RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
Beverages

Warm Spiced Tart Cherry Cup

Tart cherries simmered with cinnamon, ginger, clove, and orange zest, then blended into a warm, velvety evening cup.

Why you'll love Warm Spiced Tart Cherry Cup

This tastes like a mug of mulled cherries. Frozen tart cherries simmer in water with a cinnamon stick, ginger, cloves, and orange zest until they are soft and the kitchen smells like the holidays, and then the whole pot is blended so the fruit thickens the drink. It is deep red, tangy, and warmly spiced.

Blending the whole fruit is the point. Tart cherry juice is the fruit with its fiber strained out, and the sugar then arrives all at once. Here the skins and pulp stay in the cup, so it drinks like a thin, silky purée and the fruit's sugar is slowed by its own fiber. Tart cherries are sour on their own, so the cinnamon and orange zest, along with a teaspoon of allulose if you like, round them out.

Frozen tart cherries are sold in bags in most freezer aisles, already pitted, and they are as good as fresh here.

Quick overview: This Warm Spiced Tart Cherry Cup takes 5 min of hands-on time and about 15 min in all and makes 2 servings, each 1 mug (about 1 cup). You'll need a saucepan and a blender.

Jump to recipe

Mug of warm spiced tart cherry drink with a cinnamon stick
Prep 5 minCook 10 minTotal 15 minServes 2Serving 1 mug (about 1 cup)You'll need Saucepan, Blender

Ingredients

  • 1 cup frozen pitted tart cherries Label: tart cherries, and nothing else
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 thin slices fresh ginger
  • 1 small pinch ground cloves (or 2 whole cloves)
  • 1 wide strip orange zest
  • 1 tsp allulose, optional Label: allulose, and nothing else

Instructions

  1. Simmer: Put the cherries, water, cinnamon stick, ginger, cloves, and orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cherries are soft.
  2. Remove the whole spices: Lift out the cinnamon stick, ginger, orange zest, and any whole cloves.
  3. Blend: Carefully pour the hot cherries and liquid into a blender, vent the lid with a towel over it, and blend for 30 seconds until smooth. Stir in the allulose if using.
  4. Serve: Pour into two mugs and drink warm.

Storage and leftovers

This keeps for 4 days in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

Warm it gently on the stove or drink it cold, shaken, as a tart cherry cooler.

Variations

  • Cold: Chill it and serve over ice with a splash of sparkling water.
  • Creamy: Blend in 2 tablespoons canned coconut milk.
  • Cardamom: Add a pinch of ground cardamom to the simmer.
  • Berry: Use half tart cherries and half frozen raspberries.

Notes and tips

  • Vent the blender: Hot liquid expands as it blends. Remove the center cap and cover the opening with a folded towel.
  • Use tart cherries: Sweet cherries make a sweeter, flatter drink; tart ones give the tang.
  • Strip the zest thin: A vegetable peeler takes the orange zest without the bitter white pith.
  • Check the cherry label: Frozen tart cherries should read tart cherries, and nothing else.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Tart cherries carry anthocyanins, the deep red pigments, along with vitamin C.
  • Blending the whole fruit keeps its fiber in the cup, which slows how fast its sugar reaches your blood.
  • Cinnamon, ginger, and orange zest bring warmth and sweetness of smell, so the cup tastes rounder than its sugar would suggest.
  • A warm, low-sugar drink in the evening gives the end of the day a ritual that sits well with an early, steady dinner.
  • As you sip, notice the tang of the cherries and the warm spice, and check how you feel in the hour after it, whether a warm cup settles the evening for you.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Warm Spiced Tart Cherry Cup? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Where do I find tart cherries?

Frozen, pitted tart cherries are sold in bags in the freezer aisle.

Can I use tart cherry juice?

This recipe uses the whole fruit so the fiber stays in the cup. Juice drinks much sweeter and faster.

Can I drink it cold?

Yes. It keeps 4 days in the refrigerator and is good over ice.

Do I have to blend it?

Blending keeps the fruit in the drink. Without it, you are drinking cherry-flavored water and eating the cherries with a spoon, which works too.

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Tags: Beverages, American, Dairy-Free, 30 Minutes or Less