What to Do With Frozen Tart Cherries
Short answer: Frozen tart cherries are best for baking, cooking and blending. Use them in pies, crisps, cobblers and hand pies, cook them into sauces and compotes, blend them into smoothies, stir them into oatmeal, or chop them into salsa. They come pitted and ready to use, and you can swap them cup for cup for fresh pitted tart cherries in almost any recipe.
Fresh tart cherries are only in season for a few weeks in July, so frozen cherries are how most of us cook with Michigan tart cherries the rest of the year. Most are Montmorency cherries, pitted and frozen soon after harvest. Here is what to do with that bag in your freezer.
10 ways to use frozen tart cherries
Bake a pie. Tart cherries are the classic pie cherry. Start with our Classic Michigan Tart Cherry Pie.
Make a crisp. Our tart cherry crisp goes into the oven with the cherries still frozen.
Bake a cobbler. Toss the cherries with sugar and cornstarch, top with biscuit dough and bake.
Make hand pies or turnovers. Cook the cherries into a thick filling first, then fold it into pie crust or puff pastry.
Cook a quick compote. Use the 10-minute recipe below as a topping for pancakes, waffles, yogurt, ice cream or cheesecake.
Blend a smoothie. Frozen cherries replace ice and make a thick, bright smoothie with yogurt and a banana.
Upgrade breakfast. Stir them into oatmeal or our cherry almond overnight oats.
Make a savory sauce. Tart cherries and balsamic vinegar make a glossy sauce for pork tenderloin, chicken or duck.
Chop them into salsa. Thawed, drained cherries are the base of our Firecracker Cherry Salsa.
Cook them into barbecue sauce or jam. Their natural tang balances sweet and smoky flavors.
Do you need to thaw frozen tart cherries?
Smoothies, crisps and cobblers: use them frozen.
Pies: thaw them and drain the juice, then cook the juice with the sugar and cornstarch so the filling isn't watery.
Salsa, salads and toppings: thaw and drain them.
Muffins and quick breads: use them frozen and toss them in a tablespoon of flour so they don't sink or streak the batter.
Sauces and compotes: use them frozen, straight into the pan.
How to thaw frozen tart cherries
Put the cherries in a colander set over a bowl and thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, or at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Save the juice. It is full of cherry flavor and can go into the pie filling, a sauce, a smoothie or sparkling water. Use thawed cherries within 2 to 3 days.
10-minute tart cherry compote
2 cups frozen tart cherries
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar or maple syrup
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Combine the cherries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the cherries release their juice and simmer, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer 1 minute more, until slightly thickened. Stir in the lemon juice.
Serve warm or cold. It keeps for 1 week in the refrigerator.
Frozen tart cherry conversions
1 pound frozen tart cherries is about 3 cups.
A deep 9-inch pie takes about 6 cups (2 pounds), as in our pie recipe.
Fresh to frozen: use the same amount by volume.
Frozen to canned: one 14.5-ounce can of tart cherries in water gives about 1 1/2 cups of drained cherries.
Frequently asked questions
Are frozen tart cherries already pitted?
Almost always. Most frozen tart cherries sold in stores and by growers are pitted, but check the label and watch for an occasional stray pit.
Are frozen tart cherries sweetened?
Some are packed with sugar and some are not. Check the label. If yours are sweetened, reduce the sugar in your recipe by about a quarter.
How long do frozen tart cherries last?
For the best quality, use them within a year. Keep the bag tightly sealed to prevent freezer burn.
Can you refreeze thawed tart cherries?
If they thawed in the refrigerator, you can refreeze them, but they will be softer. They are still fine for sauces, smoothies and baking.
Can I eat frozen tart cherries straight from the bag?
Yes. Many people snack on them frozen. They are tart, so some people like them with a little honey or with yogurt.
Want more? Browse all our cherry recipes or get the free cherry cookbook.
About the author: Andy LaPointe founded NationalCherryMonth.com and co-founded Traverse Bay Farms, a family-owned Northern Michigan tart cherry company, in 2001.
