How to Cut & Deseed a Pomegranate
Slice off the top of the pomegranate with a sharp knife. Drag a small knife around the top of the pomegranate (about ¼ in or 0.6 cm down), just deep enough to pierce the skin. Then, peel the top off with your hand and discard. If you can’t easily peel it off, cut a bit deeper with the knife. If you’re worried about making a mess, go ahead and submerge the pomegranate in a bowl of water now. This way, the juice won’t splatter all over you and your kitchen. It’s also okay to do this on a cutting board, however. Cigliano recommends “using a paring knife to remove the little stem, known as the flower, at the top of the fruit.”
Score the pomegranate into sections. Scoring refers to cutting slits in the surface of food. When looking at the top of the pomegranate, you’ll notice the seeds are separated into 5-8 sections with white pith between them. Run your knife down each white area, being careful to pierce just the skin of the pomegranate and no deeper. Some pomegranates may have gentle ridges on the outside of the fruit where the sections separate. Try aligning your knife with these ridges to cut in the right place. If you can’t find them, Cigliano says “just make about six evenly spaced cuts around the fruit.” Cigliano says it’s okay if you accidentally cut too deep, as “it’s just going to be a little messier.”
Peel it open and submerge in a bowl of water. Gently peel back each section of the fruit so you have access to all the seeds (or arils). Fill a large bowl with water and add the pomegranate. Submerging the fruit in water will make it easier (and less messy) to remove the seeds. If you have trouble peeling back the sections, hold the pomegranate upside down over the water and press your thumb into the bottom of the fruit to pop out each section. It’s important to do this over the water in case some seeds come loose in the process.
Remove the seeds. Gently run your thumb over the seeds to loosen them. Because the pomegranate is submerged in water, most of the seeds should come off fairly easily, though there may be a few that are stubborn. Just keep working the seeds with your hands until they all come loose. It’s also possible to remove the seeds this way without submerging them in water. However, the water helps prevent the seeds from staining your skin and juice from squirting all over your kitchen. If you’re having trouble removing the seeds, Cigliano suggests you “pull the edges of each section back towards you to push the seeds out and into the bowl.”
Skim the pith and drain the seeds. As you remove the seeds, they’ll sink to the bottom of the bowl while the pith will float to the top. Scoop the pith out with a spoon and discard it. Then, drain the seeds into a colander and pick out any remaining pith with your hands. The pomegranate seeds are now ready to eat! It’s okay if you miss a bit of the pith. Cigliano says it’s safe to eat, but “it’s bitter and most people choose to discard it.”
Alternate Way to Remove Pomegranate Seeds
Hit the pomegranate with a wooden spoon. Either cut the pomegranate with the scoring method listed above or slice it in half horizontally. Hold the open pomegranate over a bowl and whack the outside with a wooden spoon repeatedly. This should loosen most of the seeds and cause them to fall into the bowl. There may be a few stubborn ones you’ll need to remove with your fingers. While cutting the pomegranate in half will work, you’ll have better access to all the arils if you separate it into sections. It may be helpful to do this method over a bowl of water so it’s less messy, but this is also a good option if you don’t have access to water when cutting your pomegranate.
Ways to Use Pomegranate Seeds
Eat them by themselves. Pomegranate seeds are completely edible! In fact, whole pomegranate seeds contain 4 grams of fiber, compared to the 0.1 grams found in strained pomegranate juice. These arils are a healthy, crunchy, and flavorful snack. Just be careful not to stain your fingers!
Make pomegranate juice. Pomegranate juice is a great antioxidant, and you can make your own with pomegranate seeds. If you have a juicer, add small pieces of pomegranate one at a time and squeeze the juice into a bowl. If you don’t, pour your seeds into a plastic bag and roll over them with a rolling pin until they burst. Pour the juice through a strainer into a bowl.
Add the seeds to salads. Pomegranate seeds are an excellent way to give your salads an extra burst of flavor. While you can add pomegranate to any salad, the seeds often pair well with ingredients like chicken, arugula, spinach, and mango.
Mix them into yogurt or oatmeal. If you’re looking for a quick and healthy breakfast, pomegranate seeds are a great source of fiber. Add some to your overnight oats or hot oatmeal, or mix them into some Greek yogurt with granola and honey.
Garnish your dinner. These tangy, sweet arils also pair well with savory meals. They make a great garnish for roasted vegetables like eggplant and cauliflower, and they can also be added to meats like chicken, salmon, and beef. Try it out the next time you’re trying to spice things up in the kitchen. Pomegranate seeds also pair well with savory snacks like baked brie and hummus.
How to Store Pomegranates
Whole pomegranates Store whole pomegranates in a cool, dry place until they’re fully ripe. Typically, you’ll know a pomegranate is ripe when it feels heavy and the skin is firm and deep red. Once the fruit is ripe, use it or move it to the refrigerator.
Pomegranate seeds Put the pomegranate seeds in a sealable container and refrigerate them for up to 5 days. If you’d like to store them longer than that, freeze them for up to 6 months.
Pomegranate juice Transfer fresh pomegranate juice to a sealable container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you’d like to store it for a longer period of time, freeze the juice for 6 months to a year.
How to Choose a Good Pomegranate
Shape and texture Ripe pomegranates aren’t perfectly round. Instead, they often have gentle ridges that create flattened, angular sides. The skin should be firm and tight, as well. If the pomegranate is mushy or has large cracks, it may be spoiled. In the northern hemisphere, pomegranate season typically runs from September to February, so that’s when you’re most likely to find a good one.
Color Pomegranates vary in color, from light to dark red, but in general, a deep, vibrant red is a good sign that the fruit is ripe. However, some brownish pomegranates can also be ripe, so make sure the skin is firm rather than relying solely on color.
Weight The juicier a pomegranate is, the more it will weigh. When picking a pomegranate, hold it in your hand. A ripe one should feel heavy for its size, indicating that the seeds are full of juice and ready for consumption.
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