Canada doesn't grow pomegranates. Every fresh pomegranate in Canadian stores is imported — primarily from California, with off-season fruit coming from Peru, Chile, and sometimes India. The season dictates everything: availability, price, and quality.
Outside the season, you're stuck with juice, frozen arils, or dried seeds. Which is fine — juice is available year-round and delivers the same polyphenols. But if you want to eat fresh pomegranates or juice your own, timing matters.
Month-by-Month Availability
| Month | Availability | Source | Typical Price (each, CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Good — tail end of season | California (late), Chile starting | $2.50–4.00 |
| February | Limited — Southern Hemisphere imports | Chile, Peru | $3.50–5.00 |
| March–May | Rare — you might find them at specialty/ethnic grocers | Peru, India (limited) | $4.00–6.00 (if you can find them) |
| June–August | Essentially unavailable | — | — |
| September | Starting to appear — early season | California (early harvest) | $3.00–4.00 |
| October | Peak starts — widely available | California (Wonderful variety) | $2.00–3.50 |
| November | Peak — best selection and lowest prices | California | $1.50–3.00 |
| December | Peak — heavy holiday demand, still good supply | California | $2.00–3.50 |
The sweet spot is November. Supply is at its peak, prices are lowest, and the fruit is at its best quality — the Wonderful variety (which dominates the market) reaches full maturity in mid-to-late October in California's San Joaquin Valley.
Where to Buy Fresh Pomegranates in Canada
Major Chains
During season (October–January), you'll find fresh pomegranates at Loblaws, Metro, Sobeys, Safeway, Walmart, Superstore, and No Frills. They're usually in the specialty fruit section near the mangoes and dragon fruit. Costco sometimes carries bags of 4–5 pomegranates for $7–10 during peak season — best per-unit price you'll find at a chain.
Ethnic Grocery Stores
This is the insider tip. Middle Eastern, Persian, and South Asian grocery stores often have better pomegranates at lower prices than mainstream chains. They know their customers buy pomegranates regularly, not just as a holiday novelty.
In the GTA: Arz Fine Foods (Scarborough), Adonis (multiple locations), Iqbal Foods (Thorncliffe Park). In Vancouver: Persia Foods (North Vancouver), Donald's Market (Commercial Drive). In Montreal: Marché Adonis (multiple), Marché Akhavan (Côte-des-Neiges).
These stores also tend to stock pomegranates slightly longer into the off-season, sourcing from different importers than the big chains.
Pre-Seeded Arils
If you don't want to deal with cutting open a pomegranate (it can be messy), pre-packaged arils are available at most Canadian grocery stores during season. They're typically $5–7 for a 200–250g container at Loblaws or Metro. Costco sometimes has larger containers.
The trade-off: convenience, but you pay a premium and the arils have a shorter shelf life once separated from the fruit. Whole pomegranates keep for 2–3 weeks at room temperature and up to 2 months refrigerated.
How to Pick a Good Pomegranate
Weight: Pick it up. A good pomegranate feels heavier than it looks — that means it's full of juice. Compare two similar-sized ones; the heavier one has more arils and less pith.
Skin: Should be firm but not rock-hard. Slight give when you press is good.
The skin should look slightly leathery and matte, not shiny. Shiny skin = picked too early.
Colour: Deep red to reddish-brown. Colour alone isn't a reliable indicator of ripeness (some excellent pomegranates have yellowish patches), but very pale fruit is usually underripe.
Shape: Ripe pomegranates are often slightly angular or flat-sided rather than perfectly round. The arils press outward as they fill with juice, creating subtle ridges. A perfectly smooth, round pomegranate may have underdeveloped arils.
Crown: The crown (calyx) at the top should be closed and dry, not green or mushy.
DIY Juicing: Is It Worth It?
A medium pomegranate yields about 125–175ml of juice, depending on the fruit's size and juiciness. At peak season prices ($2–3 per fruit), that's roughly $12–18 per litre of fresh-squeezed juice. Compare that to $8–12 per litre for bottled POM Wonderful.
Fresh-squeezed is more expensive and far more work. But the taste is different — brighter, less processed, with more floral notes. And you control the process: you can include some of the white pith for extra tannins and punicalagins, or juice only the arils for a sweeter result.
How to juice a pomegranate
- The easy way: Cut in half. Use a citrus press or hand juicer. Some pith gets in — that actually increases the polyphenol content. Quick, slightly messy.
- The clean way: Score the skin, break open in a bowl of water (arils sink, pith floats). Collect the arils, drain, and blend them briefly. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. More work, cleaner juice, less bitter.
- The power tool way: Deseed as above, then run arils through a masticating juicer. Highest yield, cleanest juice. Only worth it if you already own the juicer.
Stain warning: Pomegranate juice stains everything — counters, cutting boards, clothes, hands. Use a dark cutting board, wear an apron you don't care about, and cut the fruit in a bowl rather than on a bare counter.
The stains fade from skin in a day or two, but fabric stains can be permanent. Treat fabric stains immediately with cold water and hydrogen peroxide.
Storing Fresh Pomegranates
- Whole, counter: 1–2 weeks at room temperature. Keep out of direct sunlight.
- Whole, refrigerator: Up to 2 months. This is the move if you buy in bulk during November.
- Arils, refrigerator: 5–7 days in an airtight container.
- Arils, frozen: Spread on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Keeps 6+ months. Frozen arils work well in smoothies and as ice-cube-like additions to drinks.
- Fresh juice, refrigerator: 3–5 days. It oxidizes and loses colour over time. Freeze in ice cube trays for longer storage — great for adding to cocktails and mocktails.
Off-Season Alternatives
From March through September, your best options are:
- Bottled juice: Available year-round. POM Wonderful is at every major Canadian grocery chain. For the health benefits, juice works as well as fresh fruit — and the polyphenol content per ml is actually higher in some commercial juices because they press the whole fruit including pith.
- Frozen arils: Check the freezer section at Loblaws, Whole Foods, or Costco. They're great in smoothies, oatmeal, and yogurt. Nutritionally comparable to fresh.
- Pomegranate molasses: Available year-round at Middle Eastern grocery stores and Amazon.ca. Concentrated, shelf-stable, and incredibly versatile in cooking.
- Pomegranate supplements: Extract capsules are available year-round if your interest is purely in the polyphenols.
Prices are approximate based on Canadian retail observations as of the 2025–2026 season. Actual prices vary by region, store, and year. Availability at specific retailers is not guaranteed.