What can I make with cherries?
Cherries is not only for dessert - it balances salt, chilli, and fat in savoury cooking too. Below are recipes using cherries, then ideas for fruit that is slightly past its best.
12 recipes with cherries
Wedge Salad
Chilled iceberg wedge with creamy blue cheese and bacon.
American10m4Zucchini Noodles
Spiralized zucchini tossed with pesto and cherry tomatoes.
American15m4
Cobb Salad
Chopped salad with chicken, egg, avocado, bacon, and blue cheese.
American20m4Quinoa Salad
Bright bowl of quinoa, cucumber, tomato, and herbs.
Mediterranean25m4Egg Muffins
Baked mini frittatas loaded with veggies and cheese.
American30m4
Thai coconut & veg broth
step 1 Place the curry paste in a large saucepan or wok with the oil.
Thai4
Stovetop Eggplant With Harissa, Chickpeas, and Cumin Yogurt
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until shimmering.
United States4
Aubergine couscous salad
step 1 Heat grill to high.
Turkish4
Simple heart of palm & tomato salad
step 1 Mix together the hearts of palm, tomatoes and spring onions.
4
Roast aubergine with goat's cheese & toasted flatbread
step 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Turkish4
Pomegranate salad
step 1 Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and thyme leaves in a large bowl.
Polish4
Spiced tortilla
step 1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
Spanish4
Sweet and savoury ways to use cherries
- 1Raw: a squeeze of citrus and a pinch of salt makes cherries taste noticeably brighter.
- 2Roasted or pan-caramelised with a little butter, the sugars concentrate and it turns into a dessert on its own.
- 3Blended into a dressing or sauce, cherries balances chilli, vinegar, and salty cheese.
- 4Overripe fruit is not waste - it is the best candidate for baking, smoothies, and quick compotes.
What goes well with cherries
Cherries is at its best with cinnamon, honey, yogurt, lemon, butter and oats. Any two or three of those, plus cherries, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing cherries
Ripen cherries on the counter, then move it to the fridge to slow things down. Keep it away from bananas and apples, which release ethylene and speed everything nearby toward overripe. Freeze pieces on a tray for smoothies.
Substituting cherries
If you are out of cherries, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Cherries recipes: common questions
- What can I make with cherries and not much else?
- Plenty. With cherries plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest cherries recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute cherries?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover cherries?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover cherries without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.