How to DESEED a POMEGRANATE !

If you’ve ever eaten a pomegranate you probably know the struggle of getting those little seeds out. 

This method is easy and mess-free. The only con about the whole process is that it is very time consuming depending on how carefully you pick them out. For me, it took about 15-20 minutes/pomegranate (I had two).

Not only is this fruit delicious and has a beautiful appearance but it has many health benefits such as:

- moderate in calories, holds about 83 kcal / 100g and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol.

- a good source of dietary fibers for a healthy digestion and bowel movement.

- Pomegranates have a good course of antioxidants and vitamin C. It provides 17% per 100g of daily requirement.

- Pomegranate seeds may lower the risk of various cancers, lower blood pressure and heart disease.

-  Reducing joint pains and arthritis

The items you will need are:

- A cutting board

- An apron or towel to avoid stains as juices may splash

- a small and handable knife. This is good for a precise cut

- A bowl

- And of course, a pomegranate

Here is the step by step instruction on how to easily deseed a pomegranate:

Picking the fruit
When you chose the fruit in the store you want to make sure the fruit is not too ripe or over-mature. 

Look at the color first, is the color a nice bright red color or is it deep? The deeper the color the more likely it is to be over-mature which leads to a bitter and inedible taste. It may also be very juicy which could lead to a large mess. Don't get me wrong, the fruit should be juicy but what I mean here is from accidental drops, and bruising. You want to pick a pomegranate that has a nice rose red color. 

When you gently press your fingers on the fruit you should hear small little bubble noises, a little similar to popping bubble wrap.

Cutting it up

1. Start of by cutting a round circle on the top of the pomegranate. By doing this you are preparing for the removal of the lid. This is similar to cutting a pumpkin all though you do not cut through the entire fruit. 

The skin of the fruit is usually about 1-2,5 mm thick. You just want to cut through the skin and not puncture the seeds.  

2.  To get the lid off, carefully with the flesh of your thumb grip the lid and go around it. 

This will probably loosen up the top and you will access the seeds. If it doesn’t remove by this point, you can try using your thumbnail and carefully go around the top lifting it. You can also use the blade of your knife and tilt it about 45°. 

I suggest using the nail method because it isn’t as sharp as a knife could be.

3.  The pomegranate contains of small chambers as you could see in the previous picture. There are small fine white lines surrounding each ”room”. These are the perfect guidelines on where to cut, follow these and cut down about 0,5 cm. It might splash a little so this is why an apron is handy ! Do not use the tip of the knife as this gives you less control on how deep you cut. The blade is perfect as it allows you to cut deeper a little at a time. 

4. With the flesh of your thumb and a firm grip around the fruit gently slant the small chambers outwards without puncturing the seeds. 

By using the flesh of your thumb allows you not to press so hard or too soft.  

5. Gently pull apart a chamber and with the upper part of your thumb, where your thumbprint is located push and wiggle the seeds off of the inside. You can pick off the sparse seeds with your fingers.

Repeat this step until all the small seeds have been pulled off. 

The messiness may vary but I managed to get these delicious little things off pretty neatly.  

If you’ve followed these steps you should end up with a nice bowl of pomegranate seeds.

You can use them for many things like on top of yoghurt, in desserts, food and drinks, salads or just as a refreshing food to snack on. 

I suggest gathering about a tablespoon at a time and dipping them in dark chocolate. 

This is a recreation of the store bought option you can buy!

I hope you enjoy them as much as I sure did! 

Photos taken by my daughter