A Guide to Pomegranate with Tips, Ideas & 30+ Recipes

Pomegranate seeds, or arils, are packed with juicy goodness and are a gorgeous embellishment for sweet and savory dishes. They’re used to make vitamin-packed juices and are the basis of grenadine, a liqueur. In this guide to pomegranate, you’ll find lots of tips and ideas plus more than 30 plant-based recipes.

There are so many ways to enjoy pomegranate. Eat the seeds out of hand as a snack; use as garnish for salads and desserts; sprinkle on hot or cold cereals oatmeal and other hot cereals.

Pomegranate juice can be used to make syrup for sorbets and other frozen desserts, as well as savory sauces.

The following information and tips are adapted from Melissa’s Great Book of Produce by Cathy Thomas, reprinted with permission of Melissa’s Produce.

What is pomegranate, and where did it come from?

Inside the pomegranate fruit, seeds cluster like a glimmering carpet beneath thin yellow membranes. Shining like ruby-red crystal prisms, these seeds are filled with irresistible sweet-tart juice.

Outside, the apple-sized fruit has a leathery shell that can range from pink to deep crimson, even russet brown. A frilly calyx cap gives them a regal appearance.

Native to Persia (now Iran) where they have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years, pomegranates have a long culinary history in the Middle East, India, and China. Now, New World chefs are using these wine-red seeds to garnish everything from green salads to game hens. The juice is used to tenderize lamb or to serve as a base for sorbet, jelly, or cocktails.

Buying and storing pomegranate

Choose fruit that is heavy for its size and shows no sign of deterioration. Generally, skin color is not an indication of ripeness. Early ripening varieties available in August and September have pink rinds; the seeds inside are deeply colored with a pleasing acidic edge.

The Wonderful variety (the most common variety in the marketplace) ripens in September and October. It has a deep crimson rind and seeds with a nice balance of sweet and sour.

Store whole fruit at room temperature for up to 1 week, or refrigerate up to 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, the fruit starts to dehydrate. Seeds can be refrigerated airtight up to 5 days or frozen up to 3 months. Juice may be refrigerated 1 week, or frozen up to 3 months.

Look for pomegranates in well-stocked supermarkets and produce markets in the fall. Melissa’s Produce is a good source of organic pomegranate if you can’t locate it in your area.

How to prep pomegranate

The trick to enjoying these jewel-like seeds is to find an easy way to remove them without creating pools of escaping juices and splatters. The foolproof way is to use the no-mess, “underwater” technique:

Cut pomegranate into quarters over a paper towel. Fill a medium bowl with cold water. Hold a pomegranate quarter under the water, seed side down.

Pull the edges back, exposing seeds. Run fingers over seeds to remove them. Turn fruit over, still holding underwater, and pick out remaining seeds. Seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl and small membrane pieces will float to the top.

Discard membranes (they’re bitter) and drain seeds. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Get some extra expert tips in How to Open a Pomegranate: The Easiest, Least Messy Way (Christina’s Cucina).

How to juice pomegranate

To juice, place whole, unpeeled pomegranate on a hard surface; press the palm of your hand against the fruit, then roll gently to break all the juice sacs inside (you’ll hear when they stop breaking).

Carefully pierce in one place and squeeze out the juice; or poke in a straw and do the same, pressing the fruit to release the juice.

Ready-made bottled pomegranate juice can be found in natural foods stores and well-stocked supermarkets.

Pomegranate Nutrition Notes

Pomegranate is packed with nutrients. It’s a significant source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin B6. It’s a great source of fiber, potassium, and an array of antioxidants. See the full nutrition profile here.

From The Forked Spoon, here’s a recipe for Pomegrate Molasses, an essential sauce in Middle Eastern cuisines, made from fresh or bottled pomegranate juice.

Thanks for the talented bloggers who participated in this roundup for permission to use their photos and link to their recipes.