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These cherry recipes highlight the best ideas for using dried, canned or fresh cherries! They’re perfect in desserts, breakfasts and snacks.
Got cherries? Cherries are one of the most versatile fruits to use in your cooking, as you can find them dried, fresh or canned! They also work in recipes of all kinds: they’re not just for desserts! Cherries are the perfect addition to breakfasts and snacks, too. Over here, our very favorite way to eat cherries is dried tart cherries by the handful!
Here are all the best cherry recipes to use this versatile ingredient: whether it’s dried, fresh, frozen or canned! Try our favorite baked oatmeal for breakfast, energy bars for snacks, and of course a chocolate cherry tart for dessert (because who can’t resist that winning combination?). Ready to get cooking?
And now…our top cherry recipes to try!
One of the best cherry recipes? Try this cherry crisp, with sweet tart, juicy red fruit covered in cinnamon-spiced butter crumbles. We also like to add a hint of ground cardamom for some intrigue! Either way, served with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, it’s next-level good.
Another cherry recipe you need in your baking repertoire: Cherry Cobbler! Sweet cherries make a juicy sweet layer scented with cinnamon. Layer that with an easy batter that takes no time to whip up and bakes into a golden, fluffy topping.
Cherries aren’t a common fruit in smoothies…but we think they should be. Try this frosty Cherry Smoothie! It’s fruity and sweet, with big cherry flavor contrasting with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. Of course it’s more common to make smoothies with good old strawberries and blueberries. But when you find a bag of frozen cherries: snap them up for this tasty puree!
Here's a fantastic cherry recipe: use cherries in your oatmeal! This tasty baked oatmeal almost tastes like a cherry crisp! It features dried cherries and cardamom for a seriously cozy breakfast: though you could also substitute fresh or canned cherries. It takes 45 minutes to bake—but only 10 minutes to whip together, and it's easy to store for breakfasts throughout the week!
Features: Dried cherries, but can substitute fresh or canned (drained)
Chocolate and cherries are the perfect combination, no? Here's a great way to eat them: as a rustic cherry tart! Otherwise known as a galette, it's a rustic pie: “rustic” meaning no pie plates or crimping needed. Instead, simply roll out the dough, spread on the filling, fold over the crust, and bake. The cherry maple filling has a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, it's perfection with a flaky crust and a dark chocolate drizzle.
Features: Frozen cherries, but can substitute fresh or canned (drained & rinsed)
Here's an easy cherry recipe for entertaining: cherry crostini! This simple appetizer features a sweet and savory combo made in heaven: tart cherries and cheese. Cook dried cherries with a little balsamic vinegar to make a sweet-tart compote, then pour it over goat cheese crostini topped with a few slivers of fresh sage.
Features: Dried cherries, but can substitute fresh or canned (drained & rinsed)
Cherry recipes don't have to be sweet! This tasty salad features farro, apple, arugula and tart cherries for a delicious mix of sweet and savory! Sprinkle a bit of feta cheese for a savory saltiness, and then cover the entire farro salad in a tart cherry vinaigrette. With the red and the green, it’s visually stunning, and it tastes incredible: tangy, tart, sweet, and savory all at once.
Features: Canned cherries, but can substitute fresh or dried
What's a list of cherry recipes without cherry cheesecake? This one is ultra creamy, with a secret healthier spin! It tastes decadent, but it uses Greek yogurt to add creaminess instead of the traditional cream or condensed milk. It's also crustless! That means fewer overall calories — you don’t even miss it because the filling is that creamy! Top it off with your favorite fruit: here canned cherries bring a fresh bright flavor and the perfect decoration.
Features: Canned cherries
Chocolate bark is perfect with a handful of dried cherries! This combination is top-notch: dark chocolate with dried tart cherries, salty pumpkin seeds, and roasted quinoa for some added crunch. When something can combine both fantastic flavor and nutrients, it’s a favorite in our house. It's the best healthy treat!
Features: Dried cherries
Dried cherries are perfect for energy bar recipes! These cherry energy bars are similar to homemade Larabar, but with slightly more texture. They’re gluten-free and vegan, made mainly of dried fruit and nuts. This version uses hazelnuts for a complex flavor, and dried cherries for a tart note that compliments the sweet. Perfect for snacks!
Features: Dried cherries
Cherries are perfect for jams and jellies! And this cherry jam recipe is even easier and more fun than most recipes: it's a chia jam! It's thickened using chia seeds, which provide a natural gel-like consistency. Chai spices gently add a cozy flavor to the cherries, which are sweetened with just the right amount of maple syrup. Slather it on a thick piece of toast and it’s absolutely divine.
Features: Frozen cherries, but can substitute canned (drained)
Here’s a fresh spin on a classic drink: cherry limeade! Cherry and lime go hand in hand, and they are the absolute perfect combination for summer drinks to beat the heat. We’ve got two versions of this drink to fit all palates. The base version of this recipe is a grown-up spin on the classic from Sonic, bubbly and just sweet tart enough. But want the more classic version? Double the cherry and make it with Sprite. Either way, it’s the most festive drink around.
Features: Maraschino cherries
These chocolate cherry dessert bites are a rich and chocolatey dessert using natural sweeteners and just a few whole food ingredients! The chocolate filling is made of just three ingredients: coconut oil, maple syrup and cocoa powder. They come together into the creamiest liquid chocolate mousse! Add to that a crust of almonds and oats and a topping of sweet cherries, and it’s truly heavenly.
Features: Frozen cherries, but can substitute canned (drained)
This chocolate cherry milkshake is frosty, sweet tart and delicious! Instead of ice cream, we’ve used frozen Montmorency cherries and milk. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup, there’s a hint of cocoa powder and vanilla. In a frosted milkshake glass with a fancy red-and-white straw, this cherry milkshake is just as good as the real thing.
Features: Frozen cherries, but can substitute canned that are drained and frozen
Last up in our cherry recipes: a cherry & yogurt protein bowl! Dried cherries are perfect for tossing into yogurt bowls, or your daily oatmeal for that matter! Here we paired them with Greek yogurt, cashews, pepitas and apricots to great a filling breakfast that also works as a post-workout snack.
Features: Dried cherries
Cherries nutrition benefits
Why add cherries to your life? This fruit packs lots of good stuff. Of course, if you’re using them in a dessert you’re offsetting the benefits with sugar and carbs! So make sure to use healthful preparations for cherries on a regular basis, and keep desserts for occasional treats. Here are some benefits of cherries (source):
- Cherries are rich in anti-oxidants and can help reduce inflammation, which promotes overall health.
- Cherries may help in exercise recovery. Research may suggest that cherry juice can help with muscle recovery and soreness (source).
15 Tasty Cherry Recipes: Crisp & More!
This cherry crisp recipe is the fruit dessert of your dreams! The pan of sweet tangy cherries is topped with cinnamon-spiced buttery crumbles.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 5 cups pitted sweet cherries (1 3/4 pounds)*
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Zest of 1/2 lemon (or ¼ teaspoon orange zest)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup Old Fashioned rolled oats**
- ¾ cup all purpose flour (or almond flour for gluten-free)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional: ground cardamom (¼ teaspoon in the crisp or for serving)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons cold salted butter (or coconut oil or vegan butter for vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pit the cherries. In a medium bowl, mix them with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a bowl, then pour the filling into a round 9-inch pie pan, 9 x 9 inch baking dish or 7 x 11 baking dish.
- In another medium bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and then use your hands to mix it into the oats until fully distributed and there are no more dry crumbs. It may take a while so be patient; you can also use a fork or pastry cutter if you prefer. (If using coconut oil, it can be room temperature; use the same method to add it.) Break the dough into crumbles with your fingers and place them in an even layer on top of the cherries.
- Bake: Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is evenly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days (reheat to room temperature if desired). This crumble also freezes well for several months in a sealed container; reheat it in a 350 degree oven until bubbly and the topping is crisp.
Notes
*Frozen cherries work too. If using tart cherries instead of sweet, add a few more tablespoons sugar to the filling, to taste. Canned cherries also work; it’s best if they are packed in water and unsweetened. We don’t suggest using cherry pie filling here because it has an artificially sweet flavor. One 15-ounce can of cherries has about 2 cups of cherries, so you’ll need 2 ½ cans for this recipe.
**If desired, you can add ¼ to ½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds to the topping.
Let us know if you have any questions!