Top Ways to Use Pomegranates: Nutrition, Health Benefits & Delicious Recipes

Discover the top ways to use pomegranates with this guide to pomegranate nutrition, health benefits, cooking tips, and delicious plant-based recipes. Learn how to enjoy this antioxidant-rich fruit in salads, entrees, desserts, drinks, and more.

How to Use Pomegranates: A Complete Guide to Cooking, Nutrition & Recipes

Vibrant, sweet-tart, and loaded with antioxidant compounds, pomegranates are one of the most nutritious and versatile fruits of the season. Whether you’re sprinkling the ruby-red arils over salads, blending them into smoothies or sauces, or baking them into festive treats, there are countless delicious ways to enjoy this superfruit. In this comprehensive guide, I’m sharing my top 5 ways to use pomegranates, including their impressive nutrition and health benefits, practical tips for seeding and storing them, and inspiring ideas for cooking with pomegranates. You’ll also find a collection of my favorite flavorful, plant-based pomegranate recipes that showcase this seasonal ingredient in everything from breakfast bowls and savory dishes to desserts and drinks. If you’re looking to boost your meals with color, crunch, and powerful phytonutrients, this guide will help you make the most of pomegranates when they’re in season.

Pomegranate History

You may think that pomegranates are a modern day super-fruit, but folks have been treasuring these round red fruits through the millennia. Archaeological discoveries reveal that they were one of the first fruits to be cultivated, based on findings from Greek Neolithic settlements dating back to 6000 B.C. These precious fruits have served as traditional medicine for healing all manner of ailments, such as infections and indigestion. Pomegranates have even served as a celebratory food: In a Turkish wedding the bride throws down a pomegranate, and the number of seeds that spills out is said to predict how many children she will bear. Indeed, pomegranates have become a symbol of the Mediterranean diet, where they flourish in the warm, sunny climate. Since I live in California, we can also grow pomegranates thanks to our similar climate. We have a 30-year old tree in our orchard that produces hundreds of fruits each year from November to December.

Pomegranate Nutrition and Health Benefits

Beneath that leathery outer covering is a white, fleshy substance called albedo, and a translucent yellow membrane surrounding the ruby-colored arils (seeds surrounded by juice sacs). These arils are rich in antioxidant vitamin C, as well as bone-loving vitamin K, heart-healthy potassium and fiber, and blood-boosting iron. In particular, scientists are interested in pomegranate’s phytochemicals, which appear to protect the body against damaging free radicals. These phytochemicals include punicalagin, anthocyanins, ellagitannins, and resveratrol—the same compound found in red wine. Preliminary studies suggest that it may be helpful in protecting against high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. A recent study has even linked pomegranate juice to cognitive benefits.

So, what are you waiting for? Watch my helpful video on how to use pomegranates here and check out my Top 5 Ways to Use Pomegranates below.

Cooking with Pomegranates

The sweet tart taste and rich ruby color of pomegranates makes them ideal for numerous culinary applications. When pomegranates are in season—fall through winter—do use them liberally! And you can even freeze the arils for later. I fill my freezer each year with bags of frozen pomegranate seeds to flavor my smoothies, sauces, desserts, salads, and breakfasts all year long.

How Do You Seed Pomegranates?

So, you have a gorgeous pomegranate in hand, and you’re wondering how to remove the seeds without making a mess! There are numerous ways to deseed a pomegranate. You can just cut it in half, hold the cut side down over a bowl, and whack it with a spoon to release the seeds. Or you can slice off the top, cut along the natural white ridges in the fruit, and pull the sections apart like a flower. However, my favorite way to deseed pomegranates is to use the water bowl method, which keeps that bright juice (which stains easily) away from you. Once you’ve deseeded your pomegranate, store the seeds in an airtight container for up to 7 days, or freezer for up to 6 months.

• Fill a large bowl with water.
• Cut the pomegranate in half or quarters.
• Submerge sections in the water and gently pull it apart with your hands.
• Loosen the seeds with your fingers while underwater to prevent the juice from spraying.
• The seeds will sink, and the white membrane will float.
• Scoop off the membrane and drain the water.

Top 5 Ways to Cook with Pomegranates

1. Sprinkle Pomegranate Seeds Over Your Morning Cereal
There’s nothing that will boost your breakfast cereal bowl more than a ruby red crunch of pistachio arils! Just cook up oats or other whole grain porridges, then top with your favorite nuts and a generous addition of fresh pomegranate arils.

2. Whiz Pomegranates into Your Smoothie
Get your red on by whizzing up a scarlet smoothie with pomegranate arils, pomegranate juice, and other ingredients, such as beets, carrots, and bananas. Try my Pomegranate Mandarin Smoothie above, which features cool weather seasonal fruit.

3. Pair with Savory Dishes
The sweet-sour taste and gem-like appearance of pomegranate arils lets savory dishes shine. Case in point: these Veggie Meatballs served with a simple fresh Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce. Indeed, try pomegranate sauces to accompany any savory dish, such as lentil patties, nut loaves, and shepherd’s pie. You’ll find it accents hearty comfort dishes much like cranberry sauce does. 

4. Top Your Salad or Bowl

Pomegranate arils literally make any salad or bowl—vegetable, green, bean, or whole grain—sparkle! Here’s one of my favorite pomegranate salad recipes, and check out by black bean bowl, which gets a serious flavor and texture adjustment compliments pomegranates.

5. Fill Up Your Fruit-Forward Dessert
The next time you’re whipping up a pie, crisp, crumble, brownie, bar, cookie, or cobbler, mix in a scoop of pomegranate arils to add gorgeous flavor, texture, and color. They’re also gorgeous as a garnish to top cakes, pies, bars, and creamy desserts.

Sharon’s 10 Favorite Pomegranate Recipes

Discover more of my favorite recipes featuring pomegranates.

Pomegranate Avocado Quinoa Salad
Jewel Winter Salad with Pomegranates and Orange Vinaigrette
Sparkling Pomegranate Ginger Cocktail
Pomegranate Sauce with Mandarins
Winter Salad with Beets and Pomegranates
Roasted Chicory with Pistachios and Pomegranates
Pomegranate Rosemary Margarita
Gingered Red Kuri Squash Soup with Pomegranates
Black Beans and Rice Vegan Bowl
Best Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie

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