Celebrate Cherry Season with These Easy Recipes
Summer brings many joys — longer, warmer days, time spent outdoors, and a renewed sense of energy. All we need to add is a cherry on top! Summer is also the season for stone fruit, and South Africa happens to produce a splendid variety of locally grown, top-quality cherries. These glossy, jewel-like fruits add vibrant colour, flavour, and a celebratory feel to our summer tables.
While it might seem that nothing beats snacking on a bowl of fresh cherries, they are more than just a juicy treat to pop into your mouth. With their unique balance of tartness and sweetness, cherries are an inspired ingredient that brings irresistible flavour and colour to both sweet and savoury dishes. In fact, they are so versatile that you can enjoy cherry season from the moment you wake up until you go to bed.
Beyond the delicious flavour, the small fruit carries a significant nutritional value. Cherries are naturally low in calories and fat, while being rich in essential nutrients such as vitamin C and potassium. They are also a good source of fibre, which supports gut health, and contain antioxidants like anthocyanins, which have anti-inflammatory properties and support overall wellness. That bowl of fresh cherries offers the best of both worlds – an indulgence that is also good for you.
So, when it comes to cherry season, don’t just snack on them. Juicy Delicious has compiled a collection of new cherry recipes created by recipe developer Emma Nkunzana and Chef Jenny Morris.
Recipes to make the most of cherry season
The great news is, you can eat cherries for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between! Here’s how to spend a day with cherries:
At breakfast time, get your day off to a brilliant start with a Cherry Vanilla Latte followed by a Cherry Oat Bowl or a Brie, Cherry and Herb Omelette.
Gleaming red cherries will add a touch of elegance to salads or savoury tarts at lunch time. Try this Goat’s Cheese and Cherry Tart or Beef Carpaccio with Pickled Cherries drizzled with a mustard cream dressing and served with fresh cherries.
Make summer night dinners even more magical with main courses featuring cherries as the star ingredient for tasty sauces and glazes. This recipe for Cherry and Red Wine Braised Short Ribs is sure to impress. For a showstopper, serve Cherry Cured Salmon Gravlax, where a whole salmon or trout is cured in cherry-flavoured salt, then thinly sliced and served with mini potato rösti.
Cherries always add moreish flavour and great panache to desserts. You will wow friends and family with a Chilled Almond Meringue Roulade filled with fresh Cherries, Mascarpone and Cream and delight all ages with Choc Cherry Bark.
Get festive with cherries
When it comes to your festive and holiday entertaining, don’t hesitate to be generous with cherries. For instance, make this Cherry Christmas Wreath Bread the tear-and-share centrepiece of your festive table. The brioche-style dough is filled with a homemade cherry marmalade and encircles a baked camembert, drizzled with a gold-dusted cherry glaze. There’s also a Platter with Cherry and Bacon-wrapped Skewers served with a Gorgonzola dipping sauce.
And, if your festive entertaining is not complete without a signature cocktail to celebrate coming together this summer, here’s a new idea. This Cherry Bomb cocktail recipe combines fresh cherries and Darling Brew’s playful Cherry Bomb. This new sparkling hopped cooler offers both bold cherry flavour and subtle hoppy notes that balance sweetness. It’s a refreshing, non-alcoholic and versatile ingredient that shines in this Summer of ’25 cocktail or mocktail.
This summer, make the most of cherry season all day long. Whether you’re starting your morning with a burst of fresh energy, preparing light, flavourful lunches, organising elegant dinners for friends, or celebrating the festive season with family, cherries are the bright red jewels that make every occasion more special and memorable.
