Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Ruby red pomegranates, with jewel-like seeds, are beautiful and delicious, and have amazing health benefits. This step-by-step tutorial will teach you how to cut a pomegranate and remove the arils.
How long it takes: 5 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: sharp knife, large bowl, slotted spoon or mini strainer, colander
Servings: One pomegranate yields about 1 cup of seeds.
Pomegranates
Pomegranates have been calling my name lately every time I go to the grocery store. This time, they called my name and said, “Hey lookie, I’m on sale!!!” And then two jumped into my cart. I had no idea what I would do with them.
Did you know that a pomegranate is classified as a berry? It’s been cultivated for millennia and is treasured for the juicy tart seeds inside (the skin and the white membrane are inedible). The seeds are enclosed in a juicy covering and are called arils. There can be 200 to 1,400 seeds in one pomegranate!
The task of breaking a pomegranate open and getting to the seeds (arils) can be a little daunting, like excavating a hidden treasure. The arils are embedded in the membrane and take a little coaxing to emerge. This step-by-step tutorial will help you get to the little jewels inside the fruit.
How to Cut a Pomegranate
Step 1: Gather supplies.
- sharp knife
- cutting board
- large bowl filled with cold water
- slotted spoon or mini strainer
- colander
Step 2: Wash the pomegranate.
Isn’t it beautiful? Maybe I’ll buy a few extra and use them for a centerpiece!
Step 3: Slice off the top.
I call it the “crown” but it’s technically called the calyx.
Step 4: Score the pomegranate in four or five places.
For photo purposes, the cuts are a little deeper than they need to be. Shallow scoring is what you’re looking for, just cutting through the tough red skin. Try not to cut into the juicy arils.
Step 5: Place the pomegranate in a bowl of water.
Soaking helps to loosen the arils. Place the cut pomegranate upside down, cut side down, in a bowl of cold water and leave it there for about 10 minutes
Step 6: Separate arils.
Remove the pomegranate from the bowl of water. Pry open the cut edges of the pomegranate, exposing the arils. and begin to separate the arils (seeds) with your fingers. Do this under the water in the bowl to avoid making a mess.
Step 7: Remove membrane.
Let the arils fall into the bowl of water. They will sink and the white membrane will float to the top so you can easily remove it. When you’re done, simply skim the membrane off with a slotted spoon and discard it.
Step 8. Drain seeds.
Drain the seeds in a strainer or colander.
Step 9: Use them!
You can snack on pomegranate seeds right from the bowl or enjoy them in the fun recipes listed below. Each pomegranate will yield approximately one cup of arils.
Take a minute to marvel over how seriously pretty these little jewels are!
Recipes With Pomegranate
- Kale Pomegranate Salad (aka Christmas Salad)
- Butternut Squash Crostini with Ricotta
- Sparkling Pomegranate Punch
- Pomegranate Mojitos
- Pomegranate Rosemary Spritzer (a mocktail)
How to Cut a Pomegranate – Mess Free Method!
Ingredients
- 1 fresh pomegranate
Instructions
- Slice off the top of the pomegranate (the end that looks like a crown).
- Score the pomegranate in 4 or 5 places, just slicing through the peel.
- Place pomegranate cut side down in a bowl of cold water and let soak for 10 minutes.
- Keeping under water, pry open and use your fingers to work the arils away from the flesh, letting them fall into the water.
- With a slotted spoon or a mini strainer, skim any white membrane that's floating on top of the water. Once you've removed the floating white membrane, strain the pomegranate seeds to remove the water.
Notes
- Yield: One pomegranate will yield approximately 1 cup of arils. The nutrition information is calculated for ¼ cup arils.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
YAY!! Thanks for including my sliders & ribs. Pomegranate and chipotle were made for each other! You’re right though, there’s just nothing like fresh ones!
For sure, I can’t wait to try them!
Thanks for including one of my recipes!
You bet!
I’m so glad you posted this because JUST THE OTHER DAY I was about to shoot my pom with a gun.
I don’t own a gun.
But if…I….did……
Wanna borrow mine?
Wait, what?
Disclosure: I do not condone violence against delicious fruit. ;)
beautiful pictures!
thanks for the link :)
Thanks! Wouldn’t dream of leaving you out! :)
Thank you for this! I always want to buy a pomegrante, but never know how to cut it open either ;)
It is a tricky fruit ;)
I am always too lazy to cut my own pomegranate. How bad is that? I think the white stuff is called pith…or am I lying? Your photog skills are fantastic…I should take lessons from you. I suck at food photography, I’m quickly finding :wink:
Aww, thank you! It is definitely a learning process and my photography skills still
occasionallyfrequently suck ;)I grew up in south Texas where pomegranate trees and bushes were abundant.
I always just ripped them apart and sucked the juices out of the seeds, then spit the seed out. Some people do chew up the seeds though. At least that’s what I did as a kid! :)
I’ll have to try out some of these awesome recipes!
Lucky you! Must have been awesome to eat them so fresh. I eat the seeds when I put them on salads, etc (when there are only a couple), but if I’m eating lots, I tend to spit out the seeds too.
You know I have never had a pomegranate – I think it was all that talk of it being hard to eat. Now I have a handy guide :)
I hadn’t had one until this year either Chris!
Awww, I’m honored to be listed. Your shots here are just gorgeous!
Thanks Sommer!
Thanks for including me! I looooove how cheap poms are right now! :)
I know! It is awesome.