Pomegranate Infused Water Benefits: What to Know

Pomegranate infused water can help you hydrate, replace a sugary drink with a low-sugar option, and may contain fruit polyphenols.

3 possible benefits of pomegranate infused water

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1. Hydration

Mechanism: The water helps replace fluid your body uses and loses. How to use it: Drink it when you would otherwise reach for water. Evidence: Strong for water’s role in hydration; pomegranate is not necessary for this benefit.

2. A lower-sugar drink swap

Mechanism: Unsweetened pomegranate infused water can reduce added sugar intake when it replaces a sugar-sweetened drink. How to use it: Skip sweeteners and choose it in place of a sweetened drink you normally have. Evidence: The substitution is straightforward, but it has not been established as a clinical treatment.

3. Possible fruit polyphenols

Mechanism: Some pomegranate compounds may pass into the water as the fruit steeps. How to use it: Add fresh arils and refrigerate the mixture. Evidence: Limited and indirect; studies of juice and extracts cannot establish the amount or effects of compounds in infused water.

How does pomegranate infused water support hydration?

Water supports normal bodily functions, including temperature regulation and the transport of nutrients. The main reason pomegranate infused water helps with hydration is that it supplies water—not that pomegranate gives it a special hydrating property.

Flavor can make a glass of water more appealing. If you find the taste pleasant, keeping a chilled pitcher available may make it easier to choose water during the day. That is a practical advantage, although the amount you drink still matters more than the fruit you add.

You do not need to follow a special schedule. Have a glass with a meal or keep some available between meals, as suits your routine. Plain water provides the same basic hydration benefit, so pomegranate infused water is an option rather than a requirement.

Hydration needs vary with factors such as activity, weather and health conditions. If you have been given a medical fluid limit, count pomegranate infused water toward that limit rather than treating it as an extra allowance.

Can pomegranate infused water replace a sugary drink?

Pomegranate infused water made with water and fresh arils has no added sugar unless you add a sweetener. Choosing it instead of a drink with added sugar can therefore reduce the added sugar in that choice. The benefit depends on what it replaces: adding it to your routine without changing anything else does not automatically lower sugar intake.

Steeped pomegranate infused water is very low in calories, usually under 10 kcal per glass. That estimate is for water flavored by steeping, not for a drink made by blending the fruit or squeezing juice into the pitcher. Eating the arils adds the fruit’s calories, and crushing or squeezing them can add more sugar and calories to the liquid.

The distinction matters if you are comparing recipes. A brightly flavored pitcher with mashed fruit may taste stronger, but its nutritional content is not necessarily the same as that of lightly steeped water. For a simple lower-sugar swap, use whole arils, leave out sweeteners and strain the water before drinking if you prefer.

A drink swap can be one part of an overall eating pattern; it does not guarantee weight loss or a change in blood sugar. People managing diabetes can discuss drink choices with their clinician or dietitian, especially if they plan to add juice or eat the fruit with the water.

Does pomegranate infused water provide antioxidants?

Pomegranate contains polyphenols, plant compounds studied for their antioxidant activity. Some compounds from the arils may enter the water during steeping, but the amount in a homemade pitcher is unknown and will vary with preparation. Color or flavor alone cannot tell you how much is present.

Research on more concentrated pomegranate products is interesting but does not establish an antioxidant benefit from pomegranate infused water. In a 2019 randomized trial of pomegranate juice, 60 adults with type 2 diabetes were assigned to a juice or control group for 6 weeks. Blood pressure was lower in the juice group at the end of the trial, but the study used juice—not water steeped with arils—and its results should not be treated as a prescription for infused water.

Likewise, a 2016 randomized trial of pomegranate extract in 48 adults with overweight or obesity reported changes in several blood markers after 30 days. A measured extract is different from homemade infused water, and changes in markers do not establish that the drink prevents or treats disease.

Enjoy any fruit flavor and compounds the water provides, but do not rely on it as a measured source of antioxidants. Eating the arils is a different choice from drinking strained water: it provides the fruit itself, including fiber, rather than only whatever transfers into the liquid.

What does pomegranate infused water not do?

Pomegranate infused water does not flush toxins from the body or cleanse the blood. The liver and kidneys do most of the body’s detoxification, while the lungs and gut help eliminate waste. Sweat removes only trace amounts; drinking water supports normal hydration but does not turn a pitcher of infused water into a detox treatment.

It also has not been shown to treat high blood pressure, diabetes or inflammation. Findings from trials of juice or extracts cannot be transferred to a lightly steeped drink, because the products and amounts consumed are different. Pomegranate infused water is not a substitute for prescribed care or medication.

Finally, it does not burn fat. A lower-calorie drink choice may be useful in an overall eating pattern, but the result depends on the rest of that pattern and what the drink replaces. Avoid judging a recipe’s health effects by its color, flavor or the number of ingredients it contains.

How should you make and drink pomegranate infused water?

This unsweetened recipe makes a lightly flavored pitcher. The arils are the edible red seeds inside the pomegranate.

Ingredients

• 1 liter water (about 4¼ cups)
• About 150 g pomegranate arils (about 1 cup)

Method

1. Wash the outside of the pomegranate under running water before opening it, then remove the arils.
2. Add the arils and water to a clean pitcher. Leave the arils whole for a lightly steeped drink.
3. Refrigerate for 2–4 hours to develop the flavor.
4. Serve chilled, straining the arils if desired. Keep the remaining water refrigerated and drink it within 24 hours for the best flavor.

Discard the infused water after 2–3 days, or sooner if it becomes cloudy, slimy or sour-smelling. Do not leave it at room temperature for more than a few hours. Use a clean glass or container each time you serve it, and refrigerate the pitcher again promptly.

If you have kidney disease, are on dialysis or have been told to restrict fluids, ask your care team how this drink fits your plan. Seek medical advice if you have symptoms after consuming pomegranate; urgent symptoms such as trouble breathing or swelling of the mouth or throat need emergency care.

Sources

• Pomegranate juice and blood pressure in adults with type 2 diabetes: a 2019 randomized trial of juice, not infused water.
• Pomegranate extract and inflammatory markers: a 2016 randomized trial of an extract, not infused water.