Can You Freeze Cherries?

Quick Answer : Can You Freeze Cherries?

The good news is you can freeze cherries. The happier news is that you can freeze cherries in different ways, whole, without the pit, and even in syrup. The happiest news is that the frozen cherries can stay for months without spoiling. So, if you have a basket of cherries and would not consume them very soon, why not freeze them and consume them later. Yes. You can freeze cherries. Let us learn how to do it.

How Do You Freeze Cherries?

Cherries are amongst the easiest fruits to freeze. However, you must prepare well to ensure the cherries freeze well. So, depending on individual preferences, here are some ways of freezing cherries.

Freezing Cherries Whole (With The Pit)

Freezing cherries whole is easy because you do not go through the messy job of removing the pit now. However, you will have to remove the pit after defrosting and before consuming them. That is going to be equally messy, if not more.

1. Wash the cherries with water and dry them with a paper towel. You can rinse the cherries in cold water or use a fruit spray to clean them.
2. Please wait to remove the stems until you are ready to freeze the cherries or consume them. It helps preserve the fruit’s freshness.
3. Since you are freezing the cherries whole, you can place the fruits on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for flash-freezing. Please ensure the cherries do not touch each other as they can stick together and form clumps when freezing.
4. Push the cherries into the freezer and allow them to solidify for two to three hours. Once hardened, you can remove them and place the cherries in freezer-safe bags.
5. Alternatively, you could have skipped the flash-freezing step and proceeded directly to the regular freezing step. However, that would have resulted in a clump of stuck cherries when defrosting. You would have to defrost the entire batch at a time, leading to wastage.
6. Seal the ziplock bags well after sucking out excess air from the bags.
7. Write down the freezing date on the bags to properly monitor the freezing and consumption. Then, place the ziplock bags inside the freezer to let the cherries freeze.

Freezing Cherries With Their Pit Removed

You cannot consume the cherries with their pits. You have to remove them at some time. The best time to do so is before you freeze them. We suggest using a cherry pitter. Otherwise, a toothpick can do. You can slice the fruits in half and remove the pit as you do with an avocado.

1. Wash the cherries and dry them.
2. Pit the cherries as described above. It can be a bit messy because you could end up with cherry juice splashed all over. But, there is no alternative, especially if you plan to use the cherries in smoothies or distribute them to children. So, pitting the cherries now is better than the children breaking their teeth.
3. Continue with the flash-freezing method and allow the pitted cherries to harden.
4. Remove the solidified cherries from the freezer and pack them into ziplock bags without overcrowding them. Alternatively, use an airtight plastic container to freeze the cherries.
5. Vacuum seal the bags and seal the containers airtight. Note the freezing date before freezing the cherries inside the freezer.

Freezing Cherries In Sugar Syrup

Here is an alternate method of freezing cherries. You use sugar syrup and freeze the cherries in them.

1. You will need airtight plastic containers for storing the cherries in sugar syrup.
2. Wash the cherries (around 4 cups at a time) and pat them dry. We recommend you pit the cherries before freezing. However, it is an individual choice because you can freeze the cherries without pitting them now.
3. Add sugar and water in a ratio of 1:4 and bring it to a boil. Cherries are sweet. Therefore, we recommend using as less sugar as possible. If you are diabetic, you can reduce the sugar content by half.
4. Once the water starts boiling, add the cherries and wait for the mixture to boil again. Then, allow the sugar syrup with the cherries to cool down for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Use a ladle to transfer the cherries and the sugar syrup into airtight plastic containers. Please see to it that the cherries are submerged in the liquid. Leaving space inside the container allows the liquid to expand during freezing.
6. Cool the contents to room temperature and place them inside the freezer. You can consume the cherries after thawing them.

How Long Can You Freeze Cherries Without Compromising Their Taste?

Generally, cherries can remain frozen for six months without noticeable taste changes.

How Do You Defrost The Frozen Cherries?

Defrosting the cherries is easy. All you do is transfer the cherries from the freezer to the fridge overnight. The cherries would be good to consume the following morning. However, they can be a bit soft. But that should not be a problem.

Can You Refreeze The Cherries?

We do not recommend refreezing the cherries because they can become mushy and soft. In addition, the textural changes discourage you from refreezing cherries.

Can You Freeze Cooked Cherries?

Yes. It is possible to freeze cooked cherries and preserve them for later use. These cherries work as natural thickeners in smoothies.

Can You Freeze Cherry Pie?

Yes. It is possible to freeze the cherry pie as long as they are not thickened with cornstarch.

Can You Freeze Cherry Pie Filling?

Yes. You can freeze cherry pie filling in a large freezer bag or a foil-lined pan.

Can You Freeze Cherry Cheesecake?

Yes. It is possible to freeze the cherry cheesecake. But, we advise wrapping it well in cling film and freezing it solid. Then, you can defrost the cheesecake before consuming it.

Can You Freeze Cherry Turnovers?

You can bake the cherry turnovers and freeze them in freezer-safe bags in the freezer.

Can You Freeze Cherry Cobbler?

Yes. It is possible to freeze the cherry cobbler and consume it later.

Can You Freeze Cherry Clafoutis?

Clafoutis does not freeze well. So, we do not recommend freezing cherry clafoutis because they can get soggy and ruin the custardy texture.

Final Thoughts

Cherries are sweet fruits you can have at any time. They are served best along with the icing on the cake or top of ice creams. You can have cherries whole. So, if you have a large stack of cherries, you can consider freezing it. We have discussed the freezing process in detail.