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!
I love this post and the gorgeous pictures. I had been eating pomegranates since I was a kid, in Central America. They are sooo good, and now we know they are healthy too. Be careful with your clothes because poms juice stains everything. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! My love for poms is new but I am sure it will be long-lived! :)
Great post! Love the photos! I love pomegranate season!
I use warm water, and take out the seeds while the pomegranate is in the water. That way, my hands stay warm, and the juice doesn’t splash everywhere. With your technique, what’s the difference in using cold water and opening outside the bowl–does it not squirt everywhere when you accidentally burst one aril open? Just curious.
You could definitely do it under the water. I think I did a little of both–but my bowl was on the smaller side. As to warm vs. cold, the only reason I could think of is to keep the arils extra fresh in the cold water. But sounds like it has worked fine for you. Thanks for the good advice!
wow, these shots are amazing!
Thank you!
Love all these ideas! And yes – poms are gorgeous aren’t they?!! By the way – can’t wait for you to get the Ella B. Bella books!!
Love pomegranates! I never knew a good way to crack those babies open and get to the goods. Now I know. Thanks! Happy Thursday Rachel! :)
I love pomegranates and this post! Just pinned & thanks for including me :)
Thanks Rachel. I’ve always been intrigued by pomegranate but am still yet to try them.
I saw an episode of Nigella once (actually could have been Jamie Oliver or both) and she cut them in half then tapped their bottoms and all the seeds popped out.
Thank you for sharing this fabulous posts and links for some delicious recipes! You have inspired me to get some pomegranates and get cooking with them! :)
I sure could have used this method 40 something years ago! Our neighbor had a row of pomegranate “bushes” – more like trees along his driveway. We got to pick as many as we could eat or use. I loved eating them and then spitting out the seeds at my big brother. :) My hands and lips were purple afterwards but the process was fun. Today I think I’ll use your method.:)