You’ve heard of a strawberry rhubarb pie…but have you heard of a strawberry watermelon rind pie?! Get ready, because this tasty recipe is about to make it to your list of favorite summer treats. Not only is it delicious, but it’s a great way to reduce food waste by making use of the entire fruit.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the National Watermelon Promotion Board. As always, all opinions are my own.
Why use watermelon rind?
The watermelon rind is the firm white-green part of the watermelon between the flesh and the outer green skin. According to research, watermelon rind accounts for up to 30 percent of the entire fruit and is completely edible – yet it’s often thrown away! Eating the rind helps keep good food out of the trash, which is essential whether you’re trying to save on your grocery bill or minimize food waste.
Why try it in a pie? Watermelon rind has naturally occurring pectin, which can help with stabilizing the filling. It also lends itself to absorbing sweetness when cooked – so in this recipe, you’ll first soften it by boiling with a little sugar, then mix it into the strawberry filling. You’ll be shocked at how delicious it is when made this way.
Plus, there may be nutrition benefits to eating the rind. L-citrulline is an amino acid found in watermelon that may support healthy blood flow (key for athletes!). While we know watermelon flesh has L-citrulline, a 2022 study in the journal Molecules found that the rind may have more concentrated amounts.
Ready to get cooking?! Let’s go…
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of what you’ll need for the pie crust and filling, along with select ingredient notes.
- Watermelon rind – You’ll need 1 ½ cups of diced rind. On the watermelon I purchased this week, I was able to get that much from ⅕ of the watermelon. The amount of rind can vary slightly between watermelons, but a standard sized fruit should give you more than enough for this recipe.
- Cornstarch – This helps thicken the filling and prevents a soggy crust. Quick tapioca can also be substituted for cornstarch.
- Pie crust – For this recipe, I find it easiest to just purchase store-bought pie crust. This recipe isn’t hard to make, but is a little involved, so the store-bought crust just saves time and hassle. That said, if you want to make your own single crust, feel free!
And here’s a photo of what you’ll need for the streusel topping.
Instructions
This recipe seems like a lot, but I promise – any cook can make it, and it’s totally worth the effort. You’ll find the full instructions and amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the page, but here are some helpful step-by-step tips and photos.
Start by prepping the fruit – chopping the watermelon rind and strawberries. If you have never cooked with the rind before, you’ll cut it off the bottom of slices of watermelon, then carefully cut off the green peel off like this:
You’ll discard that thin outer green peel – feel free to add it to your compost. Then you can dice up the watermelon rind that we’ll use in the pie into small chunks (½-inch or slightly smaller).
Place that in a pot and add ¼ cup of sugar to it. Add water to cover the rind, ensuring there’s at least a few inches of water in the pot.
Bring that to a boil then reduce the heat so it’s on a low boil, and cook it for about 25 minutes. The firm rind will soften and absorb some of the sugar, making it sweet and perfect for pie. When it’s done, you can drain the water and just set aside the rind for now.
Meanwhile, you can start prepping the rest of your ingredients, and preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Unroll your pie crust and use a 3-inch diameter biscuit cutter to cut out small circles. You’ll need to smush (very technical cooking term) the extra pie crust scraps together at the end to get your last few circles, but having made this several times, you can get exactly 12 circles from a standard crust.
Grease a muffin tin. Then take each circle of pie crust, and stretch it out a little bit by hand. You can slightly pull it or press it out with your fingers. You’re just trying to thin it out slightly so it fits the muffin tin better. Here’s what they should look like when you put them all in:
You’re almost there! It’s time for the filling. Combine the watermelon rind, chopped strawberries, remaining sugar, lemon, and cornstarch in a bowl. Give it a stir and let it sit for a few minutes while you make your streusel topping. Note that it will draw out some of the liquid from the fruit, and such liquid will become a very odd shade of pink. This is normal, haha.
For the streusel topping, just mix together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, and melted butter in a bowl. It will become nice and crumbly, like this:
Now it’s time to put the filling in the crusts. Either drain off some of that pink liquid now, or use a slotted spoon. You want the fruit to be juicy, but avoid putting the actual liquid in your crust or the bottoms will be soggy.
After you fill the crusts, add the streusel topping. Pop those bad boys in the oven and bake ‘em for about 22 minutes, and boom – you’ve got delicious, perfectly portioned mini pies ready to dig into!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you prepare this recipe.
Because this is a fruit filled pie, it’s best stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. When you want to enjoy a piece, place it on a microwave-safe plate and reheat in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds.
Yes. Place the baked pies on a baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze. Wrap each in plastic wrap or tin foil (this prevents freezer burn), then place in a large zip top bag. When you’re ready to enjoy one, remove the wrap and reheat from frozen in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until warm. Note that the filling may be runnier after freezing.
Yes, simply dice it then freeze in a freezer-safe container or bag. Frozen rind is best used for cooked dishes.
More Watermelon Rind Recipes
Inspired to make more recipes that feature the rind? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Pickled watermelon rind
- Watermelon rind stir fry
- Watermelon rind bruschetta
- Chicken gyros with watermelon rind tzatziki
I hope you enjoy these mini pies! We made them for our neighborhood party a few weeks ago, and they were a big hit. If you get a chance to try them, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Mini Strawberry Watermelon Rind Pies
Ingredients
For the pie:
- 1 ½ cups watermelon rind, chopped into small pieces
- ⅔ cup sugar, divided (into ¼ cup and the remaining amount)
- 2 ½ cups chopped fresh strawberries
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 refrigerated pie crust, store bought or previously homemade, left out for about 10 minutes at room temperature
For the streusel topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ cup melted butter
Instructions
- Place the watermelon rind and ¼ cup of the sugar in a medium pot (set aside the rest of this sugar for the pie filling). Fill the pot with water to cover the watermelon rind by a few inches. Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low heat and cook at a low boil for 25 minutes, until the rind is soft and sweet. Drain the water from the pot and set aside the rind in a large mixing bowl.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and start to prepare the crust. Place the crust on a large pastry mat (or cutting board) and use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut 12 circles. You’ll need to combine the scraps together to get the last couple circles.
- Grease a 12-count muffin tin. Take each pie crust circle and stretch it out slightly by hand, pressing around the circle, so it becomes slightly wider and fits at least ¾ of the way up the muffin tin cavity when pressed into it.
- In the large bowl with the watermelon rind, prepare the pie filling by combining it with the chopped strawberries, remaining sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Stir well and set aside for now.
- Next, prepare your streusel topping. Combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Stir until well combined and crumbly.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the filling mixture (letting the pink liquid that’s accumulated in the bowl remain in the bowl)* and add the filling to the mini crusts. Avoid overfilling.
- Spoon the streusel topping over each pie, pressing it down slightly with your fingers or the back of the spoon.
- Bake the mini pies at 425 degrees F for 20-23 minutes, or until the crust is cooked through and starting to turn a light golden brown color along the edges. Let cool in the pan for at least ten minutes, then remove by swirling a knife around the edge of each one and using a fork to help pop it out. Allow to continue cooling on a rack.
- Enjoy slightly warm! Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Notes
- You can also drain the liquid from the filling mixture if it’s easier than using a slotted spoon; you want the fruit to stay juicy but you want to avoid too much liquid in the filling (as that creates a soggy crust).
- I recommend placing a baking sheet on the rack underneath the one your muffin tin on – that way just in case you overfilled the pies and the filling drips over the edge, it will land on your baking sheet instead of on the bottom of your oven.
- Please note that the nutrition analysis below should be considered an estimation, and not a precise analysis. There is no USDA database entry for watermelon rind, and it’s also difficult to estimate how much of the sugar is absorbed by the rind during the boiling process. We have estimated the nutrition content of watermelon rind by comparing branded pickled rinds, minus their sugar content, and have also assumed all sugar in the boiling process is absorbed.
Nutrition
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