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Tart cherries

Prunus cerasus

Also known as Sour cherry, Montmorency cherry, Morello cherry

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The sour cherry species, distinct from sweet cherries and grown largely for juice, concentrate and processing. Montmorency is the dominant variety in research and in the juice trade.

Muscle & Physical PerformanceJoint HealthSleep

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Exercise recovery

Muscle & Physical Performance
Moderate evidence

Several trials and pooled analyses report less muscle soreness and faster recovery of strength when tart cherry juice is taken around strenuous exercise. Reviews flag substantial heterogeneity, small samples and frequent industry funding, so the size of the effect is uncertain.

What may be going on: Attributed to anthocyanins acting on exercise-induced oxidative and inflammatory signalling, though the marker changes and the symptom changes do not always line up.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Joint comfort

Joint Health
Limited evidence

A handful of small trials report lower uric acid and fewer self-reported gout flares with cherry intake, alongside modest changes in osteoarthritis pain scores. The trials are small, mostly short, and joint pain scores are highly placebo-sensitive.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Sleep quality

Sleep
Limited evidence

Some small trials report modest increases in sleep time or efficiency with tart cherry juice. Sample sizes are very small, outcomes are often self-reported, and the melatonin content of the juice is far below a typical supplement dose.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Tart cherries

Ask about Tart cherries

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

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Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories50 kcal3%
Protein1 g2%
Total fat0.3 g0%
Carbohydrate12.2 g4%
Fibre1.6 g6%
Total sugars8.49 g—
Water86.1 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.068 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.082 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.09 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.046 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A64 µg7%
Vitamin C10 mg11%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.07 mg0%
Vitamin K2.1 µg2%
Thiamin (B1)0.03 mg3%
Riboflavin (B2)0.04 mg3%
Niacin (B3)0.4 mg3%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.143 mg3%
Vitamin B60.044 mg3%
Folate8 µg2%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline6.1 mg1%
Minerals
Calcium16 mg1%
Iron0.32 mg2%
Magnesium9 mg2%
Phosphorus15 mg1%
Potassium173 mg4%
Sodium3 mg0%
Zinc0.1 mg1%
Copper0.104 mg12%
Manganese0.112 mg5%
Selenium0 µg0%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene770 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin85 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.4 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Cherries, sour, red, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173954).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Sorbitol and FODMAP content

    Cherries are high in sorbitol and are a frequently reported trigger of bloating, wind and loose stools in irritable bowel syndrome, particularly as juice or concentrate where the dose is compressed.

  • Too much

    Sugar load in juice and concentrate

    Most tart cherry research uses concentrate or juice, which delivers the sugar of a large quantity of fruit without the fibre. Daily use adds a meaningful amount of free sugar to the diet.

  • Worth knowing

    Amygdalin in the kernel

    Cherry kernels inside the pit contain amygdalin, a cyanide precursor. Swallowing an intact pit is harmless; crushing and eating kernels is not.

  • Allergy

    Birch-pollen oral allergy syndrome

    Cherries cross-react with birch pollen and commonly cause mouth and lip itching in people sensitised to it. Cooked or processed fruit is usually tolerated because the responsible protein is heat-sensitive.