Tips on how to Decide the Greatest Pomegranate Each Time, Based on Specialists

It’s peak pomegranate season in the USA, which implies you is likely to 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 affords extra concentrated advantages like antioxidants and vitamin C, culinary vitamin advisor Julie Lopez, RD, advised Well being.

So how do you choose a pomegranate that’s not simply juicy and scrumptious however filled 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, advised 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, reworking the fruit’s kind. “That’s your sign that you just’re getting plump, juicy arils full of peak antioxidants and that signature sweet-tart taste.”

Top-of-the-line indicators of a pomegranate’s ripeness? Its weight. As you store, don’t hesitate to select up a couple of fruits to check 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 sensible choice for those who plan to juice your fruit, Catherine Sebastian, MS, RD, a registered dietitian for The Great Firm, advised Well being.

You possibly can even give a pomegranate a mild squeeze or mild 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 a large number in regards to the high quality of fruit inside. Woodson recommends selecting one with taut pores and skin and a leathery look.

The most effective fruit may also be freed from cracks or bruises, she mentioned. Whereas cracks can typically outcome 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 due to this fact its dietary worth. A 2023 examine 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 tender 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 mould or detect an off scent, don’t put that pomegranate in your procuring cart.

A ruby-red shade could also be pomegranates’ most distinguishing function, however it doesn’t reveal as a lot about ripeness as you would possibly suppose. “The surface of a ripe pomegranate can fluctuate from mild pink to a deep ruby pink,” mentioned Sebastian. “The rind doesn’t need to be an ideal pink to be crammed with probably the most lovely juicy arils.”

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