Can You Freeze Cherries?

Cherry season is tragically short and notoriously fickle. Cherries are usually in peak season for less than five months out of the year, and after that, it’s a matter of waiting. If you’ve been searching your brain for a way to hold onto the season just a little bit longer, you may have wondered, “Can you freeze cherries?”

There are a lot of things you can freeze to preserve. You can extend the shelf life of bread, meat, and most vegetables by keeping them in the freezer. So can you freeze cherries?

Yes, you can! Cherries can hold up well in the freezer for up to six months without a problem, allowing you access to the best cherries whenever you want. And the process of storing them is incredibly simple!

Prepping the Cherries

The first step to preparing cherries to freeze is to wash them with cold water or a fruit and vegetable spray. Next, you want to remove the stems. To maintain the freshness of the cherry, you’ll want to wait to do this until you’re ready to freeze them.

Pitting the Cherries

Can you freeze cherries? You know the answer to that by now. You can freeze the cherries whole if you’d like or you can pit them in advance if you want to have them ready for things like smoothies.

Once the cherries are prepared, you’re ready to freeze them. If your freezer is more compact, you can pour them directly into a Ziploc bag and store them like that.

If you don’t want a solid block of fruit, you can chill them on a sheet for six hours and then put them in a bag. Either way, freezing cherries is a great way to make summer last a little longer!