How to Make Homemade Cherry Preserves; Canning

Marie Overton
Jul 3, 2021
2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Homemade Cherry Preserves are a simple, sweet way to preserve your cherries. This tutorial that I am providing you is really easy. The hardest thing about it is that it has a 12-18 hours resting period but with a little planning ahead you can have delicious cherry preserves to use on pancakes, waffles, topping for ice cream, or for a number of other uses. Your imagination is your only limitation.

Kitchen scene with a bowl of cherries, red scale, jar of sugar, butter sticks, wooden spoon, and red measuring cup on a wooden table.

Supplies

How to Can Cherry Preserves

These directions and recipe make 4 half-pint jars.

Hands using a yellow cherry pitter on a countertop, with cherries in a glass dish and a decorative beige bowl. Kitchen setting visible.

The first step is to wash and pit 2 pounds of cherries. I use this Norpro Deluxe Cherry Pitter.

Ingredients:

2 pounds cherries
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon butter (optional)

Hands stirring sugar-coated cherries in a metal pot on a speckled countertop. A metal bowl and measuring cup are nearby.

Next, I will place the destemmed and pitted cherries in a large pot and mix them with 4 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Gently stir until all of the cherries are coated, trying not to mash the cherries.

Hand stirring dark purple liquid with berries in a large pot on a stovetop. A shiny metallic surface is visible. Cooking scene.

Place the pan in a cool location and allow the cherries to rest for 12-18 hours. Next, put the pan on the stove, add 1/2 teaspoon of butter if you want to reduce foaming, and bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute.

Filling Jars with your Cherry Preserves:

Person ladling dark purple cherry preserve from a pot into jars on a speckled countertop. Empty glasses ready for filling.

Using a jar funnel, fill your hot jars leaving a 1/4 inch headspace.

Hands sealing a jar on a speckled countertop. Five jars filled with berry mix, featuring rich purple hues. Mood is calm and focused.

Place the lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight. (For quality, American made Superb canning lids and jars follow this link and use the coupon code WP20 to get 20% off your purchase.)

Process the jars in a boiling water bath (electric or regular) for 15 minutes if at sea level. Don't start the timer until after the water has come to a rolling boil. After the processing time has elapsed, remove the lid, turn off the heat and allow the jars to cool for 5 minutes. (Remember to adjust the pressure for your elevation if higher than 1000 feet.)

Once your cherries have completed the appropriate time in the boiling water bath canner take them out and sit them on the counter for 24 hours to cool and completely seal.

If your jar of canned cherries did not seal then place it in the fridge and use it immediately. Store the sealed jars in your lovely pantry to enjoy for the next 1-3 years. After three years the nutritional value of canned food diminishes.