Quinoa, kale and… pomegranate powder!
You are likely well-versed in many of the “in” superfoods. You know how to properly pronounce “quinoa” and have a comprehensive repertoire of kale recipes. I would like to introduce you to a lesser-known superfood which I recently began incorporating into my life: pomegranate powder.
Pomegranate powder is dried and ground pomegranate seeds. Because it is freeze-dried, it is raw, preserving nutrients and enzymes.
Pomegranate powder spikes both sweet and savory dishes with the distinct sweet-tart flavor of pomegranate along with the nutrients found in this gorgeous fruit.
Pomegranate powder boasts high levels of phytonutrients including:
- vitamin C
- antioxidants
- potassium
- folate
Where to find pomegranate powder
The only pomegranate powder I’ve used is Nativas Organic Freeze Dried Pomegranate Powder. I recommend the following two sources for it:
1. Thrive Market has it here, for the best price. I’ve discussed Thrive before, it’s a combo of Costco/health food store/Amazon prime. Currently, if you register for Thrive here, you’ll get 25% off your first order and a free paleo cookbook.
10 Uses for Pomegranate Powder
1. Superfood smoothies. This is a no-brainer… add a spoonful of pomegranate powder to your smoothies before blending. It ups the nutrient content and adds beautiful flavor. My favorite fruit pairings with pomegranate powder include blueberries, bananas or mangoes.
2. Spiked salad dressing. I’ve found pomegranate powder plays beautifully with balsamic or dijon vinaigrettes. When making your vinaigrette, whisk a spoonful (to taste) of pomegranate powder into the vinegar or mustard base until it dissolves. Then whisk in the oil, as usual.
3. Powder sugar substitute. Use a sifter or mesh strainer to dust pomegranate powder over cakes, pancakes or waffles for a beautiful and comment-provoking presentation. It’s a refined-sugar alternative to dusting powdered sugar.
4. Natural food coloring. Pomegranate powder lends a beautiful pink shade without the artificial coloring agents found in conventional food coloring. I’ve added pomegranate powder to frosting to create a gorgeous pink result. You could also try experimenting and add pomegranate powder to cake batter (I haven’t tried this yet, so I don’t know if the color changes when it is baked, but it sounds promising).
5. Ice Cream. Whisk pomegranate powder, to taste, into the base of ice cream before processing in an ice cream maker. Alternatively, add it to the blender if you are making frozen fruit based ice cream, such as my Banana Chai Ice Cream or Mango Soft Serve.
6. Hot Tea. Stir pomegranate powder, to taste, into hot tea until dissolved. Add milk and sweetener if desired, but the pomegranate powder lends a lovely sweetness. I love it paired with black tea, green tea, ginger, and rooibos.
7. Pomegranate Buttermints. Create a spin on my Sugar-Craving-Busting Buttermints, which is one of the most popular recipes on Empowered Sustenance. Instead of the peppermint extract, add a spoonful (to taste) of pomegranate powder to the base before piping the buttermints. They will turn a beautiful pink shade.
8. Pomegranate honey. Stir pomegranate powder into raw honey for an instant fruit-infused honey.
9. Flavor porridge and oatmeal. Add to your hot bowl of breakfast porridge or oatmeal. No oats for you? Try my coconut-based Paleo “Oatmeal.”
10. Curries, stews, and crockpot meals. To add nutrients and a sweet-tart flavor, finish curries or stews with a hit of pomegranate powder before serving.
Have you tried pomegranate powder before? Any other serving suggestions?
Hello,
I love your idea of mixing pomegranate powder with honey. My questions is, will this go rancid quickly? Or should it last as long as the honey lasts? Or at least as long as the expiration date of the pomegranate powder? What if I were to mix this powder into rosewater? Would it last or go rancid? Thank you!
Sam
Your idea of using powdered seeds is very useful. Previously I was using boiled seeds water as a drink. Now this will help to relieve me of boiling it.
I use pomegranate powder as a cold drink- 1 teaspoon of powder with soda water and ice in largish glass- refreshing and healthy!
It’s awesome. I was thinking if it can be used in my hair or skin also??? Pls advice some more uses of this?
I was interested in adding Navitas pomegranate powder to my smoothies for an added “boost”, but this brand pretty much has nothing in it except for ellagic acid. There’s not even vitamin c listed as a benefit! What’s the point other than flavor..
That’s what I was thinking. Article mentions seed powder but this is the whole fruit
How many months we can preserve pomogranate seeds powder in a plastic cover airtight
I know there must be a way to make jelly out of this stuff using powdered gelatin. Can someone help me out? I have scoured the internet for any jelly making recipe that uses powdered fruit instead of fruit juice. I’d love to make this jelly treat for my toddlers.
I used to make mock strawberry preserves using figs and strawberry jello powder. Strain the cooked pulp of the fig and add your pomegranate powder and pectin.
The vitamin C content is almost void in powder from the processing……Other than that it does have many benefits….
I have high blood pressure and have been researching how to bring this down as the drugs have side-effects. I read that pomegranate helps ‘clean’ the arteries of the debris that forms in arteries that prevents free blood flow i.e. Arteriosclerosis. Pomegranate extracts ae very expensive, as is pure pomegranate juice. I bought powdered pomegranate seeds instead. This arrived today so I am interested to learn the different ways it can be used. I assumed that dried pomegranate seeds ground to a powder would be healthy? I am trusting that they have not been ‘processed’ in any way to take this goodness away. As I bought a large quantity (cheaper) I will put the in small containers and freeze them so they don’t deteriorate.
I was just thinking of buying this powder to lower my pressure as well. How much are you consuming and is it working?
I make body butter and I’m looking at creating a mild exfoliating facial cleanser. I’d like to know if pomegranate (I’d prefer Organic) can be used in making a mild exfoliating facial cleanser without a preservative as I do not use preservatives in my body butters.