Honeydew Melon with Sumac Sugar & Ice Cream

This isn’t necessarily a recipe as much as it is a sweet-treat idea for you consideration, especially this Fourth of July! In the summer I’m always looking for sweet, refreshing dessert ideas that are super easy to assemble, and this Honeydew Melon with Sumac Sugar hits every time. I describe it as tasting like sweet tarts or sour candy, with some sugary, fruity and acidic notes. Ice cream and melon are a match made in heaven, which is something I learned from Abra Berens’ book “Pulp,” and have continued to repeat with different melons and different types of ingredient combinations all summer!

Here’s the general idea of the recipe, along with specifics in the recipe box below, for those of us who like detailed instructions (I’m one of you, so I know you’re out there!). Plus, I have ideas on how to adjust this recipe to what you have, and play with it to make it your own! Happy summer snacking, and stay cool out there.

What kinds of melons work best for this recipe?

I chose to make this recipe with honeydew melon because I think it pairs the best with sumac sugar, but this recipe will also work well with cantaloupe, watermelon or canary melons! Canary melon will probably get you the closest flavor to the original recipe, and I love how perfectly ripe and juicy they get around July and August.

How to make the sumac sugar

You can scale the sugar for this recipe up or down as you need it, but the key is that you should always use the same amount of sumac as sugar. Sumac is technically a spice, so it will have a fruity, hot kick to it (but it’s not spicy, don’t worry!), and the sugar helps temper that out. Without equal amounts of each ingredient, the recipe could err too sweet or too spiced. So use them equally, and scale up or down as you prefer!

If I don’t have sumac, what else can I use in this honeydew melon dessert?

This is a great question, and luckily there are options! You want a sweeter, fruiter spice, and here are a few things that work similarly to sumac:

• Tajin – this is a spice blend that is a great sub for sumac in this recipe, and pretty easy to find in grocery stores!
• Aleppo Pepper – one of my favorite spices (you’ll see it in all kinds of recipes on here), and a great sub for this recipe!
• Chili Powder – if you use this in place of sumac, make sure to use lime zest. It needs that extra hint of acid to replicate sumac in this recipe!

How I like to make this Honeydew Melon with Sumac Sugar & Ice Cream

This recipe is really just assemble-and-serve.

First, halve the honeydew melon and scoop out the seeds. Quarter each half of the melon, creating big slices that have enough of an indent to hold a scoop of ice cream. Set these aside.

Then on a large, flat plate, combine the sumac, sugar and lime zest. Mix with your hand so everything is evenly dispersed.

Gently press the flat edges of each of the melon slices into the sumac sugar, coating each piece with the sugar.

Place each melon slice skin-side-down in a bowl. Scoop ice cream directly into the indent where the seeds used to be. Top with more lime zest (if desired) and serve!

Looking for similar recipes?

Here are a few other summer sweet treats!

And that’s it for this Honeydew Melon with Sumac Sugar & Ice Cream!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.