20 Cherry Recipes for Dessert, Dinner, and More

What to make with cherries

Cherries are one of our favorite superfoods. They taste great and their deep red color is due to antioxidants known as anthocyanins, which may help reduce inflammation and lower both triglycerides and cholesterol.

Added bonus? Tart cherries may also be helpful for sleep because they're one of the few foods that naturally contain melatonin, which may help regulate the body’s internal clock.

Cherry Compote with Goat Cheese

The dish is a perfect way to highlight the taste of cherries. Just cook 1 pound of pitted sweet cherries in a skillet with light brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and fresh thyme, and serve on a round of goat cheese.

What could be simpler? The compote can be refrigerated for up to three days.

Try this recipe: Cherry Compote Over Goat Cheese

Cornish Hens With Port-Cherry Sauce

This delicious sauce is made from dried cherries, port, thyme, and cornstarch. While used to top Cornish game hens, it really can work with any protein source.

While it sounds relatively fancy, you need only 15 minutes of prep time and 45 to cook—quick enough for a weeknight dinner.

Try this recipe: Cornish Hens With Port-Cherry Sauce

Black Forest Trifle

This delicious desert is surprisingly low in calories, cholesterol, and saturated fat. It uses sugar-free chocolate cake, fat-free milk, sugar-free pudding and fat-free whipped topping, making it a good dessert option for people with diabetes.

At 130 calories a cup, this guilt-free, pretty dessert is a great way to enjoy cherries and chocolate.

Try this recipe: Black Forest Truffle

Grilled Chicken With Spicy Cherry Sauce

How do you make cherries even more delicious? Use them to make a spicy sauce. Sweet cherries, dry red wine, garlic, cumin, and crushed red pepper contribute to the sweet and spicy sauce.

Brush it over grilled chicken for a delicious lunch or dinner that’s a total of 190 calories per serving.

Try this recipe: Grilled Chicken With Spicy Cherry Sauce

Dark Cherry-Cranberry Compote

Sweet wine adds a nice flavor to this tangy compote made with cherries, cranberries, and lemon rind. Use this compote as an ice cream topping or on scones.

Try this recipe: Dark Cherry-Cranberry Compote

Noodles With Duck Breast, Edamame, and Dried Cherries

You'll love this recipe, which uses dried sweet cherries, paparadelle pasta (or wide egg noodles), edamame, and boneless, skinless duck breast.

With a prep time of just 5 minutes and cook time of 14 minutes, you can whip up this impressive dish in no time.

Try this recipe: Noodles with Duck Breast, Edamame, and Dried Cherries

Cherry-Almond-Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

Cherries and almonds are a perfect combo. What more can you ask for in a dessert than a little crunch and a lot of sweetness?

These cookies are less than 100 calories and are ready in just 30 minutes—with 15 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cook time. Have extras? You can keep them in an airtight container for up for 2 weeks or freeze them for several months.

Try this recipe: Cherry-Almond-Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

Blue Cheese-Chicken Salad

The salad contains sweet cherries, blue cheese, and chicken and is topped with a dressing made of orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, shallots, and olive oil. (We recommend you make extra—you're going to want to put it on everything after you try it.)

We used fresh spinach in this salad, but you can use any type of green.

Try this recipe: Blue Cheese-Chicken Salad

Cherry-Pistachio Chocolate Bark

Five minutes of prep is all you need to make this chocolaty treat. Pistachios not only taste great, they contain potassium and lutein, an antioxidant that helps give you healthy skin and eyes.

Combine the four ingredients and pop in the freezer for an hour, and this dessert is ready to go.

Try this recipe: Cherry-Pistachio Chocolate Bark

Cherry-Oat Scones

A simple yet tasty dessert, these cherry-oat scones are bursting with flavor thanks in part to ground nutmeg and ginger.

You can also use other dried fruits like cranberries and raisins, or add nuts to amp up the flavor (and fiber). Serve them with sugar-free jam and Greek yogurt.

Try this recipe: Cherry-Oat Scones

Crunchy-Sweet Nuts

You'll love this crunchy, no-cook snack. Just take dried cherries and add your favorite nuts, along with some sugar, Chinese five-spice powder, and tamari sauce, which looks like soy sauce, but contains a greater concentration of soybeans.

Nuts have some serious health benefits. For example, cashews are high in iron, and supply both folate and vitamin K; walnuts provide protein, fiber, and magnesium, and Brazil nuts contain selenium.

Try this recipe: Crunchy-Sweet Nuts

Pike Place Market Salad

This salad uses some delicious ingredients included pitted sweet cherries, caramelized walnuts, crumbled blue cheese, shallots, and champagne vinegar.

Use packaged greens or make your own mix using a variety of herbs and different types of lettuce.

Try this recipe: Pike Place Market Salad

Roasted Cherries with Cocoa-Mocha Granita

To make this frozen dessert, first bake sweet cherries, sugar, kirsch and a dash of lemon juice for 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine hot coffee, unsweetened cocoa, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, and condensed milk. Freeze for one hour, then serve the granita in chilled glasses topped with the cherry mixture.

Try this recipe: Roasted Cherries with Cocoa-Mocha Granita

Cherry-Ginger Scones

Along with dried cherries and crystallized ginger, these scones are made with whole-wheat pastry flour and rolled oats so they are high in fiber and protein. Added bonus? They also contain resistant starch, a type of fiber that helps you eat less and burn more calories.

Try this recipe: Cherry-Ginger Scones

Almond Cereal Bars

We know the last thing you need in the morning is a time-consuming breakfast. These bars, which can be stored in the freezer, are a great homemade breakfast and are healthier than store-bought versions. Five ingredients and two steps are all it takes to make these cereal, nut, and fruit bars perfect for a breakfast on the go.

Try this recipe: Almond Cereal Bars

Cherry-Chocolate Sundae with Spiced-Almond Praline

When you want to indulge in a daring dessert, try this sundae, which uses frozen pitted cherries, English toffee, bittersweet chocolate, maple syrup, and has surprising hints of chili powder, red cinnamon, and ground red pepper. (Yes, you read that right!)

Try this recipe: Cherry-Chocolate Sundae with Spiced-Almond Praline

Lemon-Cherry Tea Bread

This easy bread recipe has unexpected ingredients that combine together to make a tasty treat. It contains both white whole-wheat flour and cornmeal, as well as dried cherries and lemon zest for a sweet and bright flavor.

One slice is less than 150 calories, low in saturated fat (thanks in part to low-fat buttermilk), and delivers 3 grams of fiber.

Try this recipe: Lemon-Cherry Tea Bread

Stout Chocolate-Cherry Bread

Would you say no to chocolate bread? We didn't think so. This recipe uses bittersweet dark chocolate, which is rich in antioxidants, dried tart cherries, and stout beer for a rich-tasting bread that’s only 156 calories per slice.

Whether you're throwing a party, or want to give a gift to foodie friends or family, this recipe is the perfect choice.

Try this recipe: Stout Chocolate-Cherry Bread

Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies

You didn't think we’d forget the gluten-free cherry lovers, did you? This recipe from blogger Tina Haupert of Carrots 'N' Cake, uses coconut flour, brown sugar, dried cherries, and chocolate morsels. The result is a soft and gooey treat that’s so good it’s hard to believe it’s gluten free.

Try this recipe: Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

This simple recipes calls for just four ingredients: Crispy brown rice cereal, dried cherries, honey, and natural peanut butter.

Once you try them, you'll never want to buy a boxed treat again! One bar provides 2 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.

Try this recipe: Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats