{"id":25481,"date":"2026-07-22T09:44:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T16:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/?p=25481"},"modified":"2026-09-15T00:22:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T07:22:59","slug":"benefits-of-cherries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/blog\/benefits-of-cherries\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Cherries Good for You? Health Benefits & How to Enjoy Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cherries are well-loved for their small size, bright color, intense flavor, and sweet or tart taste. They occupy a prominent place in many cultures, symbolizing pleasure, both gustatory and romantic. When we say, \u201cLife is a bowl of cherries,\u201d we mean that life is full of pleasure and enjoyment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Technically, cherries aren\u2019t berries, but stone fruits or drupes, which means they have an outer flesh that surrounds a single inner pit. They\u2019re part of the genus <\/span>Prunus<\/span><\/i> in the rose family and are related to the apricot, peach, plum, and almond. (So that\u2019s the family tree of this tree family.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Cherries are <\/span>in season<\/span><\/a> in parts of the Northern Hemisphere between May and August, and in the Southern Hemisphere between November and February.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of their popularity stems (ooh, a pun!) from their versatility. Cherries are delightful raw or cooked and are good in both sweet and savory dishes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like other brightly colored fruits and vegetables, cherries are high in antioxidants and have a number of health benefits. So let\u2019s take a look at the world of cherries and explore their types, health benefits, and uses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet vs Sour Cherries<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Cherries
iStock.com\/Mila Usmanova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are <\/span>two main types<\/span><\/a> of cherries: tart (or sour) and sweet. You can probably guess that the most obvious difference between them is flavor. The variation comes from their acidity levels and natural sugar content.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the <\/span>differences between<\/span> tart and sweet cherries go deeper than their flavor profiles. Sweet cherries tend to have a darker pigmentation and can be almost purple or black, while tart cherries typically retain their bright red color from harvest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the fresh cherries you can buy are sweet varieties, as tart cherries are <\/span>more often processed<\/span><\/a> into tart cherry juice, dried cherries, or sold frozen. As such, fresh sweet cherries are available during the summer months (you can also get canned or frozen sweet cherries any time), while you can find tart cherry products all year round.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both sweet and tart cherries are <\/span>rich in antioxidants<\/span><\/a>, although they have slightly different profiles. Tart cherries have higher concentrations of phenolic antioxidants, while sweet cherries may have the edge when it comes to anthocyanins. But the <\/span>tart ones<\/span><\/a> are no slouches when it comes to anthocyanins either, so if it\u2019s disease-fighting properties you\u2019re looking for, you can\u2019t go wrong whichever type you eat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of Cherries<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are more than <\/span>1,000 cherry varieties<\/span><\/a> grown around the world. While <\/span>varieties of cherries<\/span><\/a> can differ in their size, color, and best uses, the main differences remain in their sweetness versus tartness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the most <\/span>popular types<\/span><\/a> of sweet cherries include Bing, Rainier, Tulare, Lambert, Coral, Royal Ann, Chelan, Sweetheart, Utah Giant, Van, Stella, and Skeena. (That list makes me want to put them into the chorus of \u201cMambo Number Five\u201d: \u201cA little bit of Coral in my life, a little bit of Chelan by my side.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

They range in color from yellow to bright red and have the perfect sweetness to eat on their own or to prepare in a variety of ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The most prominent varieties of tart cherries include Montmorency and Morello (which, to me, sounds like a crime-fighting duo made up of a British Lord and an Italian circus clown). Both are known for being incredibly tart, so much so that they\u2019re generally difficult to eat on their own. Tart cherries are more often used to make jam, tarts, or heavily sweetened cherry pie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nutritional Profile of Cherries<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Sweet
iStock.com\/Ekaterina Senyutina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cherries are incredibly nutritious, no matter which type you choose to eat. <\/span>Tart cherries<\/span><\/a> and sweet cherries are similar in their overall nutritional profiles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One 100-gram serving of raw, pitted <\/span>sweet red cherries<\/span><\/a> offers the following:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n