Is Maraschino Cherries Keto?

The Ingredient Breakdown

To understand why this treat is forbidden on keto, we need to look at how Maraschino Cherries are actually made. The process involves bleaching the fruit with sulfur dioxide and then soaking it in a heavy syrup. Here is a look at the specific ingredients and why they are flagged:

Cherries: The base ingredient is naturally high in sugar compared to other berries. While fresh cherries can be eaten in moderation, the serving size for keto is tiny. In a jar of Maraschinos, the fruit has absorbed even more sugar.

Sugar: This is the primary dealbreaker. The ingredients list explicitly includes sugar, which is the direct enemy of ketosis. The fruit is macerated in this sugar to replace the natural juices lost during the bleaching process.

Glucose: Often used alongside sugar, glucose is a simple sugar with a high glycemic index. It ensures the syrup is thick and the cherries stay preserved, but it provides immediate carbohydrates that your body will burn before fat.

Maraschino Flavour & Natural Color: After bleaching, the cherries lose their natural taste and color. Manufacturers add these back in to make them palatable. While these specific additives are low-carb, they are part of a processing chain that turns a whole fruit into a sugar bomb.

Nutritional Value

When analyzing the nutritional profile of Maraschino Cherries, the macronutrients tell a clear story. A standard serving of just 10 cherries (roughly one tablespoon of syrup-drained cherries) typically contains between 7 to 9 grams of total carbohydrates. Because there is almost zero fiber in these processed cherries, the net carbs are nearly identical to the total carbs.

For a standard keto diet, the daily limit is usually 20 to 25 grams of net carbs. Eating a single maraschino cherry puts a significant dent in that allowance. Furthermore, these cherries offer negligible nutritional value in terms of vitamins or minerals because the bleaching and boiling process destroys most heat-sensitive nutrients. They are essentially empty calories in the form of pure sugar.