Pomegranate Recipes: 28 Ways To Eat The Favorite Fall Fruit

Pomegranates have been savored in the Middle East for centuries, and today they're finally getting their due in the West. It's no wonder the secret's out: the ruby-colored fruits have a distinctly tart flavor that pops in both sweet and savory dishes. (Plus, they're good for you, brimming with healthy antioxidants, vitamins, potassium, folic acid and even iron.)

De-seeding a pomegranate takes some time and skill, but the effort is worth it. Once you've got your pomegranate seeds (or arils, as they're technically known) -- or just buy the seeds in packets -- you can make any of the recipes from around the web in the slideshow below.

What's your favorite way to use pomegranates? Leave a comment.

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• Delicata Squash Salad With Roasted Potatoes And Pomegranate Seeds

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://theyearinfood.com/2012/10/delicata-squash-salad-with-roasted-potatoes-and-pomegranate-seeds.html">Delicata Squash Salad with Roasted Potatoes and Pomegranate Seeds recipe from The Year in Food</a></strong>

• Pomegranate Gelato

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://redstartolonestar.blogspot.com/2012/10/naples-and-pomegranate-gelato.html">Pomegranate Gelato recipe from Red Star Lone Star</a></strong>

• Pomegranate Rosemary Roasted Turkey

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/pomegranate-rosemary-roas_n_1055154.html" target="_hplink">Pomegranate Rosemary Roasted Turkey recipe</a> </strong>

• Grapefruit Pomegranate Champagne Sorbet

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://lemonfirebrigade.com/2012/01/16/it-feels-like-home/">Grapefruit Pomegranate Champagne Sorbet recipe from Lemon Fire Brigade</a></strong>

• Cocoa Nib And Pomegranate Overnight Oats

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-cocoa-nib-pomegranate-overnight-oats/">Cocoa Nib and Pomegranate Overnight Oats recipe from Oh My Veggies</a></strong>

• Blackberry, Raspberry And Pomegranate Cheesecake

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.jocooks.com/bakery/cakes/cheesecake/">Blackberry, Raspberry and Pomegranate Cheesecake recipe from JoCooks</a></strong>

• Raw Kale Salad With Balsamic And Pomegranate

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.runningwithtweezers.com/kale-salad-zinfandel-prunes/">Raw Kale Salad with Balsamic and Pomegranate recipe from Running with Tweezers</a></strong>

• Chocolate Mousse Cake With Pomegranate

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://whatsheshaving.com/2011/10/24/chocolate-mousse-cake-with-pomegranate/">Chocolate Mousse Cake with Pomegranate recipe from What She's Having</a></strong>

• Cranberry-Pomegranate Margarita

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.mylifeasamrs.com/2011/11/cranberry-pomegranate-margarita.html">Cranberry-Pomegranate Margarita recipe from My Life as a Mrs.</a></strong>

• Honey-Coconut Quinoa With Pomegranate

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://edenkitchen.com/honey-coconut-quinoa-with-pomegranate/">Honey-Coconut Quinoa with Pomegranate recipe from Eden Kitchen</a></strong>

• Pomegranate Panna Cotta

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/01/pomegranate-panna-cotta_n_1467842.html">Pomegranate Panna Cotta</a></strong>

• Pomegranate Pear Crumble

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/12/pomegranate-pear-crumble-cups/">Pomegranate Pear Crumble recipe from How Sweet Eats</a></strong>

• Pearled Barley Salad With Apples, Pomegranate Seeds And Pine Nuts

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/pearled-barley-salad-with_n_1058606.html" target="_hplink">Pearled Barley Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds and Pine Nuts recipe</a></strong>

• Pomegranate Poached Pears

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://honestfare.com/pomegranate-poached-pears/">Pomegranate Poached Pears recipe</a></strong>

• Cumin Seed Roasted Cauliflower With Salted Yogurt, Mint, And Pomegranate Seeds

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/cumin-seed-roasted-caulif_n_1062589.html">Cumin Seed Roasted Cauliflower with Salted Yogurt, Mint, and Pomegranate Seeds recipe</a></strong>

• Grapefruit And Pomegranate In White Tea jelly

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.tarteletteblog.com/2009/11/recipe-grapefruit-and-pomegranate-in.html">Grapefruit and Pomegranate in White Tea Jelly recipe from Tartelette</a></strong>

• Roasted Lamb In Herbs And Pomegranate Marinade

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.melangery.com/2011/12/roasted-lamb-in-herbs-and-pomegranate.html">Roasted Lamb in Herbs and Pomegranate Marinade recipe from Cooking Melangery</a></strong>

• Pavlova With Pomegranate And Cranberry Sauce

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://junglefrog-cooking.com/pavlova-with-pomegranate-and-cranberry-sauce/">Pavlova with Pomegranate and Cranberry Sauce recipe from Jungle Frog Cooking</a></strong>

• Sparkling Pomegranate Punch

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/sparkling-pomegranate-pun_n_1058701.html" target="_hplink">Sparkling Pomegranate Punch recipe </a> </strong>

• Baby Kale Salad With Pomegranate Seeds And Spicy Candied Pecans

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.theendlessmeal.com/baby-kale-salad-with-pomegranate-seeds-and-spicy-candied-pecans/">Baby Kale Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Spicy Candied Pecans recipe from The Endless Meal</a></strong>

• Pomegranate Tarts

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.piggyscookingjournal.com/2008/11/crazy-over-pomegranate.html">Pomegranate Tarts recipe from Piggy's Cooking Journal</a></strong>

• Vegan Pomegranate Oats White Chocolate Chip Muffins

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://buttercreamchantilly.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/my-vegan-pomegranate-oats-white-chocolate-chip-muffins/">Vegan Pomegranate Oats White Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe from Buttercream and Chantilly Factory</a></strong>

• Pear And Pomegranate Salad

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.acouplecooks.com/2011/11/pear-and-pomegranate-salad/">Pear and Pomegranate Salad recipe from A Couple Cooks</a></strong>

• Vegan Rose Water Almond Milk Pudding

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://mayihavethatrecipe.com/2012/10/19/vegan-rose-water-almond-milk-pudding/">Vegan Rose Water Almond Milk Pudding recipe from May I Have That Recipe?</a></strong>

• Pomegranate, Basil And Queso Fresco Salsa

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.lifeandfoodblog.com/?p=1845">Pomegranate, Basil and Queso Fresco Salsa recipe from Life and Food</a></strong>

• Pomegranate Meringue Tarts With Spicy Chocolate Ganache

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://lisamichele.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/pom-is-wonderful/">Pomegranate Meringue Tarts with Spicy Chocolate Ganache recipe from Parsley, Sage and Sweet</a></strong>

• Spiced White Wine Sangria With Pomegranate Seeds

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://spoonforkbacon.com/2011/11/spiced-white-wine-sangria/">Spiced White Wine Sangria with Pomegranate Seeds recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon</a></strong>

• Winter Salad With Roasted Squash And Pomegranate Vinaigrette

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/winter-salad-with-roasted_n_1062324.html" target="_hplink">Winter Salad with Roasted Squash and Pomegranate Vinaigrette recipe</a></strong>

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Comments

[shirleycox]

03:32 AM on 01/09/2012

Pomegranate seeds contain antioxidants and photochemical that can protect your heart, prevent cancer and even keep your teeth clean. I love pomegranate and I am growing in my yard. This pomegranate tree is a resilient variety that requires little care. With proper feeding of ammonium sulfate or other nitrogen before the tree blooms. I found Advanced Nutrients (http://bit.ly/voKv5k) B52 Fertilizer Booster, with essential B vitamins and hormones, increases the plant metabolism and strengthens their immune systems. Due to this I have grown a lot of tasty and juicy pomegranate in my yard.

[Silkroadgourmet]

02:08 PM on 12/13/2011

I love pomegranates, but think that the recipes listed are not the best-all-time dishes to make with this wonderful fruit. First off, the two fowl recipes are both versions of the Persian classic Fesenjan. Many recipes for sauces for meat and vegetables come from Western Asia (Gerogia, Armenia and Azerbaijian) as well as pomegranate stuffed vegetables (like eggplants) are not even mentioned. Pomegranates are widely enjoyed all across Central Asia and are also used in some Mongolian and Chinese recipes as well - so it is not a "Middle Easten" fruit. I just got back from Xi'an and wandered the pomegranate orchards on the dusty hillsides and bought a few off local vendors.

See my book The Silk Road Gourmet if you want lots of delicious pomegranate recipes, including my original Lamb Fesenjan which adapts the Persian cooking method for meat (instead of fowl) and adds butternut squash for a fantastic one-pot, stovetop meal.

I use unsweetened juice to make sauces and syrups (the latter sometimes referred to as molasses). Of course I love to eat the seeds raw as well.

[Daena Smith]

09:21 PM on 11/27/2011

I've made Pomegranate jelly before for Christmas gifts to friends. It was wonderful!

[Janie Graham]

01:21 PM on 12/07/2011

Pomegranate jelly does sound delicious! How many pomegranates did you have to buy? The little aerils are so small, I can't help but wonder if you went somewhere and got them in bulk. Anyway, let me know. To the rest of the readers, I think that http://akgventures.com/blog has really good ideas on how to cook more healthy meals. I would check that out if you're interested in this site.

[Daena Smith]

02:16 PM on 12/07/2011

About 25 yrs ago I worked at a restaurant and one of the waitresses had several trees and asked if any of us wanted pomegranates. I received several paper bag fulls from her and really had no clue what to do with them until I thought about jelly. I was stupid then and cut them in half then juiced them with an orange juicer. I just boiled the juice and proceeded like it was grape jelly then jarred it. Not only did it turn out to be a beautiful jelly (clear, colorful) but great tasting! One caveat, what a mess! LOL

[SapphireBlaze9]

03:25 PM on 11/26/2011

Mm, the Apple Pomegranite crumble and the sparkling punch look awesome. I think I'll make the crumble for the guests tonight. Thanks for the post!

[Mochilero]

01:31 PM on 11/26/2011

Want anti-oxidants? Stir cacao (cocoa powder) into your drinks. Add honey, it's bitter. Try turmeric. To retain its potency mix in a little coconut or olive oil. These two are as high on the scale as anything out there.

[Deli]

12:45 PM on 11/26/2011

That is NOT the way to de-seed a Pomegranate! He breaks so many of the seeds and wastes a lot of their juice. Take a paring knife and cut out the stem area where the pomegranate was attached to the tree. Just a small circle to get it out, there is a lot of rind there, so you can go a little deep, but be careful to remove it without cutting into any of the seeds. Then scored the rind all the way around without going as deep as the seeds. Holding your pomegranate over a bowl, plate or clean cutting board, gently place your thumbs into the hole formed when you removed the stem area and pull the pomegranate apart. Work it slowly and just break it apart. Seeds will fall out and you will see how the pomegranate is divided inside. Just continue to break apart each section and let the seeds fall. There will be large sections of seeds when you remove the thin membrane areas, you can push these off all at once by using a spoon against the thick membrane under the seeds, avoiding crushing the seeds themselves. This way, with a ripe fruit the size of about a softball, you get a huge bowl of juicy seeds with very little juice loss. It only takes about 10 minutes and is so worth it!

[Daena Smith]

09:20 PM on 11/27/2011

I agree..but I've seen a youtube video of someone de-seeding underwater in a bowl..the seeds float to the top and the rind to the bottom.

[Deli]

09:37 PM on 11/27/2011

Yes! I replied to a post farther down that I did not see when I posted this. I am definitely going to try the collander method ASAP. I just happen to have perfectly ripe ones that are huge right now, and they almost de-seed themselves.

[Fran Indelicato]

12:20 PM on 11/30/2011

do you chew and swallow the seeds? I never buy them because I don't know how to eat them. don't mean to sound stupid.

[Deli]

01:45 PM on 11/30/2011

They definitely have pretty chewy seeds inside the seed. I eat the entire seed. That way, the fiber reduces the glycemic level. The juice alone is too much sugar. I buy those from PomWonderful. They are very large, with very juicy seeds. The pomegranates themselves are about the size of a softball. I just don't bother with the small ones anymore. They seem flavorless, hard to remove. Not worth it.

[kokobin]

12:39 PM on 11/26/2011

Pommies are relatively expensive here in London markets, usually 3 = £1. Bought a juicy box recently. I found it best to slice in two and scoop out the seeds with a fork onto a bowl and then remove/separate all the white strands of pith (very bitter).

Lovely served chilled with some banana and whipped cream or yoghurt. You may add some pitted dates/ raisins /honey/nuts (pecan nuts, walnuts) as you please for dessert (my favourite).

Blend some Pomegranate seeds and beetroot in a Vitamix. Optionally, add banana, oats and skim milk powder plus sugar/honey to taste. Great breakfast drink.

[brownfrown]

02:54 PM on 11/26/2011

Three for £1 doesn't seem bad.
Here they are around $2.50-$3 each, or $2 on sale. I don't buy them when they're tiny. Out of a one-pound pomegranate I get around half a pound of seeds..

[bigfrog]

12:38 PM on 11/26/2011

Somebody should ferment pomegranates and make booze that's good for you. It'd taste really good too!

[HotheadPaisen]

02:49 PM on 11/26/2011

I know it's not exactly what you're requesting, but Van Gogh Pomegranate vodka is dee-lish!

[SouthernGirl2]

12:26 PM on 11/26/2011

Pomegranates!

Get in my belly! I love love Pomegranates. It's my favorite fruit. Yum Yum!

[VJ Sleight MA TTS]

11:48 AM on 11/26/2011

Easy, no mess way to peel Poms: fill sink with water, place colander in sink, peel Pom under the water and let the seeds fall into the colander.
I use them in my cranberry sauce with walnuts, dried apricots and sweetened with French Vanilla Stevia.
www.StopSmokingStayQuit.blogspot.com

[TheBestPatriot]

11:21 AM on 11/26/2011

I'd eat the pomegranate duck.

[EgregiousEgregious]

11:09 AM on 11/26/2011

Pomegranate juice can interact unfavorably with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. It can increase the risk of statin-induced myopathy. Pomegranate juice is known to block the cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme systems in the intestines. By inhibiting these enzymes, the juices may increase blood levels of many medications.

Antiarrhythmics - Amiodarone (Cordarone), disopyramide (Norpace), quinidine

Calcium channel blockers - Felodipine (Plendil), nicardipine (Cardene), nifedipine (Procardia), nimodipine (Nimotop), nisoldipine (Sular)

Statins - Atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), simvastatin (Zocor)

Immunosuppressants - Cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral), tacrolimus (Prograf)

Protease inhibitors - Saquinavir (Fortovase)
However, pomegranate juice may also interact with medications not on this list. The drugs ezetimibe and rosuvastatin are not thought to be broken down by cytochrome P450 3A4.

* Antiarrhythmics - Amiodarone (Cordarone), disopyramide (Norpace), quinidine
* Calcium channel blockers - Felodipine (Plendil), nicardipine (Cardene), nifedipine (Procardia), nimodipine (Nimotop), nisoldipine (Sular)
* Statins - Atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), simvastatin (Zocor)
* Immunosuppressants - Cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral), tacrolimus (Prograf)
* Protease inhibitors - Saquinavir (Fortovase)

Based on the limited evidence about the potential drug interactions, it would be wise to talk with your doctor if you use pomegranate products regularly, and to avoid taking pomegranate products within 72 hours of taking the above medications.

[TheBestPatriot]

11:21 AM on 11/26/2011

Wow! Thanks for this information.

Are you a pharmacist?

[cillah]

12:05 PM on 11/26/2011

actually i checked it out and my understanding is if you eat/drink pomegranates in significant amounts over a long duration of time. the best guidance with most anything is "everything in moderation"

[EgregiousEgregious]

12:22 PM on 11/26/2011

I got the info from About.,com

[Deli]

12:46 PM on 11/26/2011

Lesson: Get off the meds and get on the Pomegranates!

[Aissatou Sunjata]

11:04 AM on 11/26/2011

I am going to try to find what we used to call as children, "chinese apples." I used to love as a young girl just eating them raw are without any recipe to follow. I even have the scent as I wear the fragrance in lotion and in perfume. I love the smell and reminds me of wonderful days long gone when they were not necessarily the infamous "good ole days" they were just probably less complexed.

[Rosalee Harris]

10:54 AM on 11/26/2011

Very healthy fruit but its so weird to eat. Its not like a banana where you just peel off the skin or a straberry that you just pop in your mouth. You have to carefully remove the seeds or they pop and the juice is all gone. Then you pop it in your mouth and have to spit out the seeds. One of the fruit cost like almost 2 bucks and you get like less than ounce of juice. Its not a fruit you can eat in public. It takes too long and it can get messy.

So I'm glad that they have other alternative ways of preparing it.

[bodhikt]

07:46 PM on 11/25/2011

He wasted more juice/damaged more seeds, and made a bigger mess than I've ever made "de-seeding" poms. (We have a tree, so I've had quite a bit of experience...).
Cut out the blossom end (somewhat cone shaped depression results), score the skin down the sides from the "scoop", then pull the pom apart and gently "shuck" the seeds from the shell with your fingers. It's a lot easier removing whole pieces of membrane than the little pieces that resulted from what he did, too.

[Falconer6439]

11:09 AM on 11/26/2011

I was thinking the same thing, may be slightly more time consuming but you get pretty much all of the seeds if youre careful. I always put the seeds in cold water to get all of the tiny pieces of membrane out since they float.

[Deli]

12:48 PM on 11/26/2011

I posted the same advice having not seen yours yet. The person who suggested doing it under running water in a colander seems to have a great idea, too. I am going to try that to see if it removes the seeds from the rind more easily.