How To Make Pomegranate Molasses
This recipe yields about 1 1/4 cups of pomegranate molasses.
Ingredients
- 4 cups pomegranate juice
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, about one large lemon
Instructions
- Boil the pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the juice boils, reduce the heat to a medium-low. You should see the liquid boiling very gently in the middle.
- Let the mixture simmer for about an hour, uncovered. Stir occasionally to make sure that the sugars don't stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
- After 45 minutes of simmering, you'll notice that a lot of liquid has burned off. Reduce the heat very slightly and let it simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Take a spoon and dip it into the molasses. If it coats the spoon, the molasses is done cooking (see photo in blog post for a visual).
- Turn off the heat and let it cool for 30 minutes before pouring it into a jar. The mixture will still be runny, but don't worry. The molasses thickens as it cools.
- This recipe should yield about 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses. Store the molasses in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Notes
- If you are making fresh pomegranate juice, you'll need 6 to 7 large pomegranates to yield 9 cups of arils. Find the crown of the pomegranate (the part that's sticking out). With a paring knife, dig into the part underneath the crown, and make a circular incision. You're removing the crown and a bit of the skin underneath it so that the pomegranate is easier to peel later. Score the pomegranate.
- Tear the pomegranate apart into different sections. Remove the arils by prying them loose from the peel. Do this step over a medium bowl filled with water.
- When you're done, you'll notice that most of the seeds have sunken to the bottom of the bowl, and the loose membrane will float on the top. It's okay if some of the arils are floating too. Remove any stray pieces of membrane, and drain all the water.
- Pour the arils into a high-speed blender or food processor, and purée until the pomegranates look like a smoothie. You may need to do this step in batches.
- Strain the juice through a fine-mesh strainer. Use a spatula to press down on the purée so that you can squeeze out as much juice as possible. You should end up with 3 1/2 to 4 cups of pomegranate juice.
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