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Best Cherry Pitters

Updated July 2023
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Pros
Cons
Best of the Best
OXO Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter
OXO
Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter
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Trusted Brand
Bottom Line

Effortlessly pit cherries without making a mess with this cherry pitter from OXO.

Pros

Designed to pit cherries of all sizes, even larger Bing cherries. Suitable for use with olives as well. Splatter shield prevents cherry juice from creating a mess on your counter or clothes, but is easily removable for cleaning. Comfortable in your hand thanks to the non-slip grip.

Cons

The splatter shield tends to fall off during use.

Best Bang for the Buck
Prepworks by Progressive Cherry Pitter
Prepworks by Progressive
Cherry Pitter
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Unique Design
Bottom Line

Quickly pit up to 6 cherries or olives at once with this palm-sized pitter.

Pros

Cherries fit into 6 cups. Pits and excess juice are collected in the bottom of the pitter for easy cleanup. Features a non-skid base so it won't slip around on the counter while you're pitting. Keeps your hands and your counter clean while pitting.

Cons

This pitter sometimes misses if the pits are smaller.

EddHomes Cherry Pitter
EddHomes
Cherry Pitter
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Easiest to Use
Bottom Line

This cherry pitter is simple to use and locks closed for compact storage.

Pros

Quick and easy operation, simply load the cherry and squeeze to remove the pit. Equipped with a locking mechanism that keeps the pitter closed to store and prevent damage to the punch bar. Suitable for olives and dates as well. Dishwasher safe.

Cons

This pitter can be quite messy, as it tends to splatter cherry juice in the process.

Kitchen Crop Orchard Cherry Pitter, Suction Base
Kitchen Crop
Orchard Cherry Pitter, Suction Base
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Best for Experts
Bottom Line

This suction-base cherry pitter is great for rapidly pitting many cherries at once.

Pros

Effectively secures to smooth surfaces and won't slip around during operation. Quickly pits cherries and collects pits in the lower changer. Great for bakers, chefs, or cherry enthusiasts who use a lot of cherries at once.

Cons

Not as effective at pitting smaller sour cherries.

ProTensils Cherry Pitter Tool
ProTensils
Cherry Pitter Tool
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Simple yet Solid
Bottom Line

Ideal for those looking for a simple yet effective tool to remove pits.

Pros

Made of durable, easy-to-clean zinc alloy. Features a lip that rests on 1 side of a bowl so pits can be collected easily. Locking mechanism is great for storing the pitter in drawers or cupboards. Dishwasher safe and sure to last.

Cons

This pitter takes away some of the cherry flesh with the pit.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.About BestReviews 
HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

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Buying guide for best cherry pitters

Who doesn’t love fresh cherries? The glossy color. The chubby shape. Fresh cherry pie. Cherry vanilla ice cream. You can eat fresh, sweet cherries without pitting them, of course, but you must carefully bite around the pit. You can cut each cherry open with a knife and remove the pit, but that can soon turn into a sticky, messy process. If you want to enjoy a few (or many) fresh cherries – and you don’t want to spend all your time removing pits – you need a cherry pitter.

It seems like a simple task, but there is a surprising assortment of tools designed to remove the pits from cherries. How do you choose the right one for you? We at BestReviews can help. We aim to make your shopping experience easier so you can get on with doing what you really want to do – eat fresh, pitted cherries.

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It’s thought that cherries originated in northeastern Asia, but it’s difficult to pin down an exact spot because they’ve long been cultivated all over the world. Birds love cherries and probably contributed to the distribution of the fruit through their migrations.

A bit about cherries

Cherry trees belong to the genus Prunus, along with peaches, plums, apricots, and almonds, all of which are in the rose family. The cherry is a stone fruit, also called a “drupe.” You’ll find the fruit in the familiar cherry-red color, of course, but there are also white-fleshed cherries, as well as cherries with dark red, yellow, and purplish-black skin. Cherries are ripe from late spring through summer. There are three main types of cherries: sweet, sour, and wild.

Sweet cherries

These are the cherries you eat fresh in the summertime. Worldwide, there are some 900 varieties of sweet cherry, with the juicy red Bing or blush-tinged gold Rainier probably the most familiar in the U.S. Most of the sweet cherry production in this country is concentrated in California, Oregon, and Washington. Sweet cherries are rich in antioxidants (anthocyanins), vitamin C, potassium, copper, and manganese. They are also higher in fiber and sugar than sour cherries.

Sour cherries

There are about 300 varieties of sour cherry, but nearly all commercial pie fillings are Montmorency cherries, grown in Wisconsin, Michigan, Utah, New York, Pennsylvania, France, and elsewhere. Sour cherries can withstand harsher climates than sweet cherries. These cherries are not often eaten raw but mostly canned or cooked – with lots of sweetener – or otherwise prepared. Montmorency cherries are rich in antioxidants (anthocyanins), vitamin C, potassium, copper, and manganese. They have more vitamin A and less fiber than sweet cherries.

Wild cherries

These cherries are smaller, less fleshy, and more astringent than sweet or sour cherries. Like foraging for wild mushrooms, you must be very careful – and knowledgeable – when picking wild cherries. Some edible varieties have pits, twigs, and bark that are toxic.

Why use a cherry pitter?

Using a knife to cut around the circumference of a cherry and remove the pit is a time-consuming and messy chore if you’re doing more than a few. Plus, it isn’t easy to remove the pits with a knife and still end up with whole cherries, a concern if you want to use them as decorative elements on a dessert. A cherry pitter simplifies and speeds up the task.

"Tart cherry juice is touted as beneficial for everything from cognitive function, arthritis pain, and the immune system to metabolism, sleep, and heart health."
STAFF
BestReviews

Types of cherry pitters

Many of today’s cherry pitters would look familiar to Paul D. Cook, who patented the first one in 1923. They resemble a cross between a small pair of tongs and a hole punch. The simplest pitters can be used with one hand and have a spoon-like bowl on the lower arm with a hole in the center, and a downward-facing blade or punch on the upper arm, centered over the bowl. Set a cherry in the bowl and press the two arms together. The punch passes through the cherry, pushing the pit out the bottom and through the hole in the bowl.

Since 1923, there have been many attempts to improve on Cook’s uncomplicated design – and the results have been mixed. There are cherry pitters that work like a syringe, some with a screw mechanism resembling a nutcracker, some that look like a child’s plastic toy gun, some that look like a stapler, and some that look like an old-fashioned meat grinder.

Despite all the innovations, there are really only two types of cherry pitter: handheld and countertop.

Handheld cherry pitters

Most of these tools look much like Cook’s original, with variations. These pit one cherry at a time. Some are plastic; others are metal (usually zinc alloy). Variations include a deeper bowl for the cherry, ergonomic design, and a splash guard. There are also “push-button” pitters with a spring-loaded piston that you press to push the pit out of the cherry.

Countertop cherry pitters

Most of these tools are designed to deal with more than one cherry at a time, either pitting two to six cherries at a time or by automatically feeding each cherry from a hopper into position to be pitted.

Multiple cherries: Some countertop models have several blades in the underside of the lid and indentations in the base for two to six cherries. You press down on the lid to pit the cherries, and the pits fall into an attached receptacle below.

Hopper: Countertop models speed up the cherry-positioning process, but you are still pitting one cherry at a time. You put the cherries in an attached hopper that automatically feeds each cherry down a slanted chute to the right position, and you pit it by pushing on a spring-loaded piston or lever or turning a crank. The crank-operated pitters tend to smash the fruit, so they aren’t a good option if you care what your pitted cherries look like. Also, some are sized more for smaller sour cherries rather than large sweet Bings.

"Paul D. Cook of Sioux City, Iowa, filed his patent for a “simple and thoroughly efficient” cherry pitter in 1923. The device hasn’t changed much in the decades since."
STAFF
BestReviews

Cherry pitter features to consider

Precision: You want a cherry pitter that doesn’t macerate or squash your cherries – that would defeat the purpose. You want whole, pitted cherries, not wasted fruit.

Number: How many cherries do you want to pit at a time? Handheld pitters and most countertop models pit one at a time. It’s also true that some countertop pitters can do up to six at once, but you still have to put those six cherries into position.

Durability: Cherry pitters of all types are either plastic (except for the punch or blade) or non-corrosive metal (usually zinc alloy) or a combination of the two. A metal cherry pitter is not necessarily a more durable cherry pitter. There are plenty of happy customers who swear by their plastic cherry pitters.

Splatter guard: Getting your good clothes covered in cherry juice is the pits. Even if the manufacturer says the device won’t splash, it probably will. You might want to choose a model with some type of splash guard to help keep the juice contained.

Handheld or countertop: Handheld cherry pitters are lighter and usually pit one cherry at a time. Look for one that’s comfortable and easy to hold if you need to work your way through several quarts of cherries. If you prefer to pit several cherries at once, a countertop model might be a better choice.

Cherry size: Many pitters can handle large Bing cherries, while some are better suited to smaller sour cherries. If there’s a particular type of cherry you eat most often, fit the pitter to the fruit.

Versatility: Some pitters say they pit olives or other fruit, too. Read customer reviews to see if the pitters live up to the promises.

Lock: Most handheld pitters lock for storage, much the way the arms of tongs lock together so they won’t get tangled with other implements in the drawer.

Cleanup: Whether plastic or metal, you want a pitter that won’t get stained by cherry juice. Some pitters disassemble for easy cleaning. Some can go right in the dishwasher, while others must be hand-washed.

Efficiency: Not every pitter gets 100% of the pits on the first try, but you don’t want to have to search every cherry for the pit, either. Read customer reviews to see how efficient your chosen pitter is.

Extras: Some manufacturers include a book of cherry recipes with the pitter, although there are more recipes than you could make in a lifetime online.

Warranty: Many cherry pitters come with a warranty. Some manufacturers offer a 90-day money-back guarantee, while others let you return a broken device within 120 days. Some warranties are for two years, and others are for a lifetime – the seller will replace the pitter, no questions asked, if it should break. And you don’t have to spend a lot to get a warranty. Even some of the least-expensive pitters are guaranteed.

Cherry pitter prices

Prices vary widely for cherry pitters, from $8 to $190, and in this case, spending more money won’t necessarily get you a better, more efficient, longer-lasting product. Many consumers are thrilled with their $8 cherry pitters, while others rue the day they spent many times that on a contraption that didn’t work as promised. Depending on how you feel about all the bells and whistles, there is no reason to spend more than $15 for a cherry pitter that works and will last you for many summers to come. And it will probably even have a lifetime warranty.

Handheld cherry pitters range in price from $8 to $13.

Countertop cherry pitters range from $11 to $190.

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Did you know?
Fruit predates hops as a flavoring for beer. In 1930, Belgians started brewing a beer called kriek lambic that’s fermented with sour cherries and the pits.
STAFF
BestReviews

Tips

  • Freeze large quantities of cherries. Stock up in spring and summer when cherries are in season, and rinse, pit, and freeze them for use in the fall and winter.

  • Wear an apron or old shirt when you pit cherries. Even if your cherry pitter has a splash guard, some of the juice could end up on your clothes, and you’ll certainly get it on your hands. Lemon juice helps remove cherry juice stains from hands, while white vinegar helps remove stains from fabric.

  • Improvise if need be. In a pinch, you can use an unfolded paper clip, chopstick, or pastry tip to push out cherry pits.

  • Involve the kids. Children love cherries, but cherry pits can be choking hazards, so it’s safer to give kids pitted cherries. Most cherry pitters are very easy to use, so you can encourage your kids to help pit the cherries before eating them.
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Fresh cherries are delicious eaten fresh or added to salads, ice cream, or yogurt. You’ll find candied cherries in Black Forest cake and fruitcake and distilled cherries in Alsatian kirsch. Cherries are also delicious baked in cobblers and dried and added to trail mix.

FAQ

Q. Can I use a cherry pitter for other fruits?

A. Most pitters don’t open wide enough to accommodate larger fruits, although there are some that indicate they can be used for kumquats, apricots, or olives, and some say only black olives, not the harder green ones. Cherry pitter manufacturers don’t recommend trying to core fruit like strawberries with a cherry pitter – the strawberries are too soft and will just get mashed.

Q. Which is better: a countertop cherry pitter or a handheld model?

A. Both types work fine. Your choice depends on a number of factors. Handheld cherry pitters are lighter, but you have to position each cherry and pit them one at a time. Look for a handheld pitter with an ergonomic design that’s comfortable and easy to hold if you need to work your way through several quarts of cherries. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome or lack grip strength for some other reason, you might prefer to pit several cherries at once with a countertop model you can crank or press with the heel of your hand. Make sure the countertop pitter has a non-skid base (if it doesn’t clamp to the counter).