Cherries, sweet (raw)
Low GI; tart cherry products are studied for exercise recovery and sleep.
1 Amount
How it fits your macros
Get your daily targets with the macro calculator to see what share of your day this portion covers.
Cherries, sweet for gym-goers
Per 100 g, cherries, sweet (raw) provides 63 kcal, 1.1 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate (2.1 g fiber, 12.8 g sugars) and 0.2 g fat (0 g saturated). It's mainly a carb source, so pair it with some protein to make a complete meal.
A typical serving (1 cup with pits, about 138 g) comes to roughly 87 kcal and 1.5 g protein.
These are typical averages. Brand, variety, ripeness and cooking method all shift the numbers, so weigh food in the same state (raw or cooked) as the entry you log.
About Cherries, sweet
Raw sweet cherries have about 63 kcal per 100 g and a GI of around 22, one of the lowest among fruits. The listed serving is a cup weighed with pits, so you actually eat a bit less than the grams shown. Note that sweet cherries are not the tart (Montmorency) cherries used in most recovery research.
In a gym diet
Sweet cherries make a satisfying low-GI snack on a cut or at maintenance, especially in summer. Studies on tart cherry juice and concentrate suggest they may reduce soreness and strength loss after hard exercise and may modestly help sleep. Sweet cherries have been studied less and contain different amounts of polyphenols. So treat a bowl of them as a tasty fruit portion, not a recovery supplement. They're a good swap for candy.
Preparation and cooking
Pit cherries before weighing for the most accurate numbers. A cherry pitter or a chopstick speeds this up. Frozen pitted cherries are handy for shakes and oats. In a compote they lose water and shrink, so weigh them raw.
Buying and storage
Choose firm, glossy cherries with green stems still attached and keep them unwashed in the fridge for up to a week. Maraschino and candied cherries are heavily sweetened and nothing like fresh nutritionally.
Things to watch
Don't crush or swallow cherry pits in any quantity, and whole cherries can be a choking risk for small children. Cherries also contain sorbitol, which may upset digestion in large portions.
Meal ideas
- Chocolate cherry shake: frozen cherries, chocolate whey, milk and a spoon of cocoa.
- Evening snack: a bowl of pitted cherries with cottage cheese before bed.
- Grain bowl: farro, spinach, cherries, grilled chicken, goat cheese and toasted almonds.
Nutrient highlights
None of the tracked vitamins and minerals reaches 10% of the Daily Value per 100 g, so you're eating it mainly for its macros.
How it ranks among 18 Fruits
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.7 g | #9 of 18 |
| Protein per 100 g | 1.1 g | #5 of 18 |
| Fiber per 100 g | 2.1 g | #11 of 18 |
| Lowest calories per 100 g | 63 kcal | #13 of 18 |
Ranked within this category of the gym.diet food database (1 = best for that measure).
Similar foods
Kiwifruit, green (raw)
61 kcal · P 1.1 · C 14.7 · F 0.5
→Grapefruit, pink/red (raw)
42 kcal · P 0.8 · C 10.7 · F 0.1
→Orange (raw)
47 kcal · P 0.9 · C 11.8 · F 0.1
→Watermelon (raw)
30 kcal · P 0.6 · C 7.6 · F 0.2
→Pomegranate arils (raw)
83 kcal · P 1.7 · C 18.7 · F 1.2
→Mango (raw)
60 kcal · P 0.8 · C 15 · F 0.4
Source
Approximate per-100 g values compiled from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy / Foundation Foods), rounded. Daily Values are the U.S. FDA reference amounts for adults (2,000 kcal diet).
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in cherries, sweet?
Cherries, sweet (raw) has about 63 kcal per 100 g, or roughly 87 kcal per 1 cup with pits (138 g).
How much protein is in cherries, sweet?
About 1.1 g of protein per 100 g and 1.5 g per 1 cup with pits. That works out to 1.7 g per 100 kcal, so it's not primarily a protein source.
Is cherries, sweet good for cutting or bulking?
It works in either phase. What matters is how it fits into your total calories and protein for the day.
Do sweet cherries help recovery like tart cherry juice?
Most recovery studies used tart cherry juice or concentrate, which delivers polyphenols in amounts far above a normal fruit serving. Sweet cherries share some of the same compounds but haven't been studied nearly as much. They're a healthy fruit, but you can't assume the research benefits apply.
Can cherries help you sleep?
Tart cherries naturally contain melatonin, and small studies found tart cherry juice may modestly improve sleep duration or quality. Sweet cherries have less melatonin and little evidence behind them. They make a pleasant evening snack, but good sleep habits matter far more.
Nutrition Facts
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. Values approximate.