Juicing watermelon rind is straightforward: cut away the tough green skin, chop the white part into pieces, and feed them through a juicer or blend and strain. The rind contains nearly twice the concentration of citrulline (an amino acid that supports blood flow) compared to the red flesh, making it worth saving rather than tossing. Here’s how to do it well.
Why the Rind Is Worth Juicing
Most people throw away roughly 30% of a watermelon when they discard the rind. That’s a lot of usable produce. Per 100-calorie serving, watermelon rind delivers about 19.3 mg of citrulline, compared to just 10 mg in the red pulp. Citrulline converts to arginine in your body, which helps produce nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels.
Research published in the journal Nitric Oxide found that two weeks of watermelon juice supplementation nearly doubled baseline plasma nitrite levels and improved muscle oxygenation during moderate-intensity exercise. Separate studies have also linked watermelon juice intake to reduced muscle soreness after intense workouts. The rind won’t turn you into an athlete overnight, but if you’re already juicing watermelon, leaving the rind behind means leaving the most citrulline-rich part in the compost bin.
Preparing the Rind
Start by washing the whole watermelon thoroughly under running water. Because you’ll be handling the outer surface before cutting, any bacteria or pesticide residue on the skin can transfer to the interior during slicing. The USDA recommends scrubbing melons with a vegetable brush under running water, since the textured surface traps microorganisms. Skip commercial produce washes. The FDA notes their safety and effectiveness haven’t been standardized, and plain running water with scrubbing is the proven approach.
Once clean, slice the watermelon as you normally would and eat or set aside the red flesh. Then cut the green outer skin away from each rind piece, leaving only the pale white and light green portion. That white layer is what you’re juicing. It’s mild, slightly firm, and mostly water. Cut it into cubes or strips small enough to fit your juicer’s feed chute, typically 1- to 2-inch pieces.
Choosing Your Equipment
A masticating (slow) juicer works best for watermelon rind. These machines use a rotating auger to crush and press produce, which handles the rind’s dense, fibrous texture more effectively and extracts more liquid. Vertical single-auger models offer slightly better yields and take up less counter space than horizontal versions, though both work well.
Centrifugal juicers can process rind too, but expect less juice and more foam. Their high-speed spinning basket grinds produce against a mesh sieve, which is better suited to hard fruits and vegetables with high water content. Watermelon rind falls in a middle zone: it has plenty of water but also stringy fibers that can clog the mesh faster. If a centrifugal juicer is what you have, cut the rind into smaller pieces and alternate with chunks of the red flesh to help push everything through.
No juicer at all? A high-speed blender works. Blend the rind cubes with a small splash of water until smooth, then pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or nut milk bag, pressing with a spoon to extract the liquid. You’ll lose a bit more juice this way, but it gets the job done.
Improving the Flavor
Watermelon rind juice on its own tastes like mild, slightly vegetal water. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s not exciting either. The fix is simple: pair it with ingredients that add brightness or sweetness.
- Lime or lemon: A quarter to half a lime per cup of rind juice transforms the flavor. The acidity cuts through the blandness and makes it taste like a light, refreshing drink rather than plant water.
- Fresh mint: A small handful of mint leaves juiced alongside the rind adds a clean, cooling note that pairs naturally with anything watermelon-adjacent.
- Red watermelon flesh: The easiest approach. Juice the rind and flesh together in roughly equal parts, and the sweetness of the red portion masks the rind’s neutral flavor completely.
- Ginger: A small knob (about an inch) adds warmth and a slight kick. This works especially well if you’re combining rind juice with citrus.
- Cucumber: For a more savory, spa-water style drink, cucumber and rind juice blend seamlessly since both are mild and hydrating.
A Simple Rind Juice Recipe
This makes about 12 to 16 ounces, depending on the size of your rind pieces and your juicer’s efficiency.
- White rind from roughly one quarter of a medium watermelon, cubed
- 1 cup red watermelon flesh
- Half a lime, peeled
- Small handful of fresh mint (optional)
Feed the rind cubes through your juicer first, followed by the red flesh, lime, and mint. The softer red flesh helps push any remaining rind fibers through the machine. Give the juice a quick stir and serve over ice. It keeps in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, though the flavor is best fresh.
What to Do With Leftover Pulp
Juicing produces a surprising amount of fibrous pulp, and you can use it rather than discarding it. The simplest method is freezing it into smoothie cubes. Blend the leftover pulp with half a cup of water until smooth, pour the mixture into an ice cube tray, and freeze overnight. Pop the cubes into smoothies whenever you want a nutrient boost without changing the flavor much. Frozen rind cubes keep for up to three months.
You can also stir the pulp into soups, fold it into muffin or bread batter for added moisture, or mix it into homemade veggie burger patties. The pulp is mostly fiber and water, so it adds bulk and nutrition without a strong taste.