Did you know you can eat the watermelon rind?

I learned all these tricks while watching the National Watermelon Board’s Facebook Live on “How To Use The Whole Watermelon.” (I also learned I’ve been cutting watermelons incorrectly all these years.) Talk about a great way to cut down on food waste, too.

So, I knew that you could pickle watermelon rinds but did you know after peeling/slicing off the hard green skin, you can eat that white rind raw? I had NO IDEA! It tastes a bit like jicama with a watermelon flavor. You can also cook it.

Here are just a few of the tricks I picked up:

1) Watermelon Rind in Slaws and Salads 

Julienne (cut into matchsticks) and toss into your favorite green salads or raw slaws like this Jicama Slaw or Broccoli Carrot Raisin Slaw. I also cut the white rind into cubes and mixed into my Corn Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette.

2) Watermelon Rind in Stir Frys

I couldn’t believe you could actually cook the rind – in a pan stir-fry style or even roasted! Cooked watermelon rind tastes a bit like summer squash.

3) Pickled Watermelon Rinds

Much like cucumbers, you can easily pickle that white rind. I used our recipe for Quick Veggie Pickles.

Deanna Segrave-Daly, RDN is a food-loving dietitian from Philadelphia who shares nutritious family recipes, healthy kitchen hacks and culinary tips at Teaspoon of Spice. She is the co-author of the best-selling The 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook.