A step-by-step guide on how to cut a pomegranate! The quickest and easiest method that’s no fuss, no mess, and guaranteed to get all the pomegranate seeds!
Get out a large, sharp knife and a medium size bowl (for your seeds) and set both nearby. Place the pomegranate on a clean work surface or cutting board.
Hold the pomegranate with the stem (the part that sticks out) facing up toward you. Then place your knife in the center of the stem and gently cut down into the stem, creating a cross or plus sign (+). You don’t want to cut INTO the pomegranate, just down through the stem. Now, using one of your cross lines as a guide, carefully score all the way around the pomegranate, piercing just the skin with the tip of your knife. Again, avoid cutting into the pomegranate or piercing any of the seeds inside; simply cut through the red, outermost skin of the fruit. Turn the pomegranate and repeat with the other line of your cross so you have scored the pomegranate into 4 even quarters.
Now, gently begin pulling and breaking the pomegranate apart into 4 quarters. If you didn’t score the skin deeply enough, it might be hard to break apart, so you can repeat step 2 if necessary. Once the pomegranate is broken up, you can easily break apart each individual quarter to release the seeds into your bowl. If the seeds feel stuck, try bending the quarter back, “flexing” it to help release the seeds.
Once all of the seeds are in the bowl, pick out any white bits of pomegranate skin (known as the pith)! Enjoy pomegranate seeds on their own or on salads, fesenjān, squash, and beyond.
Pomegranate seeds keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator and in the freezer for up to 1 month (but the texture changes with freezing).
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Notes
*1 large pomegranate yields ~1 ¼ cup pomegranate seeds. *If you get a stubborn pomegranate and really want to keep the juices under control, try this: After quartering, pluck out the seeds in a bowl of water. The arils will sink and even the tiniest bits of pith will float to the top so they can be skimmed off before draining. *Nutrition information is a rough estimate.