The best way to Decide the Juiciest, Ripest Pomegranate Each Time

It’s peak pomegranate season in the US, which suggests you is perhaps scanning grocery retailer aisles for the proper fruit so as to add to salads or desserts.

A ripe pomegranate isn’t simply sweeter—it additionally gives extra concentrated advantages like antioxidants and vitamin C, culinary vitamin advisor Julie Lopez, RD, informed 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 won’t be a perfect-looking one, holistic nutritionist Stacey Woodson, MS, RDN, LD, informed Well being.

As a substitute 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, remodeling the fruit’s type. “That’s your sign that you simply’re getting plump, juicy arils filled with peak antioxidants and that signature sweet-tart taste.”

The most effective indicators of a pomegranate’s ripeness? Its weight. As you store, don’t hesitate to select up a couple of 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 filled with peak vitamins,” mentioned Woodson.

Since heavier pomegranates comprise extra antioxidant-rich fluid, they’re an particularly sensible choice for those who plan to juice your fruit, Catherine Sebastian, MS, RD, a registered dietitian for The Fantastic Firm, informed Well being.

You may even give a pomegranate a delicate squeeze or gentle toss within the air to gauge its density in addition to its weight. “A superb 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.

The very best fruit may also be freed from cracks or bruises, she mentioned. Whereas cracks can generally end result from overwatering, they might additionally point out a fungal an infection. For meals security, it’s greatest to avoid fruits which have cut up.

Bruising, in the meantime, can have an effect on a pomegranate’s juiciness—and due to this fact its dietary worth. A 2023 research in contrast bruised and unbruised pomegranates saved for 28 days and located that bruised ones had 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, for those who spot seen mildew or detect an off scent, don’t put that pomegranate in your purchasing cart.

A ruby-red colour could also be pomegranates’ most distinguishing function, nevertheless it doesn’t reveal as a lot about ripeness as you would possibly assume. “The skin of a ripe pomegranate can range from gentle pink to a deep ruby purple,” mentioned Sebastian. “The rind doesn’t need to be an ideal purple to be stuffed with essentially the most lovely juicy arils.”