7 Best Cherry Recipes

Homemade simple syrup — a solution made from equal parts water and sugar that is a handy non-alcoholic or cocktail sweetener — gets a bold boost of color and cherry flavor from juicy sweet dark cherries. Combine the cherry syrup with lemon-lime soda, fresh lime juice, or your favorite neutral spirit, such as vodka, for a refreshing cherry-flavored drink. After straining the syrup, use the cherry solids for topping ice cream, yogurt, or oatmeal cherry crisp.

Instead of overnight oats, combine chia seeds with plant-based milk and honey to make a comforting pudding base, similar to tapioca. Next, combine fresh, sweet, pitted cherries and Greek yogurt for a protein-rich cherry smoothie. Layer it over the pudding for a texture-rich, healthy, parfait-style breakfast that's so good you'll skip the spoon and want to scoop it with your hands.

Toss fresh cherries with a bit of amaretto — the almond-flavored liqueur highlights the almond flavors in cherry pits (the two trees are related) — and roast until their juices run. Spoon them over our favorite Dutch baby pancake — an oven-baked custard-like pancake — add fresh sliced peaches and dollops of whipped cream infused with marionberry preserves, and you have a gorgeous brunch dish.

Use this recipe as a template, and swap out the sweet pears for plump-sweet cherries for an irresistible butter lettuce salad that pairs savory, robust Rogue Creamery blue cheese and fruit. Add any nut you wish, such as almonds, pecans, and walnuts, or a mix for a boost of crunch, fiber, and protein.

Pair luscious grilled fillets of omega-3-rich wild-caught salmon with a naturally sweetened cherry compote; the bright cherries and hint of cinnamon cut through the richness of the salmon. Besides being an excellent topping for the salmon, this compote can be used over roasted chicken, turkey, or grilled steaks. Or, serve it at a gathering with crackers and an artisanal cheese assortment.

Cherries paired with chocolate are a perfect combo, as the sweet chocolate offsets the tart fruit flavor. Among our favorite ways to enjoy this winning duo are milk and dark chocolate covered cherries, chocolate cherry cocktails, and these chocolate cherry brownies: superb fudgy, dark chocolate squares fragrant with the fresh cherries you fold into the batter.

Cherry-filled turnovers made with puff pastry will give you the butter and flakiness you crave from a homemade pie crust. And tossing the cherries with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice coaxes their juices and amplifies their sweetness, capturing a cherry pie's oozy, warm fruit filling. And since they are individually portioned, you can eat the whole thing!