Even the most novice baker can achieve success with this easy and delicious Cherry Pie recipe. It includes a homemade cherry pie filling made with fresh or canned cherries, baked inside a flaky pie crust.
I have too many favorite pie recipes to count and most can be enjoyed all year round, like cherry pie, Coconut Cream Pie, and Key Lime Pie.
Of all the pies in the world, Cherry Pie tops the list as one of the easiest pies to make, and I’m excited to share the simple, delicious recipe with you all!
How to make Cherry Pie:
If using fresh cherries:
- Pit and halve the cherries. Add them to a mixing bowl with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice and toss to combine. Set aside while you prepare the pie crust. (When using fresh cherries you don’t need to cook the mixture, like you do with the canned cherries).
If using canned cherries:
- Drain the juice from the cans of cherries into a saucepan, reserving 1/3 cup in a small bowl. Set the cherries aside.
- Add cornstarch to the bowl with the reserved 1/3 cup of juice and stir well to combine.
- Heat the saucepan (that has the juice in it) over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir well. Bring mixture to a low boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Fold in the cherries. Add a few drops of red food coloring, if desired.
- Allow mixture to cool to room temperature while you prepare the pie crusts.
- Line pie plate with pie crust and cherry pie filling into it. If desired, cut the top crust into wide strips to lay a lattice crust on the pie, or place the whole, uncut pie crust over the filling and poke a hole in the top for steam to release as the pie bakes. (Here’s a lattice top tutorial if you’ve never made one on a pie.)
- Pinch the edges of the top and bottom pie crusts together and crimp the edge, if you like. Brush a thin layer of beaten egg white over the top of the pie crust and sprinkle the crust pieces lightly with granulated sugar.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.
Some Tips for perfect cherry pie:
Should you use Sweet or Sour Cherries for cherry pie? Sour, tart cherries (sometimes called “pie” cherries) are most commonly used in desserts like cherry pie. If using sweet cherries, decrease the sugar in this recipe by at least 1/3 cup.
Use a homemade pie crust! For pies like this that bake for longer in the oven, a homemade pie crust will make a difference in how the crust holds up as it bakes.
Most store-bought pie crusts are super thin and flimsy so the edges brown and dry out more quickly when baking. (Store-bought crusts work better for custard or pudding type of pie that only requires a pre-baked pie shell).
The good news, is my favorite pie crust recipe can be made weeks or even months in advance so that your pie dough is ready to “roll” (pun intended 🙂 ) when you need it!
Make ahead Instructions:
Both the cherry pie filling and pie crust can be made a few days in advance, stored in the fridge until ready to use.
Freezing Instructions:
Baked and cooled cherry pie can be covered tightly and frozen for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The prepared cherry pie filling and pie crust can also be frozen, stored separately.
CONSIDER TRYING THESE HOMEMADE PIES:
- Lemon Sour Cream Pie
- Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping
- Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Pie
- Key Lime Pie
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Oreo Cheesecake Pie
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Cherry Pie
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh, sour cherries or three (14.5 oz) cans sour cherries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- red food coloring , optional
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- homemade pie crust (this recipe makes 2 crusts: one for the bottom and one for the top)
- 1 large egg white , beaten with a fork
- granulated sugar , for sprinkling on top
Instructions
If using fresh cherries:
- Pit and halve the cherries. Add them to a mixing bowl with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice and toss to combine. Set aside while you prepare the pie crust. (When using fresh cherries you don't need to cook the mixture, like you do with the canned cherries).
If using canned cherries:
- Drain the juice from the cans of cherries into a saucepan, reserving 1/3 cup in a small bowl. Set the cherries aside.
- Add cornstarch to the bowl with the reserved 1/3 cup of juice and stir well to combine.
- Heat the saucepan (that has the juice in it) over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir well. Bring mixture to a low boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Fold in the cherries. Add a few drops of red food coloring, if desired.
- Allow mixture to cool to room temperature while you prepare the pie crusts.
Prepare Pie:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grab your 9'' deep dish pie pan. (You can use a regular 9'' pan but you may have more filling than you need).
- Remove one chilled pie crust dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured counter, roll out your dough to about 12'' in diameter. Gently place in the bottom of your 9'' deep dish pie dish. Spoon the cherry filling into the unbaked crust and sprinkle a little cinnamon over the filling.
- Remove the second pie crust from the fridge and roll it out in a similar manner. Use a pizza cutter, knife or pastry wheel to cut the crust into long strips, about 1/2'' wide. Lay strips over the crust in a lattice pattern. (If you're lazy, like me, you can just lay half of the strips going one direction, and the others on top, going perpendicular, leaving a small space between each.)
- Pinch the edges of the top and bottom pie crusts together and crimp the edge, if you like. Brush a thin layer of beaten egg white over the top of the pie crust and sprinkle the crust pieces lightly with granulated sugar.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. Check it after about 25 minutes and gently place a piece of tinfoil over the top crust to keep it from getting too brown. I remove this tinfoil about 5 minutes before it's done baking.
- Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for several hours. Once cooled completely, you can cut and serve it, or cover it and refrigerate it overnight to serve the next day.
- Leftover cherry pie will last up to 5 days, stored in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe June 2017. Updated April 2020 with process photos and more detailed instructions.
Janet Granados says
Do you have a recipe for cherry pie using canned tart pitted cherries in water?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Janet,
At this point I do not :)! Hopefully in the future.
Pam says
So, I have cans of cherries in water. You are saying that the juice of these is not the juice you are speaking of in your recipe?
Lauren Allen says
See step number 1 in the directions for “If using canned cherries”.
Michelle says
Easy, easy and delicious. I accidentally put all the ingredients, including the cherries ? in the saucepan before I realized I was to make the sauce separately. I went ahead and cooked and the filling turned out perfectly. Very forgiving recipe.
Lauren Allen says
It really is forgiving! I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Jennifer says
I just made this today for my husband’s birthday. I used FROZEN SWEET CHERRIES from Costco. I used 8 cups of frozen cherries. I thawed the cherries in a saucepan so they gave off some of their juice, then followed the rest of the recipe as written except using 6 TB cornstarch instead of 1/4 C, and used 1/2 C Splenda instead of sugar. I did not discard any of the juice. Cherry Pie PERFECTION! THANK YOU!!!
Jacqueline Hess says
If you’re lucky enough to have a Dollar Tree where you live, they offer wonderful Morello Cherries in a 12.5oz jar. Perfect!
Rob says
It is relatively easy to make an overlapping lattice on parchment on a cookie sheet. Use a light egg wash to tack the pie crust strips as you overlap. Put the tray in the freezer for half hour. Then make your base crust and pie filling. Slide the semi frozen lattice crust over top and allow it to come to room temperature. Crimp as you normally would once soft, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with superfine sugar then into the oven. You can also buy a rolling pin that has slit cutters at alternating positions. Once you roll the upper crust, you roll the cutter over and then give it a quick stretch to open the slits into a pleasing pattern as you settle it over the fruit. Crimp and into the oven as usual. Super easy.
Joi says
Hi. When do u use the butter? I missed that part. Thanks!!
Lauren Allen says
Its added in step 3, of the filling 🙂
Jay Meadows says
If you’re asking about the butter that’s added when making the filling in the stove (because you used canned cherries), the butter is added after the filling has thickened and just before adding the final two ingredients to your filling (lemon juice and cherries). See step 3 of instruction (when using canned cherries).