A vibrant and juicy Summer Cherry Salsa recipe punctuated by the smoky heat of chipotle in adobo. Salty almonds add a savory note while spices like coriander and sage deliver a complimentary earthiness.
As a savory girl myself, fruity salsas are not typically my vibe when it comes time for a snack. I’m usually craving salty, oily, smoky, savory goodness over sweet n’ juicy flavor profiles.
BUT. I had this idea for a fresh cherry salsa recipe and I’ll be damned if it didn’t end up hitting hit all the spots for me. I suddenly see and love cherries in a whole new light!
A lot of cherry salsa recipes seem to call for tomatoes, but for me it felt like a crime to cloak any of that beautiful fresh cherry flavor with (out of season) tomatoes. Instead, I brought some umami to the table with salty almonds–a close relative of cherries!–punchy red onion, and a spicy chipotle pepper smothered in velvety adobo sauce.
ingredients for this cherry salsa recipe
ingredient notes & swaps
- The color and flavor of your cherry salsa will depend on the variety of fresh cherries you use. Bing cherries and Black cherries will produce a sweet, dark red salsa while Rainier cherries, with their yellow-red coloring, will create a lighter colored salsa. Sour cherries need a lot of sugar to become palatable, so I recommend saving those for a pie or homemade Cherry Compote!
- One chipotle pepper in adobo gives this salsa a moderate heat. You can add more or less pepper depending on your spice preference.
- My lemon was a wildly juicy specimen, so I actually only juiced half of it, which yielded 3 tablespoons of juice. You could use lime juice as a swap if needed, but the flavor of lemon pairs exceptionally nicely with cherries, so I do recommend sticking to it if you can.
- If your cherries taste very ripe and sweet, you can skip the honey. Mine were moderate so I used it. You could also use agave nectar or granulated sugar instead.
cherry salsa recipe
A vibrant and juicy Summer Cherry Salsa recipe punctuated by the smoky heat of chipotle in adobo. Salty almonds add a savory note while spices like coriander and sage deliver a complimentary earthiness.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 chipotle chile, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup almonds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 pound fresh cherries
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the red onion, garlic cloves, chipotle chile, almonds, olive oil, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar in the bowl of a food processor.
- Cover and pulse until chunky, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Let this mixture hang out in the food processor while you pit the cherries.
- To pit the cherries, pluck the stems off and poke a skewer or chopstick through the center of the cherry, popping out the pit as you do so. It might take a couple to get the hang of it! For this recipe, we’ll be blending up the cherries so don’t worry too much if they tear or break as you work.
- Add half of the pitted cherries to the onion mixture in the food processor. Replace the lid and blend until chunky. Add the remaining cherries, honey, and seasonings. Keep blending until you have a texture you like! I like when there are a few larger chunks of cherry floating around.
- Taste and add more salt or seasoning if needed, then serve with tortilla chips or pita chips. Sometimes I garnish this salsa with a few chopped almonds for crunch!
Notes
- When pitting cherries, make sure to do so over a bowl because they will spill some juices as you work. Add the juices back into the salsa when blending.
- Double check your bowl of pitted cherries before adding them into the food processor, making sure that no wayward pits have gotten mixed in.
- Once blended, I like to chill this cherry salsa for about 30 minutes before serving it so that the flavors meld and the color intensifies. If you don’t have time for that, no worries, it tastes delicious right away too!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
FAQs
Will frozen cherries work in this cherry salsa recipe?
Sure! They will have a softer texture though and they will not have the same brightness of flavor as the fresh fruit, but frozen cherries are an excellent alternative. Just thaw them in the fridge overnight or for several hours until softened, then incorporate into the recipe when called for. Bonus: frozen cherries are already pitted. 🙃
dig in!
Happy Cherry Season! Enjoy & let me know what you think 🌙 💛
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