32 Sour Cherry Recipes to Help You Make the Most of This Special Fruit Sour cherries are the hero ingredient in these desserts, drinks, and some savory dishes, too. Close Credit: Johnny Miller Sour cherries are rounder, softer, and smaller than their sweet counterparts. And unlike other cherries, which can be eaten out of hand, sour cherries are best when cooked and sweetened. Using sour cherries is simpler than you might think—they are delicious in drinks, soups, entrées, and desserts for a sweet and tangy surprise. When Are Sour Cherries In Season? Sour cherries have an exceptionally short season and are usually only available in June and July. Picking the right ones is an important step if you hope to have success with any sour cherry recipe. Choose ones that are bright scarlet, plump, and firm—avoid soft, bruised fruits and those with brown stems. Once you've found a perfect batch, incorporate them into one of the delicious dishes we've highlighted below. 19 Fresh Cherry Recipes That Strike the Balance of Tart and Sweet 01 of 32 Garden Salad With Herbs and Sour Cherry Dressing Credit: Mikkel Vang Tart cherries are swiftly marinated in an easy sherry vinaigrette then placed atop this salad full of greens and fennel. View Recipe 02 of 32 Sour Cherry Cobbler Credit: Christopher Testani Easy enough to cook over a camp stove, this cobbler recipe blends tangy sour cherries with a warm, buttery cake. The fruit drops down as the cake rises, creating a mix of sweet and tart flavors. View Recipe 03 of 32 Roasted Rhubarb and Sour Cherry Compote Credit: Kate Sears This sweet-tart condiment can be used as a topping for a bowl of yogurt, as a cocktail mixer, and beyond. Sour cherries sweeten as they cook, while rhubarb imparts a tangy flavor—but both fruits keep their signature red color as they roast. View Recipe 04 of 32 Sbriciolata di Millefoglie With Sour Cherry Preserves Credit: Mikkel Vang Layered between spoonfuls of preserved sour cherries and pastry cream, the light, flaky pastry completes a delicious summertime dessert. View Recipe 05 of 32 Homemade Cocktail Cherries Credit: Courtesy of Nikka Soak sour cherries in a mixture of tart cherry juice, sugar, and maraschino liqueur, then add a vanilla bean and a bay leaf and let the flavors meld in the fridge for at least one week. Any cocktail enthusiast will love the resulting treat, especially when paired with a bottle of nice whiskey. View Recipe 06 of 32 Martha's Sour Cherry Pie Credit: Yossy Arefi Sour cherries have a satisfying tartness and depth that their sweet counterparts can't imitate, making them a classic choice for pies. Small holes cut into the top crust give a sneak peek of the delicious filling underneath. View Recipe 07 of 32 Sour Cherry Mojitos Credit: Marcus Nilsson Macerate sour cherries and fresh basil with simple syrup and lemon juice, then combine with vodka and sparkling water for the ultimate big-batch summer cocktail. View Recipe 08 of 32 Sour Cherry and Rosemary Focaccia This sweet, crisp-crusted version of everyone's favorite Italian bread combines fresh sour cherries with fragrant rosemary. The result is a summertime treat that works well as an appetizer or as a slightly savory dessert. View Recipe 09 of 32 The Firecracker Credit: Johnny Miller With a blend of gin and rosé wine, this festive summer drink packs a real punch. Tart cherries liven up the mix. View Recipe 10 of 32 Cherry Gelee Credit: Jonathan Lovekin We love the combination of sour cherry and rich, lightly sweetened vanilla cream in this gelee. It's as refreshing as it is elegant. View Recipe 11 of 32 Chilled Sour Cherry Soup Credit: Mikkel Vang This chilled soup is best served as a side dish or as an appetizer. It's refreshing but jam-packed with that delectable sour cherry taste. View Recipe 12 of 32 Yeasted Cheese and Sour Cherry Coffee Cake In a nod to the cheese Danish, this coiled loaf is bursting with swirls of sweetened cream cheese and tart cherries. View Recipe 13 of 32 Sour Cherry and Lemon Verbena Sherbet Credit: Naho Kubota A cup of milk adds just the right amount of richness to this tart, refreshing summer treat. View Recipe 14 of 32 Albaloo Polo Credit: Mikkel Vang This Persian side dish features saffron-infused rice layered with sour cherry preserves. View Recipe 15 of 32 Sour Cherry Preserves Credit: Mikkel Vang A dash of sugar makes this sour cherry preserve the perfect level of tart. Stir it into yogurt or add it to your vanilla ice cream for a delicious surprise. View Recipe 16 of 32 Sour Cherry and Five-Spice Lacquered Ribs Credit: Mikkel Vang Baby-back ribs are glazed in this gingery soy glaze featuring sour cherries, making a main dish that's bursting with complementary flavors. View Recipe 17 of 32 Sour Cherry Lemonade Fresh sour cherries get simmered in a sweet syrup that's then stirred into tart sparkling lemonade. View Recipe 18 of 32 Cherry Pie With Almond Crumble No top crust here! This sour cherry pie is crowned with a sweet, buttery mixture of almonds instead. View Recipe 19 of 32 Sour Cherry Cordials We look forward to making this cocktail every summer. Tart cherries are simmered with sweetened Muscat wine until syrupy, then topped with gin and seltzer. Garnish with fresh cherries and lemon zest. View Recipe 20 of 32 Black Forest Upside-Down Cakes Sour cherries are the perfect way to cut the richness of this decadent chocolate dessert. View Recipe 21 of 32 Sour Cherry Frangipane Tart Credit: Mikkel Vang In the style of French country tarts, fresh fruit is arranged in a filled tart shell before baking. The almonds in this frangipane-style filling complement the flavor of cherries perfectly. This is an easy summer tart to make; the crumbly crust doesn't require any rolling. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving. View Recipe 22 of 32 Sour Cherry Pistachio Crisp Credit: Dana Gallagher Our crisp has more than 1 1/2 pounds of pitted sour cherries crowned with a brown-sugar-dusted oat and pistachio topping for lots of crunch. View Recipe 23 of 32 Sour Cherry Crumble Bars Credit: Johnny Miller This picnic-perfect handheld dessert combines the elements of cherry pie—crust and a rich filling—with the ease of a grab-and-go treat. View Recipe 24 of 32 Cherry Orange Bourbon Credit: Emily Kate Roemer Bourbon infused with tart cherries and a strip of orange zest makes a delicious cocktail base. Simply add seltzer or ginger ale or use it in our Cherry-Orange Old-Fashioned. View Recipe 25 of 32 Rustic Three-Cherry Tart Take advantage of cherry season with this easy-to-make tart, which calls for three different varieties of cherries: Bing, golden, and sour. View Recipe 26 of 32 Cherry Vanilla Milkshake With Root Beer Granita Credit: Victoria Pearson Take your vanilla milkshake from plain to next-level by adding sour cherries to the mix and topping with shards of frozen root beer. View Recipe 27 of 32 Sour Cherry Pie Credit: Kenji Toma The perfect combination of tart and sweet, this familiar dessert—crowned with an old-fashioned lattice crust—evokes an era when every afternoon included pie and coffee. View Recipe 28 of 32 Sour Cherry Savarins Credit: Yunhee Kim Take this classic French dessert for a summery spin by mounding plump sour cherries simmered in a sweet wine syrup on top of the airy, ring-shaped cakes. View Recipe 29 of 32 Sour Cherry Charlotte Credit: Sang An Thinly sliced bread is used instead of the traditional ladyfingers, and it's baked in a jumbo-muffin tin instead of a special mold. Fill it with all the sour cherries you can get your hands on and serve with a balsamic-laced cherry compote. View Recipe 30 of 32 Sour Cherry Bounce Credit: Mikkel Vang A rumored favorite of George Washington, the cherry-infused spirit needs to sit for at least a week and up to one month before being chilled and served ice-cold. View Recipe 31 of 32 Sour Cherry Crumb Cakes Credit: Kelsey Hansen It's the taste of cherry pie in a buttery vanilla and cherry crumb cake. The tartness of the cherries combined with the buttery crumb topping creates a delicious treat. Sour Cherry Crumb Cakes 32 of 32 Cherry-and-Cream-Cheese Hand Pies Credit: Kate Mathis These portable, charming hand pies make a perfect summertime dessert. The buttery puff pastry is filled with a sweet-tart mix of sour cherries, lime zest, sugar, and cream cheese for an irresistible flavor combination. Cherry-and-Cream-Cheese Hand Pies Explore more: Food & Cooking Recipes Ingredients