Here's How Many Seeds Are In A Pomegranate, On Average

Whether you enjoy scattering pomegranate seeds across a bowl of yogurt or using them as a tart and tangy topping for gourmet green beans, there's no question that the fruit contains an abundance of tasty and nutritious seeds. But have you ever wondered how many stunning ruby red seeds, exactly, are in a pomegranate? This is a bit like the question of how many pizzas you need to feed 20 people, in that it depends on many factors and is almost impossible to answer with exact certainty. However, we can make some pretty decent estimates.

The number of seeds, also called arils, in a pomegranate can vary widely based on the size of the fruit. According to the tedious field research of some very patient people, the fruits may contain 860 seeds, 818 seeds, 1026 seeds, or anywhere in between. This anecdotal evidence is, of course, complicated by the fact that it's challenging to accurately count every single seed in a pomegranate. As a general range, it's safe to say the average pomegranate will contain anywhere from 400 to 1200 seeds, which should yield between 1 and 2 cups of fruit.

Pomegranates are one of the most ancient human-cultivated fruits, and the abundance of antioxidant-rich seeds has come to symbolize fertility, health, prosperity, and other (generally positive) things across cultures, religions, and history. 

For example, in Judaism, it's said that pomegranates contain as many seeds as there are commandments in the Torah — 613 — and the fruit is traditionally consumed on Rosh Hashanah to bring a year as full of merits as the pomegranate is full of seeds. In Greece, pomegranates are one of the foods meant to bring you good luck in the new year. It's traditional to smash a pomegranate outside your door on New Year's Day — the more seeds that burst out, the more luck you'll have in the coming year.

Really, it's impossible to say exactly how many seeds are in any given pomegranate unless you count them yourself (or better yet, occupy a kid for a few hours with the task). On the other hand, perhaps some things are better left a mystery. The good news is, if you end up with too many pomegranate seeds, you can always freeze them for later. Whether you're counting every seed or not, make sure to pick out the best pomegranate at the grocery store and open the fruit in this mess-free way to lose as few of those precious seeds as possible.