Watermelon is like the taste of summer. It's refreshing, juicy and a little messy but perfect as a snack on a hot summer day. Watermelon is great to eat on its own, but there are so many recipes that include this incredible fruit. Try out this tequila-soaked watermelon or this recipe for watermelon chicken. Yes, you read that right; watermelon chicken! The recipe that we're going to focus on today is one of the best ways to preserve all of that summer watermelon. Watermelon jelly is a simple recipe that only requires a few ingredients. Its watermelon flavor is sweet and delicious and makes it a wonderful topping for toast, pancakes, and muffins.
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This watermelon jelly recipe is gluten-free and delicious, essentially a dessert jam recipe! It starts off with about 4 cups watermelon juice. Remove the fruit from the watermelon rind, cut into chunks and discard the rind. The easiest way to get the watermelon juice is by using a juicer, but if you don't have one a food processor or blender will work.
Place the watermelon chunks into the machine and blend until you have a puree. Pour the pureed watermelon through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth and either save the pulp for another recipe or discard. Once you have 4 cups of the juice, pour it into a large pot.
To the pot, you'll also need to add 4 cups sugar and a 1/4 cup lemon juice. Give the mixture a stir and then add in the dry fruit pectin. One popular brand of powdered pectin is Surejell, and while liquid pectin is also tasty, it's used slightly differently. Give it another stir and bring it to a full rolling boil on high heat while stirring frequently to prevent it from burning. The boiling water, white sugar and fruit mixture should reach 220 degrees F. This takes about 20 minutes. For a low-sugar recipe, you can add less! Another tasty flavor option is cantaloupe in place of watermelon.
Once it reaches the desired temperature, carefully pour, ladle or funnel the liquid into half-pint jars. Wipe rims and secure the lids. Be careful, the jars are hot so use a kitchen towel when handling the hot jars. Clean out your large pot or fill another one with hot water and cover the jars. Bring to a boil and allow the jars to hang out in the hot water bath for 10 minutes or so.
After 10 minutes, carefully remove the jars from the boiling water bath and let them cool down. Make sure the seals are secure and store in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Enjoy this summery delight!
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This post was originally published on June 11, 2020.
Watermelon Jelly
Ingredients
- 4 cups watermelon juice
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 boxes fruit pectin, like Surejell about 3.5 ounces
Instructions
- Add watermelon juice, white sugar and lemon juice to the pot. Give the mixture a stir and then add in the fruit pectin. Give it another stir and bring it to a full rolling boil while stirring frequently to prevent it from burning. The mixture should reach 220 degrees F. This takes about 20 minutes.
- Once it reaches the desired temperature, carefully pour, ladle or funnel the liquid into half-pint jars. Wipe rims and secure the lids. Be careful, the jars are hot so use a kitchen towel when handling. Clean out your large pot or fill another one with hot water and cover the jars. Bring to a boil and allow the jars to hang out in the hot water bath for 10 minutes or so.
- After 10 minutes, carefully remove the jars from the hot water and let them cool down. Make sure the seals are secure and store in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
