Fresh cherries are a delicious and versatile snack that can be enjoyed all year round if you simply freeze them. Preserved cherries can be used for baking, smoothies, elegant desserts and more. Check out my easy guide below for how to freeze cherries 2 ways: fresh without sugar or in a light sugar syrup.
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Where to Get Fresh Cherries
Cherries are known for their relatively short harvest season, so it is essential to stock up on these tasty fruits while they are available locally. At a time when the cost of food is rising, food preservation is a great way to lock in current prices and enjoy later.
Some small farms even offer u-pick options which can be an excellent way to spend an afternoon and be able to see where your produce is coming from. PickYourOwn.org is a great resource for finding farms in your area.
You should also be able to find them at your local farmers’ markets or supermarkets when they are in season.
🌱I also have a tutorial for how to save butternut squash seeds if you're interested in food preservation.
Prep Tips
- It is best to use clean, pitted cherries for this recipe. It’s a lot more convenient to add the frozen cherries to dishes later on, such as adding them directly to a blender for smoothies. You can use cherries with pits, if you prefer, depending on what you are using them for.
- A cherry pitter comes in really handy.
- If you want to make prep time quicker, get the kids to help out with removing the stems and pitting. I know my kids love to join in.
- Put a preparation date on the freezer bag/container so that you will know how long they have been in the freezer.
Method 1: How to Freeze Fresh Cherries
With this method we will freeze fresh cherries. We are going to freeze them individually first so that they don't stick together.
Ingredients
All you will need for this method is:
Whole fresh cherries (cleaned, pitted and stems removed) - This method works for all sorts of cherries: sweet like bing or rainier, dark or light, sour/tart, etc.
Instructions
Step 1: Spread cherries on baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. At this point you can leave the cherries whole or slice them if you prefer. Spread the pitted cherries out in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure they aren’t touching each other.
Step 2: Place in freezer. Place in the freezer until frozen solid, about 4 hours or overnight.
Step 3: Transfer to freezer bag. Remove the cherries from the freezer and place them all together in a freezer bag.
Step 4: Return to freezer. Place the bag of cherries back into the freezer for up to 6 months or up to 1 year in the deep freeze.
Method 2: How to Freeze Cherries With Sugar
With this method, we are preserving the cherries in a light syrup.
Ingredients
- water - To make the sugar syrup.
- sugar - If using tart/sour cherries, you might want to add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of sugar.
- fresh whole cherries - Cleaned, pitted and stems removed. Again, this works with all types of cherries. It especially works well for sweetening up tart cherries that aren't as snack-worthy as a bing cherry but sweet cherries also taste good in a sugar syrup.
*Check recipe card for ingredient amounts.
Instructions
Step 1: Add sugar and water to saucepan. In a medium saucepan, add the water and sugar.
Step 2: Bring to boil. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, carefully add the cherries and give them a gentle stir. Bring back to a full boil.
Step 3: Boil for 1 minute. Boil the cherries for 1 minute (you don’t want to cook them too long so that they retain their shape and texture).
Step 4: Cool. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Step 5. Freeze. Place the cherries with the syrup in air-tight containers and into the freezer for up to 1 year.
Chef's Note: It's ideal to use a couple of containers with a 1 cup capacity so that you don’t have to thaw them all at once when ready to use.
Step 6. Thaw. Thaw the cherries in the fridge when ready to use.
Ways to Use Frozen Cherries
- Use as you would fresh. By utilizing this recipe, you will always have access to delicious, fresh cherries without worrying about them going bad on the counter or in the fridge. Frozen cherries can also be substituted for fresh in many recipes.
- Infuse your water. I like adding frozen cherries to my water to both chill the drink and infuse the water with cherry flavor. I have a tutorial for how to make fruit-infused water that you might like!
- Frozen fresh cherries are an excellent option for healthy and low sugar recipes such as smoothies or adding to overnight oats and yogurt. You can use them in pies, tarts and galettes like in this cherry galette recipe.
- Frozen cherries in syrup work best for making sweet sauces or as a topping for yogurt, vanilla ice cream, ice cream sundaes, cheesecake (like my no-bake cheesecake in a jar) or other desserts. There are countless ways to use your frozen cherries.
Recipe FAQs
For the cherries to completely freeze solid, it can take 4 hours or more. It's best to leave them overnight if you can.
As long as there were no bruises on the cherries before freezing, they shouldn't end up mushy once thawed from frozen. In my experience, this has never happened.
While it's not completely necessary, I always pit my cherries before freezing. This way you can add them to smoothies or other dishes straight from frozen without worrying about removing the pits.
More Fruity Recipe Tutorials You Will Love
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📋Recipe
How to Freeze Cherries
Ingredients
Method 1 - Fresh Cherries
- 2 cups cherries - cleaned, pitted and stems removed
Method 2 - Cherries In Light Syrup
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups cherries - cleaned, pitted and stems removed
Instructions
Method 1 - Fresh Cherries
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper. At this point you can leave the cherries whole or slice them if you prefer.
- Spread the pitted cherries out in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure they aren’t touching each other.
- Place in the freezer until frozen solid, about 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove the cherries from the freezer and place them all together in a freezer bag.
- Place the bag of cherries back into the freezer for up to 6 months or up to 1 year in the deep freeze.
Method 2 - Cherries In Light Syrup
- In a medium saucepan, add the water and sugar.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, carefully add the cherries and give them a gentle stir. Bring back to a full boil.
- Boil the cherries for 1 minute (you don’t want to cook them too long so that they retain their shape and texture). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Place the cherries with the syrup in air-tight containers and into the freezer for up to 1 year (it's ideal to use a couple of containers with a 1 cup capacity so that you don’t have to thaw them all at once when ready to use).
Notes
- The time and nutrition information is for the fresh cherries (Method 1) per ½ cup serving.
- This method works for all sorts of cherries: sweet like bing or rainier, dark or light, sour/tart, etc.
- Make sure you put a date on the freezer bag/container so that you know how long they have been in the freezer.
- If using tart/sour cherries for the cherries in syrup, you may want to add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of sugar.
- For the cherries to completely freeze solid, it can take 4 hours or more. It's best to leave them overnight if you can.
- Freezing fresh cherries is an excellent option for healthy and low sugar recipes such as smoothies or adding to overnight oats and yogurt. You can use them in pies, tarts and galettes like in this cherry galette recipe.
- Freezing cherries in syrup works best for making sweet sauces or as a topping for yogurt, ice cream, cheesecake or other desserts. There are countless ways to use your frozen cherries.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
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