When you’ve got too many watermelons and not enough time to eat them all, you do what any sensible cook has done for centuries – make it last. Watermelon molasses is exactly that – a way to bottle up summer before it slips away. Long before refrigerators and freezers, people in the American South, and even longer ago across rural Anatolia, the Middle East, and the Balkans, would simmer down watermelon juice until it turned dark and syrupy, rich with the sweetness of sun-ripened fruit.
In places where watermelons grew in abundance, this tradition became a way of life – a habit of preserving not just fruit, but the season itself.
How to make watermelon molasses
All it is, is watermelon juice, no added sugar, no fancy gadgets, simmering and reducing just takes time and patience. What you end up with is a natural, whole-food sweetener with sweet caramel notes but with a savoury edge.
What you’ll need
- A lot of watermelon (I use 10kg batches)
- A sieve, muslin/cheese cloth or a clean tea towel
- A big (enough) heavy based pot
- Time – but you don’t need to stand over it
Method
Remove the flesh from the skin and pulse the watermelon in a blender.
Strain the pulp through a fine or cheesecloth lined sieve to remove seeds and as much pulp as possible.
Simmer over a low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning or sticking, especially as it gets thicker. As it simmers, foam will rise, skim it off for a cleaner flavour and glossy syrup.
When thick and reduced it will coat the back of a spoon, and a drip will slowly stretch before dropping. This will take may take 4-8 hours depending on the amount of juice you started with. I tend to do this over a few days when I am in the kitchen or nearby and set timers to remind me to check it regularly.
When reduced by about 90% (watermelon is about 92%water) you will have about 2 cups of thick reddish – amber syrup with the consistency of molasses.
Store in a sterilised jar (or jars). With its low water and high sugar content watermelon molasses keeps well in the fridge for up to a year.
How to use watermelon molasses
Savoury or sweet with it’s caramelised fruit notes, watermelon molasses can be used in place of pomegranate molasses or a maple syrup in many recipes.
- Use a a glaze for this Pomegranate Tofu Salad
- Swirl into a Plant-based Yoghurt or drizzle on Buckwheat Banana Pancakes
- Add to the dressing on a Roasted Kūmara, Fig & Chilli with Walnut Salsa
- Use in place of a pomegranate molasses alternative in a roasted red pepper Muhammara – a roasted red pepper and walnut dip to serve with Broccoli and dukkah.
- Serve with plant-based labneh for your mezze spread.
There’s something deeply satisfying about making a syrup like this from scratch. It feels like time well spent — just fruit and patience, nothing more. If you give watermelon molasses a go, I’d love to hear what you make with it. And if you’re as drawn to homemade sweeteners as I am, you might also like my recipes for dandelion honey and date syrup – both simple, both built to keep, and both a little reminder that preserving the season’s bounty is always worth it. You can follow along on Instagram or subscribe below for more plant-based ideas from my kitchen.
