How To Freeze Cherries
Aug 30, 2013, Updated Sep 12, 2023
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When you learn how simple it is to freeze cherries, you will be excited that you can continue to enjoy this special fruit into the off-season. Freezing cherries really is a quick and easy process. Plus, by freezing them, it retains the nutrition and flavor of the fruit
This post is sponsored by Sage Fruit.
A great way to save money and also be able to enjoy cherries all year round is to freeze them. There is a little bit of labor involved in pitting the cherries, but if you get the kids involved, it makes the work go a little faster.
Frozen cherries are not only good to have on hand for all of your favorite recipes, but they are the perfect snack all on their own too.
Related: Cherry Recipes
Why freeze cherries?
There’s a variety of reasons why you should freeze cherries:
- Reducing waste and won’t spoil so that you use the amount of cherries that you need!
- When you purchase fresh cherries and then freeze them, you are preserving the flavor and taste.
- Whenever you freeze any produce, you are preserving the vitamins and nutrients during their peak season.
- Cherries are great for a variety of recipes.
Related: Pickled Cherries
What You’ll Need to Prepare to Freeze Cherries
You’ll need a few things:
- Sage Fruit Cherries
- Cherry Pitter
- Freezer Ziploc bag (or other container that’s freezer safe)
- Strainer
How to Freeze Cherries
Freezing cherries is super simple. And once you get in a rhythm, the pitting goes by fast.
First, you want to remove the stem from the cherries.
Next, pit your cherries. We bought this tool on Amazon to make life a little easier. It allows you to pit multiple cherries at a time, instead of doing them one at a time!
Once your cherries are pitted, rinse them under cold water. Place them on a baking sheet and using a paper towel, dry the cherries the best you can before placing into the freezer for about an hour. This step prevents the cherries from sticking to one another in the freezer bag.
Now that the cherries are hardened, place them into an airtight container or a freezer Ziploc bag. Then, place them in the freezer for at least 12 hours. You want to make sure that they completely freeze.
How long do frozen cherries last?
When stored properly, cherries will last in the freezer for up to 12 months. All this means is that when you buy enough cherries and freeze them, you’ll be able to enjoy them all year round.
How to Defrost Frozen Cherries
Depending on the cherry recipe you are going to make, the cherries may not need to be defrosted. Such recipes would be slushies, ice cream and smoothies. However, some recipes will call for you to defrost the cherries. Do this, place the cherries you want to use in the refrigerator for a few hours to thaw out.
If you need to make this process go a little faster, you can place a bag of cherries in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 15-20 minutes. This will speed up the defrosting process.
Watch the Video
Below our team shows you how easy it is to freeze cherries!
Cherry Recipes
Alright now that the cherries have been pitted and frozen, here’s a few of our favorite cherry recipes to enjoy!
- Homemade Cherry Limeade – a great family friendly drink the kids will love!
- Whipped Cherry Goat Cheese – if you are entertaining friends, lay this out for everyone to enjoy!
- Cherry & Pork Skewers with Cherry Rosemary Sauce – a great way to get out of your food rut for dinner, packed full of cherry flavor!
- Cherry Vinaigrette – looking for a different dressing for your salad? This is it!
- Cherry & Lime Slushie – get the kids in the kitchen to make themselves a fun summertime snack.
- Cherry-Cranberry Sauce – if you still have frozen cherries left around the holidays, this sauce is one that appears on our Thanksgiving table every year and a must have.
Why We Love Cherries from Sage Fruit
The Pacific Northwest Cherry Season lasts from early June until August. During those summer months, Sage Fruit packs both Dark Sweet and Rainier cherries. The first bloom on cherry trees typically occurs in early spring, and the first fruit is harvested at the beginning of June.
The Sage Fruit growing regions are dispersed throughout Washington and Oregon. Small differences in microclimate allow cherries throughout those regions to ripen at different times during the season. This ensures that you can enjoy these tasty treats all summer long!
