Learn how to easily seed a pomegranate and juice the seeds! In this post I will walk you through my tried-and-true methods for removing seeds from a pomegranate, and the easiest way to juice the arils.
For the first few years that I made our Rosh Hashanah meal, the task I dreaded most was seeding the pomegranate. Extracting the itty bitty juicy red seeds (also known as arils) from a pomegranate can be a daunting task. I used to peel the fruit and navigate my way through it, staining my clothes and squishing lots of seeds along the way. Since that time, I have learned some helpful methods that make seeding pomegranates a snap!
There are many ways to seed a pomegranate. I’ve outlined two of my favorite methods below. The first method is fastest, but you will lose a bit of juice in the process. The second method takes a bit longer and is messier, but you won’t get pruney hands from deseeding underwater. Either method works, so choose what makes the most sense to you.
As an alternative to these methods, some cooks prefer to cut the pomegranate in half and whack the heck out of it with a spoon to dislodge the seeds. This works, but I find it messy. Juice gets everywhere, and your wrist can quickly become tired if you have a lot of pomegranates to seed. Use one of the kinder, gentler methods outlined below to save yourself the violent effort. I mean, really. What did that pomegranate ever do to you? 🙂
Seeding your own pomegranates sure beats paying a premium for boxed seeds, which can go for as much as $6 for a small box. It’s also really simple.
Once you’ve extracted all your pomegranate seeds, you can eat them whole or juice them. I’ve described my favorite simple juicing method below. Pomegranate juice is very healthy (it contains more antioxidants than red wine), but it can be expensive. One pomegranate contains up to a half cup of juice, so you can really save yourself some money by juicing your own pomegranates.
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How to Seed and Juice a Pomegranate
Ingredients
For Seeding Method 1, you will need
- 1 large bowl
- 1 small sharp knife
- Mesh strainer or slotted spoon
- 1 colander or strainer with small holes
For Seeding Method 2, you will need
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 small sharp knife
- 2 bowls (1 large, 1 small)
- 1 dark colored kitchen towel
To juice a pomegranate, you will need
- Blender
- Mesh strainer
- Container for liquid
- Spoon
Instructions
HOW TO SEED A POMEGRANATE: METHOD 1
- Make a shallow slit at the top of the pomegranate where the knob/stem is (this part is known as the crown). Cut all the way around the top of the rind, creating a shallow circle. Don't push the knife in too deep, or you may burst some seeds.
- Pull the crown of the pomegranate off to reveal the inner seeds.
- Cut three shallow slits through the outer rind, following three of the white pith lines, from the top of the fruit to the bottom.
- Pull the fruit apart to create three large sections.
- Remove any large pieces of pith that are visible.
- Submerge the sections in a large bowl of cold water.
- Break apart the sections underneath the water, separating the seeds from the rind and pith. As you remove the seeds, they will sink to the bottom of the bowl. The pith will rise to the top and float. Discard the large chunks of rind (the peel).
- When all the seeds have been removed, use a mesh strainer or slotted spoon to remove the floating pieces of pith from the surface of the water. A few seeds may float as well; separate these out and return them to the bowl.
- Drain the seeds in a colander. Remove any additional pieces of pith that may have mixed into the seeds.
HOW TO SEED A POMEGRANATE: METHOD 2
- Place the pomegranate in one of the bowls. Place the other bowl nearby.
- Make a shallow slit at the top of the pomegranate around the crown. Cut all the way around the top of the rind, creating a shallow circle. Don't push the knife in too deep, or you may burst some seeds.
- Pull the crown of the pomegranate off to reveal the inner seeds.
- Turn the pomegranate over. Repeat the process of creating a narrow slit in the rind, cutting a circle around the base of the fruit.
- Pull the bottom off of the fruit.
- Turn the pomegranate back over. You will see six white strips of pith around the edges of the fruit. Cut slits in the sides of the rind, following the lines of the pith, from the top of the fruit to the bottom.
- Pull the fruit apart. You will now have 8 sections of fruit (including the top and the bottom), with the seeds fully exposed.
- Gently loosen the seeds from the pith and place them into the clean bowl. Keep a dark-colored towel handy to clean up any juice that might escape from the seeds. Careful, pomegranate juice can stain.Before long, you will have a bowl full of luscious pomegranate seeds! Discard the rind and the pith.
HOW TO JUICE A POMEGRANATE
- Place your pomegranate seeds in a blender.
- Pulse the seeds a few times to break them apart and release their juice. Don't blend them for a long period of time, or the seeds will break apart and create cloudy juice.
- Use a mesh strainer to strain the pomegranate liquid into a container.
- Use the back of a spoon to gently push against the pomegranate pulp and extract as much juice as possible.
- Chill, if desired, and enjoy.
Jack Treahy says
I just got through seeding and juicing 4 gal of pom juice, what to do with the seed/pulp after squeezing the juice from the arils. There is still a little juice in the strained remains. I use a cone strainer with the matching wooden pestil into a food grade 5gal bucket.
Cheryl KosZnke says
Jack, did you use the blender method, or just the cone and strainer?
I have 26 cups of arils to process.
Sandeep says
You can dry the leftover seeds (arils) after extracting the juice. The dried seeds (anardana) are used in indian cooking either whole or powdered to add a tangy sweet and sour taste. Also good as a crunchy topping for salads, and a garnish for curries. Also Roast the dried pomegranate seeds in the oven and grind them into a powder To sprinkle on fish, roast veggies, French fries, etc. Put whole seeds in onion chickpea flour fritters (onion pakoras)
sheetal says
thank you so much, Tori, for sharing this ultimate healthy recipe. I will surely make this. cheers!
Alex Vitez says
Thank you Tori, this will be helpful since I am tending to my siater-n-law’s pomegranate tree, it’s a shame nobody took care of this tree, around labor day I’ll see my reward for my concern, I also want to create mixes of other juices with the pomegranates, and fall will about the right time to cut the fruit off of the cactus, thus mixing pataya with pom
Vincent Cyril Dsilva says
After blending the Pomo arils and squeezing the remnant in a cloth, I find there is still some pulp and white seed left out in the cloth. I think these white seeds are very good too if so, how to separate these white seeds from the pulp.
Evelyn Amarille says
I bought a 2 pieces of pomegranate and choose the soft ones, when I opened it its black inside like black caviar.. is this edible to eat or make a juice? the one I could see in the pictures are bright purplish colour. please advise me if I just put this in the rubbish.. thanks
Tori Avey says
Oh dear, that sounds to me like it’s gone bad Evelyn. Safest to toss it, I think– unless there is another type of pomegranate out there I am unfamiliar with! I’ve never seen one black before.
Gina says
I didn’t think of freezing or refrigerating the seeds so i blended up all of them into juice.How long can pomegranate juice stay good for?
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Gina, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! Fresh pomegranate juice will last just a few days if kept in the refrigerator.
David Herring says
I just read your article today and found it delightfully entertaining and informative! I did not know about its tradition in Jewish culture and found that very interesting. I only knew of its relevance in Greek mythology (it would be Spring time all year if Persephone had curbed her appetite! LOL!). My question is what to look for when picking it out at the store. I’m new to the wonderful benefits of this superfruit would appreciate any help on this subject. Thank you for the wonderful article Ms. Avey and I look forward to hearing from you.
Your foodie friend,
David Herring
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi David, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! When you’re choosing a pomegranate at the store, it should feel heavy for its size, which indicates that the seeds are full. They should also have an angular shape and firm skin. Hope this helps!
Dawn says
Hi Tori, Approximately how many pomegranates make a cup of juice? Thanks, Dawn
Sajid says
Hi Tori, While blending pomegranates if we add some water and sugar, in that case will it be beneficial for health or not?
Thanks
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! I think this question is best suited for a nutritionist. I’m not sure if adding sugar will take away from the health benefits of the pomegranate juice or not.
Rod Martin says
From what I read there are approx 600 seeds to one pom. One pom equals a 1/2 cup of juice. So, depending on the size of the pom, 2-3 poms for a cup of juice.
Cydney says
This worked fantastic for me. I love eating pomegranate, but I wanted juice for once. Tastes great and is very refreshing in my tastes.
Kahunaman says
Juicing Poms for over 10 years. Easiest way to separate seed from the skin is cut off stem and flower ends of pom. Slice pom in half through open end, open halved pom inside out, whack skin side with the back side of a wooden spoon, seeds fall right out, no mess, no fuss, no water….done. After that, many different ways to juice. I use a food mill. Let fresh juice sit until sediment falls to the bottom of glass container, overnight, then siphon off pure juice with 3/8th inch vinyl tubing, discard bottom sediment. Filter one more time through double fine cheese cloth….clear like wine, bumper crop this year, netted 5 gallons of pure heaven from 3 trees….Nectar of the gods. Good Luck Pom heads.
Patience Ude` says
The cold water in the bowel where you first place it,would you discard it? Did you add water while blending? or wash the seed very well before you blend?
Tori Avey says
Discard the water, drain thoroughly before blending.
Lara G says
Thanks Tori! I have actually tossed them into my smoothies in the mornings. I figured there’s flax and chia seed in there, it’ll blend with those! Hubby wants the juice though, so I’ll be doing these other methods for him. Not to mention using it for jelly and such! Thanks again! Blessings!
Lara G says
Happy to find your post! My husband’s grandmother has a pom tree in South Carolina and always gives us lots! My question is what is the harm in continuing to blend the seeds? Possible answers I’ve seen in these comments are: potential bitterness, foggy juice, crunchiness? Is the any harm in eating the seeds? I use a Blendtec, so things get blended incredibly well! Thanks for your help! And I can’t wait to deseed today!
Tori Avey says
Lara, all of the points you’ve mentioned are good reasons not to over-blend, although there is certainly no harm in eating the whole seed blended into the juice… I eat them all the time. 🙂
Barbara Sheldon says
i love serving guests Prosecco with Pomgranate juice and seeds, which is an important part of this message if you haven’t tried it. I find a combination of the slicing method is best for me. Do it in the sink and put seeds in a bowl. Then fill bowl with water and pith floats to top. No need to worry about dish towels of any color.
Barbara Sheldon
Patty says
An automatic jam and jelly maker??!! I’m off on a web search! 🙂
Patty says
The bitterness may be from overblending the arils. The white seeds can be very bitter, so one needs to be careful not to crush them, if it can avoided.
We used to use a heavy duty crank-down citrus juicer every year to get the juice for our jelly, hours of shoulder destroying work. I want to try the blender, as soon as I have a source for inexpensive poms in my new”country” of Puget Sound. $3 per pom…I think not!
I am also intrigued by Jack’s cone strainer and wooden pestle, because of the seed crushing problem. I’d also like to try a Foley food mill.
Happy autumn, everyone!
Adrian says
Although your post didn’t show a video, I chose your post from my Google search…and I am so glad I did…plain and simple. Easy does it! Thank you Tori. I’ll be checking out your site for sure.
Tori Avey says
You’re welcome! 🙂
Faisal says
I dont bother separating the white part(pith). Why bother removing it when it will get filtered by juicer anyway and you may get some more nutrients with it.
Tori Avey says
If using a juicer it’s probably not a big deal, but if you’re using the blender method to extract juice you will definitely want to remove the pith… and of course if you’re just seeding it for the sake of having clean, whole seeds then removal of the pith is a must.
Lewis Groome says
Placing the seeds in a pot with a 1/4 cup water on low heat will separate the seeds from the pulp. The water is used only so that the seed pulp will not burn. This a great site and I think the method you use to remove the seeds is outstanding. Shalom!
Mary says
I’ve always bought Pom juice by the gallon for jelly making.from a local grower. I’ve been doing this fopr almost 20 years. There is always a warning that the juice is not pasteurized and should not be drunk as is. Is this true? Can you suggest a way to pasteurize this at home? (It does make excellent jelly from the “raw” juice.)
Tori Avey says
Hi Mary. Fresh pomegranate juice is fine to drink just after juicing. I don’t know how far in advance your local grower makes the juice prior to you purchasing it, so it’s probably wise to heed their warning on unpasteurized juice. Fresh juice will last for a short while when it is refrigerated, but pasteurization dramatically increases the amount of time the juice can be kept and consumed safely. However, you can safely consume pomegranate juice that you have freshly squeezed without worrying. I will try to add a post about pasteurization in the future; I tend to like drinking juice fresh, as it maintains more nutrients, but pasteurization is a good skill to learn for increasing the shelf life of certain liquids.