Watermelon seeds bar is a super easy recipe that you can make with just 2 ingredients – Watermelon Seeds and Sugar. This is such a great snack for kids and adults alike.
During my recent India trip, I found these seeds were available in bulk easily and at a good price. Since these seeds are not that easily available in the US, I decided to stock up. The price differential between these seeds in the US and India is pretty steep.
Health Benefits
I was conducting my research on watermelon seeds. Usually I see articles that give ‘top 10 reasons this is a superfood’ and then go on to list a mineral like calcium say at 6% daily value or something tiny and that drives me nuts!! Like, you are better off getting your calcium from dark leafy greens, or sesame seeds instead. Right??!!
So, I decided to write only about the traits that stand out specially for these seeds.
- High protein snack – For every 100g of seeds, about 28g is protein. 28% protein is pretty good deal for a plant-based snack.
- An excellent source of magnesium – 1 cup of these seeds contains 556mg of magnesium (139% of Daily Value). You may be wondering – ‘Why does that matter’? According to the NIH (National Institute of Health) Diets with higher amounts of magnesium are associated with a significantly lower risk of diabetes, possibly because of the important role of magnesium in glucose metabolism.
- A good source of zinc – 1 cup contains 11 mg (74% of daily value). Zinc is especially important for a healthy immune system. Researchers have also hypothesized that zinc could reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms.
- A good source of iron for vegetarians – 1 cup contains 7.9mg (44% daily value). Most vegans and vegetarians usually struggle to increase their iron levels, and this will be a good place to bump it up naturally.
Recipe
Quick and easy Watermelon Seed Bar made with only 2 ingredients.
- 1 cup Watermelon Seeds
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
- Coconut oil (optional) To grease the mold, for easy removal
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Roast watermelon seeds in a medium skillet on a medium flame. Keep stirring them to avoid any burning.
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At around 4-5 minutes, you will hear the seeds pop and crackle. Keep roasting until the seeds are reddish color and appear well-toasted (around 7 minutes total). Pour the seeds in a bowl.
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Add water, sugar and boil until you see a 1-string thickness syrup forming.
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Add the seeds back to the pan. Stir to coat all the seeds with the syrup.
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Brush coconut oil in a pan and keep it ready. Pour the sugar coated seeds into the bowl and press into shape.
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Let it cool and then cut into shape. Serve!!
Pictures
Roast seeds until they turn a nice-reddish tint. They will pop in between – that’s ok.
Now make the sugar syrup, add roasted seeds…
Shape them, cut them and serve…
Conclusion
These bars are sweet, crunchy and a really healthy snack. My daughters like them and take them to school.
You could make this simple recipe as-is or increase the ingredients – add sliced almonds, chopped dried fruits, etc to the recipe. You could add different flavorings like elaichi (Indian style), chocolate, etc…They sky’s the limit….I hope you try this or any new innovative version of this recipe. Please post your comments and feedback below!!
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