It’s pomegranate season and are we glad. This is one fruit we eagerly wait for all year. Not only are the seeds delicious and fun to eat, but they’re delicious and super healthy! Rich in vitamin K, fiber, potassium and heart-healthy antioxidants, they’re a yummy way to increase your nutrient intake.

We do have a couple folks in the family that just don’t like the crunchiness of these seeds (“It’s a texture thing…”). So I’ve been looking for ways to get this fruit into their diet in different ways. One obvious approach is to blend them into a fruit smoothie. Here’s one of our favorite combinations:


But a new favorite dessert we’ve been trying is to fold blended pomegranate seeds into tapioca pudding. This is absolutely scrumptious. I don’t have a recipe for it, but that’s the good news. This is so easy to make, you don’t need a recipe. Just mix up your favorite tapioca pudding recipe. Let cool in the refrigerator. Then blend up about 1 cup of pomegranate seeds (or less—just whatever you have) in a high-speed blender with a little of the chilled pudding. Fold this mixture into your pudding and return to the refrigerator to thoroughly chill.

We serve it with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream—mostly for presentation. It’s so good that it certainly doesn’t need any topping.

Finally, something else I’m doing is blending pomegranate seeds in a little super-hot water and then pouring this into cups and adding an herbed tea bag and some boiling water. Hibiscus tea is especially delicious with pomegranate puree. This is a terrific drink to sip if you feel a cold coming on.

Abundant research shows that indulging in pomegranate seeds (however you choose to do so) is a savvy thing to do. Studies suggest that the pomegranate can improve blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It’s also been shown to protect brain cells from oxidative stress and improve cognitive function, prevent bone loss, and promote healthy digestion.

I’ll leave you with one last tip: if you also like pomegranate, you might consider buying several, deseeding them and making a lot of puree. It freezes well, Just pour the puree into 1 cup freezer containers with tight-fitting lids and freeze. Or even pour it into ice cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen, pop out the cubes and freeze them in zippered plastic freezer bags. What a treat to be able to enjoy pomegranate all through the year!

    Alice Osborne
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
    Email the author! alice@dvo.com