Learn all about seeding pomegranate the easy way with this simple tutorial. No painstakingly picking seeds here – enjoy pomegranate arils fast!
Of all the different fruits, I think the pomegranate is one of the most interesting. You can’t bite into it. Do you know how to peel a pomegranate? It’s not intuitive like peeling a banana or an orange.
Seeding a pomegranate takes patience, and until recently, it took some planning ahead too.
My trusty Joy of Cooking was the first to tell me how to seed pomegranates:
- Make a shallow cut all the way around the pomegranate.
- Carefully peel it open.
- While submerged in water, gently pull out the seeds from the membranes.
I did this, but this method took FOREVER. Literally, Mr. Crumbs and I planned seeding a pomegranate on a calendar. He’d do the work while I did something else on the counter next to him.
It was great to be productive together, but after a few times, we became weary of the work involved and opted to skip pomegranates when we saw them on sale. Not even 25¢ a piece was tempting amidst the full-hour pomegranate bonanza that would soon follow.
And then I stumbled on an awesome method for seeding pomegranates in less than two minutes. Folks, my world is complete. Obviously, I can’t keep this to myself!
I present: seeding pomegranate THE EASY WAY!
HOW TO PEEL A POMEGRANATE
Learning how to get the seeds out of a pomegranate is one of my favorite kitchen hacks, and it’s also:
- Quick
- Super easy
- Cost-effective
If you start seeding pomegranates yourself, you save money by buying just the fruit instead of a container of pomegranate arils. And since it won’t take you but a couple of minutes to get the seeds out, I consider that money well saved!
TOOLS FOR HOW TO CUT A POMEGRANATE
Ready to learn how to cut a pomegranate and get those yummy seeds out? Here’s what you need:
- pomegranate
- cutting board
- sharp paring knife
- wooden spoon
- bowl of water
- colander (optional)
HOW TO GET THE SEEDS OUT OF A POMEGRANATE
Step 1. Using a sharp knife to cut, slice the pomegranate fruit in half, through the center (NOT from the top stem of the pomegranate down).
Step 2. Hold one half of the pomegranate upside down in one hand, over a large bowl. Whack the pomegranate with the back of the spoon, in between the center and the edge of the fruit. Rotate the fruit until the majority of the seeds (also called arils) have fallen out. The pomegranate will not be as rigid as you work your way around, so be careful not to hit your fingers or thumbs!
Step 3. Turn the fruit over to see if any areas were missed and repeat as needed.
Step 4. Turn the fruit inside out and use your fingers to gently remove the last few remaining seeds.
Step 5. Repeat with the bottom of the pomegranate.
Step 6. Fill the bowl with cool water. The white pith membranes will float to the top, and the seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Use your hands to filter out the white pith membranes and agitate the seeds. Repeat a few times until all the membranes have been removed.
Store your pomegranate seeds in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
HOW TO EAT POMEGRANATE SEEDS
Even when in season, the best pomegranates are still a bit of a luxury. They’re not like bananas, that I’m so often willing to throw into any recipe. But you still have plenty of options to enjoy them now that you know how easy seeding pomegranates can be!
- We use these most often for snacking
- Sprinkle them on top of a salad
- Mix pomegranate seeds in with Autumn Rice Pilaf
- Use them in place of the cranberries in Cranberry Orange Scones
- Add them to Sourdough Pancakes
- Mix them into muffins like these Zucchini Apple Carrot Muffins
- Or sprinkle them into your bowl of Oatmeal or Yogurt
- Freeze them for later in the year (follow this tutorial for freezing strawberries)
- Dehydrate them
HOW TO.CUT A POMEGRANATE FAQS
What is the easiest way to seed a pomegranate?
This seeding method for pomegranates is way easier than any other method I’ve found!
What part of the pomegranate is edible?
The seeds, or arils, of the pomegranate are the edible part. After seeding pomegranates, discard the rind and the white pith.
Do you need water for seeding a pomegranate?
You don’t NEED it, but water makes the membrane bits come off the seeds easier, so you’re left with just the yummy arils and less mess.
When is pomegranate season?
The best time to buy pomegranate is from September to February. The prices will be lower and the fruit more flavorful.
MORE TIPS AND TRICKS FOR FRESH FRUIT
- How to Cut a Pineapple
- How to Cut a Mango
- Pitting Cherries
- How to Freeze Raspberries
- How to Freeze Citrus
- Freezing Strawberries
- How to Dehydrate Cranberries
That’s how to.cut a pomegranate! Do you have any tips or hacks?
Toss pomegranate seeds with toasted, cooled coconut, sliced almonds and craisins. Snack away!!
YUM! Thanks for the impromptu recipe Kimber!
How funny. My son just asked me today if he could try a pomegranate and then how to eat it. Rather then doing it for him I showed him your lovely post and let him do it himself. Thanks.
LOL – you’re most welcome Suelynn!
Thanks for the great tip! I tried it and it made the whole process so much easier!!
You’re welcome!
Now THAT’S efficiency. 😉
Thanks for this post! I have a pomegranate that’s been sitting on my counter staring me in the face for days because I forgot how to get the seeds out and haven’t taken the time to google it again! 🙂
Also, a tip for Bethany (above)… you could put the seeds in your blender and blend them up first, then pour out the juice into a cup through a sieve in order strain out the grit. Discard the grit, rinse out your blender, return the juice to your blender and add whatever other smoothie ingredients you’d like! 🙂 Then you’ll have a smoothie with fresh pomegranate juice but no gritty husks from the seeds! 🙂
Great tip Kristin! Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad this tip satisfied the “how to” itch!
So I’m really excited to try this because they’re often so cheap at Aldi and my first go around with them I had no idea what I was doing! I’d love to hear how others of you fix them…I tried to make a smoothie but it was so gritty and I think the wholeness of the seeds were a little hard for me to digest so it upset my stomach. Any suggestions?
Bethany – to rule out digestive issues, try eating the seeds plain. If there’s no issues, then you can enjoy these in salads or smoothies or just a handful by themselves. Also consider muffins cookies, pancakes… anything you’d use a cranberry in. 🙂
Do you eat the seed that is inside the fruit part?
I heard of this method and tried it…but I don’t know if it’s because my pom was a little bit old or what, but they did NOT come out. Ugh. Definitely willing to try again as Aldi often has them for a song.
Bummer! I tried this with a few fruits and had success each time. I’ve got a few on the counter though that are over a week old, so I’ll give it a go later today and see if I run into any issues. 🙂
This is fantastic! I’ve got to try this. I don’t have the time to mess with those things, so if this way makes it easy, I’M IN!
You’ll LOVE this. Seriously, 2 minutes of whacking and you’re done. It’s brilliant and I wish I tried this eons ago!!
We found this method and the submerge-in-water method last year, and couldn’t stop buying them and eating pomegranates once they suddenly became so easy to de-seed! Now if the prices would just come down a bit to help with the cost of our habit! 🙂
LOL – I agree with that for sure!
My Mom had eaten a pomegrante (bought at wally world) and didn’t finish it all whilst out on the patio..she stuck the the rest of it into a planter that had only dirt in it. Next year there were 7 trees growing I have one she has two she gave the rest out. EVERY year my tree produced fruit. Then frost killed it and I let the saplings grow up and now I have a pretty cool looking tree/bush <natural way they grow) again and its covered in fruit this year! Excited!! (This is in north east texas) Easiest way I have used is cutting it and working it all under water. Best way to snack is freezing the seeds and snack away SO Good!!
When this is eaten, is it like eating sunflower seeds where you have to have a trash can nearby?
Yes.
My daughter is the pomegranate queen here and her trick is to roll it a bit, slice it in half (the way you describe), then turn it inside out. She says it takes just a minute to pull it with her fingers from there.
At that point, I reach into the bowl of them in the fridge, grab a handful, and enjoy 🙂
I like your viewpoint Erica! 😉 Thanks for sharing this tip!