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5.0 from 18 votes

Pickled Cherries

Pickled cherries are a quick, easy, unexpected way to extend cherry season. Tartly sweet, subtly spiced, and surprisingly hard to stop eating, these little gems ably extend summer.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings: 16 servings | 4 cups
Calories: 35 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 2/3 cups white wine vinegar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 star anise
  • 4 cups whole fresh cherries, whether Bing, Rainier, or another sweet variety

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. If desired, remove the stems from the cherries. Do not remove the pits.
  2. Combine the sugar, vinegar, and spices in a large saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Increase the heat and boil rapidly until the liquid has reduced by about a third, 10 to 15 minutes.☞ TESTER TIP: To easily gauge when your mixture has reduced by 1/3, use a wooden skewer or popsicle stick as a depth gauge. Simply stick it in the pan at the beginning and make a notch at the depth of the liquid. Then, as you boil the mixture to reduce it, take the pan off the heat every 5 minutes or so to let the bubbles calm down and check the depth, continuing on until sufficiently reduced by about a third according to your measuring stick.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cherries, and let cool to room temperature, 1/2 to 1 hour.
  4. Pour the contents of the pan into a 1-quart glass jar with a lid and a rubber seal using a funnel. Close the lid and set aside in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks before opening. The contents should remain dark or bright red, depending on the type of cherries used, and the cherries will become wrinkled, somewhat similar to raisins.
  5. Once opened, your jar of pickled cherries can be stashed in the fridge and will last for up to a month.

Nutrition Information

Serving 0.25cup Calories 35kcal (2%) Carbohydrates 9g (3%) Protein 0.4g (1%) Fat 0.1g (0%) Saturated Fat 0.02g (0%) Monounsaturated Fat 0.02g Sodium 0.1mg (0%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 8g (16%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 16servings | 4 cups

Amount Per Serving

Calories 35

% Daily Value*

Serving 0.25cup
Calories 35kcal 2%
Carbohydrates 9g 3%
Protein 0.4g 1%
Fat 0.1g 0%
Saturated Fat 0.02g 0%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.02g 0%
Sodium 0.1mg 0%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 8g 16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.