This Simple Trick Makes Pomegranates Easy to Eat
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 2 to 4
Yield: 1 cup pomegranate seeds
You can find lots of crazy techniques for how to quickly and easily remove the seeds (or more accurately. the arils) from pomegranates, but none of them is quicker or easier than this: just score a few lines along the sides of the pomegranate, split it open with your hands, and pop out the seeds with your thumbs. What could be simpler?!
How to Buy the Best Pomegranates
Look for plump, round pomegranates during the fall pomegranate season, from about September to November. They dry out the longer they’re stored, and older specimens will start to look more star-shaped instead of globe-shaped as the thick skin starts to shrink down around the seeds. Ripe pomegranates should feel heavy for their size and be free of cuts, slashes, or bruises.
Pomegranates do not ripen after they're picked but bruise easily when ripe. This means a lot of pomegranates are picked a bit under-ripe. You are much more likely to find truly ripe, fresh pomegranates during the fall at farmers markets, co-ops that get deliveries directly from farmers, and farm stands.
How Many Cups Is One Pomegranate?
Each medium size pomegranate will yield about 1 cup of seeds. Use them in salads, drop them in drinks, or enjoy them straight-up.
Ingredients
-
1 pomegranate
Steps to Make It
-
Cut off and discard the top of the pomegranate. Be sure to cut off enough of the top to reveal the bright red seeds underneath and so you can see the white "ribs" between the sections.
-
Use a sharp knife to cut just through the peel of the pomegranate from stem to end along the white «ribs» that run from the center to the peel between the seeds—there should be six sections to score between. Note that you are cutting into but not through the pomegranate.
-
Pull the pomegranate apart into halves or sections using your fingers. Follow the pomegranate sections as divided by the white pith as much as possible (this is where the fruit will naturally pull apart in most cases) and use the scored cuts to help you out.
-
Break the pomegranate sections into slightly smaller pieces for easier handling. Peel off and discard any white membrane covering the clusters of pomegranate seeds. It's best to do this over a clean work surface or bowl—wherever you plan on putting the seeds when you're done since some seeds tend to fall out of the pomegranate at this stage.
-
Turn each pomegranate section "inside out" by pulling the tips of the section back and pushing the seeds out. This should start to dislodge the seeds from the pith. Gently rub or "pop" any seeds that stick to the pith with your thumbs.
Ripe pomegranate seeds will come off the pith relatively easily, although you may need to remove a bit of pith at the seeds' ends where they were attached to the peel. Some people find it easier to do this step with the segment submerged in a bowl of water — you can try this if you're having trouble.
-
Repeat step 5 for each section of the pomegranate. Use in a recipe or enjoy the seeds on their own.
Storage
- Refrigerate pomegranate seeds in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
- You can freeze pomegranate seeds for up to 1 year.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 2 to 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 117 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 2g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat 0g | 1% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 4mg | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate 26g | 10% |
| Dietary Fiber 6g | 20% |
| Total Sugars 19g | |
| Protein 2g | |
| Vitamin C 14mg | 72% |
| Calcium 14mg | 1% |
| Iron 0mg | 2% |
| Potassium 333mg | 7% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
