Pickled cherries are sweet, tart, and warmly spiced, making them delicious straight from the jar, tucked into cocktails, served with roasted meat, or spooned over ice cream for dessert.
If you have never tried pickled cherries before, this simple homemade recipe is a wonderful place to start. Fresh sweet cherries are preserved in a bright vinegar brine with sugar, pickling salt, and warm spices, creating a flavorful fruit pickle that works in both sweet and savory dishes.
Canning pickled cherries is an easy way to enjoy cherry season long after the fresh fruit has disappeared from the market. The cherries keep their beautiful color and juicy bite, while the pickling liquid gives them a balanced sweet-and-tangy flavor. They are bold enough to serve with rich meats and cheese, but still sweet enough to use as a dessert topping.
Pickling is a traditional preservation method used in many cultures. The basic idea is simple: fruit or vegetables are packed in jars and covered with a vinegar-based brine. In this pickled cherries recipe, white vinegar provides acidity, sugar softens the sharpness, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and star anise add depth.
You do not need complicated equipment to make these cherries. They can be prepared as refrigerator pickled cherries for short-term storage, or processed in a boiling water bath canner for shelf-stable jars. Either way, the process is straightforward and the results are impressive.
Ingredients for Pickled Cherries
The ingredients for canning pickled cherries are simple and easy to find. This recipe makes a canner batch of seven pints.
- 2 ½ cups (625 ml) white vinegar, at least 5% acidity
- 2 ¾ lbs (1.25 kg) fresh sweet cherries, washed, pitted, and stemmed
- 7 cinnamon sticks, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) each
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- 2 cups (500 ml) sugar
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) pickling salt
- 7 whole cloves
- 7 whole star anise
The spices are flexible. Cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, and star anise pair beautifully with cherries, giving the finished jars a warm, aromatic flavor. If you prefer a simpler pickled cherry, you can reduce the spices or leave some of them out. Use only dry spices when canning, and keep the vinegar, sugar, salt, and cherry proportions the same.
Making Pickled Cherries
Start by preparing the cherries. Wash them well, remove the stems, and pit them while keeping the fruit as whole as possible. A cherry pitter works well, but a large paper clip can also be used to remove the pits neatly. Once the cherries are ready, set them aside while you make the brine.
Combine the white vinegar, sugar, and pickling salt in a stainless steel saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the split vanilla bean and add both the seeds and the pod to the vinegar mixture. Bring the brine to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt have fully dissolved.
Prepare hot jars for packing. Place one cinnamon stick, one star anise, and one whole clove in each jar. Pack the cherries tightly into the jars, leaving ½ inch (1 cm) headspace. The exact number of cherries per jar will vary depending on their size, but pack them firmly without crushing the fruit.
Remove the vanilla bean from the hot brine and discard it. Ladle the hot pickling liquid over the cherries, maintaining ½ inch headspace. Work carefully so the cherries are fully covered by the liquid.
Canning Pickled Cherries
Canning is optional. If you want refrigerator pickled cherries, allow the jars to cool, then store them in the refrigerator. If you want shelf-stable jars, process them in a boiling water bath canner.
Before sealing the jars, remove trapped air bubbles by sliding a plastic spatula or chopstick down the inside of each jar and gently pressing the cherries. Wipe the rims clean, center the lids, and apply the bands until fingertip tight.
Place the filled jars into a boiling water bath canner. Process pint jars for 10 minutes, adjusting the processing time for altitude as needed. When the processing time is complete, turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and let the jars stand in the hot water for five minutes.
Remove the jars and place them on a towel or cooling rack. Let them cool undisturbed at room temperature for 24 hours. After cooling, check the seals and store properly sealed jars in a cool, dark place.
Altitude Adjustments
Water boils at a lower temperature at higher elevations, so canning times must be increased as altitude rises. Use these altitude adjustments for canning pickled cherries:
- For 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation: process pint jars for 10 minutes and quart jars for 15 minutes.
- For 1,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation: process pint jars for 15 minutes and quart jars for 20 minutes.
- Above 6,001 feet in elevation: process pint jars for 20 minutes and quart jars for 25 minutes.
Serving Pickled Cherries
Homemade pickled cherries are incredibly versatile. The easiest way to enjoy them is straight from the jar, where their sweet, tangy flavor makes them a bright snack. They are also excellent on a charcuterie board, especially with cheese, cured meat, nuts, and crackers.
For an appetizer, skewer pickled cherries with small pieces of cheese or meat. They are also lovely spooned over baked brie, served on crostini with whipped goat cheese and honey, or added to a simple cheese board for contrast.
Pickled cherries work especially well with rich meats. Serve them alongside roasted pork tenderloin, duck breast, or another savory main dish that benefits from a sweet-tart garnish. The acidity of the cherries helps balance richer flavors.
They can also be added to salads. Try them in a spinach salad with goat cheese and pecans, or mix them into a quinoa salad with cucumber and feta for a refreshing warm-weather meal. Their color and flavor make even simple dishes feel special.
For dessert, spoon the cherries and a little of their syrupy brine over ice cream. They add a tangy finish that pairs beautifully with creamy, sweet flavors. Pickled cherries can also be used in cocktails as a garnish, stirred into a sour or Manhattan-style drink, or muddled into a gin and tonic for a bright fruit note.
Pickled Cherries
Equipment
- Water bath canner
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups white vinegar, at least 5% acidity
- 2 ¾ lbs fresh sweet cherries, washed, pitted, and stemmed
- 7 sticks cinnamon, about 3 inches each
- 1 whole vanilla bean, split
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp pickling salt
- 7 whole cloves
- 7 whole star anise
Instructions
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Wash, stem, and pit the cherries. Keep them whole if possible, using a cherry pitter or a large paper clip. Set the prepared cherries aside.
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Combine the vinegar, sugar, and pickling salt in a stainless steel saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and the pod to the pan.
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Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve completely.
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Place one cinnamon stick, one star anise, and one clove into each hot jar.
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Pack the cherries tightly into the jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.
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Remove and discard the vanilla bean. Ladle the hot brine over the cherries, maintaining ½ inch headspace.
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Remove air bubbles, wipe the jar rims, center the lids, and tighten the bands to fingertip tight.
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Place the jars in a boiling water bath canner and process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
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Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars stand for five minutes.
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Remove the jars and let them cool undisturbed at room temperature for 24 hours.
Notes
Altitude Adjustments
At higher elevations, water boils at a lower temperature, so jars need additional processing time.
- For 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation: process pint jars for 10 minutes and quart jars for 15 minutes.
- For 1,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation: process pint jars for 15 minutes and quart jars for 20 minutes.
- Above 6,001 feet in elevation: process pint jars for 20 minutes and quart jars for 25 minutes.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 6g,
Protein: 0.1g,
Fat: 0.1g,
Sodium: 125mg,
Sugar: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used only as an approximation.
Fruit Pickling Recipes
Fruit pickles are a flavorful way to preserve seasonal produce. If you enjoy these pickled cherries, you may also like other sweet and tangy fruit pickles.
- Pickled Figs
- Pickled Cranberries
