Assemble a fruit salad and have it spill out of the open mouth of a carved Halloween watermelon for a fun, festive, and healthy Watermelon Jack-O-Lantern! This easy, kid-friendly recipe is naturally SCD, paleo, whole30, gluten free, grain free, egg free, dairy free, and no sugar added.
What do you do when spooky season is here but it's still 96F outside? Carve a Halloween watermelon, of course!
This is such an easy and fun way to get the kids involved in the kitchen and the Halloween fruit salad is sure to be a hit at any fall gatherings!
It's also a versatile recipe and you can use pretty much any fruit you have on hand.
Ingredients
To make things easier, feel free to use already chopped fruit from your local grocery store.
Can I use different fruit?
Of course, but just a few things to keep in mind.
Fruits like bananas and sliced apples tend to brown quickly, so add them to the salad just before serving and be sure they've been drizzled with fresh lemon juice.
More delicate fruits such as blackberries and raspberries should be added directly to the serving tray as opposed to mixed with the other fruit in a bowl.
Directions
Take a very sharp knife and carefully cut just enough from the bottom of the watermelon so that it can sit flatly on a serving platter.
Now, use either a melon baller or spoon to scoop out as much of the watermelon as you can.
Cut the watermelon into 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
This next part is very similar to how you would carve a pumpkin! Take a good look at your watermelon and determine which side is best for carving a face.
Use a pen to draw a face on the watermelon. I suggest making the mouth close to the bottom of the pumpkin so that it's easier for the fruit to spill out of it.
Use a knife to very carefully carve out the face and place the watermelon jack-o-lantern on a serving plate.
Add the remaining fruit salad ingredients, except the blackberries, to the bowl of watermelon and drizzle some lemon juice on top.
Use your hands to very gently mix the fruit.
Place some of the Halloween fruit salad inside the watermelon mouth and some on the plate.
Scatter the blackberries on the fruit salad.
For an extra spooky touch, take some plastic spiders (I find them at the Dollar Store or Walmart) and place them strategically on top of the fruit salad and around your serving plate!
Can I make this ahead of time?
Not really. The carved watermelon really won't keep for very long so I suggest doing that the morning or day of the event.
I also don't suggest mixing the fruit salad together until just before serving.
Cutting the fruit is really the only prep you can do.
How to store leftovers
After your event is over, go ahead and throw out the carved watermelon.
Any leftover fruit can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for a day or two.
I typically will just spoon any leftover fruit into a ziploc bag and immediately freeze it for smoothies.
More seasonal favorites!
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NOTE: If following the SCD diet, I suggest contacting the company to verify ingredients before using any prepackaged products.
Recipe
Watermelon Jack-O-Lantern
Ingredients
- 1 mini seedless watermelon
- watermelon chunks from the watermelon cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small cantaloupe cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound strawberries
- 1 pound grapes
- 6 ounces blackberries
- 6 ounces blueberries
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice about 1 large lemon
- plastic spiders optional
Instructions
- Cut off just enough from the bottom of the watermelon that it sits flat on the cutting board.
- Take a spoon or melon baller and begin removing as much from the inside of the watermelon as you can. Cut the watermelon into chunks and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Use a pen to draw on a face.
- Carefully cut out the face of the watermelon. The mouth should be close enough to the bottom of the watermelon that the fruit can easily spill out from it.
- Place the other fruit salad ingredients, except the blackberries, in the bowl with the watermelon and use your hands to gently combine.
- Set the watermelon on a large plate and place some of the fruit coming out of the mouth and some around the watermelon.
- Arrange the blackberries on the fruit salad.
- If you want to increase the spooky factor a bit, add some plastic spiders to your watermelon jack-o-lantern display.
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