Pomegranate Molasses
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Pomegranate molasses is a beloved staple in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African cooking, prized for its intensely tangy-sweet flavor. It’s easy to make at home!
You just need one ingredient to make pomegranate molasses: pomegranate juice! If you have a bunch of pomegranates on hand, this recipe will use up plenty of them. But there’s certainly no need to juice them from scratch. Bottled pomegranate juice also produces amazing results, and it’s my preferred method because it is so dang easy.
And if you’re wondering how to use pomegranate molasses, the possibilities are endless. Use the sweet-tart syrup as a glaze for meats, in salad dressings, in marinades, or drizzled over vegetables. Some recipes you’ll love:
- Chicken: Fesenjan (Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Chicken Stew)
- Meat: Lebanese-Style Cinnamon Meatballs
- Fish: Mahi Shekam Por (Persian Stuffed Fish)
- Salad: Kisir (Turkish Bulgur Salad)
- Dips: Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)
- Dessert: Drizzle onto Greek yogurt or olive oil ice cream.
- Drinks and Cocktails: Add a splash with a squeeze of lime juice in sparkling water for a feel-good “soda.” For a grown up treat, shake into your pomegranate martini!
Table of Contents
What is in Pomegranate Molasses?
Authentic pomegranate molasses just has one ingredient: pomegranate juice! That’s right, no added sugar, flavor, or color.
- Bottled juice is the easiest, and available all year round. I like Knudsen and POM Wonderful, as both are 100 percent pomegranate juice with nothing else added.
- To juice the pomegranate from scratch, check out our guide: How to cut a pomegranate. You’ll need about 8 pomegranates for this recipe.
How to Make Pomegranate Molasses
The biggest tip for making your own pomegranate molasses is to keep it at a slow simmer, which will make the syrup taste fresh and sweet. Allow the juice to boil produces an unpleasant “cooked” taste, and muddys the fruit’s natural brightness. Here are the steps:
- Simmer the juice: In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add 4 cups pomegranate juice. Bring the juice to a simmer (watch for bubbles all around the edges), and then lower heat to a simmer.
- Reduce the juice: Simmer the pomegranate juice until it has reduced by about 75 percent, or approximately 2/3 to 3/4 cup. This can take between 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Occasionally stir the juice while it simmers. You do not want the juice to boil so keep an eye on it to make sure you only see small bubbles forming around the edges of the pot while it reduces.
- Let it cool: After the juice has reduced it will still be liquidy, but should coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool to room temperature (it will thicken more as it cools as well). Once cooled, the syrup is thick but pourable—like maple syrup.
- Store: Transfer the pomegranate molasses to an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator. Pomegranate molasses will keep 4 to 6 months refrigerated.
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Pomegranate Molasses
Ingredients
- 4 cups pomegranate juice
Instructions
- Simmer the juice: In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the pomegranate juice. Bring the juice to a simmer (watch for bubbles all around the edges), and then lower heat to a simmer.
- Reduce the juice: Simmer the pomegranate juice until it has reduced down to approximately 2/3 to 3/4 cup. This can take between 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Occasionally stir the juice while it simmers. You do not want the juice to boil so keep an eye on it to make sure you only see small bubbles forming around the edges of the pot while it reduces.
- Let it cool: After the juice has reduced it will still be liquidy, but should coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool to room temperature (it will thicken more as it cools as well).
- Store: Transfer the pomegranate molasses to an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator. Pomegranate molasses will keep 4 to 6 months refrigerated.
Recipe Notes
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Try our Authentic Pomegranate Molasses
This 100% natural Pomegranate molasses from Lebanon provides an intense burst of sweet and tart flavor.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
Used about 30 of the sweetest pomegranates I’ve ever tasted, spent ages making sure I removed all the pith etc.. Squeezed the pips in a ricer to make sure the stones didn’t get crushed and had 1.5 litres of sweet bright juice. Cooked on the hob for 2.5 hours keeping a very close eye on it because I didn’t want it to boil and eventually it reduced. No difference in liquidity so I left it overnight to maybe thicken. Next day still the same. Tasted it and it was not sweet at all, not bitter just a nasty unpleasant aftertaste that lingered. What did I do wrong? A lot of recipes I saw added sugar and lemon but I thought yours looked healthier which it probably is..but inedible. I’ve got a source for more pomegranates but will try a different recipe.
Hi, Andrea. We’re sorry this one let you down after all that work! Judging by how thin it stayed, it most likely needed more time to reduce. The juice should cook down by about 75 percent at a low simmer, so a larger batch can take quite a bit longer than what’s listed in the recipe. Pomegranate molasses is also meant to be more tangy than sweet. A lingering off-taste can come from bits of membrane in fresh juice or from cooking in a reactive pan like aluminum or cast iron, so a stainless steel or enameled pot is best. If you try again, 100% bottled pomegranate juice gives very consistent results.
Thank you for the recipe for pomegranate molasses
Can we use white pomegranates for this recipe?
Is it possible to make the pomegranatae molasses in a crock pot on low, using the bottle juice? Thank you for reading my message and for a quick response.
Hi, Catherine. We haven’t tried this ourselves, but it could be possible. I would set the slow cooker on the “Low” setting to simmer and leave the lid slightly ajar to allow moisture to escape. Stir occasionally and keep and eye on the consistency. The goal is to reduce the liquid to about 1/4 of its original volume, so it thickens into a syrupy consistency. If you give this a go, please stop back and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear how it worked out for you!
It was so easy to follow your recipe and now I’m so intrigued to try Pom molasses in the ideas you featured! Especially to enhance a fruit salad. Thanks!
So many uses, so little time! LOL!
Can you use concentrate? And cook less tiime?
I wonder if it can be simmered in a crock pot?
Hi, Terri. We haven’t tried this ourselves, but I really do think it’s possible. I would set the slow cooker on the “Low” setting to simmer and leave the lid slightly ajar to allow moisture to escape. Stir occasionally and keep and eye on the consistency. The goal is to reduce the liquid to about 1/4 of its original volume, so it thickens into a syrupy consistency. If you give this a go, please stop back and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear how it worked out for you!
LOVE IT!!! Will definitely make again and again.
Wonderful! Thanks, Mary!
Mine turned into a massive sticky burnt charcoal cloud and i almost burned down the house.. I think I’ll be buying in the future. ( laughing cry)
Hi, Lauren! Oh no! I hope you do give it another try. But, if you’d like to purchase some high quality pomegranate molasses, but sure to check out our online shop!
I made this to go with the Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe. It’s very simple, just pour it in the pan and let it simmer. I used a 16oz bottle of pure Pomegranate Juice.
Unfortunately I let mine simmer for too long. When bubbles are forming and staying you’ve over done it, just simmer until it’s still liquid but thicker when you tilt the pan.
It tasted great and I’ll be doing it again.
Thanks, Andy!