How to cook a tasty and healthy watermelon compote: the best recipes for a refreshing drink and preparations for the winter

Sun Sea Beach, watermelon, soft drinks – this is the chain of associations that many people form when thinking about summer. Sweet and juicy watermelon pulp perfectly refreshes and quenches thirst. So much so that you want to stretch out the pleasure for a long time. But it will not be possible to preserve this berry until winter. What to do?

Recipes for watermelon compote will come to the rescue. We have prepared for you interesting options for preparing refreshing drinks with mint, berries and fruits. They are suitable for both daily use and for preservation.

How to cook watermelon compote

Making compote from watermelon pulp is not difficult even for those who have never done it. The brewing principle is the same for all cool summer drinks.

The pulp is cut into arbitrary pieces, if there is no goal to surprise guests, by placing it in glasses, or into neat, identical cubes or bars for serving.

There are many recipes for making compotes to suit every taste, so there will be no difficulty in choosing. Experiment with additional ingredients, sugar and citric acid. If you want to get a healthier drink, replace granulated sugar with natural honey. Just remember that this product loses its beneficial properties when heated. Therefore, put honey in a drink at room temperature and stir until completely dissolved.

Classic recipe

This recipe is considered the most popular, simple and fast.

Ingredients:

• ripe watermelon pulp – 400 g;
• sugar – 2 cups;
• water – 2 l.

Preparation:

1. Place a large saucepan on the stove, pour in distilled water and bring to a boil.
2. Add granulated sugar and wait for the crystals to dissolve.
3. Reduce the boiling temperature and reduce the syrup by half.
4. We clean the watermelon pulp from seeds and rind, cut into small pieces.
5. Add to the sugar syrup and bring to a boil again.
6. Turn off the heat and set to cool.
7. Serve with ice cubes and mint.

Advice. To speed up the process, place the pan in a large container of ice water.

Unusual recipes for watermelon compote

During heat treatment, watermelon loses a little of its wonderful taste and aroma. Therefore, to enrich the taste, melon, apples, pears, plums, grapes, lemon, mint leaves or spices are added to the drink.

With melon

This recipe combines two melons, each with a unique taste and aroma. The result is an incredibly delicious thirst-quenching cold drink.

Ingredients:

• watermelon pulp and melons – 300 g;
• cane sugar – 100 g;
• clean water – 700 ml;
• lemon juice – 15 ml.

Preparation:

1. Peel the melon and watermelon, cut the pulp into arbitrary pieces.
2. Place a pan of water on the stove, add sugar and cook the syrup.
3. When the liquid boils, add the fruit pulp and bring to a boil.
4. Add lemon juice and turn off.
5. Let cool and serve with ice.

With mint

Mint will add freshness and piquant taste to the drink.

Ingredients:

• watermelon pulp – 1.5 kg;
• sugar – 70 g;
• water – 1 l;
• citric acid – 10 g;
• mint – 0.5 bunch.

Preparation:

1. Cut the watermelon pulp into small pieces.
2. Prepare syrup with sugar and citric acid and add watermelon to the boiling liquid.
3. Cook for 10 minutes, add mint leaves at the end.
4. Remove from heat, cover with a lid and leave to infuse.
5. Serve chilled.

With apples

Compote of watermelon and apples is very useful: the ingredients in its composition have a diuretic and choleretic effect. And of course, it perfectly quenches thirst and tones.

Ingredients:

• watermelon pulp – 600 g;
• sweet and sour apples – 2 pcs.;
• distilled water – 3 l;
• sugar – 80 g.

Preparation:

1. We make syrup from water and sugar and add watermelon pulp cut into pieces.
2. Remove the core from the apples and cut into slices. Add to compote and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Turn off the stove and set to cool.

With berries

The drink according to this recipe will be very aromatic and rich.

Ingredients:

• watermelon pulp – 700 g;
• raspberries – 110 g;
• blueberries – 130 g;
• strawberries – 120 g;
• cane sugar – 75 g;
• fresh mint - 1 sprig;
• water – 3 l.

Preparation:

1. Wash the berries and place on a sieve. Cut the watermelon pulp into pieces. Peel the strawberries and cut them into halves.
2. Cook the sugar syrup and at the same time add the watermelon and berries.
3. Cook for 20 minutes, turn off the heat, add mint leaves and cover the pan with a lid.
4. We wait for the compote to brew and serve with ice.

With lemon

The drink turns out very tasty, with subtle notes of vanilla. Lemon helps regulate the sweetness of watermelon.

Ingredients:

• watermelon pulp – 800 g;
• sugar – 70 g;
• purified water – 2 l;
• vanilla;
• lemon – 0.5 pcs.

Preparation:

1. Cut the watermelon into pieces and dip into boiling sugar syrup.
2. Cut the lemon into thin slices and add to the pan along with the vanilla.
3. Cook for 15 minutes and turn off the heat.

Advice. Use natural vanilla beans for a delicate flavor and aroma.

With plums

The compote according to this recipe has a sour aroma and a slightly tart taste: plums give a slight bitterness and are slightly “knitting”.

Ingredients:

• watermelon – 600 g;
• pitted plums – 400 g;
• sugar – 80 g;
• distilled water – 2.5 l.

Preparation:

1. Peel the watermelon from the seeds, cut off the rind and cut the flesh into pieces. Wash the plums and remove the pits.
2. Prepare sugar syrup and add ingredients to it.
3. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes and turn off.
4. Serve chilled.

With grapes

The taste of this amazing drink is fully revealed after infusion.

Ingredients:

• watermelon pulp – 1.5 kg;
• green grapes – 300 g;
• sugar – 300 g;
• purified water – 3 l.

Preparation:

1. Wash the bunch of grapes and remove the berries from the branch. Cut the watermelon pulp into pieces.
2. Boil the syrup in a large saucepan and immerse the fruit in it.
3. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes and turn off.

How to prepare compote for the winter

Any of the given recipes for a watermelon drink can be adapted to prepare for the winter. To do this, the hot compote is poured into a clean container and rolled up with metal lids. Here is an example of a simple recipe without sterilization for a 3 liter jar.

Recipe for a 3-liter jar

Ingredients:

• watermelon – 800 g;
• distilled water – 2 l;
• refined sugar – 400 g.

Preparation:

1. Cut the watermelon pulp into medium-sized pieces and place in a clean container.
2. Fill with boiling water and after 15 minutes pour into the pan.
3. Add sugar to it and boil for 5-7 minutes.
4. Pour the syrup into the jar and roll up the metal lid using a key.
5. Compote is best preserved in a cool place.

Rolling instructions

To ensure that canned compote lasts for a long time and does not turn sour, follow the rules for preparing preparations:

1. Sterilize jars and lids before use without fail. Choose any of the methods: in the oven, microwave, water bath or in a special sterilizer, if available.
2. The most convenient container for preparing compote is with a capacity of 2-3 liters.
3. Before slicing, wash the watermelon in warm water and remove the rind. Try to remove all the seeds from the pulp.
4. Cut the product so that the pieces fit easily into the container.
5. Pour boiling water over the pulp and leave for 15-20 minutes to infuse. Then prepare sugar syrup based on this liquid.
6. Wait for the sweet liquid to boil and immediately pour it into the jars.
7. Seal with airtight lids and turn upside down to further sterilize lids.
8. The principle of preparing compote with sterilization is the same, but the jars are placed in a water bath for 25-30 minutes and only then rolled up. This drink can be placed in the pantry or kitchen cabinet.

Useful tips from experienced housewives

The thirst for experimentation in the kitchen encourages housewives to use new products for preparing dishes, drinks and winter preparations. Through trial and error, they invent new recipes and share their recommendations.

To cook a delicious watermelon compote, take note of a few tips:

1. Watermelons with dense pulp are suitable for making drinks. The pieces will retain their shape and will not “spread” during heat treatment.
2. The white part does not need to be thrown away immediately, but used while cooking the syrup. The crusts make delicious jam.
3. Watermelon compote itself has a neutral taste.To make it more pronounced, add apples, plums, lemons, berries or melon.
4. To make the drink richer, add more sugar. Citric acid or citrus juice will help balance the taste.
5. Soak melons in cold water before eating. The water will “pull out” nitrates, which are often used to treat fields.
6. Add additional flavor using mint, vanilla, cloves, and star anise.

Reviews

Everyone who tried to cook watermelon compote was satisfied with the result and was not disappointed in the taste.

Veronica, Borisoglebsk: “Last year, at a friend’s family party, I tried watermelon compote with mint for the first time. The taste of the drink was breathtaking: fresh, aromatic, moderately sweet. The next day I made the same one at home. The household were satisfied. I added half a lemon to it to balance out the sweetness.”

Olga, Zelenograd: “I’ve been making watermelon compote for the winter for three years in a row. Sometimes you come across watermelons that are not too sweet with dense flesh, but it’s a shame to throw them away. I cook compotes with the addition of strawberries, currants, lemon and mint. There are no restrictions here; the product goes well with other fruits.”

Read also:

How to germinate watermelon seeds correctly and what to do next with the finished planting material.

How to prepare tasty and healthy watermelons in your own juice for the winter.

Simple and effective watermelon masks for face and hair at home.

Conclusion

If you haven’t tried making compote from watermelon pulp, be sure to do it during the season. This drink tones, refreshes and perfectly quenches thirst. The neutral taste of watermelon in compote is combined with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, citruses, apples and mint.It can be drunk freshly prepared or canned for the winter.

Cans of drinks will last until spring if you follow all the rules for rolling them up.