The Best Cherry Pitter
Researched by Johnny Alto · last updated July 29, 2026
Short answer: The best cherry pitter is the OXO Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter. This is OXO's single-at-a-time pitter and the sensible default for most kitchens: a cast-zinc body, a cushioned non-slip grip, a removable splash guard that keeps juice off your shirt and counter, and a recessed bracket that grips both big Bing and Rainier cherries and smaller olives. The main things to weigh are single vs multi, splash guard, comfort and safety, and honest caveat.
OXO Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter
This is OXO's single-at-a-time pitter and the sensible default for most kitchens: a cast-zinc body, a cushioned non-slip grip, a removable splash guard that keeps juice off your shirt and counter, and a recessed bracket that grips both big Bing and Rainier cherries and smaller olives. It locks closed for drawer storage and the parts are dishwasher-safe, and it genuinely pits olives too, which the multi-cherry gadgets do poorly. The honest limits: one fruit at a time is slow if you are pitting pounds for a pie or canning, and soft or undersized cherries can slip or get only partially pitted, occasionally leaving a bit of stone or extra mush.
Check price on Amazon Live price on Amazon. Representative image.Anyone who has hand-pitted cherries with a paperclip knows the payoff (pies, jam, safe snacks for kids) and the mess (stained fingers, juice everywhere, the odd tooth-cracking pit left behind). The right pitter is about matching volume to tool. This is for home cooks deciding between a quick everyday olive-and-cherry pitter and a batch machine for canning season. Here is the everyday pick, a faster multi-pitter, and a high-volume hopper.
How do the best options for cherry pitter compare?
| Pick | Product | Why it makes the list |
|---|---|---|
| Top pick | OXO Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter | This is OXO's single-at-a-time pitter and the sensible default for most kitchens: a cast-zinc body, a cushioned non-slip grip, a removable splash guard that keeps juice off your shirt and counter, and a recessed bracket that grips both big Bing and Rainier cherries and smaller olives. |
| Fastest for batches | OXO Good Grips Quick-Release Multi Cherry Pitter | Pits about 6 cherries per stroke and catches pits in a base, far faster for batches. It is bulkier to store and fussier about cherry size, so mixed sizes can jam or get missed. |
| High-volume / canning | Leifheit 37200 Cherrymat Cherrystone Remover | A hopper-fed plunger design rated around 25 lb per hour, ideal for canning and jam season. Cherries reliably jam in the chute so you stop to clear it, it is mostly plastic, and it is overkill for a single bowl of snacking cherries. |
| Combo with huller | OXO Quick-Release Multi Cherry Pitter & Strawberry Huller | The same 6-at-a-time pitter bundled with a strawberry huller for summer prep. It inherits the multi-pitter's size-fussiness and jamming, and you pay for a second tool you may not need. |
What should you look for in cherry pitter?
A few things separate a good cherry pitter from a frustrating one: single vs multi, splash guard, comfort and safety, and honest caveat. Weigh these before you buy.
- Single vs multi: single (OXO Cherry & Olive) is precise and doubles for olives; multi (OXO Quick-Release) trades precision for speed; hopper machines (Leifheit) are for pounds at a time and jam more.
- Splash guard: a removable shield matters more than people expect, since cherry juice stains counters and clothes.
- Comfort and safety: look for a cushioned spring handle and a lock-closed feature for storage, since stiff springs tire your hand over a big batch.
- Honest caveat: all pitters occasionally leave a fragment of stone in soft or small cherries, so check before serving to kids; the hopper types jam and the plastic ones are less durable than cast zinc.
Match the pitter to your volume
The reason there is no single best cherry pitter is that the tools are built for completely different volumes, and buying the wrong scale is why people are disappointed. If you mostly pit a bowl of cherries for snacking or the occasional handful of olives, a single-fruit handheld like the OXO is perfect: it is precise, it grips odd sizes, it doubles for olives, and it stores small. Try to pit five pounds for a pie with it, though, and the one-at-a-time pace becomes miserable. That is where a multi-pitter that does roughly six cherries per stroke earns its bulk, cutting the time dramatically for a baking session. And if you are canning or making jam by the pound every summer, a hopper machine like the Leifheit that you feed continuously and crank through is the right scale, with the honest tradeoff that hopper feeds jam on odd-sized fruit and you will stop to clear them. Across all of them, two small features matter more than buyers expect: a removable splash guard, because cherry juice permanently stains clothes and grout, and a comfortable spring handle, because a stiff one wears out your hand halfway through a batch. And no pitter is perfect, so always glance for a stray stone before serving pitted cherries to children.
What are the best alternatives?
OXO Good Grips Quick-Release Multi Cherry Pitter
Pits about 6 cherries per stroke and catches pits in a base, far faster for batches. It is bulkier to store and fussier about cherry size, so mixed sizes can jam or get missed.
Check price on AmazonLeifheit 37200 Cherrymat Cherrystone Remover
A hopper-fed plunger design rated around 25 lb per hour, ideal for canning and jam season. Cherries reliably jam in the chute so you stop to clear it, it is mostly plastic, and it is overkill for a single bowl of snacking cherries.
Check price on AmazonOXO Quick-Release Multi Cherry Pitter & Strawberry Huller
The same 6-at-a-time pitter bundled with a strawberry huller for summer prep. It inherits the multi-pitter's size-fussiness and jamming, and you pay for a second tool you may not need.
Check price on AmazonBottom line: the OXO Cherry & Olive pitter is the precise everyday pick that also handles olives; step to the Quick-Release multi for speed or the Leifheit Cherrymat for canning volume. Match the tool to how much you pit, and always check for stray stones. Pair it with our salt-cellar and kitchen guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cherry pitter?
OXO Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter. This is OXO's single-at-a-time pitter and the sensible default for most kitchens: a cast-zinc body, a cushioned non-slip grip, a removable splash guard that keeps juice off your shirt and counter, and a recessed bracket that grips both big Bing and Rainier cherries and smaller olives.
What should you look for in cherry pitter?
Focus on single vs multi, splash guard, comfort and safety, and honest caveat.
What is a good alternative to the OXO Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter?
The OXO Good Grips Quick-Release Multi Cherry Pitter. Pits about 6 cherries per stroke and catches pits in a base, far faster for batches. It is bulkier to store and fussier about cherry size, so mixed sizes can jam or get missed.
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This is a research-based buying guide, not a personal hands-on review; recommendations reflect community consensus and verified buyer reviews. Prices and availability are subject to change, so always confirm on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
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