Wrap Watermelon Slices With This Iconic Fruit Snack For The Ultimate Summer Treat

With in-season produce ranging from juicy stone fruits to ripe tomatoes, summertime offers so many garden-grown gems to enjoy, but the unspoken hero of sunny day snacking is crunchy, refreshing watermelon. While some might argue that it's perfect all on its own, if you want to add some pizzazz to the watermelon served at your cookout, you can upgrade this delicious natural treat with another fruity ingredient.

While ice cream wrapped in fruit roll-ups could be the new ice cream sandwich, watermelon wrapped in this childhood snack is less melty and even more refreshing. To blow minds at your next barbecue, skewer slices of watermelon on a popsicle stick, wrap them from top to bottom in a chewy fruit roll-up, and serve with a little kick from a combo of chamoy and Tajín. An Instagram user demonstrates how to make this viral treat.

Pairing hot sauce with watermelon is a great way to tame the flavors, as the mild, sweet fruit balances out and is also enlivened by the spiciness. In this case, a pair of piquant ingredients plus the sweet and chewy fruit snack makes for a fun, tasty, and texturally compelling watermelon treat in an easy-to-hold, eye-catching package. Try it, and it just might become a summer favorite.

Chamoy is a saucy ingredient already made with fruit — typically mango or stone fruit — as well as lime juice and dried chilies. Tajín is a seasoning, which includes dehydrated lime, chilies and salt. This combination of spicy elements brings peppery heat, tart citrus, salt, and textural contrast — drizzle or slather the former; sprinkle the latter. When combined with fruit leather, you add another dimension of sweetness along with that signature chew, making for a complex and refreshing creation.

If you're not a fan of watermelon, no worries. There are plenty of fruits that make perfect substitutions. You can lean into the flavors already found in chamoy, like peaches, apricot, or mango, but melons, and even cucumber or jicama work well with these flavors, too. And if you want to add a little complementary smokiness and caramelization, you can even grill your watermelon or some pineapple spears  — just give them a few minutes to cool before you wrap them up, as you might melt your roll-up otherwise.

One of your main decisions when making these watermelon pops is what flavor fruit roll-up to use. If you want to stay on-brand you can double down on watermelon flavor, or opt for something complementary; berries like strawberry, tropical flavors like mango or pineapple, and citrus like lemon or lime are all great options. You can even make your own homemade fruit roll-ups, broadening your available range of flavors based on your own creations.

You may even want to shake things up and mix some shredded coconut in with your Tajín, which you can toast in your air fryer, should you have one. If you want to give the kids something to talk about, try a little fizzy, popping candy — another topping that comes in multiple fruity flavors — or even some cocoa powder for a chocolate spin.

You can also skip the chamoy and Tajín altogether if you're not into heat, and experiment with other spice blends that work well with this flavor profile, including cinnamon, clove, and coriander. That said, a simple sprinkle of salt and an optional squeeze of citrus is delicious all on its own. No matter how you choose to enjoy this spicy, sweet-tart treat, your go-to summer fruit may never look the same.