12 Cherry Types: How to Use Common Types of Cherries

Cherries are a small, round, reddish fruit of the Prunus genus. Cherries grow on cherry trees, have bright green stems, and feature a shiny, slightly tough edible exterior surrounding a fleshy, juicy interior with a central pit. This pit makes the cherry a drupe, or a stone fruit, like apricots, peaches, and plums. Cherries grow worldwide, with cherry orchards commonly found in the western and midwestern United States. There are more than a thousand cherry varieties, and they range from tart to sweet in flavor and light orange to dark purple in color.

Cherry season is in the summer, but cherry trees require a certain number of cool hours at night to break dormancy and bloom. This means cherries do not grow in tropical climates. With a short growing season, they blossom in the Northern Hemisphere in the spring, and growers harvest them in the summer.

Cherries come in sweet and tart varieties. Sweet cherries (Prunus avium) are sweet, low in acid, and popular fresh. Sour or tart cherries (Prunus cerasus) are tart, high in acid, and you can use them frozen, canned, or otherwise preserved. Some different types of cherries include:

1. 1. Bing: Bing cherries are large, smooth, deep-red sweet cherries. They’re one of the most well-known sweet cherry types and are a major export of Michigan, available mid-spring through midsummer. You can eat these cherries on their own as snacks or as a crisp, sweet addition to baked goods or desserts.
2. 2. Black Republican: Black Republican cherries are a rare, medium-sized sweet cherry with dark purple-black skin and burgundy flesh. They’re a cultivar from Oregon and date back to the mid-nineteenth century. Black Republican cherries are suitable as snacks, in cooking, or as preserves.
3. 3. English Morello: An English Morello cherry is a dark-red, sour cherry. It is one of the oldest and most common cooking cherries, especially in the UK. Cooks use the English Morello, which is available in June, in pies, in preserves, and as juice.
4. 4. Lambert: Lambert cherries are sweet, bright red cherries that grow across North America. Lambert cherry trees are more flexible with their requirements, performing well for growers in a wider range of climates than most other types of cherry trees. They’re a versatile cherry with a sweet taste—you can cook with them or preserve them or simply enjoy them as snacks.
5. 5. Lapins: Lapins cherries are an especially large, sweet cherry with deep red skin. Native to Canada, they’re versatile cherries that you can enjoy as a snack or cherry juice. You can also cook it.
6. 6. Maraschino: Maraschino cherries are not a different cultivar or variety of cherry; rather, they’re a cherry that has undergone processing with brine and syrup to give them a soft texture and extra sweet flavor. Serve maraschino cherries as garnishes atop cocktails, ice cream sundaes, and ham. Many cherry varieties are common for maraschino processing, including Marasca cherries, Royal Ann cherries, and Rainier cherries.
7. 7. Montmorency: Montmorency cherries are a bright-red and sour cherry. Available late May through mid-June, they are mostly found in preserves and fruit pie fillings.
8. 8. Rainier: Rainier cherries are a very sweet yellow-red or red blush cherry. A cultivar from Washington state from the 1950s, they’re named after Mount Rainier. They’re available late spring and summer and make for a good snack.
9. 9. Richmond: Richmond cherries are a bright red sour cherry. Available mid-May through mid-June, they are common in pies and preserves.
10. 10. Royal Ann: Royal Ann cherries, also called Queen Ann cherries or Queen Anne cherries, are blush-colored or yellow cherries that are firm and tangy. They’re an all-purpose sweet cherry that you can eat as snacks, in jams and jellies, or in cherry pie filling.
11. 11. Stella: Stella cherries are sweet cherries with a dark red color. You can snack on them or use them in your cooking. Native to Canada, this cherry variety is self-fertile.
12. 12. Van: Van cherries are dark red sweet cherries native to Canada. They’re common as snacks or in pies, jams, jellies, and sauces.
    

Other fruits that take the word “cherry” in their name may be commercially available, including chokecherries (Prunus virginiana) and black cherries or Chelan cherries (Prunus serotina).

Healthy, ripe cherries are straightforward to pick out if you pay attention to a few specific details:

• Color: As cherries ripen, they develop the characteristic color—whether that’s deep red or a blush yellow. The color of fresh cherries is a reliable indicator of whether or not they’re ripe and fresh—ask which cultivar or variety you’re looking at, and check to make sure that the cherries are the right color for a mature fruit.
• Texture: Generally, a ripe cherry should feel firm and smooth, without wrinkles, blemishes, or weak spots. However, sweet cherries are typically firmer and more durable than sour cherries, so don’t worry if your sour cherries have slightly more give when you press into the flesh. In addition, sour cherries can be delicate, so be especially gentle when handling them.
• Stem: Cherries spoil quickly once you remove the stem, so for the longest-lasting cherries, look for fruits that still have their stems attached. The stems should be green and clear of blemishes.

Peak cherry season is summertime. Whether you buy your cherries at the grocery store or the farmers’ market, you’ll want to handle and store them properly so you can enjoy the freshest fruit possible. Follow these tips for storing cherries on the counter and in the fridge:

• Make sure the cherries are dry. Keep fresh cherries unwashed, as moisture will accelerate spoilage. If they are wet, pat them dry with paper towels. Only rinse with cold water right before consuming or cooking.
• Remove any bad cherries. Check your cherries for bruising. If any are misshapen, remove them from the others and discard them.
• Keep the stems on the cherries. Bright green stems are a sign of freshness, and if you pluck them, your cherries may spoil more quickly.
• Place the cherries in a clean bowl in a dark place. After sorting your cherries, carefully place them in a bowl. You can keep them out for a few days at room temperature, but they will last longer in a cooler space like the refrigerator. If you keep them out on the kitchen counter, make sure they are out of direct sunlight, as heat will make them mushy. If you leave your cherries on the counter, it’s best to keep them in a dark place.
• Extend cherries’ shelf life by placing them on a baking sheet. If you wish to store your cherries for longer, separate them on a baking sheet in a single layer and put them in the refrigerator. Spacing them out will prevent bruising, and they will last longer in the fridge than on the countertop.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Alice Waters, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, and more.