Watermelon Rind (Tarbooz Ka Chilka): Sabzi, Murabba and Pickle

Is watermelon rind safe to eat? Yes. The firm white part of watermelon rind (tarbooz ka chilka) between the red flesh and the green skin is edible, mild and cooks like lauki. You peel off the hard green skin, then turn the white rind into sabzi, murabba or a quick pickle. Amounts, storage and the sugar note for diabetes are below.

Can you eat watermelon rind and skin?

The rind, yes. The skin, not really. Watermelon is in the same family as lauki and kheera, and its white rind behaves the same way in the pan: it softens, drinks up masala and keeps a little crunch.

• White rind: edible raw or cooked. Mostly water, with some fibre
• Green skin: not poisonous, but hard and bitter; peel it off
• Thin pink edge: keep it; it adds sweetness to murabba
• Bitter rind: if a raw piece tastes clearly bitter, don’t cook it. Throw it away, as with any bitter gourd

Our general guide to peels, stems and leaves you can eat lists watermelon rind among others; this one goes deep on it.

What people say, what tradition says, and our honest take

What people say

Search suggestions are full of “watermelon rind benefits for men”, rind juice for blood pressure, and rind for skin whitening. The pitch is that the rind holds more citrulline (an amino acid) than the red flesh.

What tradition says

In many desi homes, tarbooz ke chilke ki sabzi is a summer staple, and the rind is candied into murabba or tutti frutti. Chinese and Southern US kitchens pickle it too.

Our honest take Worth eating

The rind is good food and a smart way to cut waste. It does carry citrulline, but a bowl of sabzi is not a medicine, and no portion of rind has been shown to fix blood pressure, fertility or sexual problems. Those are claims to ignore. If you have a health worry, see a doctor; enjoy the rind as a vegetable.

How do you peel watermelon rind?

1. Wash the whole watermelon under running water and scrub the skin for 30 seconds before cutting. A knife carries surface dirt into the flesh
2. Eat or scoop the red flesh. Leave about half a cm of pink if you’re making murabba
3. Cut the rind into wedges about 5 cm wide
4. Lay each wedge flat and slice the green skin off with a sharp knife, or use a sturdy peeler
5. Cut the white rind into cubes or strips. A 4 to 5 kg watermelon gives roughly 800 g to 1 kg of white rind

Recipe: tarbooz ke chilke ki sabzi

1. Prepare 400 g white rind, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil. Add half a tsp zeera, a pinch of hing, then 1 chopped onion. Cook 4 minutes
3. Add 1 chopped tomato, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, a quarter tsp haldi, half a tsp red chilli, 1 tsp dhania powder and half a tsp salt. Cook until the oil separates, about 4 minutes
4. Add the rind. Stir well, cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 minutes. The rind releases water, so add none
5. Uncover, cook 2 more minutes to dry it slightly, then finish with fresh coriander and a pinch of amchur

Serves 3 with roti. It tastes like a lighter lauki, with a faint melon sweetness.

Recipe: watermelon rind murabba

1. Cut 500 g white rind into 2 cm cubes. Prick each cube a few times with a fork
2. Soak the cubes in 1 litre water with 1 tsp salt for 2 hours to firm them. Rinse well
3. Boil the cubes in fresh water for 5 to 6 minutes, until just see-through at the edges. Drain
4. In a heavy pan, heat 400 g sugar with 300 ml water until dissolved. Add 2 crushed green elaichi and 1 tbsp lemon juice
5. Add the rind. Simmer on low for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cubes look glassy and the syrup coats a spoon
6. Cool, then pour into a clean, dry glass jar. Keep in the fridge and use within 1 month. Always use a dry spoon

Some traditional recipes soak the rind in chuna (slaked lime) water for extra crispness. Chuna is strongly alkaline and can burn skin and eyes, so we use salt water instead. If you do follow a family recipe with chuna, use food-grade only, keep it away from children and rinse the rind many times.

Recipe: quick watermelon rind pickle (fridge)

1. Pack 300 g thin rind strips into a clean glass jar with 4 slices of ginger and 1 slit green chilli
2. Heat 200 ml vinegar, 100 ml water, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp salt, half a tsp mustard seeds and half a tsp black peppercorns until the sugar dissolves
3. Pour the hot liquid over the rind until fully covered. Cool with the lid off
4. Close and refrigerate. It’s ready in 24 hours and keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge

This is a fridge pickle, not a shelf one. Don’t leave it out of the fridge.

Myth: watermelon rind works like a medicine for men

This one is all over search results. The idea comes from citrulline, which the body turns into arginine. But the amounts in a normal portion are small, and no kitchen dish replaces medical care. If you have a sexual health or blood pressure concern, a doctor can find the cause and the right care. Eat the rind because it’s tasty and saves food.

Myth: watermelon rind whitens skin

Rubbing cool rind on the skin feels refreshing on a hot day, and it’s harmless for most people after a patch test. It won’t lighten skin colour. Skin tone comes from melanin, and no fruit changes it.

How do you store watermelon rind?

• Raw rind: peeled, in a covered box in the fridge for 2 to 3 days
• Cooked sabzi: fridge for 1 to 2 days
• Freezer: raw rind turns mushy when frozen; it’s fine for chutney or soup later, not for murabba
• Compost: the green skin and any leftover rind. Chop it small, as it holds a lot of water

Did you know?

• Citrulline was first isolated from watermelon, and its name comes from Citrullus, the watermelon’s scientific name
• Pickled watermelon rind is an old Southern American dish, born from the same make-do thrift as tarbooz ke chilke ki sabzi

Don’t forget the seeds: our guide to roasting tarbooz ke beej uses them too, and watermelon myths and portions checks the “no water after tarbooz” warnings. More thrifty ideas sit in the zero-waste kitchen.

Watermelon rind: questions people ask