How To Cut A Pomegranate

Don’t be intimidated. This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to cut a pomegranate and easily remove the seeds without getting cracked skin or stains on your clothes! Find more of my pomegranate recipes.

Pomegranates have special place in my family’s heart. My kids love eating the seeds, called “arils”, by themselves. They are an antioxidant power-house and rich in fiber and vitamins. What’s not to love?

My family also has a pomegranate tree in our yard, with easy access to fresh fruit from October through December. My friends know we love this fruit, so we tend to get even more special deliveries of home grown pomegranates throughout the season.

Needless to say, we know how to cut a pomegranate and seed it. Some years we seeded over 100 pomegranates. That’s a lot of arils! And yes, seeding a pomegranate can be a little tedious, but the work is well worth it.

Why you should try this method

So if you love pomegranates, too, but have always been intimidated on how to seed one, I’m here to show you how!

Now some people swear that beating a cut pomegranate will allow the arils to easily fall out. This does not work with all varieties. Yes, you can beat your fruit senseless and still have arils nestled comfortably inside.

And, quite frankly, you can easily bruise and ruin your fruit this way, not to mention make a mess splashing juice that stains everywhere.

Also, please do not cut a pomegranate in half, as you would an orange or apple, to remove the arils. It is not only messy (juice will get everywhere), but you will also ruin and waste a lot arils that got sliced up.

For the method I am sharing with you today, you will use a bowl of water. The water helps catch the arils that are popping out when you open a pomegranate, as well as washes off the acidic juice from your hands.

Yes, pomegranate juice is acidic. A little won’t hurt your fingers but if you are seeding a lot of pomegranate (like we do), the juice will dry and hurt your fingers. We usually rub on some lotion on our hands after seeding pomegranates.

See my How to Cut a Pomegranate Web Story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe.

Supplies you need

• Pomegranates: Obvious, I know. You can use this method whether you are seeding one or a dozen pomegranates.
• Sharp pairing knife: You will need a sharp knife to remove the crown and score down the sides of the pomegranate. If your knife is dull, you will push harder into your fruit, possibly cutting and damaging the arils inside.
• Large bowl of water: The water catches the falling arils and helps remove the acidic juice from your fingers. The white pitch pieces float to the top and are easy to strain out.
• Baking sheet or garbage bowl: This will hold all the pomegranate skins and pieces you need to throw out. I also put the pomegranates waiting their turn to get peeled on this.
• Small mesh strainer: This is used to remove the floating pieces of pith and debris from the b

Step-by-step directions

Step 1: Remove the crown off the top. Do not cut too deep or you will cut the precious arils!

Step 2: Score along the vertical sections. Pomegranates are sectioned off like oranges are, and you want to follow these lines. You want to cut deep enough to pierce through the top skin, but not so deep to cut the arils inside.

Step 3. Using the tip of your knife, point it to the center of the white pith. Keeping your knife at a 45º angle, cut a circle around the center of the pith. Remove the cone like white center and discard.

Step 4: Over the bowl of water, place your thumbs into the cored out center of one of the ends of your pomegranate. Gently pull the two halves apart. Any loose arils will fall into the pool of water.

Step 5. Remove each scored off sections. Gently remove the thin skins and excess membranes. Gently tap the seeds out and pull them off the membrane wall. Start removing the arils from each pomegranate section, using the water to clean your fingers and catch each aril.

Step 6: Using a small mesh strainer, remove the floating membrane skins and pith from the water. The seeds will sink to the bottom and the debris will float to the top. When done, use your strainer to remove and drain the pomegranate arils.

Pomegranate tips and FAQs

Pomegranate seeds will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze the seeds. Place them in one layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer ’til frozen. Remove and place frozen seeds in a freezer safe container.

Frozen pomegranate seeds will keep in the freezer for up to six months. Unopened pomegranates can last up to one month on the counter or two months in the refrigerator.

And what should you do with these pomegranate arils you have sitting in your refrigerator? You can enjoy them by themselves, as my kids do, or sprinkle over salads and soups. I have a lot of pomegranate recipes for you to choose from!

We have also tested and found the best way to juice a pomegranate. We tried several juicing methods to see which one worked best.

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

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