Pickled Cherries
Tangy, spicy, and sweet, these pickled cherries have a delightful mix of flavors and textures that make them a great addition to salads, cheese boards, and as a unique topping for meats.
Just like my jalapeno pickled eggs, this is a quick pickle recipe- just 15 minutes of hands-on time and 3–4 days of patience in the refrigerator, and you have a jar of deeply flavorful cherries that stay firm, meaty, and beautiful for weeks.
Pickling is a great way to make foods last longer. I almost always turn to it when I end up buying more veggies or produce than I can use.
That said, different foods need to be subjected to different kinds of pickling procedures. For veggies, I like to use a simple vinegar and spice brine- just like I did with my mixed vegetable pickle and my shredded carrot pickle. For other foods, you may want to use more salt or sugar as a natural preservative. That's actually exactly what I did when I was making my salt-preserved limes and my candied dates.
Quick Look
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 10 minutes (plus 3–4 days refrigerating).
- 👪 Servings: 6.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Fresh cherries, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, black peppercorns, bay leaf, dried rosemary.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Pit and wash cherries 🡢 boil brine with all spices 🡢 cool to room temperature 🡢 pour over cherries in jar 🡢 refrigerate 3–4 days before using.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Feature on cheese boards, use as a salad topping, or spoon over grilled meats- pairs beautifully alongside my pickled rhubarb for a full fruit pickle spread.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- This easy pickled cherry recipe captures the vibrant taste of fresh cherries while adding a savory twist from apple cider vinegar and spices.
- If you're not a big fan of canning using a water bath and all those complicated procedures, this recipe is perfect!
- Just like with my pickled raisins, it's a great way to preserve extra fresh fruit (or veggies) that you may have.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cherries: Use ripe, firm cherries- not overripe or soft, which will turn mushy once the hot brine hits them. Dark sweet cherries (Bing or Lambert) give the richest, most complex flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar: For the brine base. Its mild fruitiness complements the cherries far better than sharp white vinegar, which would overpower their natural flavor. You can use another infused vinegar like blueberry vinegar if you want to.
- Brown sugar: Balances the acidity of the vinegar and brings a slight caramel-like sweetness that the cherries' natural sugars alone can't provide in a brine.
- Spices: I used black peppercorns and bay leaves to lend an earthy depth and some complexity to the brine.
- Rosemary: For that elegant aroma.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- For a sweeter, more complex flavor, substitute the apple cider vinegar in the recipe for balsamic vinegar. You can also use a fruit-infused vinegar like strawberry vinegar.
- Swap the rosemary for thyme if you prefer a milder herb flavor in the recipe.
How to Make Pickled Cherries
Step 1: Rinse dry and remove the pits from the cherries with a pitter or a sharp paring knife
Step 2: In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients with 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil
Step 3: Carefully pour the cooled pickling liquid over the cherries in the glass jar. Ensure that the cherries are fully submerged
Step 4: Leave about 1 inch of headspace at the top of the jar and refrigerate the cherries for 3-4 days before you use them.
💭Top Tip
Allow the pickling liquid to cool to room temperature. This step is crucial to keep the cherries from cooking and losing their crisp texture.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Since these are quick pickled cherries, they need to be refrigerated at all times. Once you're done serving them, pop them back in. I always do this when I make my quick pickled turmeric too.
- Play around with the aromatics and herbs to bring different flavor tinges. Fennel, bay leaves, star anise, black peppercorns, cloves, and even orange zest are all great to try and add to the mix.
- If you're worried about the spices adding a deeper, intense flavor to the cherries, remove them once the pickling liquid has cooled down.
How to Serve Pickled Cherries
Add these tangy pickled cherries to fresh green salads for a burst of flavor (like I do with my spicy pickled garlic), or pair them with assorted cheeses and crackers to make an elegant appetizer. You can also use these cherries along with some of the pickling liquid as a tangy topping for grilled or roasted meats like chicken or duck.
Just like my oven roasted grapes, these cherries also taste fantastic when used as a topping on vanilla ice cream or some classic panna cotta- it's a nice sweet and tangy combination you must try.
Recipe FAQs
Allow the pickled cherries to cool and come down to room temperature, and make sure they're fully submerged in the pickling liquid. You can refrigerate them for a few days.
Let the cherries pickle for a minimum of 3–4 days in the refrigerator before opening. The brine needs this time to penetrate all the way to the center of each cherry and for the full flavor to develop.
Yes, you can! Thaw the cherries completely and drain off all the liquid before using. Pat them as dry as possible. The texture will be noticeably softer than fresh cherries since freezing breaks down the cell walls slightly, but the flavor is still very good.
More Quick Pickle Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this pickled cherries or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Pickled Cherries
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherries
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
Instructions
- Rinse dry and remove the pits from the cherries with a pitter or a sharp paring knife
- In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients with 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil
- Carefully pour the cooled pickling liquid over the cherries in the glass jar. Ensure that the cherries are fully submerged
- Leave about 1 inch of headspace at the top of the jar and refrigerate the cherries for 3-4 days before you use them.
Notes
- For the best texture, let the cherries pickle for at least 3-4 days before serving. The longer they sit, the deeper and more complex the sweet-tangy flavor becomes.
- Make sure the pickling liquid is completely cooled before pouring it over the cherries. This helps the cherries stay firm and juicy instead of turning soft.
- Feel free to customize the flavor with warm spices and herbs like star anise, cloves, cinnamon, orange zest, or thyme for a more festive flavor profile.
