Apple and Sour Cherry Juice
This apple and sour cherry juice pairs sweet autumn apples with tart sour cherries for a deep ruby drink with no added sugar. It works with fresh cherries in summer or frozen ones the rest of the year, takes about 10 minutes with a juicer or a blender and a strainer, and it’s naturally vegan.
I made this one in the autumn, when the apples were ready and the sour cherries were long gone. Back in summer, when the sour cherry tree in the garden was loaded, I pitted and froze bag after bag of them, and this is what I did with a couple of those bags: thawed them, ran them through the juicer with the apples and poured in every drop of the juice they released. The cherries stop the apple from being one-note sweet and turn the whole jar the color of stained glass, which is exactly what you want on a gray October afternoon.
Juicing Frozen Sour Cherries
Let frozen sour cherries thaw in a bowl first; a juicer can’t do much with rock-hard fruit. Don’t pour off the dark liquid they release, because that’s pure cherry juice. Tip it into the jug at the end. If you froze them with the pits in, pit them once they’re soft.
Fresh sour cherries in season work the same way, they just need pitting. Store-bought frozen sour cherries are fine too; check that they’re pitted and unsweetened.
Which Apples to Use
Sweet, juicy apples balance the cherries best. I used red-and-yellow autumn apples with a few spots on the skin, which don’t matter at all for juice. Gala, Fuji, Jonagold or a mix of varieties all work. No need to peel them; just wash them well and cut out the cores.
No juicer? Blend the chopped apples and thawed cherries with ½ cup (120 ml) of water, then strain through a fine sieve or a nut milk bag, pressing hard. A squeeze of lemon keeps the color bright, and if your cherries are very tart, a little maple syrup rounds it out.
Storing and Serving
- Fridge: up to 2 days in a sealed jar. Fresh juice separates, so shake or stir it before pouring.
- Freezer: in portions or ice cube trays for up to 2 months. The cubes are great in sparkling water.
- Warm: heat it gently with a cinnamon stick or a slice of ginger, without letting it boil, for a cozy autumn drink.
For more fresh juices, try the beet juice for weight loss, this sea buckthorn vitamin juice, or a super skin glow juice. And if you still have sour cherries in the freezer, bake an easy sour cherry tart.
Apple and Sour Cherry Juice
Equipment
- Juicer or blender
- Fine strainer or nut milk bag
- Jug or jar
Ingredients
- 6 apples medium, about 2.5 lb (1.1 kg), cored and chopped
- 2 cups sour cherries pitted, fresh or frozen and thawed, with their juice
- ½ cup water optional
- 1 tbsp lemon juice optional
- maple syrup optional, to taste
- ice to serve
Instructions
- Wash the apples well, remove the cores, and chop them into chunks. Pit fresh sour cherries; if using frozen, thaw them in a bowl and keep the juice they release.
- Run the apples and cherries through a juicer, alternating between the two, then add the cherry juice from the bowl. If using a blender, blend the fruit with the water until smooth.
- If you blended the fruit, strain the juice through a fine sieve or a nut milk bag, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Stir in the lemon juice and taste. Add a little maple syrup if the cherries are very tart.
- Serve fresh over ice, or chill before serving.
Notes
Questions About This Juice
No. A juicer gives the clearest juice, but you can blend the fruit with a little water and strain it through a fine sieve or nut milk bag for the same fresh result.
Yes, that is how I made this batch. Thaw them in a bowl and keep the juice they release; it goes into the jug with the rest. Frozen sour cherries let you make this juice any time of year.
No. Ripe apples make this juice naturally sweet, so no sugar is needed. If your sour cherries are very tart, you can add a small drizzle of maple syrup to taste.
Fresh juice is best the day it is made. Store it in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze it in portions or as ice cubes for up to 2 months.
No need. The juicer or the strainer separates the peel anyway, so just wash the apples well and remove the cores.
Yes. Warm the juice gently on the stove with a cinnamon stick or a slice of ginger for a cozy, spiced autumn drink. Do not let it boil, to keep the fresh flavor.
