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.
Nutrition
Your methods were very helpful. I ended up using a hybrid method, developed from everything I learned in your article. I de-seeded 10 large pomegranate in about in about 40 minutes. Try it next time, you may like it.
1) Large bowl of cold water
2) Cut pomegranate in half
3) Hold with cut face in palm of one hand over water bowl. Whack shell side with a heavy cooking spoon to knock seeds out
4) Seeds will fall in water bowl and skin, pith will float to top.
5) Skim pith off top of water and discard with broken pomegranate shell
Repeat.
Thank you soooooo much!! What a game changer! I’m not intimidated anymore! Yay!! Thank you so much for your pictures and your words made it possible for me to seed 3 pomegranates easily. Then I’m going to make molasses out of the seeds. You’re the best!!
I have been cutting pomegranates for quite some time and your method is much better than mine was. Thank you. I have a question. I have read about the benefits of pomegranate juice. I like to eat them whole. A friend of mine who is lazy (my adjective) buys pomegranate juice ready made. I have read the ingredients in his and it is pure pomegranate juice. Is there a difference health wise between the two other than the fact that Iike to chew.
I don’t believe there would be a difference nutritionally speaking, if it is pure — but I am not a nutritionist, so can’t say for sure.
Thanks, Tori, Method 2 worked for me. Extracting those luminous seeds was like collecting rubies in a cave.
I have swallowed many seeds eating the lil pods, on a salad, or just as a snack, Any bad effects,,
You mean eating the pomegranate seeds? I think that’s what you mean – they are meant to be eaten, both the juicy part and the seed. So no worries.
Thank you. I just found small 2 cases of poms for 3.50 each. I wanted to see how hard it was to make the juice before purchasing. It looks like about 20 per box. I guess I am making a small batch of pom mead. Anything over 1.5 gallons, (IF I get that much), I will can up in small single serve mason jars.
Hi Tori!
It’s funny that I just had 20 20lb boxes of organic pomegranates and I gave them ALL away. No, I didn’t need 20 but I could’ve held on to 1box if I would’ve seen your post on how easy a method to take those darn seeds out!..LOL
My experience with poms and I hadn’t had any since my early twenties was not a good one so I stopped eating them. I thank you soooo much for writing this post! I will definitely save this and look at poms in a better way know.
Your methods are by far the easiest, cleanest way to enjoy this delightful fruit. Thank you for all your efforts and for sharing them.
Hi, thanks for sharing the easier way for removing the seeds. I have been using this method since I saw your post recently.
Thank you for the time and effort of putting these instructions together. I planted 117 trees 3 years ago and it looks like there will be a good crop this year. I planned to juice 95% of the crop but didn’t really know how. Now I do and sincere thanks is offered.
That’s so cool! Enjoy all that healthy, delicious juice. 🙂
Mark, I have been thinking about planting pomegranate seeds. Did you buy seeds or did you use the seeds from pomegranate fruit that you had? How long should one let those seeds dry if you used your fruit’s seeds? And in what conditions should pomegranate seeds be sown? Thank you!
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Thank you for the post! It was very informative. I’d like to add a couple more methods to juice pomegranates:
1. If I were to seed my pomegranates, I’d use either potato ricer (as mentioned previously) or Italian food mill (passatutto/passaverdure) using the smallest hole milling disc. After the juice extraction, I’d filter it with a cheesecloth.
2. If I were to cut them in half, I’d use the citrus press. I learned this when I was visiting Israel.