Best pomegranate juice ideas for drinking, cooking… You name it, we’ve tried it

We love our deliciously standard pomegranate juice. It comes with no bells or whistles, it’s just a great-tasting, classic juice with big flavour.

It’s also incredibly versatile. You may know it best as a breakfast drink or cocktail mixer, but pomegranate juice can also be a great recipe addition for anything from meat marinades to salad dressings.

They may be notoriously difficult to prepare, but pomegranates have a lot going for them. One of the oldest fruits known to humans and thought to represent everything from fertility to ambition, pomegranates are also rich in vitamin C, folic acid and antioxidants. And they make some pretty tasty juice.

From punchy salads to a perfectly pink smoothie – here are some ways to enjoy Eager pomegranate juice…

Pomegranate juice, raspberry & banana smoothie

Fancy something fresh to slurp on? This fruity number is made with fresh banana and raspberries, pomegranate juice and dairy-free (soya) raspberry yoghurt, although a dairy-based yoghurt would work just as well.

Simply blitz together in a blender and pour into glasses (serves 2).

• 300ml Eager pomegranate juice
• 100g raspberries
• 1 banana, sliced
• 125g Alpro soya raspberry and vanilla yoghurt (we’ve spotted raspberry and cranberry pots at Sainsbury’s)

Homemade grenadine with Eager pomegranate juice

If you want to impress at your next drinks gathering, you could try making your own grenadine.

A deep red syrup used in cocktails and mocktails, grenadine has a distinctly sweet and sour flavour.

Perhaps most fondly associated with creating the red layer in a Tequila Sunrise, it’s also a key ingredient in the non-alcoholic Shirley Temple cocktail, alongside ginger ale and lime juice.

No matter how complex you get with your mixology, grenadine itself is pretty simple to make.

Start by putting the pomegranate juice and sugar in a pan over a low heat and stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

Then leave to cool and add a dash of orange blossom water. The syrup can then be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for two weeks.

• 100ml Eager pomegranate juice
• 100g granulated sugar
• Drop of orange blossom water

Orange rosemary pork roast with pomegranate juice

From ribs to roasts, yummly.co.uk has delicious ideas for incorporating pomegranate juice into marinade recipes.

We love this sticky, citrusy pork roast on an Autumnal day, on a plate piled high with roasties and veg. This recipe serves a big joint of meat for eight people, so adjust the measurements and cooking times if you’re roasting on a smaller scale.

There are two steps to this marinade. First, rub the joint generously with olive oil and crushed garlic, and sprinkle all over with salt, pepper and rosemary before roasting in a shallow, foil-lined tin for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the pomegranate juice, red wine and marmalade in a pan over a medium heat – bring to the boil and stir frequently until it becomes syrupy. Then remove from the heat, whisk in the mustard and pour over the roast pork before cooking again.

• 0.9 kg top loin pork roast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary
• 120ml Eager pomegranate juice
• 480g orange marmalade
• 120ml dry red wine
• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard

Pomegranate vinaigrette with Eager juice

If you’re in more of a salad mood, try this punchy vinaigrette dressing recipe from acouplecooks.com to bring all the flavour with just six store cupboard ingredients.

Whisk together the pomegranate juice, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and salt in a bowl, before slowly whisking in the olive oil one tablespoon at a time until fully combined. Let it stand for a few minutes, then give it a good old shake before drizzling on your salad.

• 60ml Eager pomegranate juice
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 118ml extra virgin olive oil

So there you have it: start the week with a glass of juice, end it with a Saturday night tequila sunrise and a Sunday lunch pork roast (with some salads and smoothies in between for good measure!)

We’d love to see your Eager pomegranate juice creations - tag us @eagerdrinks on Instagram 📸