10 Types of Cherries Explained (And How to Best Use Them in the Kitchen)

Cherries are a delightful and diverse fruit category with over 1,000 varieties grown worldwide, offering a range of flavors from sweet to sour and everything in between. They're used in a myriad of recipes, enhancing dishes across various cuisines with their distinctive tastes and textures. Here’s a look at some of the most popular cherry varieties and their unique uses:

1. Morello Cherries

Morello cherries are renowned for their vibrant acidity, making them perfect for culinary applications that benefit from a tart flavor profile, such as jams, syrups, and desserts like cherry cakes or Black Forest gateaux. Their sourness provides a deep, rich contrast in sweet recipes.

2. Black Cherries

Recognizable by their deep, dark color, black cherries are exceptionally sweet and bursting with classic cherry flavor. These cherries are versatile, excellent for eating fresh, or enhancing desserts like cherry biscotti and cherry clafoutis. They also add a sweet note to yogurt or ice cream.

3. Bing Cherries

Bing cherries are known for their glossy red appearance and sweet, slightly tart taste. They are ideal for fresh snacking and work wonderfully as a garnish in desserts and savory dishes alike, such as salads where their juiciness adds a refreshing twist.

4. Tulare Cherries

Tulare cherries offer a tart flavor profile while still falling under the sweet cherry category. They are excellent for canning and jam-making and can provide a tart alternative in baked goods, balancing the sweetness with a more acidic bite.

5. Maraschino Cherries

These cherries are preserved in a sweet syrup and are the iconic garnish in drinks like the Shirley Temple and in desserts such as cherry bread and pina colada trifle. Their bright color and sweetness make them perfect for enhancing the visual appeal and flavor of cocktails and sundaes.

6. Lapins Cherries

Lapins cherries are valued for their superb flavor, which is both sweet and mildly tart. Similar to Bing cherries, they're a top choice for jams, syrups, tart fillings, and even pickling, offering versatility in both sweet and savory preparations.

7. Rainier Cherries

Rainier cherries are striking with their yellow and blush coloring and have a sweet, subtle flavor. They are typically enjoyed fresh, making a lovely addition to salads, yogurts, or breakfast cereals, enhancing these dishes with their sweet and visually appealing presence.

8. Montmorency Cherries

Montmorency cherries are a sour variety primarily used in baking and cooking. Their tartness is perfect for pies, tarts, and preserves. They are also commonly used to make cherry juice, which is valued for its health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties.

9. Chelan Cherries

Chelan cherries have a deep red color that is almost black and offer a flavor that’s both rich and sweet. These cherries are great for eating fresh out of hand but also hold up well in cooking and baking, making them versatile for various culinary uses.

10. Sweetheart Cherries

Ending on a sweet note, Sweetheart cherries are late-season fruits known for their vibrant red color and balanced sweet-tart flavor. They are excellent for fresh eating and also shine in desserts where their firm texture and sweetness are desired.