How to Deseed a Pomegranate Without the Mess

The Fear of the Pomegranate

Pomegranates are a beautiful, jewel-like fruit packed with antioxidants, crunch, and a tart, refreshing juice. They are fantastic scattered over salads, roasted meats, or eaten by the handful.

However, many people refuse to buy them because extracting the seeds (technically called arils) is a nightmare. If you try to hack the fruit open on a cutting board and pry the seeds out with your fingers, you will inevitably rupture dozens of them. The highly pigmented red juice will splatter across your countertops, your walls, and permanently stain your clothes.

The Underwater Solution

The brilliant solution to this mess relies on simple physics: density and buoyancy. By performing the entire extraction process submerged in a bowl of water, you eliminate all splashing and easily separate the edible seeds from the bitter white pith.

• When a seed ruptures underwater, the juice instantly diffuses into the water rather than shooting across the room.
• The dense, heavy, juice-filled arils sink directly to the bottom of the bowl.
• The light, spongy, bitter white pith floats directly to the surface of the water, acting as a natural sorting mechanism.

Step-by-Step Clean Extraction

Follow this method for zero stains and perfectly intact seeds.

• Step 1: Score the fruit. Do not slice the pomegranate straight down the middle, or you will cut hundreds of seeds in half. Instead, use a paring knife to score a shallow line horizontally around the equator of the fruit, cutting just through the leathery red skin but not deep into the flesh.
• Step 2: Twist and pull. Grip the top and bottom halves of the scored pomegranate and twist in opposite directions while pulling apart. It should break cleanly in half, exposing the beautiful seeds.
• Step 3: Prepare the bath. Fill a very large, deep mixing bowl halfway with cold tap water.
• Step 4: Submerge and peel. Place one half of the pomegranate completely underwater. While keeping your hands and the fruit submerged, use your thumbs to gently pry the sections apart and rub the seeds away from the white membrane.
• Step 5: Let physics work. As you break the fruit apart underwater, let the pieces fall. Do not worry about picking out the white pith yet. Work through both halves of the fruit until all the seeds are dislodged.
• Step 6: Skim the top. Once finished, look at the bowl. You will see a layer of white pith floating on the surface of the water, while the ruby-red seeds sit cleanly on the bottom. Use a slotted spoon or a small strainer to skim all the floating white trash off the top and discard it.
• Step 7: Drain the seeds. Pour the remaining water and the clean seeds through a colander in the sink.

You are now left with a massive pile of pristine, intact pomegranate seeds and a kitchen that requires absolutely no cleanup.