Pomegranates! My favourite fruit. Sweet, juicy, crunchy, and might I add chock full of antioxidants! How many of you avoid eating pomegranates simply because you haven’t found the perfect method to peel and deseed them? With this easy, proven method (proven by yours truly!) you can learn how to deseed pomegranates, quickly, efficiently (meaning not one little morsel lost) and mess-free!
To say I get my fix of pomegranates during the winter season is an understatement. I live off of them. I crave them. Every day. As per the norm I eat about 2-3 pomegranates a day – yes, a day! Bonafide addictive behaviour right there. Years ago when I first lived in Italy I literally ate the entire tree of pomegranates that was planted in our backyard. Every once in a while when I deseed a pomegranate I think back on the time I opened one to discover it was full of tiny spiders (cringe) which scurried out onto my hands, into the kitchen sink…pretty much everywhere (another cringe). And then there was the time I deseeded those FIVE pomegranates, threw them into a bowl, then devoured the entire bowl while watching a movie later that evening. That’s another story, but I can definitely say you can get too much of a good thing!
When I tell people about my addiction to pomegranates the first thing they ask is; “How do you have the patience to deseed them?!” Let’s be honest, after eating THAT many pomegranates, every year, for the last…I don’t even know how many years, one develops a preferred strategy, a method easy enough to get those little crunchy morsel outta there as quick and mess-free as possible.
Let’s talk about how many ways there are to deseed a pomegranate; whack it with a wooden spoon, split it open in quarters then dig in, halve them and scoop out the seeds, and I’m sure there are many more. De-seeding a pomegranate can be a messy and difficult task if you do it the standard way but when you move the process under water, you’ll make your life that much easier! The water method – or as I call it, it’s the best way to deseed pomegranates. With this method the heavy seeds sink to the bottom of the bowl of water, the pith (the white tissue under the skin of the fruit) floats to the top, and you can rest-assured that your hands (and clothes) stay stain-free.
Before you begin, you’ll need a cutting board, a large bowl, and a colander. First, fill the bowl with water. Then, quarter the pomegranate, turning the pieces upside down on the cutting board when you cut them. Submerge one quarter at a time under the water pulling it apart seed side down. As you pull apart the skin gently nudge the seeds out. Pieces of skin and pith will float to the top and the seeds will sink. Inspect your handiwork before discarding the skin to release any leftover seeds. Scoop any floating pith out of the water with a slotted spoon or drain into the sink. Pour the pomegranate seeds into a colander to drain off the rest of the water.
And voilà! A nice bowl of juicy, crunchy, sweet super healthy pomegranate seeds at your fingertips!
I used to do this but then switched to cutting the pomegranate 360 degrees 4 or 5 times only down the the seeds and then pulling it apart and the messy work starts of gathering the seeds. I’ll go back to the water method. Great post. BTW, the seeds freeze GREAT and they’re fantastic with peanut butter.
Good to know you also think this method is great! And peanut butter?? I know they freeze well, but NEVER would have thought of eating them with peanut butter!! 😉
I adore apples and bananas with peanut butter. Then I tried it with red grapefruit and it’s great. Also pears, kiwi, pomegranate, strawberries. I never have it with watermelon or cantaloupe. Fruit with PB becomes a little meal.
Ok, apples, pears, bananas, yes! I have to try it…I’m curious now! My MIL makes an octopus salad with red onions and pomegranates…I thought that was odd. PB & pomegranates might top that! lol! 😉
For me, pomegranate & onion is horrible because I dislike fruit with vegetables. Add raisins to a salad, yuck, no no no. Nuts in a salad, yes yes yes. PB & fruit, perfection! You’ll see!
i will be super honest and say I’ve never done this before. I think this is really neat though, and will have to pick some up and try it. My kids love these seeds!
I have never tried a pomegranate ordeseeded one. Sounds like it could be difficult. Thank you for the great ideas. I may try it now.
It’s not difficult at all, but it can get messy!
I think I have everything I need to do this. This idea is one I had never thought of. Who knew that water was the key to an easy de-seeding process?!?
I have been on a really restricted diet due to a medical condition and I can not have anything with seeds. Since it is such a worry I avoid everything that has them but I miss fruit and veggies! I have to try this out so I can enjoy some delicious foods again, thank you for sharing!
I was in a store this week and noticed that they were selling a pomegranate seeder. I have never had a fresh pomegranate because I was unsure of how to seed them. I will have to remedy that because I think a fresh one would be awesome!
I didn’t even know a pomegranate deseeder existed!
This is an interesting way of deseeding a pomegranate. Usually I have seen and tried myself the way of tapping the outside with a spoon. Another way is by rolling and applying a little bit of pressure to soften the sides before cutting it open.
I find those ways damage the delicate seeds…they need to be nice and crunchy!!!
Great post! We too love Pomegranates, they kids and I always have a hard time trying to deseed them. The next time I purchase some I will keep your tips on mind.
Let me know how it works out for you!
I absolutely love pomegranates. I grew up in Cali and it seemed that was the only fruit we ate. I have not had them fresh since i was a kid. These are great tips, and a reminder of how much i miss eating them.
I have never actually eaten fresh ones before. I’m not even sure why not, these looks absolutely delicious! I’m will be trying this soon. It’s also perfect for Thanksgiving too!
I love Pomegranates, but the worst part is deseeding them. Thanks for the great tips! Super excited to have learned this.
I do it so often I don’t mind anymore lol! It’s meditative 😉