How To: De-Seed a Pomegranate

The first time I saw a pomegranate, I had no idea what the heck I was supposed to do with it. I stared at it for a while, then decided to cut it. I saw little seeds. I decided to fish each little aril out one by one, eventually my shirt turned bright pink from all the juice and I was left with a bunch of jerk seeds that squirted juice all over me.

But now, I am so much wiser (not really, but stay with me here).

There are a ton of different ways a person could de-seed a pomegranate, I just use the way that is easiest for me.

For this you will need a pomegranate, a knife, cutting board, a strainer, an empty bowl and a bowl 3/4 full of water.

Step 1: Cut very top stem off

Step 2: Turning the pomegranate over so the cut part is down & flat, cut pomegranate in half.

Step 3: Put flat parts of pomegranate down and cut into quarters

Step 4: Put one quarter of the pomegranate into the water and gently begin pulling the arils away from the membrane

Be gentle, though! I like to break the quarters up into smaller pieces as I’m going.

Step 5: Repeat with each quarter until all of the arils are out. They will sink to the bottom and the membrane will float to the top

Step 6: Taking your strainer (or a spoon), scoop the membrane off the top of the water and throw away

Step  7: Strain arils into second bowl

Enjoy!! Contrary to what I used to believe, you can eat the entire seed. I love adding them to soft foods because it adds a fun crunch! My favorite ways to eat them are over yogurt, oatmeal, plain as a snack, on salads, etc. I’m planning on baking with them soon and for Christmas I cooked them in water and strained all the pomegranate juice into the cranberry sauce. There are so many different ways to use them, let me know if you have any questions about the process!

Question:

What are your favorite ways to eat pomegranate arils?