In this post, I show you how to make pomegranate juice wihtou a juicer or blender.
You will be able to prepare fresh pomegranate juice whenever you need it from scratch.
Watch further below the quick how-to video for the BEST fresh pomegranate juice.
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📕 What is a Pomegranate Fruit?
The peculiar pomegranate is a fruit that is often while overlooked.
Pomegranates are native to the Mediterranean, Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.
Pomegranates look like large red apples on the outside.
Apple means pomme in French and this is an indication that this fruit has been around for a while.
Somehow this magnificent ancient fruit is connected to Granada in Spain, hence why we know it as Pomegranate or Grenadine nowadays.
Pomegranates have a thick fibrous shell that grows around a cluster of countless ruby red fruit pulp seeds, between 3 major membranes separated intersections.
You can find pomegranate fruits is in season in Europe, Asia, and North America from November to February.
Pomegranate in ancient times
Pomegranates were around in ancient times in Egypt, Greece, Iran, and all other surrounding countries.
The fruit was so popular that they fabricated legends, such as the greek did with Persephone and Hades's Pomegranate seeds (which somehow resembles the Judaism mythology).
The ruby-red fruit, which resembles gems, never last its charm and we humans still prepare pomegranate juice and even pomegranate molasses.
🩺 Health benefits
Pomegranate Juice is known since ancient times to benefit human health in various ways.
The following studies have shown and explained further the effects of pomegranate juice.
Pomegranate juice...
- boosts heart health and reduces heart disease
- increases antioxidant activity which works in cancer prevention to reduce free radicals
- is great for men's health
- reduces Cholesterol levels
- anti inflammatory effects and reduces infections
🔪 How to make it?
You have about 3 options to prepare pomegranate juice.
My favorite option is the fastest and most convenient one with the gadget, however for that, you will need to buy a special manual juicer.
To be honest, I don't prepare pomegranate that often to justify the need for a special juicer just for that fruit.
But then I came across a neat little gadget.
with a manual juicer
This is the best, easiest, fastest, and most convenient way to prepare pomegranate juice from scratch.
You will need to buy this manual fruit juicer.
Pro: quick without a mess and the seeds don't get smashed.
The seeds are bitter and when mixed with the juice turn the juice a bit ugly.
Cons: You need to get the gadget, that means one more thing to stuff your kitchen with.
Also, you need to be careful to not accidentally burst the bitter sour seeds.
with a zip lock bag
This method involves simply your time, a zip lock bag, a rolling pin, a strainer, and a bowl.
Basically, the fruit seeds are placed into the zip lock bag and with the rolling pin, you lightly mash the seeds so that the pulp bursts and the juice is collected in the zip lock bag.
The seeds, on the other hand, are separated from the juice.
Then you just need to pour the juice with the seeds through the strainer and collect the juice in a large bowl. Done.
Pro: The tastiest purest pomegranate fruit juice because none of the bitter seeds burst and you don't need a kitchen gadget for that.
Besides, the seeds can be dried and used as a spice, which is known as anardana.
Cons: Time-consuming and a hell of a mess. Pomegranate juice stains just like beets!
with a blender
This is the most common way to prepare pomegranate juice.
The pomegranate seed pulps are placed into a blender jar and blend smoothly.
Then the juice is strained but tastes bitter because the seeds have been blended as well.
Pomegranate juice in stores from cheaper brands tastes bitter as well.
The quality juice brands don't have the bitter after taste but they come with a price tag.
Pro: Really conveniently fast!
Cons: The ugly bitter taste in the juice.
I don't like it at all.
🥣 Uses
Here are some ideas on how to use your homemade pomegranate juice.
- In healthy beverages or cocktails
- to make pomegranate molasse syrup
- to prepare candy
- to turn into jelly
👁️ More Fruit Juices to try
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📖 Recipe
Pomegranate Juice without Juicer or Blender
Ingredients
- 8 piece Pomegranates *see Notes
Equipment
- Ziploc bag
- small rolling pin
- large bowl
- strainer
- bottle
Instructions
- Cut off the top part of the pomegranate Cut slightly into the pomegranate where you can feel the rill, that's the white part that holds together the seeds. Make three vertical cuts along the rill but don't cut in too deep or the pomegranate seeds get damaged.
- Break open the fruit and remove the seeds. Get rid of the white parts that hold the fruit together and the shell. Collect all red pomegranate sees in a bowl.
- Place the pomegranate seeds into a Ziploc bag. Close it so that no air is left inside. With the rolling pin roll over the fruit pieces in the bag so that the flesh bursts and turns into a juice. The seeds won't get smashed that way. Do that until you are left with juice and seed only.
- Pour the juice with seeds into a prepared strainer with a bowl. Collect the juice in the bowl and press out the remaining seeds in case flesh is left on the seeds.
- Pour the strained juice into a bottle or use directly. I like my pomegranate juice cooled with ice cubes.
Notes
- Pick Pomegranates that are deep red in color on the outside and without visible damage on the outside.
- The whole process as described will take you an hour minimum if you have to take out the fruit seeds from the shell. Otherwise to juice the seeds would take you about 20 minutes if you buy loose pomegranate seeds.
