How to Can Cherries: Easy Method for Canning Sweet Cherries

The raw pack method makes for a simple canning process. It does not require special canning equipment, allowing you to pack cherries into jars, flavor with customizable syrup, and process with everyday kitchen appliances in a few short steps.

1. 1. Sanitize your canning jars. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Dip your pint or quart jars, lids, and rims in the water for 30 seconds; the hot water will kill off germs and loosen the rims. Remove all parts and clean with soap and water. Once cleaned, you can fill up your jars halfway with hot water—hot jars will be less likely to crack once submerged in the water bath canner later on.
2. 2. Rinse your fruit. For the freshest fruit, buy during the cherry season in the summertime. Rinse your fresh cherries under cool water. Lay them out on a paper towel and pat them to dry thoroughly.
3. 3. Remove the pits and slice the cherries. Once dry, remove the stems. Then, you can also remove the cherry pits, if you like. Whole cherries can go into your jars, or use a cherry pitter, toss the pits, and then bisect the fruit. Chopping too finely may make them mushy, so opt for whole or halved cherries.
4. 4. Create your simple syrup. In a medium or large saucepan, combine your syrup ingredients. You can customize your syrup to your taste; use six cups of water to one cup of sugar for a light syrup, which is suitable for sweet cherries. You may want to go with a medium syrup (five cups water to two cups sugar) for an extra sweetener for sour cherries. Raise the heat, stirring the syrup occasionally until the sugar dissolves. You can also make a juice-based syrup, relying on white grape or apple juice.
5. 5. Prepare a water bath. A pressure canner is not necessary for canning cherries—water bath canning is a DIY way to preserve your fruit. In a stockpot, bring water to a boil. There should be enough water to cover your jars with a two-inch headspace as you will eventually submerge them in your water bath canner. Once heated, turn the boiling water down to a simmer.
6. 6. Fill your jars. Pack the cherries into your jar, stuffing the servings in but leaving half an inch of headspace at the top. Then, ladle your hot syrup over the fruit until you reach the top of the jar.
7. 7. Place jars in the water bath canner. Remove air bubbles by running a fork along the inside of the jar. Cover each jar with a top and twist it to close tightly. Bring the pot to a boil again, then lower to a simmer, immediately placing your sealed jars into your canner. Cover the pot for a processing time of about twenty-five minutes. Remove the pot from the burner and the lid from the pot, and let it sit and cool for five minutes. (If you do not have a water bath canner, you can place a rack in the bottom of a stockpot or construct a platform for the jars with aluminum foil.)
8. 8. Store your jars. Remove the quart or pint jars from the pot and set on towels to dry and cool. The lids will begin to pop within thirty minutes of being removed from the canner. Store the jars in a cool, dark place, where they can last for an entire year. Once the jars are open, store the canned cherries in the refrigerator.

Before you buy pounds of cherries for canning, consider these tips to ensure you get the most out of your fruit:

1. 1. Consider your cherry type. You can use all kinds of cherries for canning, so decide on how you’d like to use your cherries down the road to choose the best kind. Unpitted cherries may work best for drink garnishes, while pitted cherries can work well as a pie filler or for a sweet ice cream topping.
2. 2. Add lemon juice. After pitting and slicing your cherries, toss them in a little bit of lemon juice to maintain the color and freshness of your cherries, helping with food preservation quality. This is not as necessary when canning whole cherries, which will stay fresher as they will have remained intact.)
3. 3. Substitute honey for sugar. If you want a syrup for your canned cherries that is slightly less sweet, try using honey or agave in your simple syrup. You can also use fruit juice for flavoring and water it down to your preferred level of sweetness.

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