Homemade Maraschino Cherries

By
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends.
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Updated on 05/22/23
Tested by Joan Velush
Maraschino cherries in a white bowl and in a jar

The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Steep Time: 36 hrs
Total: 36 hrs 40 mins
Servings: 120 servings
Yield: 4 cups
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
36 Calories
0g Fat
9g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 120
Amount per serving
Calories 36
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 32mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg 7%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 27mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Although you have likely encountered maraschino cherries most of your life—from the "cherry on top" of the sundae to the garnish in a Manhattan cocktail—you may not have thought much about them, like how they acquired that artificial red color. The fact is, commercial maraschino cherries don't get that color through nature; the light-colored cherries are first bleached and brined and then soaked in a bright red dye. Even though most of us don't eat maraschino cherries by the handful, often enjoying just one or two at a time, knowing how much processing they undergo, can make these jarred cherries quite unappealing.

Luckily, you can make your own at home in a few steps, starting with a brine and then leaving the cherries to sit in a flavorful syrup. As with any canning project, it does take some time (mostly inactive, standing time), but the effort is well worth it. A jar of homemade maraschino cherries also makes a lovely gift.

“Making Homemade Maraschino Cherries is fun and easy, and is a great way to use fresh cherries when they’re in season. Making your own also means avoiding the red food coloring and additives that store-bought cherries contain.”  —Joan Velush

Homemade Maraschino Cherries/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Brine:

  • 2 quarts water

  • 1 tablespoon pickling salt, or brining, or kosher salt

  • 3 pounds sweet cherries, pitted

For the Syrup:

  • 4 1/2 cups granulated sugar

  • 3 cups water

  • 1 medium lemon, juiced

  • Red food coloring, optional

  • 1 teaspoon almond extract, optional

Steps to Make It

Brine the Cherries

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for maraschino cherries recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  2. Bring the water and pickling salt to a boil in a pot, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Let cool for 10 minutes, then pour over the cherries. Cover and let sit 12 hours or overnight.

    Pitted cherries with liquid in a bowl covered with plastic wrap

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  3. Drain the cherries, discarding the brine, and rinse in cold water. Place in a bowl and set aside.

    Cherries being rinsed with water in a metal colander

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

Make the Syrup and Soak the Cherries

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, and red food coloring, if using. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and remove from the heat.

    Syrup ingredients being stirred with a wooden spoon in a saucepan

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  2. Pour the liquid over the cherries, cover, and let stand for 24 hours.

    Cherries immersed in syrup in a glass bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  3. Drain the cherries, reserving the juice. Set the cherries aside. Bring reserved juice to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract, if using.

    Cherry liquid being stirred in the saucepan next to drained cherries in a glass bow

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  4. Pour the warm liquid over the cherries.

    Cherry liquid being poured over the cherries in a glass bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  5. Pack the cherries with the juice in clean jars and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

    Maraschino cherries transferred from the bowl to a glass jar

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

Tips

  • Make sure to select sweet cherries (as opposed to sour) for this recipe. Look for fruit that is heart shaped with firm flesh and dark red to almost black coloring. Bing, Lambert, Royal Ann, and Tartarian varieties work best.
  • If you can't find pitted cherries and don't own a cherry pitter, there are a few ways to pit them yourself. (No matter which method you use, make sure to wear an apron.) If you are OK with the cherry being a little smooshed, you can use a knife; place one cherry at a time on a cutting board and press down hard with the side of a large chef's knife—the pit should pop out. To keep a round shape, push a straw or the large end of a chopstick through the cherry from the stem side until the pit pops out. A paper clip can also be used to pull out the pit.

Recipe Variation

If you wish to can the cherries, pack them into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4- to 1-inch headspace between the top of the cherries and the rim of the jars. Place in a water bath canner and process 20 minutes for pint jars or 25 minutes for quart jars.

What Can I Use Instead of Maraschino Cherries?

Nothing is quite like the flavor of a maraschino cherry, but there are a couple of options for swaps. For drinks and garnishing baked goods, try swapping for brandied and other preserved cherries. For fruit cakes and similar dishes, try swapping a different candied fruit. If the cherry is a drink garnish, consider leaving it off or using a citrus twist instead.