Recipe Summary
An easy to make homemade maraschino cherries recipe, preserved cherries that are ideal for topping off your desserts or garnishing cocktails.
Homemade maraschino cherries are sweet cherries simmered with cherry juice, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and cinnamon, then chilled in their syrup. This alcohol-free version is made for the refrigerator, where it keeps for up to two weeks.
Store-bought cherries have their place, but this jar tastes like cherries first. Almond extract supplies the familiar maraschino note, vanilla rounds it out, and the cinnamon stays quietly in the background.
❤️ Why You’ll Love These Homemade Maraschino Cherries
- No liquor or red dye: The cherries keep their natural color and get their flavor from cherry juice, vanilla, and almond extract.
- A short ingredient list: Eight familiar ingredients make the cherries and their glossy syrup.
- The syrup earns its keep: Spoon it over vanilla ice cream, stir it into sparkling water, or add a little to a cocktail.
- Fresh or frozen cherries work: Fresh sweet cherries hold their shape best, but thawed frozen cherries are useful when cherry season is over.
Which cherries work best?
Choose firm sweet cherries such as Bing, Lambert, or Rainier. A cherry pitter gives you the neatest fruit, but a sturdy straw or chopstick can push the pit out through the stem end. Work over a rimmed tray unless cherry-red counters are part of the plan.
Frozen pitted cherries are fine here, too. Thaw them in a strainer set over a bowl, then drain before cooking so the syrup doesn’t become watery.
What gives homemade maraschino cherries their flavor?
Almond extract does the heavy lifting. It sharpens the cherry flavor and gives the finished fruit that recognizable soda-fountain note without maraschino liqueur. Vanilla softens the edges, while one cinnamon stick adds warmth without turning the jar into a holiday candle.
Use pure cherry juice rather than a cherry-flavored drink. The recipe already contains a full cup of sugar, so an extra-sweet juice can push the syrup too far.
Can you water-bath can this maraschino cherry recipe?
No. This flavored recipe has not been tested for shelf-stable home canning, so keep it refrigerated and use it within two weeks. Do not use the old 10-minute water-bath direction for this formula.
If you want shelf-stable cherries, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s tested whole-cherry process. Its jar sizes, headspace, packing method, processing time, and altitude adjustments work as one tested system and shouldn’t be mixed with this recipe.
How to serve them
Drop one into a Mary Pickford cocktail, spoon the cherries and syrup over ice cream, or use the syrup to give cherry limeade another layer of cherry flavor. A teaspoon is also good in club soda when you want the fun of a cocktail without the booze.
For another homemade jar worth keeping in the fridge, try these garlic dill refrigerator pickles. If preserving season has taken over the kitchen, pepper peach jam is ready for toast and cheese boards.
Homemade maraschino cherry questions
How long do homemade maraschino cherries last?
Keep them in a clean, covered jar in the refrigerator and use them within two weeks. Discard the jar sooner if you notice mold, fizzing, an off smell, or other signs of spoilage.
Can you make them with frozen cherries?
Yes. Thaw frozen pitted cherries in a strainer and let the excess liquid drain before adding them to the syrup. They may be softer than fresh cherries, but the flavor still works.
Do homemade maraschino cherries contain alcohol?
This version doesn’t. It uses cherry juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract instead of maraschino liqueur. Some extracts contain a small amount of alcohol as a carrier, so check the label if you need to avoid it completely.
What can you do with the leftover cherry syrup?
Use it on ice cream, pancakes, or yogurt, or add a spoonful to sparkling water. Keep the syrup refrigerated with the cherries and follow the same two-week storage limit.
Make the jar, chill it well, and save the first cherry for something cold and fizzy.
Homemade Maraschino Cherries
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the sugar, cherry juice, and cinnamon stick, cooking until sugar dissolves and stirring frequently about 3 – 5 minutes.
- Add the pitted cherries, continue to cook over medium heat for 8 – 10 minutes. Turn off heat, and add in the lemon juice, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.
- Allow the cherries and syrup to cool, then transfer them to a clean covered jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. This flavored recipe is for refrigerator storage only; for shelf-stable cherries, use a tested canning recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Nutrition
Notes
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