Recipe with nutrient tables: Pomegranate Syrup with Orange and Vanilla Flavor (2024)

Pomegranate Syrup with Orange and Vanilla Flavor can be diluted and served as a refreshing beverage or used to flavor a wide variety of dishes.

Use syrup sparingly: Since it is highly concentrated, you only need to use smaller amounts of the syrup in order to notice a difference in taste in the recipe you are using it for.

Bitter taste using a citrus juicer: Using a citrus juicer is a way to obtain more juice from the pomegranates, but the juice is then somewhat bitter. This is because small pieces of pith get into the juice during the juicing process. These coat the seeds and the many bitter substances they contain then influence the taste of the juice.

Easy way to deseed pomegranates: It works best to cut the pomegranate in half and place in a bowl with cold water. Then use your fingers to release the seeds. They will immediately sink to the bottom of the bowl and the white pith will float to the top. This way you can easily remove the pith and strain out the pomegranate seeds. There are several YouTube videos that clearly explain and show how to use this method to deseed a pomegranate.

Increasing the amount of juice: You can remove the seeds in a water bath and then blend with an immersion blender. This method will prevent any bitter substances from getting into the juice and will also result in an increased amount of juice. However, the pomegranate seeds will be destroyed in the process and you won’t be able to use them for other purposes.

Check the consistency: While the syrup is cooking, you can stir the mixture and then hold the spoon in the air and let the mixture drip off. This way you can tell if the syrup has reached the desired consistency. If it is thick and sticky as are commercial syrups, then the consistency is just right.

Canning syrup: For canning (bottling), it works well to use standard bottles with twist-off caps.

Vanilla bean pods: You can use vanilla bean pods in place of vanilla extract. Since the taste is less intense, you may want to use up to 2 bean pods. Cut the bean pods open lengthwise in the middle and then collect the pulp by scraping it out with a knife. Then add the vanilla along with the sugar and star anise, making sure to remove the star anise at the end before serving.

Bitter taste: If you want to make a somewhat more bitter version of the syrup without the vanilla, you can leave out the vanilla and for the given recipe size use the juice from ¼ of a lemon.

Classic Pomegranate Syrup: The classic version of this recipe is made without orange, star anise, and vanilla. You will need a total of six pomegranates in order to have a yield of about 600 ml of pomegranate juice. Increase the sugar to 250 g to neutralize the leading bitter taste. Depending on the method you are using (e.g., a citrus juicer), you may be able use only four pomegranates. The recipe for this version can be found under the following link: Classic Pomegranate Syrup.

Quick version: If you would like shorten the preparation time required, you can purchase pomegranate juice and use this instead of the pomegranates called for in the recipe. Depending on the ingredients in and variety of the juice, the taste of the final product may be somewhat different. Pomegranate juice can usually be found in larger supermarkets and from beverage retailers as well as in many Middle Eastern stores. When you are buying grenadine, it is important to determine the actual percentage of pomegranates it contains.