AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of using sour cherry puree in tarhana formulations on the nutritional value and quality criteria of tarhana. In the formulation, 50% and 100% of tomato and pepper purees were replaced by sour cherry puree, and in another formulation, 100% of sour cherry puree was used instead of yogurt. The use of sour cherry puree instead of tomato and pepper puree enriched the tarhana in terms of essential and other amino acids. Tarhana samples were found to be rich in oleic acid (22.02%–39.12%) among monounsaturated fatty acids. The presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids including linoleic (11.09%–33.56%) and linolenic acids (14.04%–28.91%) was determined in the samples. The dominant saturated fatty acid found in the samples was palmitic acid (8.05%–12.89%). There were no significant changes in moisture, aw, ash content, pH, HMF content as well as water and fat absorption capacity values. When sour cherry puree was used instead of yogurt, there was a decrease in protein (10.71%) and fat (0.38%) contents as well as L (43.46) value, while an increase was detected in total phenolic content (2.38 mg GAE/g), antioxidant activity (10.35 μmol TE/100 g) and mineral composition, namely K, Fe, Cu, Mn, and B. Considering sensory analyses, the sample in which tomato and pepper purees were substituted with 50% sour cherry puree received the highest scores in general taste, flavor, and consistency parameters together with the control tarhana (CT0). The 50% substitution of sour cherry puree with tomato and pepper purees enriched the tarhana samples both nutritionally and sensorially.