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The best maraschino cherries are preserved through brining, which is a totally different process from pickling, marinating and curing. Maraschino cherries are then soaked in food coloring and other components to give them a vibrant red color.
The end result is what you eat along with your cocktails, and use as garnish for yogurt, cakes, and Shirley Temple drinks.
If you’re having trouble locating the best maraschino cherries in the grocery store, here’s a short guide to help you out.
Where are maraschino cherries in grocery stores?
Maraschino cherries are commonly stored in the Canned goods aisle of most grocery stores. Due to grocery store layout variations, the Canned goods aisle may be labelled as the Condiment aisle.
There you’ll find various ingredients for cooking like olives and capers, as well as other fruits preserved in brine.
Alternatively, you can check the Freezer section near the ice cream products if you don’t find maraschino cherries in the former locations.
If you’d rather make your own maraschino cherries at home, you can find fresh cherries in the Fresh fruits & vegetable aisle of most grocery stores.
But if it all gets confusing for you, here’s a handy guide to understand the different sections of a grocery store.
Best grocery stores to shop for maraschino cherries
Amazon
Amazon is one of the largest stores online, and it offers some of the best price deals on varieties of products. It’s the best place to check for food items without leaving your house.
Currently, Amazon has multiple brands of maraschino cherries in stock, and here are our 3 favorite picks of them all:
Kroger
At any Kroger store, you’ll find the best maraschino cherries in the Canned goods aisle. The store also has its own brand, which is the Kroger maraschino cherries.
You can use the online store locator to find the closest store to you, as well as the correct aisle to find it.
Meijer
Like Kroger, Meijer sells its own maraschino brand. Meijer is also the best grocery store to buy other products at cheap prices, and you can use the online store locator to get more information about the products before heading in-store for purchase.
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is one of the best stores to check for organic maraschino cherries, and also the most popular source of diet-friendly food items.
Unfortunately, you can’t order the cherries from Whole Foods’ online store. However, you can check for information on their availability status before going to the store outlets.
You can also use grocery delivery services like Instacart to save yourself the stress of going out.
Walmart
You’ll find maraschino cherries in the Canned fruit aisle at Walmart. They have brands like the Great Value maraschino cherries. Also, there’s the option for delivery on the store’s online platform. So you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home.
Safeway
Safeway has Luxardo Maraschino Cherries in stocks, along with other notable brand names. They also have maraschino cherries with stems and you can order them online or pick them up at any of the store’s outlets.
ASDA
Tesco sells maraschino cherries from brands like Opies and S&W. You can buy them for as low as £1.28 per 100g.
FAQs
What do maraschino cherries taste like?
Maraschino cherries taste like candy, and are excessively sweet because of the intense process they undergo.
The cherries are first soaked in brine solution, and then another solution with food dye, sugar, and oil from bitter almonds.
Why are maraschino cherries bad?
High consumption of maraschino cherries is bad for your health.
One of the many reasons to avoid maraschino cherries is because they are soaked in brine and sugar-infused solutions for up to two months.
During this process of soaking, they lose their natural red color. This is why they have to be bleached again into an artificial shade of red.
The bleaching process causes the cherries to lose vital vitamins and minerals, and instead, pack twice as many calories and sugar than regular cherries.
What can I use instead of maraschino cherries?
Since maraschino cherries aren’t the best options for people on a diet, you can use real and organic cherries instead.
You can also use organic maraschino cherries like the Luxardo brand. It’s not 100% fresh, but it’s the closest thing to original cherries.
Alternatively, you can use Amarena cherries. They’re soaked in syrups instead, and give a more natural flavor to your recipes.
- Family made since 1905, Fabbri’s Amarena Cherries in Syrup is one of the most iconic products in Italy
- Contains (2) 21 ounce jars of Amarena Fabbri wild cherries in syrup
- A perfect accompaniment for lots of delicious recipes, Amarena Fabbri is the ideal ingredient for cocktails, such as old fashions and manhattans, along with ice-creams, cakes, crushed ice-drink, milkshakes, desserts and semifreddo (Italian soft ice-cream)
- All Natural, Gluten Free, Non GMO, Kosher (Star K)
- Imported from Italy
Did we successfully help you find the best maraschino cherries? If so, here are some other helpful grocery guides we think you’d like:
- How & where to find buttermilk in the grocery store
- Where to find dates in the grocery store?
- Where to find barbecue sauce in the grocery store
Irene is a Freelance content writer who helps professionals and startups build an audience with original content online. She has written over +100 articles, and is backed up by 3 years experience. She loves gaming and listening to music, while she’s not tapping furiously on her laptop.