Freeze Cherries Like a Pro: Step-by-Step Guide

Knowing how to freeze fresh cherries precisely is essential if you are a big fan of this tasty fruit. Eating fresh cherries is perfect for a hot summer day. Surprisingly, summer is also when cherries are at their peak season.

Besides consuming fresh ones, you can also enjoy cherries as ingredients in various desserts. Their sweet-and-sour flavor will make every sweet course become the most delicious one.

This post contains foolproof ways as well as tips and tricks that will help you to freeze fresh cherries effectively, so you can eat them while they are off-season.

Let’s scroll down to find out what these freezing methods are!

How To Freeze Fresh Cherries Properly?

In this article, I will introduce the ultimate way to freeze fresh cherries properly. You can follow the easy step-by-step instructions to freeze this food with “C” as the first letter in its name and enjoy it all year round. Let’s take a look at the steps:

Step 1: Preparing the baking sheet

Step 2: Soaking up the cherries

Step 3: Cutting the cherries

Step 4: Spreading the cherries on the baking sheet

Step 5: Flash freezing

Step 6: Storing in the freezer

Let’s Understand More About Cherries

Cherries are a variation of fleshy stone fruit, and they pop up in summer (from April to July or August). Nowadays, there are several cherry species. Specifically, commercial cherries are obtained of over 1000 varieties in the United States.

Cherries are divided into sweet cherries and sour cherries. Most types of cherry are bright and vivid red, while others appear much darker and even purple and black. Therefore, don’t be confused when you see different colors of cherries sold at any grocery store.

Since they are diverse in species, each type has a slightly distinct flavor. Because of that, some cherry types taste best while eating fresh, whereas the others are used in baking desserts or making sweet treats. ⁽¹⁾ And they are in canned packages.

Therefore, you can also create many dessert ideas with canned cherries too! They are an ideal solution to substitute fresh or frozen cherries that will work in a pinch.

Crucial Things You Should Know Before Freezing Cherries

Before starting to freeze fresh cherries, you should pay attention to some important notes about choosing and storing cherries to have the best-frozen cherries outcome.

Is It A Good Idea To Freeze Cherries?

Yes, it is! Freezing cherries is a good idea to keep them for longer uses. Nonetheless, cherries will lose their texture by turning quite soft due to the freezing process.

Ideally, they are used for sweets, especially the most delicious desserts on the grill. Or you can use jams, smoothies, sauces after thawing them, or eat them as a frozen snack.

Just choose the ripe cherries, but not overripe to freeze. Do not use the unripe cherries or cherries that are near the expiry date. The higher the quality of cherries are, the better the freezing results you have. On top of that, larger cherries are more suitable for freezing.

How To Choose The Best Cherries For Freezing?

First of all, you need to choose the cherry type that suits what you need, for eating fresh or making desserts? If you prefer raw cherries, you should buy sweet cherries. Some sweet cherries for your consideration are Bing cherries and Rainier cherries.

In contrast, to bake a pie or make jam, go for sour cherries, such as Montmorency cherries and Morello cherries.

Also, you should observe the appearance of cherries, especially these parts:

• Stem: Only pick the cherries that have a fresh green color and unbroken stems.
• Skin: Look for fresh and plump cherries which have shiny skins. You should avoid wrinkly and soggy cherries.
• Color: Exclude Rainier cherries that are yellow; you need to avoid other yellow species. Consider buying cherries that have shades ranging from bright red to darker red and purple.

How To Keep Cherries Fresh Before Freezing?

Cherries are susceptible. After being picked from the tree, they will deteriorate in a wink. Therefore, you need to refrigerate them after buying them as soon as possible. All you need to do is transfer them from grocery bags to resealable plastic bags and refrigerate them.

You can wrap your cherries with paper towels to keep them fresher before placing them in plastic bags. However, do not wash cherries until you are going to prepare or eat them! The cherries will soak up water and turn soggy.

Guide To Prepare Cherries For Freezing

Before freezing cherries, you should prepare them well to have the best result.

• First, rinse cherries thoroughly under cold water and pat them to dry.
• Remove the stems. Do not remove stems too early before freezing or using them because they help maintain the freshness of cherries.
• The next step is to pit the cherries to use them more effortlessly when making cakes or drinks. Also, if you have children, pitting cherries will prevent your children from eating cherries seeds.

You can use tweezers, a lobster picker, a straw, or a paper clip to pit cherries. But owning a pitting device will be better.

• You can freeze the whole cherries or cut them in half. It is optional.

Quick Tips To Pit Cherries Effortlessly For Freezing

Even though it is not compulsory to pit cherries before freezing, you can save time when using them later and protect your children from accidentally swallowing cherries pits. Let’s see how to pit cherries effectively!

• You should consider owning a cherries pitter as it is inexpensive and convenient! You can remove cherries seeds fast like a wink with a pitting tool.
• Do you not have a pitting device? No problem! You can use these tools that are available at home to remove cherries’ seeds, but do not forget to separate the stems from cherries after washing!

Pastry Tip

If you are a baker, you can use the pastry tip to pit cherries. Place a metal tip about a quarter inch on top of the cherry and push out the seed.

Chopsticks

Using wooden chopsticks for pitting cherries is also an effective way. Hold the cherry upward, push the end of a chopstick from the top of the cherry to the center until the seed pops out.

You can also place a sturdy and empty bottle under the cherry for pitting because it can catch the seeds and juices easily.

Paring Knife

There are various types of knives, but in this case, you should use a paring knife. Halved cherries are usually used for dessert fillings or eating like a snack. You can cut them in half around the seeds, like cutting peaches with a sharp paring knife.

Note: Tweezers, a lobster picker, a straw, or a paper clip can be alternatives for chopsticks and pastry tips for pitting cherries.

Mind-Blowing Freezing Cherries Method You Can Not Miss!

Probably, freezing is the first way that appears in everyone’s mind when talking about storing cherries. This is an easy way to keep cherries. Let’s see what you will need to carry out this method:

• Prepared fresh cherries
• A freezer paper
• A baking sheet
• A resealable plastic bag or an airtight container

If everything is available, follow the detailed guide below to freeze fresh cherries properly:

Step 1: Cover the baking sheet with a freezer paper

Step 2: If you are going to freeze Rainier cherries, soak them in water and a quarter cup of lemon juice for 10 minutes to keep their vibrant color during the freezing process.

Step 3: Spread the prepared cherries out in a single layer on the baking sheet. Lay the cut side down to prevent rolling if they are halved cherries.

Step 4: You can double layer the cherries on that baking sheet but remember to put freezer paper on each layer.

Step 5: Place the baking sheet in the freezer and allow your cherries to freeze (about 6 hours).

Step 6: Break apart if clumps are formed before transferring those frozen cherries to a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container.

You can follow these detailed instructions to freeze cherries more effectively.

Some Ideal Freezing Containers For Your Consideration

Have you wondered: what kind of ideal freezing food containers are for freezing? Or can my available containers be used for storing frozen cherries? Discover some ideal containers for storing frozen fruits right here!

Glass Food Storage Containers

This type of container is airtight and able to stack nicely, but storing some glass food storage containers at the same time may take up space.

Glass Canning Jars

Glass canning jars are perfect for freezing, but you should choose the straight-sized jars as they are safer for freezing instead of curved ones.

Zip-Top Freezer Bags

Freezer bags are affordable and space-saving. But because they are not reusable, you should consider if you are an environment protector.

Vacuum Sealing Bags

Vacuum sealing bags take up space and can not store many cherries for freezing. Only use it when you need to freeze a small number of cherries.

How Long Do Stored Cherries Last?

You should pay attention to the shelf life of stored cherries, both refrigerated and frozen ones. Take a look at the table below!

Storing methods	Shelf life
Refrigerated sweet cherries	2 – 3 weeks
Refrigerated sour cherries	3 – 7 days
Frozen fresh cherries	6 months
Frozen cherries in syrup	1 year
Frozen sugared cherries	1 year

Identifying Signs Of Spoiled Cherries

Check your cherries carefully to discard the spoiled ones as soon as possible if they have any symptoms below:

• Texture: Spoiled cherries are soft and mushy; they even leak out juice when you grab them.
• Color: There will be a discoloration of your cherries if they are bad. The color tends to turn darker.
• Smell: Rotten cherries give out an off-odor; they usually smell unpleasant or moldy.
• Mold Growth: The stem will be the first part that will grow mold when cherries spoil. In case you remove the stem, observe the skin of cherries. Suppose there are any black or white-colored mold spots on your cherries. Discard them!
• Maggots: When your cherries are in their worst condition, you will notice white worms inside them.

Do not eat cherries after the expiration date listed on the table or if they have any rotten signs above. Eating spoiled fruits may cause you to suffer from food poisoning, allergies, or respiratory problems.

Are Cherries Good For Your Health?

Cherries are not only delicious but also packed with high levels of essential nutrients and minerals. Discover what they are and how they benefit your health through this table.

Nutrients And Minerals	Benefits
Fiber	Improves digestive system
Vitamin C (Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory)	Boosts immune system and skin health Reduce muscle pain and damage Enhance exercise performance Decline symptoms of gout and arthritis
Potassium	Regulate blood pressure Helps in nerve function and muscle contraction Improves heart health
Polyphenols	It helps fight cellular damage and certain cancers Benefits mental health

Because cherries are a nutrient-rich fruit, they are also beneficial for your health in many other aspects besides the advantages I have mentioned in the table above. ⁽²⁾⁽³⁾

4 Ways To Enjoy Frozen Cherries To Beat The Hot Summer

You may have a question about what to do with frozen cherries, both sweet and sour types. Let’s save some excellent recipes to enjoy the best taste of cherries all year round.

1. Frozen Cherry Crisp

Frozen cherries crisp would be the mouth-watering and healthy desserts for cherry lovers. The sweetness of frozen cherries goes well with crispy oats and nutty walnuts topping.

How about trying this frozen cherries crisp for your last-minute dessert today? Watch this video to know:

2. Easy Frozen Cherry Cobbler

A summer dessert as it also cherries’ peak season. Frozen cherries give a heaven-like smell after being baked in the oven with a warm and soft texture. The crispy cobbler also plays an essential role in making this dessert have a perfect flavor.

3. Cherry Cheesecake Popsicles

How can anybody ignore those popsicles with cheesecake flavor and cherry fillings inside? They are just perfect ice cream for the hot and humid summer. Your family, significantly children, will fall in love with this recipe!

This cherry cream popsicles recipe can help you beat up the hot summer! Let’s see this video:

4. Frozen Cherry Pie Filling

You cannot ignore cherry pie when talking about what to do with cherries. Try this cherry pie filling made with frozen cherries. It is quick and easy to make a full-flavored and burst cherry pie filling at home.

FAQs

Let’s discuss more some curiosity you may have surrounding cherries and ways to freeze them.

Extra Tips About Storing Fresh Cherries

I hope you have clarified all the curiosities about freezing fresh cherries after reading my sharings. Just a little reminder, do not wash cherries early until freezing them. Also, pay attention to the cherries’ quality and discard spoiled ones before storing them.

There is another tip to store fresh cherries to keep their flavor and nutrients: dried cherries. You can dry fresh cherries by spreading the prepared cherries on a baking sheet and putting it in the oven or dehydrator. Dried cherries last for up to a year in your pantry.

If the information is helpful for you about knowing precise ways to freeze fresh cherries and other useful tips, please like and share my article. Also, I would like to hear some words from you. Leave a comment below and tell me your feelings about the post. Thanks for reading!

References

1. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry>.
2. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1867/2>.
3. Nutritionix.com. 2021. {{MetaTags.title || ‘Nutritionix’}}.