Pomegranate Molasses
In my ongoing quest to make my own, healthier condiments, I decided to work on some barbecue sauce recipes. Pomegranate molasses is a richly-flavored addition to barbecue sauce (or used all by itself, as a glaze), but commercial types have a good deal of added sugar. It isn’t clear to me why you would want to add sugar to the pure juice, because it is intensely sweet-tart of its own accord. So, I made my own. I bought a 32-ounce bottle of unsweetened, pure pomegranate juice and then reduced it into thick syrup. This is a technique rather than a recipe, and I will be sharing some recipes that use this ingredient in some upcoming posts.
This is called “molasses” because it has about the same texture and viscosity, and it is used in lots of similar ways. There is nothing complicated about making your own, it just takes a little patience to let it reduce to the right thickness, which should be like, well, molasses… Note that I live at 5000 feet above sea level, so liquids reduce faster here–at sea level it will take longer. The flavor of the end product is so vibrant you will definitely end up making this again and again.
If you cannot locate unsweetened pomegranate juice at your grocery you can probably find it at a health food store. Knudsen’s brand is widely available.
Thanks for reading,
Pomegranate Molasses
Ingredients
- 32 ounces unsweetened pomegranate juice
Instructions
- Fill a saucepan with the juice and bring it to a low boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid will stay at a low boil, and let the juice cook down until you have a scant cup of thick, syrupy liquid. This will take about an hour, and it will thicken up more once it is cooled. Once you have the thickness you like, let it cool completely and then transfer the molasses to a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator. This will keep well for a few months if refrigerated.
