You only need 3 ingredients to make this Homemade Grenadine – perfect for cocktails, mocktails, desserts and more! Pomegranate syrup is so easy to make and you can keep it on hand in your refrigerator for up to a month.
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Pomegranate is one of my favorite winter ingredients, and we love adding grenadine to drink recipes (like this tequila sunrise mocktail!).
We recently set out to make a vibrant, naturally pink cocktail (see The Sugar Plum Fairy Cocktail here), but store-bought grenadine just wasn't cutting it when it came to that vibrant color. So we decided to make it ourselves!
And we're so glad we did – the pomegranate flavor (and color) is so much more intense when you use freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. You can make this pomegranate syrup with store-bought juice, too, but we promise – freshly squeezed makes all the difference!
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Homemade Grenadine Ingredients
- Pomegranate: We prefer to make freshly-squeezed pomegranate juice in this recipe (it's really pretty easy!), so we use fresh pomegranates. You can use store-bought no sugar added pomegranate juice, but the color won't be as vibrant.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar works best here, but you can experiment with alternatives like honey, etc.
- Lemon juice: This adds extra tart flavor and enhances the flavor of pomegranate.
How to Make this Homemade Grenadine Recipe
PREP: Start by de-seeding your pomegranates.
STEP 1: Juice the pomegranates. Add all of the pomegranate arils to a vacuum sealed bag or just a regular zip lock, remove all of the air, and gently roll with a rolling pin until you've "popped" all of the arils without crushing the seeds inside. Try to get as much juice out of each aril as possible.
STEP 2: Strain the pomegranate arils through a fine mesh sieve. Press down on the arils with the back of a spoon to remove as much juice as possible.
You should get about 1 cup of pomegranate juice from 2 large pomegranates.
STEP 3: Add the pomegranate juice to a pot with an equal quantity (1 cup) of sugar. Heat just until the sugar is dissolved (don't let it come to a boil). Remove from heat, then stir in the lemon juice.
STEP 4: Let cool completely before using or transferring to a bottle. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 3 weeks.
Substitutions and Variations
- Store-bought pomegranate juice is fine in place of freshly squeezed, but you'll want to make sure it's no sugar added.
- Orange flower water: Some homemade grenadine recipes call for 1-2 drops of orange flower water, but it's a difficult ingredient to find and it's not really necessary.
- Sugar free: You can use a sugar substitute like allulose or stevia to make this pomegranate syrup.
- Lemon juice: Feel free to substitute with orange juice or another type of citrus juice.
Equipment
We use a vacuum sealer to suck all of the air out of the bag that we use to crush the pomegranate arils, but it's not totally necessary. A regular zip top bag will work just fine!
However, if you are in the market for a vacuum sealer, this is the one we use. It's much more compact than those huge vacuum sealers that take up an entire cabinet! It's compatible with these bags and these meal prep containers, which keep your food extra fresh for extra long.
To make this homemade grenadine, you'll also need a good sieve.
If you're looking for bottles like the ones we used in the photo above, check these out.
How to use your pomegranate syrup
Use it in cocktails or mocktails, like:
- Tequila Sunrise
- Sugar Plum Fairy Cocktail
- Shirley Temples
- Valentine's Day Cocktail
- ...and plenty more!
Alternatively, you can use it in place of another sweetener (like honey) in salad dressings, marinades, glazes, or even desserts. We also like to use it when we make poached pears!
Storage
Keep this pomegranate syrup stored in an airtight container or sealed bottle in the refrigerator for up to one month.
If at any point it starts to look cloudy, smells strange or develops any mold, throw it out right away.
You can also store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Just note that it will probably not freeze fully due to the sugar content.
Tips and FAQ
Top tip
For the most vibrant color (and best flavor), make sure to use freshly squeezed pomegranate juice! Store-bought tastes fine, but it won't be as bright red.
Although they contain the same ingredients, the recipes call for different quantities and methods. Molasses will be much thicker than this simple syrup and needs to be boiled down for about an hour.
Yes! You will just need slightly different quantities. Use 4 cups of pomegranate juice, ½ cup of sugar and 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour, stirring often, until it reduces to about 1 cup.
We crush the pomegranate arils instead of blending, because the white seed in the center is quite bitter and you don't want any of that affecting the flavor of your pomegranate juice.
More simple syrup recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Grenadine (Pomegranate Syrup)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 oz (~1 cup) 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
You only need 3 ingredients to make this Homemade Grenadine – perfect for cocktails, mocktails, desserts and more! Pomegranate syrup is so easy to make and you can keep it on hand in your refrigerator for up to a month.
Ingredients
- 2 large pomegranates (or 1 cup no sugar added pomegranate juice)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Start by juicing the pomegranates. Add all of the pomegranate arils to a vacuum sealed bag or just a regular zip lock, remove all of the air, and gently roll with a rolling pin until you've "popped" all of the arils without crushing the seeds inside. Try to get as much juice out of each aril as possible.
- Strain the pomegranate arils through a fine mesh sieve. Press down on the arils with the back of a spoon to remove as much juice as possible.
- You should get about 1 cup of pomegranate juice from 2 large pomegranates. Add to a pot with an equal quantity (1 cup) of sugar. Heat just until the sugar is dissolved (don't let it come to a boil). Remove from heat, then stir in the lemon juice.
- Let cool completely before using or transferring to a bottle. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to one month.
Notes
Why we crush the seeds instead of blending: The white seed in the center is quite bitter and you don't want any of that affecting the flavor of your pomegranate juice.
How to make this into pomegranate molasses (a much thicker syrup): You will just need slightly different quantities. Use 4 cups of pomegranate juice, ½ cup of sugar and 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour, stirring often, until it reduces to about 1 cup.
Storage: Keep this pomegranate syrup stored in an airtight container or sealed bottle in the refrigerator for up to one month. If at any point it starts to look cloudy, smells strange or develops any mold, throw it out right away.
Sugar free: You can use a sugar substitute like allulose or stevia to make this.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tbsp
- Calories: 57
- Sugar: 14.5 g
- Sodium: 1.5 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.6 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
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