A Recipe For Pomegranate Molasses And What to Make with It - California Grown (2024)

FAQs

What do you do with pomegranate molasses? ›

How to Use It? The possibilities are endless with pomegranate molasses. Use it as a glaze for meats, in salad dressings, in marinades, or drizzled over vegetables. You can even use it to make Persian-style Stuffed Fish!

Opened bottles can be refrigerated for long periods, but it's not likely to sit around for long. You don't need to love Middle Eastern food to love what pomegranate molasses can do for the foods you already love.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until syrup has reduced by two thirds, to just under 1 cup, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, then transfer to a lidded jar. Molasses can be stored in the fridge for up to two months.

Pomegranate molasses is a rich source of B vitamins, as well as vitamin C and a variety of polyphenolic antioxidants. This is in addition to a low level of sugars, calcium, iron, no dietary fiber, and no fats or cholesterol. There are also approximately 40 calories in a 1 tablespoon serving of this molasses.

Pomegranate molasses can be stored in a cool dark place and consumed within 12 months of opening.

Molasses is also good in breads (Boston brown bread, cornbread), muffins (bran in particular), and in a glaze for hearty vegetables, like carrots or squash. In savory uses, it's often paired (deliciously) with spicy mustard.

If stored in the refrigerator, pomegranate molasses will last indefinitely.

The pomegranate molasses is both sweet and sour, and the acid in it will tenderize the meat. When ready to cook, take the meat out of the fridge, and season it with salt and black pepper.

Rimouski, QC-born Stéphanie Audet, chef and owner of Senhor Uva in Lisbon, Portugal, explains that pomegranate molasses is made up of simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. The end result has a deep red colour with a sweet-sour taste.

If you plan to use up the bottle in 6 months or less, the pantry is fine. Know that pomegranate molasses might thicken up in the fridge, but will return to its normal consistency if you leave it out on the counter for 10 minutes or so before using.

What do Middle Easterns use pomegranate molasses for? ›

Another Middle Eastern staple, pomegranate molasses is condensed pomegranate juice that has been boiled down to a thick, syrup-y consistency. Despite the name, there is no actual molasses in it! It is usually used in savory sauces, marinades, and salad dressings, but you can also use it as a drizzle to balance sweets!

Look for 100% juice with no added sugar. If you have diabetes, ask your doctor before drinking fruit juices, including pomegranate. If you have diarrhea, do not drink pomegranate juice or take pomegranate extract. Pregnant women should not take pomegranate extract because it may contain fruit rind.

Nutritional information about pomegranate molasses

Along with being a source of folate and vitamin K, Healthline explains that pomegranate juice is rich with antioxidants like polyphenols and anthocyanins that help prevent the risk of cancer, support cardiovascular health, and reduce chronic inflammation.

Contains Cholesterol-Lowing Potassium

Blackstrap molasses is a good source of potassium. Potassium-rich foods help lower systolic blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and support a healthy cardiovascular system, in addition to helping cleanse your liver.

Pomegranate molasses is tart and tangy, with an underlying caramelized sweetness and almost musky depth. It's an ingredient that's totally unique. If you've sipped pomegranate juice or popped a handful of ruby pomegranate seeds into your mouth, then you're familiar with the fruit's sweet-tart pop of flavor.

Pomegranate molasses is syrupy and rich, but even versions with added sugar are not very sweet. Instead it's tangy and a little musky with a depth of flavor that I usually associate with wine or concentrated meat drippings. This makes it invaluable anywhere you want to add a little depth or complexity.

While its color is similar to molasses made of sugar cane or sugar beets, pomegranate molasses is not a sweetener but a condiment, and as such added to dishes in small amounts. Pomegranate molasses is an important ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking.