Making homemade Maraschino cherries is easy, but for best results, be sure to seek out Luxardo cherry liqueur. There are imitators, but stick with the experts. Briefly marinating overnight is technically all these cherries need to be ready for use, but their flavor really benefits from sitting 3–5 days.
Homemade Maraschino Cherries
Ingredients
WHISK
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
- ½ cup Tart cherry juice
- 1 Vanilla bean, split and scraped
- ⅛ tsp. Table salt
OFF HEAT, WHISK
- ¼ cup Amaretto liqueur
- 2 tbsp. Fresh lemon juice
- 1 lb. Fresh sweet cherries (such as Bing), stemmed and pitted (3 cups)
Instructions
- Whisk together sugar, Luxardo liqueur, cherry juice, vanilla bean and scraped seeds, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.
- Off heat, whisk in amaretto and lemon juice.
- Place cherries in a glass jar, pour hot liquid over cherries, and cool to room temperature; secure lid and chill. For the best flavor, marinate cherries in the refrigerator 3–5 days. Cherries will keep in the refrigerator up to 6 months.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
1 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories30
- % Daily Value *
- Sodium 3mg 1%
- Total Carbohydrate
7g
3%
- Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
- Protein 1g 2%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

