Spiced Pickled Cherries

By
Molly Watson
Molly Watson
An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients.
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Updated on 01/18/23
Pickled Cherries
Photo © Molly Watson
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 2 pints
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
76 Calories
0g Fat
18g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 76
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 18g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 4mg 20%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 157mg 3%
*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.)

Once you try some spiced, pickled cherries, you'll see how their bright flavor works to perk up savory preparations of all sorts. Toss them into salads and into sandwiches for a burst of tart cherry-iness. Having them around to serve with pâté or add to platters of charcuterie is reason enough to set aside an hour or so to make these pickled devils.

For a few variations on the theme of these pickles, scroll to the end of the recipe. If you'd prefer something sweeter, try making some brandied cherries instead.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Rinse the cherries and pat them dry.

  2. In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, sugar, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and red pepper flakes to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

  3. Pit the cherries. If you have a cherry pitter, use it. If not, use an unbent paper clip, manicure orange stick, small tweezers, or the end of a small skewer to poke it and "pop" out the pit. Whichever way you pit them, work over a bowl to catch any cherry juice.

  4. Put the pitted cherries and their juice in even amounts in 2 (1-pint) jars or 1 (1-quart) jar. 

  5. Pour even amounts of the vinegar mixture into the jars to cover the cherries. Screw on the lids and let the jars sit to cool to room temperature.

  6. Chill for at least a week before using and up to two months; the pickles will still be edible after two months but we find their texture starts to get a tad on the mushy side for my taste.

Tip

  • These are "refrigerator" pickles and haven't been hot-water processed or canned so they are not shelf-stable and need to be kept in the fridge.

Recipe Variations

  • Add a few cloves, a cinnamon stick, and a pod or two of cardamom to give these pickles a warm spice note.
  • Tuck in a sprig of fresh rosemary to each jar for pickles with a strong herbal scent.
  • Leave out the spices entirely for even simpler cherry pickles—just boil the vinegar, water, and sugar together.