Pomegranate: Seeds, Nutrition and How to Eat a Pomegranate

A pomegranate is a round, leathery-skinned fruit packed with hundreds of small, jewel-like seeds. Those pomegranate seeds, properly called arils, are the part you eat: each one is a sac of tart-sweet juice around a single crunchy seed. In USDA data, a half cup of arils supplies about 12% of the Daily Value for fiber and for vitamin K, plus some vitamin C, folate and copper, for about 72 calories. This guide covers pomegranate nutrition for the arils and the whole fruit, how to eat a pomegranate without a mess, how the fruit compares with bottled juice, and the food-safety points worth knowing.

Peptide Labs does not sell pomegranates or pomegranate products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

What is a pomegranate?

The pomegranate (Punica granatum) grows on a deciduous shrub or small tree. A UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Master Gardener article explains that the scientific name roughly translates to “seeded apple”, that the fruit ripens in the fall with a reddish husk, and that it reaches its highest quality in arid regions such as California, Arizona and northern Mexico. Inside, white membranes divide the fruit into chambers filled with juicy kernels, the arils, and each aril holds one angular seed that can be soft or hard depending on the variety.

So when recipes and packages say pomegranate seeds, they almost always mean the whole arils, juice sac and seed together. The USDA food database uses the same idea and describes its pomegranate portion as arils, or seed and juice sacs. The peel and the white pith are not usually eaten; the pith is bitter and the peel is tough.

Pomegranate nutrition

The table uses the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entry for raw pomegranates (FDC 169134), shown for a half cup of arils and for one whole fruit about 4 inches across, with percent Daily Values based on FDA Daily Values.

Three things stand out. First, fiber: because you eat the small seeds along with the juice sacs, arils carry more fiber than many fruits, and a whole fruit supplies about 40% of the Daily Value in USDA data. Our high-fiber foods guide shows how that compares with other fruits, beans and grains. Second, vitamin K: pomegranate is one of the few fruits with a noticeable amount, a point that matters for people on warfarin (see the safety section). Third, sugar: a whole pomegranate has about 38 grams of naturally occurring sugar in USDA data, so it sits on the sweeter side of the fruit list; our low-sugar fruits article puts that in context.

Pomegranate arils also supply copper and folate, and some vitamin C, though far less vitamin C than citrus or kiwi; our vitamin C foods list ranks the top sources. Pomegranates are often described as rich in polyphenols, plant compounds studied for their antioxidant activity. USDA does not list those compounds, and a lab antioxidant number does not tell you what happens in the body; our antioxidant foods guide explains what those lists can and cannot show.

Arils vs bottled juice

Pressing the fruit removes the seeds, and with them nearly all of the fiber. In the USDA entry for bottled pomegranate juice (FDC 167787), one cup has about 134 calories, 31.5 grams of sugar and only 0.2 grams of fiber, while a half cup of arils has 3.5 grams of fiber and fewer calories. The juice keeps much of the potassium and some vitamin K but has almost no vitamin C in that entry. The research on the juice, including what is known about drug interactions, is covered in our pomegranate juice guide.

How to eat a pomegranate

Knowing how to eat a pomegranate mostly means knowing how to get the arils out without staining everything nearby. The juice stains cloth and wooden boards, so an apron and a plastic board help. Here is a simple method that many cooks use:

1. Cut off the crown, the small flower end, and score the skin from top to bottom along the ridges, about four to six cuts, without cutting deep into the arils.
2. Pull the fruit apart into sections along the score lines.
3. Hold each section under water in a large bowl and push the arils loose with your fingers. The arils sink and the bitter white pith floats.
4. Skim off the pith, drain the arils, and pat them dry.

Another common method is to halve the fruit across the middle, hold a half cut side down over a bowl, and tap the back firmly with a wooden spoon until the arils fall out. Either way, the arils can go straight into your mouth, seeds and all, or onto yogurt, oatmeal, salads, grain bowls and roasted vegetables. They pair well with bitter greens; a classic winter salad combines arils with endive or arugula.

Choosing and storing pomegranates

• Pick: choose fruit that feels heavy for its size with firm, unbroken skin; small surface scratches on the skin are normal.
• Whole fruit: keep it in a cool place or in the refrigerator.
• Arils: refrigerate in a covered container and use within a few days, or spread them on a tray, freeze, and then transfer to a bag.
• Season: fresh pomegranates are a fall and early winter fruit in the United States; packaged arils are sold all year.

Is pomegranate healthy? Safety points

Pomegranate arils are a whole fruit with fiber, vitamin K, copper and folate, and for most people they are simply a nutritious food to enjoy. A few points still deserve attention.

• Warfarin and vitamin K: a whole pomegranate supplies about 39% of the vitamin K Daily Value per USDA. MedlinePlus advises people taking warfarin to eat consistent amounts of vitamin K-containing food from week to week and to talk to their doctor before changing their diet, and the NIH ODS vitamin K fact sheet makes the same point about a consistent intake. Our vitamin K foods list shows where pomegranate sits.
• Juice and medicines: most questions about pomegranate and prescription drugs concern the juice rather than the fruit; our juice article reviews what the studies found. If a medicine you rely on has known food interactions, ask your pharmacist or clinician.
• Frozen arils and hepatitis A: in 2013, CDC reported a hepatitis A outbreak with 165 ill people in 10 states, 71 of them hospitalized, linked to a frozen organic berry blend and frozen pomegranate kernels made with pomegranate seeds from a company in Turkey. The products were recalled in June 2013 and CDC declared the outbreak over. It is a reminder to watch recall notices for frozen fruit.
• Sugar: a whole fruit has about 38 grams of naturally occurring sugar in USDA data, something to keep in mind if a clinician has asked you to track carbohydrates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Endive: Belgian Endive vs Curly Endive and Endive Nutrition, Pomegranate Juice Benefits: USDA Nutrition, Research and Warfarin, Foods High in Antioxidants: USDA Chart and What the Science Says.