Freeze-dried watermelon is a fun treat for kids to crunch on and super simple to make at home. The concentrated flavor and crispy texture makes for a truly unique treat!
Freeze-dried watermelon is a marvelous treat. With a crunchy texture and sweet, airy taste, freeze-dried watermelon is an unusual snack that kids love. Freeze-drying concentrates all that watermelon flavor, making this a fruity power snack to munch on.
Everyone loves watermelon season, and here in Vermont, we have to wait extra long for those little beauties to ripen each summer. There’s a short growing season, and an even shorter harvest window. We’re picking watermelons about a week before the leaves turn, and we enter foliage season. That’s not enough watermelon time for me!
Preserving watermelon helps me enjoy that flavor a bit longer.
There just aren’t that many options for preserving watermelon, but I’ve tried them all. Watermelon isn’t particularly acidic, so it’s not great for canning (although a few watermelon canning recipes do exist). Other than freezing or making watermelon jerky, there’s not much else…except freeze-drying.
Freeze drying is by far the best method for putting up a bumper crop of watermelon.
Freeze-drying food is truly a modern marvel in the preservation world. It extends the shelf life of seasonal fruits so they can be enjoyed year-round while preserving more of the nutrients and flavors than other food preservation options like canning or dehydrating.
After getting my own home freeze dryer a few years back, I was able to keep a stock of fruits year-round, ensuring my family has access to healthy, homegrown, pesticide-free fruit all year long.
Before we jump in, I’d like to advise reading my beginner’s guide to freeze-drying at home if you’re new to freeze-drying. And if you’ve yet to purchase your freeze dryer, Harvest Right freeze dryers are the absolute best available for home use.
I’m going to walk you through how to freeze-dry any melon, including cantaloupe, honeydew, and more. The process is the same for all of them.
What’s the Difference Between Freeze Dried Watermelon and Dehydrated Watermelon
Freeze-dried watermelon is very different from dehydrated watermelon. If you ever sample the two side by side you will notice vast differences in both taste and texture, as well as shelf life.
Why this difference? Dehydration uses heat to preserve food, resulting in less taste and aroma. Heat makes your watermelon rubbery and chewy, turning it into more of a shrunken fruit jerky.
Dehydrating watermelon is still a fun treat, but it’s vastly different from freeze-dried watermelon!
Freeze-drying is more akin to stopping time. It preserves the shape and texture of foods much better, and actually increases the flavor of watermelon (as all that water is now removed).
You’ll see much less shrinkage when freeze-drying, and it will have a fluffy cotton candy like texture once the liquid is removed. With dehydrating, it’s more like jerkey.
Best Watermelon to Freeze Dry
The quality of your watermelon going into your freeze dryer will be equal to the quality that comes out. The most flavorful watermelon will produce the most delicious freeze-dried watermelon.
Because freeze-drying concentrates the flavor of watermelon so much (after all, they are about 92% water), I have heard of people freeze-drying flavorless watermelons to get a more flavorful snack. This is better than tossing such melons, but in my opinion, you should always try to preserve the best of your batch first.
For the best tasting freeze-dried watermelon, seek out watermelons in the prime of their ripeness! Look for dark green melons. They should feel heavy when lifted, and when tapped, emit a hollow sound.
Do not try to freeze-dry under-ripe or spoiled fruit. Freeze-drying will do nothing to improve the taste of these fruits (or their safety in case of spoiling). Freeze-drying won’t improve the flavor, just concentrate it.
Test watermelon before it goes in the machine. It should taste just as sweet and delicious as it does now when it comes out in its new form.
Freeze Dried Watermelon Yield
Watermelons vary in size by variety, but on average a large watermelon usually weighs around 20 pounds. When chopped, this comes out to approximately 32 cups of cubed fruit, making one pound of watermelon equal to about 1-½ cups of fruit (or 1.6 cups to be exact).
If your watermelons are bigger or larger, you can still use this measurement to estimate how many cups you’ll end up with. Just multiply the weight of the watermelon (in pounds) by 1.6. This means a 10 pound watermelon should yield about 16 cups of fruit, while a 25 pound watermelon will yield 40 cups.
You’re watermelon won’t shrink a whole lot when freeze-dried, so use the fresh amounts as an estimate for the final yield.
Your yield will also depend on the size of your freeze dryer and how tightly the trays are packed. You can pack trays tightly to fit more watermelon, but the pieces shouldn’t overlap. Also, make sure the trays are never filled higher than the rims or edges.
I bought a large freeze dryer, but since this was a while back it’s now considered an older model. The large freeze dryers sold these days are bigger, having 6 trays. My freeze dryer has 5 trays and is rated for freeze-drying 15 to 20 pounds of food per batch. This equals about 3 to 4 pounds of watermelon per tray, given the trays are packed tightly.
Pro tip: After freeze-drying for a while, I’ve discovered that 2 to 3 pounds of food per tray works better. Although you get less fruit per batch, the drying time is shorter, pieces dry more evenly, and everything looks better once it’s out of the machine.
Every freeze drying machine is rated for a certain amount of food. Here are the average yields of each appliance size:
- Small Freeze Dryer: Processes 6 to 10 pounds of food per batch, across 4 trays (434 square inches of drying space).
- Medium Freeze Dryer: Processes 10 to 15 pounds of food per batch, across 5 trays (675 square inches of drying space).
- Large Freeze Dryer: Processes 18 to 27 pounds of food per batch, across 6 trays (1107 square inches of drying space).
- Extra Large Freeze Dryer: Processes 40 to 50 pounds of food per batch, across 7 trays (2257 square inches of drying space).
Supplies Needed
To freeze-dry watermelon, there are a few supplies and materials you will need. This includes:
- Watermelon – Fresh or frozen will both work.
- Home Freeze Dryer – If you haven’t bought one yet, opt for a size bigger than you think you’ll need. Larger models tend to be more efficient and also cost less to run per pound of fruit.
- Cutting Board and Knife – You’ll need this to cut your watermelon into nice, uniform slices. No matter the shape (be they sticks, cubes, or strips), evenly sliced pieces will dry the best.
- Silicone Tray Liners (or Parchment Paper) – Freeze-dried food tends to stick to trays. Shorten cleanup by lining trays. (The finished fruit will look better as well, since no prying will be needed to remove it.)
- Mason Jars (Or Airtight Storage Containers) – How long you plan to store your food will determine the container you need. For use within a year, mason jars are fine. For longer storage, pack fruit in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.
- Vacuum Sealer (Optional) – Although not strictly necessary, a vacuum sealer helps seal food in mason jars with minimal air, making for a longer shelf life.
- Label Tape and a Pen – It may seem silly, but labeling and dating preserved food is a must. (Dating especially!) Labeling the content also prevents you from opening non-see-through storage containers to see what’s inside and letting moisture from the air in unnecessarily.
Preparing Watermelon for Freeze Drying
How you prepare watermelon for freeze-drying is up to you. You can pretty much slice it any which way you like.
Some people go with cubes, others with sticks, and still more in strips or chunks. Just keep one thing in mind: the larger your slices are, the longer they will take to freeze-dry. To ensure all your pieces are done at the same time, try to keep slices uniform in size and thickness.
Additionally, make sure pieces are not taller than the sides of your trays.
With some fruits, like strawberries, I’ve diced the fruit using my Breville Slice and Dice food processor. It’s great at cubing fruit into 8mm (⅓ inch), 12mm (½ inch), or 16mm (⅔ inch) pieces in seconds. It’s a pretty handy device for preserving.
If you are cutting your watermelon into cubes, sticks, or slices, the most important part is cutting off the rind. Seeds should be removed as well if your watermelon isn’t seedless. Don’t throw those rinds away though! Use them to make watermelon rind preserves or watermelon rind pickles.
Additionally, you may wish to pre-freeze your watermelon before placing it in your freeze dryer, to shorten the processing time. This step is, of course, optional, but I really recommend it.
If you have a deep freezer, you can freeze watermelon slices directly on your freeze-dryer trays. If you purchase tray lids, these can then be stacked and frozen this way. You can also pre-freeze fruit by placing it in a bag, although pieces are likely to stick together for this method and be a bit of a pain to separate.
The process is the same for any melon, just chop it into slices or dices and arrange it on a single layer on the freeze drying sheets. I wanted to do fun shapes for my kids with this batch, but in general, you’ll get a better yield if you dice them into 1/2 inch cubes or scoop them out of the melon with a melon baller. Then you get little bit sized treats.
How to Freeze Dry Watermelon
Once the watermelon slices are prepared, you’re clear to move on to the next step: freeze-drying.
The process itself is pretty simple. Start by turning on your freeze dryer to allow it to pre-chill for half an hour. Some freeze dryers may then ask you to input whether the food is liquid or not, and then whether it is pre-frozen or not. Others will sense it automatically.
Here’s a helpful video if this is your first time using a Harvest Right freeze dryer including all the steps to operate your freeze dryer.
While the freeze dryer is prechilling, go on and line your freeze dryer trays with parchment paper or silicone liners and arrange the sliced fruit on the trays.
As mentioned before, pre-freezing the fruit is a great method to cut down on the freeze-drying time. I recommend freezing watermelon sections directly on your freeze-drying trays if at all possible for you.
Once the freeze dryer is prechilled, place the trays in the freeze dryer and press “continue.”
Your job is now done, the machine will take care of the rest!
How Long Does it Take to Freeze Dry Watermelon?
Watermelon has a wide range depending on how large your slices are, taking anywhere from 30 to upwards of 40 to 45 hours to dry. My pieces took 30 hours, without pre-freezing. It’s also pretty humid here in Vermont in the summer, so with both pre-freezing and working in a dry climate, your times maybe lower.
Big chunks of watermelon will take longer to dry than thin slices or smaller cubes.
The following factors influence freeze-drying time:
- Pre-Freezing: If you pre-freeze watermelon it will decrease the preliminary freezing time.
- Piece Size: Sticks and chunks take longer than small cubes and thin strips.
- Moisture in the Fruit: Some watermelons have a higher moisture content than others; these will take longer to freeze-dry. Additionally, commercially grown fruit often have lower moisture than homegrown heirloom varieties.
How to Tell if Freeze Dried Watermelon Is Done
When the watermelon has been fully freeze-dried, it should be crispy and dry. Sections should be easy to break apart by hand.
To ensure your watermelon is plenty dry, take a large piece and snap it in half. There should be no moisture or mushiness inside.
If your largest, thickest pieces are dry, you know the smaller ones are as well. If this piece is not fully dry, extend the drying time by a few more hours and check again.
With other melons, the end result and process are the same. They should have the same texture (but obviously a different flavor) as watermelon.
Reconstituting Freeze Dried Watermelon
Freeze-dried watermelon is usually just eaten as a sweet, crunchy snack. It has an amazing texture that’s a bit like cotton candy, and I wouldn’t suggest rehydrating.
Reconstituting watermelon can be done, but it isn’t usually recommended as many describe the texture as slimy. However, you can rehydrate freeze-dried watermelon and freeze it though. These frozen cubes can be used like ice cubes in fruity drinks or blended into fruity smoothies and daiquiris.
To reconstitute dried watermelon, place a few pieces in a bowl and cover with water. Allow it to soak up the liquid for 10 to 20 minutes, then drain off the extra water. At this point, I’d recommend freezing the rehydrated watermelon into watermelon ice cubes, but if you’re feeling adventurous, feel free to take a bite!
How Does Freeze Dried Watermelon Taste?
Freeze-dried fruit will taste the same as when it went into your freeze dryer, the only difference is that the flavor will become more concentrated due to water loss.
The flavor of your freeze-dried watermelon should be sweet and airy, kind of like watermelon-flavored cotton candy.
How to Store Freeze Dried Watermelon
If you’re planning on eating freeze-dried watermelon sooner rather than later, storing it on a pantry shelf in an airtight container is fine. If using mason jars, just be sure they have tight-fitting lids.
For long-term storage (more than a year), you will want to pack freeze-dried watermelon in mylar pouches with oxygen absorbers.
How Long Does Freeze Dried Watermelon Last?
Freeze-dried watermelon can last 25 to 30 years (or even longer) if it is properly packed and stored. This means storing in tightly sealed mylar pouches with oxygen absorbers and keeping it away from sunlight.
If stored in mason jars, the food will maintain good quality for 1 to 2 years. Do know that the more jars are opened, the quicker things will spoil. Every time a jar is opened your freeze-dried food is exposed to ambient humidity — it may absorb this water in the atmosphere and then spoil sooner.
Just like with dehydrated food, freeze-dried food will last the longest when stored in a cool, dark location, ideally away from moisture.
Ways to Use Freeze-Dried Watermelon
Crunchy freeze-dried watermelon is a tasty snack all on its own, but it can also be crumbled up and added to a variety of items.
Break up freeze-dried watermelon to add to yogurt and breakfast cereal for a healthy start to the day, or sprinkle on ice cream for a crunchy fruit topping. Instead of dried cranberries, try topping salads with watermelon crumbles instead for a nutrient-packed lunch.
For another refreshing idea, consider popping cubes into smoothies for a quick punch of flavor and health boost.
Thinking about rehydrating freeze-dried watermelon? The texture of reconstituted watermelon is pretty slimy, so I don’t recommend doing that unless you plan to blend it up or freeze it into ice cubes. To freshen up watermelon, I’d instead try blending it with ice for watermelon slushies or even making watermelon sorbet.
Freeze Dried Watermelon (& Other Melons)
Freeze-dried watermelon is a delicious, nutritious, crunchy snack that tastes like watermelon cotton candy!
Ingredients
- Fresh or Frozen Watermelon
Instructions
- Start with pre-chilling your freeze dryer for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Slice the watermelon into equally sized slices. You can go with cubes, strips or longer sticks.
- Place the watermelon pieces on freeze dryer trays in a single layer. For easier cleanup, you can line trays with parchment paper or silicone mats first.
- Once the freeze dryer is pre-chilled, place your trays in the freeze dryer and close the door.
- Program your machine and press “continue.” It can take anywhere from 30 to 40 hours for your watermelon to freeze-dry, but times will vary based on the size of the fruit, water content of your watermelon and whether or not you’ve pre-frozen the fruit.
- When the cycle is finished, open the machine and check to see if the watermelon is completely freeze-dried. If it is not, add a few more hours of dry time.
- Once dry, remove the trays from the machine.
- Set your freeze dryer to defrost and pack away your freeze-dried creations.
Notes
Pre-Freezing
If desired, you can pre-freeze fruit by freezing directly on freeze dryer trays or in large freezer bags (some sticking will occur when using bags, so be wary). Pre-freezing watermelon will help to shorten freeze-drying time.
Storage
If planning on consuming your freeze-dried watermelon soon, you can store it in mason jars with tight-fitting lids. Short-term storage in airtight containers such as these is fine if you plan on using the contents within a year. For long-term storage, freeze-dried watermelon should be kept in mylar pouches with oxygen absorbers. When properly packed, this method will keep for 30 years.
Freeze Drying Tutorials
Looking for more ways to use your home freeze dryer?
- How to Freeze Dry Strawberries
- How to Freeze Dry Milk
- How to Freeze Dry Eggs
- How to Freeze Dry Candy
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