stable ground beef.
And now, for a real fruit snack that will have your taste buds singing… Dried Watermelon Jerky
I didn’t realize how well received the videos about the dehydrator would be or how many emails I’d get asking for more, and how many of y’all would actually go out and buy a dehydrator! Links to the dehydrators I have are at the bottom of this post. I do feel like this is a wonderful investment and an easy way for every household to preserve food with the lowest maintenance possible. If you do purchase it, it is an affiliate link so Southern Plate earns a small commission to help pay for all the free information I make for y’all.
Although I do can to preserve foods (click here for my tutorial), dehydrating and making things like Watermelon Jerky takes far less hands on time and allows me to preserve things I wouldn’t be able to with traditional canning methods.
Why would you want to dry watermelon?
Well, sometimes we may have a bumper crop! Sometimes we may find a good deal and want to preserve it. Sometimes we may just want to taste what dried watermelon tastes like – and I highly recommend any of the above – especially growing your own. It is so very important to grow something, even if just a small portion of your own food nowadays. Any little thing you do makes you that much more self sufficient and that much less dependent on corporations and transportation halfway across the country to put food on your table.
Can I Get Watermelon All Year Round?
Watermelon is not only available in the summer. It is a refreshing and nutritious fruit that can be available all year-round! The US produces watermelon typically from April through November. If you are buying at other times it is likely imported.
To start with, you need a watermelon. Imagine that! 🙂
How can I tell if A Watermelon is Good?
While we’re here, let me show you how you can tell if a watermelon is good, even if it is tiny :). You want a bright yellow underbelly. That means that the watermelon was ripened in the field. It should also be very heavy so you know it is fresh and juicy, and have a dull thud sound when you thump it.
But be nice. Watermelons don’t like to be thumped anymore than you do 🙂
- To start you need to cut up your watermelon however you feel like cutting up your watermelon. I slice mine in big wedges and then cut it apart from the rind.
Voila!
- Then I slice that wedge into thinner slices. The thinner the better.
- Cut those up into smaller pieces still.
- And lay them out on your dehydrator trays that have been lined with parchment paper or fruit leather sheets.
- Load up your dehydrator..
- Put the door on 🙂
- And set your temperature for fruit (about 135 degrees) and your timer for Ten Forevers.
I’m not kidding. That is how long this will take. Most likely 18-24 hours.
BUT
it is so worth it. The watermelon is so sweet and tastes like watermelon jolly ranchers, only better! It is slightly chewy like an easy to chew taffy, and all of that wonderful watermelon flavor is concentrated in a way that you’ve never tried before.
Then…ENJOY!
Link to the dehydrators I currently own:
Ingredients
- 1 watermelon
Instructions
- Cut watermelon and remove flesh from rind. Cut flesh into pieces as close to 1/4" thickness as you can. Remove seeds if possible.
- Place on lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 135 degrees for ten forevers, or 18-24 hours, or until watermelon jerky is sufficiently dry and breaks when you bend it.
- Store in airtight container.
Nutrition
To see the Excalibur dehydrator I currently use, click here. For a complete collection of dehydrators offered by Amazon, click here.
You may also like these recipes:
Dehydrating Peaches (and recipes!)
Dehydrating to Save Money & Freezer Space
I have a food dehydrator, and never considered drying a watermelon! But for sure, with the raising costs of food, it is more important than ever to stretch those food dollars, and throwing away food is one of the worst ways to spend your money. Must try this in the near future!
Hey Connie! I’m gonna tell you what, I have my dehydrators running around the clock these days and they’re actually saving me money while they do it! My kids love “homemade” dried fruit. It seems I’m always coming up with more things to dry! I agree completely about throwing food away! I bet we’d make great neighbors 🙂
I have watermelon in the freezer can I use it…
I am afraid I can’t really answer that, I have never tried it using frozen watermelon but I would love to hear the results if you give it a try!
Never would have thought about doing this but will definately give it a try. Also wanted to let you know I like the new look of your website.
Thank you so much!! I’m so excited with how it turned out!
I have never even seen store bought dried watermelon. All kinds of other fruit but not that!! This convinced me I definitely need a dehydrator in my life! I have been on the fence but I just toppled over!!
If you can afford it, go with Excalibur dehydrater.
We’ve had ours for 40 years and it’s still running!
Christy,
This sounds wonderful! However, I don’t have a dehydrator. Do you think I could achieve the right texture in a low oven (250 may be lowest temp)? You are such an inspiration! Sara
Drying in order to preserve vitamins and other healthy aspects of the fruit require lower temperatures to avoid “cooking” the item and losing many of the nutritional aspects. Most dehydrator temps called for are between 125 and 155. High enough to dry, but not cook, the food. Although you could certainly preserve some food at the higher temps, they would not be nearly as flavorful or nutritious, IMHO
Watermelon JERKY. That made me have a big conversation with myself in my head. It’s fruit, how can it be jerky? Isn’t it just dried fruit? I know, I’m a goofball. A dehydrator does sound like a good investment.
I totally agree with your “soapbox” words about needing to keep some things sacred. We, as a society, have bought into putting ourselves first, and I believe that has cost us so much. Did you ever hear the JOY acronym in Sunday School…”J” for Jesus first, then “O” for others, and lastly “Y” for you? I fail often, but I try to live out that as my motto. Thanks for the reminder…and, it’s too bad we don’t live next door to each other because I think we would be close friends.
Oh my goodness, I love that acronym!!! Thank you for sharing Kathy!!
What a nice new logo! I really like it very much; someone did a great job.
I am so glad you like it Jen!!!
Hooray for planting! We just put in five baby fruit trees (please don’t die, trees!) in an effort to feed ourselves more and cut back our grocery bill a bit. Since most of our grocery basket every week is produce, I figure the little trees will pay for themselves in the first year when they start to bear fruit. You can bet my dehydrator will be humming then! Thanks for the watermelon lesson. I’ve wondered about drying one before but never gotten around to trying. I’ll go for it this summer when we start to get the big watermelons in the store.
Sending growing thoughts to your trees Erin!!!