Today, I’m showing you how to dehydrate watermelon. It’s so easy and healthy, without any chemicals and preservatives. You can prepare this fruit for longer-term storage and as a healthy treat. If you have a bumper crop of sweet-flavored watermelon or have a market close by with some great deals, this is one way to make some easy snacks to eat every day or take hiking and camping without breaking the bank.
Do you sometimes look in the refrigerator and say, “I’m not going to be able to eat all that ripe watermelon.” I updated this post today with better images and more information. This post was originally written back in 2014 and I really wanted to share this one with you again. I love dehydrated watermelon!
Have your food dehydrator handy and cut the watermelon into bite-size pieces on a cutting board using a sharp knife and then start drying them. If the watermelon is sweet, the dehydrated watermelon pieces will taste sweet too, it’ll just have a different texture. Remember, you can dehydrate in your oven or on screens in the sun if you don’t have a regular dehydrator. My message today is directed to those who have a dehydrator. Are any of you planting watermelon seeds this year?
This particular watermelon was seedless (you can barely see the small white seeds in the picture below). If you dehydrate a regular watermelon with black seeds you’ll want to remove the seeds before dehydrating. I’ll only dehydrate a seedless watermelon, I am not removing any seeds. LOL!
How To Dehydrate Watermelon
Step One: Cut the ends off
Wash the outside of the watermelon. Cut the melon and remove the watermelon rind. I use a serrated knife to slice through the thick rind. I cut the ends off to make it easier for me to remove the rind. This is a “seedless” watermelon, but they always seem to have a few seeds.
Step Two: Cut the entire rind off
After I cut the ends of the watermelon off, it made the watermelon more stable for me to slice through. I started out with my Cutco bread knife and had to switch to another bread knife with a serrated edge.
Step Three: Cut the watermelon in half
The next step is to cut the melon in half.
Step Four: Cut the watermelon sections into wedges, or cubes from the flesh of the watermelon
Then slice the sections into 1/2-inch slices. I’m making watermelon wedges here to dehydrate.
Step Five: Cut wedges smaller so they will dehydrate faster
Then slice it in half again to make the watermelon slices easier to dehydrate.
Step Six: Place the wedges or cubes on your dehydrator trays or racks
Then place the wedges evenly on the dehydrating trays or racks using only a single layer.
Step Seven: We cut cubes as well to dehydrate
Of course, we all want to dehydrate watermelon into one-inch squares too because they are easy to take backpacking or for everyday snacks. Again, place the cubes in a single layer so they dehydrate evenly.
Step Eight: Place the racks in your dehydrator
Place the racks in your dehydrator to start the drying. I have an Excalibur Dehydrator that states 135 degrees is the temperature for my unit when working with this kind of food product. Please check your brand to see what temperature they suggest. The time will always depend on the humidity in the room where you are dehydrating your fruit and the temperature setting. Today this batch of watermelon took about 9 hours. No chemicals or preservatives.
Finished Product: Cubes
These took about 9 hours today.
Finished Product: Wedges
These wedges took about 9 hours as well. I dried them at the same time as the cubes, just on different racks.
What is conditioning after dehydrating (also see below)?
This is how I “condition” them. I know they are dehydrated as directed, but I want to make sure every single section is totally dry. Yes, they will be pliable and somewhat sticky. They are perfect. I let them sit out for at least 7-10 days to complete the conditioning stage.
Conditioning Watermelon Chunks
Conditioning Watermelon Wedges
Can I dehydrate watermelon in my oven?
Yes, you can. Set your oven to the lowest possible setting. Leave the door open slightly with a piece of foil wadded up into a ball. You need air to circulate around the food you are drying. You will need to watch the food closely because it is a little more tricky for the dehydrating time. Place your food on a nonstick tray or cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup after the dryer/dehydrating process.
What are the health benefits of watermelon?
Watermelon is a healthy low-calorie snack packed with antioxidants, essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. It’s a great fruit for hydrating your body. Of course, if you eat it after it’s dehydrated the watermelon juices have been dried away, so keep that in mind.
How do I store the finished product?
How To Condition Your Fruit or Vegetables
If you live where it is HUMID: “To condition the fruit, take the dried fruit that has cooled and pack it loosely in plastic or glass jars. Seal the containers by covering the jar with the lid hand-tightened and letting them stand for 7 to 10 days. The excess moisture in some pieces will be absorbed by the more dry pieces. Shake the jars daily to separate the pieces and check the moisture condensation.” https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/pack_store.html
I used to live in the DRY DESERT: I set my fruit and vegetables on my countertop for 5-7 days. Ten days are even better to make sure everything is dry before using your FoodSaver unit.
My favorite containers to store these in, are wide-mouth quart mason jars. I remove the air with my FoodSaver® Jar Sealer to create the vacuum seal for the airtight container I need. This FoodSaver® Jar Sealer is built into my unit. This one is also workable for other units, at least the hose is designed for flexible use. FoodSaver® Jar Sealer The unit must have an accessory hose opening. Please note that I don’t use oxygen absorbers; it’s a personal thing. I only dehydrate what we’ll eat within one year.
My favorite Excalibur
How To Dehydrate Watermelon
Dehydrate Watermelon
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes minutes
Dehydrate 9 hours hours
Total Time 9 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Servings 8 people
Author Linda Loosli
Ingredients
- 1 watermelon washed, and rind removed (cut in one-inch cubes or 1/2-inch thick wedges)
Instructions
- Wash the outside of the watermelon. Cut the watermelon and remove the rind. I use a serrated knife to slice through the thick rind. I cut the ends off to make it easier for me to remove the rind.
- I started out with my Cutco bread knife and had to switch to another bread knife with a serrated edge.
- The next step is to cut the melon in half.
- Then slice the sections into 1/2-inch slices. I’m making watermelon wedges here to dehydrate.
- Then slice it in half again to make the watermelon slices easier to dehydrate.
- Then place the wedges evenly on the dehydrating racks. Place the watermelon pieces (slices, wedges, or cubes) on the dehydrator racks spacing them so they do not touch each other. This way they will dry more evenly.
- I used an Excalibur Dehydrator and my manual says to set the temperature to (135°F) = (57°C) degrees. Be sure and look at your own dehydrator to see the correct temperature for your dehydrator.
- The time to dehydrate will always depend on the humidity of the room you are using to dry the product. Today this batch of watermelon took about 9 hours. No chemicals or preservatives.
Conditioning
- This is when I “condition” them. I know they are dehydrated but I want to make sure every single section is totally dry. Yes, they will be pliable and somewhat sticky. They are perfect. I let them sit out for at least 7-10 days to complete the conditioning stage.
When I purchase a watermelon, how can I pick out a ripe one from all those at the store?
Mark is my watermelon guy. He uses his knuckles to tap on the outside of the melon. If it sounds hollow, that’s the one he purchases. I just completed a post where I outline other approaches to determine ripeness and how sweet it should be, check it out.
Final Word
Preserving fruits and vegetables brings me so much joy. I have my dehydrator sitting out on the kitchen counter so I can load it every day if I have some excess fruit or vegetables. When you dehydrate watermelon your house smells so good from the sweetness of the melon. Of course, the finished product is super yummy! Please let me know what you are dehydrating this season, I’d love to hear from you. May God Bless this world, Linda
Here are the other Dehydrating Posts I have done:
- Dehydrating Apples
- Dehydrating Bananas
- Dehydrating Blackberries and Powder
- Dehydrating Blueberries and Powder
- Dehydrating Cilantro
- Dehydrating Cucumbers and Powder
- Dehydrating Ginger and Powder
- Dehydrating Green Onions and Powder
- Dehydrating Kale and Kale Powder
- Dehydrating Kiwi
- Dehydrating Lemons and Powder
- Dehydrating Marshmallows
- Dehydrating Peppermint Marshmallows and Powder
- Dehydrating Mushrooms and Mushroom Powder
- Dehydrating Onions and Powder
- Dehydrating Pears
- Dehydrating Pineapple
- Dehydrating Raspberries and Powder
- Dehydrating Spinach and Powder
- Dehydrating Strawberries
- Dehydrating Tomatoes and Powder
- Dehydrating Watermelon
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