How to Pick the Juiciest, Ripest Pomegranate Every Time

It’s peak pomegranate season in the US, which implies you could be scanning grocery retailer aisles for the right fruit so as to add to salads or desserts. 

A ripe pomegranate isn’t simply sweeter—it additionally presents extra concentrated advantages like antioxidants and vitamin C, culinary vitamin marketing consultant Julie Lopez, RD, instructed Well being.

So how do you decide a pomegranate that’s not simply juicy and scrumptious however stuffed with vitamin? In contrast to fruits with extra apparent indicators of ripeness, pomegranates are a bit extra mysterious.

An ideal-tasting pomegranate may not be a perfect-looking one, holistic nutritionist Stacey Woodson, MS, RDN, LD, instructed Well being.

As an alternative of a flawless sphere, “search for a barely boxy or angular form,” she suggested. Flat or oddly formed sides imply the arils contained in the fruit have swelled with juice, reworking the fruit’s type. “That’s your sign that you simply’re getting plump, juicy arils full of peak antioxidants and that signature sweet-tart taste.”

Among the finest indicators of a pomegranate’s ripeness? Its weight. As you store, don’t hesitate to choose up just a few fruits to match their heft—and even weigh them on a grocery retailer scale. “That further weight means the arils are swollen with juice, plump, candy, and full of peak vitamins,” mentioned Woodson.

Since heavier pomegranates include extra antioxidant-rich fluid, they’re an particularly good selection in case you plan to juice your fruit, Catherine Sebastian, MS, RD, a registered dietitian for The Great Firm, instructed Well being.

You possibly can even give a pomegranate a mild squeeze or gentle toss within the air to gauge its density in addition to its weight. “A great pomegranate ought to really feel stable and dense, not ethereal or hole,” mentioned Lopez.

A pomegranate’s texture can inform you numerous in regards to the high quality of fruit inside. Woodson recommends selecting one with taut pores and skin and a leathery look.

One of the best fruit will even be freed from cracks or bruises, she mentioned. Whereas cracks can generally end result from overwatering, they could additionally point out a fungal an infection. For meals security, it’s greatest to avoid fruits which have break up. 

Bruising, in the meantime, can have an effect on a pomegranate’s juiciness—and subsequently its dietary worth. A 2023 examine in contrast bruised and unbruised pomegranates saved for 28 days and located that bruised ones have been much less agency, smaller, and lighter than non-bruised ones.

Different textural indicators to keep away from are a comfortable really feel and shriveled pores and skin, which can point out overripeness and even {that a} fruit is beginning to ferment, Lopez mentioned. 

And naturally, in case you spot seen mould or detect an off odor, don’t put that pomegranate in your buying cart.

A ruby-red shade could also be pomegranates’ most distinguishing characteristic, nevertheless it doesn’t reveal as a lot about ripeness as you would possibly assume. “The surface of a ripe pomegranate can differ from gentle pink to a deep ruby purple,” mentioned Sebastian. “The rind doesn’t should be an ideal purple to be crammed with probably the most lovely juicy arils.”

Reasonably than focusing an excessive amount of on shade, Woodson suggests utilizing weight, form, and texture as extra dependable guides of ripeness.

Nonetheless, Lopez famous that constant coloration is an efficient signal. “Uneven or patchy shade can imply the fruit ripened erratically, resulting in variable sweetness and nutrient distribution inside.”

When confronted with a pile of pomegranates on the retailer, hold three elements prime of thoughts: weight, form, and texture. These indicators may imply the distinction between taking house a lackluster fruit and one which’s ripe and brimming with antioxidants.