Homemade Cherry Pie

Updated 3rd Aug 2023

Cherry pie filled with ripe fresh sweet cherries is a Summer favorite and classic that my family loves. This easy pie can be made with fresh cherries or frozen sweet cherries. A touch of almond extract in the filling helps the cherries shine along with the vanilla and pinch of ground cinnamon between buttery layers of crust. There is nothing like a fresh Cherry Pie bubbling through a rich, flaky crust. Once you’ve pitted the cherries, the hard work is behind you and all that’s left is mixing the ingredients together. Pie recipes like this really are my favourite to make while fruit is at its peak - you will love this one - easy and irresistible with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Homemade pies are easy to make and so satisfying to eat. We change up the fruit with the seasons and make apple pies in the cooler months, then blueberry pie, strawberry-rhubarb pie, fresh strawberry pie juicy peach pie and of course this sweet cherry pie in Summer.

Cherry Pie Recipe Ingredients

• Cherries: Use any type of cherries - sweet or sour and fresh or frozen. No need to thaw if using frozen just slice and allow to sit - they will thaw while set aside and they might create more juices but they don’t get added to the pie so need to worry about that
• Sugar: Sugar helps balance out the natural tartness of cherries. If using sour cherries, you may need to add more sugar to help balance out the tart flavor. For sweet cherries, start with less sugar.
• Cornstarch: This helps thicken up the sauce and create a smooth, glossy finish.
• Vanilla Extract and Almond Extract: Both bring out the favours of the cherries - the taste of both is not overly pronounced but the perfect addition to the cherry pie filling and they really make pie filling taste delicious
• Cinnamon: Just a pinch of ground cinnamon to add warming flavours - a little ground ginger works well too
• Extra Add Ins: Freshly squeezed lemon juice just a little added to the filling can help brighten up the flavor.
• Double Pie Crust: Store bought or homemade pie crust can be used for this cherry pie recipe - more about that below
  
  

All About The Pie crust

I always recommend homemade but if you are going to do store bought I recommend using a good all butter pie dough that you can roll out and trim yourself not the prefab ones in the tin. Those tend not to be as great with fruit pies - the bottom gets too soggy. Don’t be intimidated to make your own. The recipe below is quite basic and works so well with any fruit pie filling. You can use your food processor or use use a pastry cutter, your fingers or two knives to cut the butter in to the flour. The things to remember when making pie dough are:

• Make sure your butter is chilled - I like to cut mine then stick it in the freezer - or you can even freeze your butter before hand then grate it.
• Make sure to not add too much extra water - if you absolutely need to add a little more then the recipe directs do so ½-1 teaspoon at a time. No one wants a sticky dough.
• Do not over work your dough - you want flaky dough that isn’t tough. Once you have a shaggy dough that is enough - hands off, wrap and allow it to rest and hydrate. 
  
  

How To Make Cherry Pie

This tasty cherry pie is quiet easy to make and here is are the simple instructions (full details in recipe card below)

1. Make Pie Dough: You can use store bought pie dough/pie crust for this recipe if you prefer or even use your own recipe. For a tried and tested simple all butter pie dough recipe please refer to the recipe card below - recipe, directions for making dough, rolling it out and lattice design included
2. Prepare Filling: Stir the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and almond extract together until thoroughly combined.
3. Roll out one disc of pie dough and fit into pie dish: Use a slotted spoon to transfer cherries to crust and discard any leftover juices in the bottom of the bowl.* Dot the pieces of butter on top of the filling.
4. Roll out remaining disc of pie dough: Cut out pieces if making lattice or if covering pie with one sheet of pie dough leave as is - top pie with singe layer of pie dough or lattice, trim edges as needed. Fold edges and crimp. Make a few slits into top pie dough if leaving it whole as one sheet
5. Brush pie top and edges with egg wash: Sprinkle top with coarse sugar if desired before baking
6. Bake: Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375°F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown and the fruit’s juices are bubbling. (After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly. Foil will also work.)
7. Cool: Remove pie from oven when done and allow to cool on cooling rack for 2-3 hours before slicing and enjoying
   
   

All About The Cherries

• How to Pit Cherries? I’m not one to collect a whole bunch of kitchen gadgets but if there is one to have - a cherry/ olive pitter is one I definitely recommend. It’s saves you time and frustration. If you don’t have a cherry pitter, there are a whole bunch of other kitchen tricks on the internet to help get the pits out of your cherries.
• Fresh or Frozen Cherries? I always prefer using fresh cherries for the best flavor and texture, but if you can’t no worries just use frozen. Use frozen cherries or a canned jar and drain the juices well. Thaw or leave frozen as they will thaw while they are stirred with the rest of the ingredients and set aside, juices will be left behind.
• What kind of Cherries? For this cherry pie filling recipe, you can use either sweet cherries for a sweet cherry pie or tart cherries for a sour cherry pie. As you’ll see in the recipe, the only difference between them is the amount of sugar and lemon juice. See recipe notes for details. When it’s comes to the actual type of sweet cherries - feel free to use whatever variety you like.
  
  

Cherry Pie Make Ahead, Storage & Freezing

• MAKE AHEAD: Fruit- cherries can be piped and sliced 1 day ahead of time and kept in a sealed container in the fridge (only the fruit without all the other ingredients the cherries are tossed with) Pie Dough - can be made in advance and stored wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can also be wrapped and frozen for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then rollout as directed.
• STORAGE: Wrapped in foil, leftover pie will keep up to 2-3 days at room temperature; and in the fridge for another 2 days, warm 10 minutes in a 350°F oven to revive crust before serving. I usually store mine wrapped tight in the fridge right off the bat as it keeps better and longer chilled.
• FREEZING UNBAKED PIE: Prepare pie as directed up until you have to bake it. After it has chilled for half hour wrap the pie with a couple of layers of plastic wrap then a layer of foil. Place the wrapped pie into a freezer-safe storage bag, squeezing out any excess air. Use a permanent marker to label the kind of pie as well as the date. Store in the freezer (be careful not to set anything on top of the pie while it is freezing). It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer when ready to bake, unwrap and set on countertop while oven preheats. Bake from frozen same as directed in recipe.
• FREEZING BAKED PIE: Bake and cool pie as directed. Place your pie into the freezer to allow it to initially freeze, for 1-2 hours or preferably overnight. Then, wrap your frozen pie in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Place the wrapped pie into a freezer-safe storage bag, squeezing out any excess air. Use a permanent marker to label the kind of pie as well as the date. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw it by moving it to the fridge overnight (or up to 24 hours). Remove wrappings and reheat your pie if you like! Once thawed, simply pop it in the oven at 350°F until the filling is bubbling. If your crust begins to brown, you can loosely place foil over the top.
  
  

Extra tips for making a great Homemade Cherry pie

There are a few things of note when assembly the pie:

• I like to keep everything cold while I’m putting the pie together. While I’m working on the pie crust I will keep my cherries chilled. And once the whole pie is put together and brushed with egg wash I like to chill the whole pie in the fridge or freezer for at least 15 minutes. This is totally optional but cold butter/dough is the key to a flaky pie crust, and it’s probably a bit too warm after you’ve rolled out the dough, poured in the filling, and crimp the edges. Throwing it in the freezer first is your flaky dough insurance. If you are going to do this I recommend preheating the oven while pie is chilling no earlier.
• Another step that is optional but recommended is dusting the base pie crust with a pinch of flour and sugar before pouring herb the filling. It’s just a small amount but helps prevent a soggy bottom crust. It’s helps any extra juices from the cherrie to thicken up.
• Lastly and this is the hardest part of all, especially if you have zero patience like me; let the pie cool almost to room temperature so the juices thicken. This will make it easier to slice and serve. If you slice into a hot pie, the filling will slide out. It will be a mess! A happy and delicious mess but if you are serving it to company you might want to plan ahead accordingly.
  
  

More cherry recipes:

• Black Forest Cake
• No Bake Black Forest Icebox Cake
• Cherry Cheesecake Tart
• Balsamic Roasted Cherry and Goat Cheese Crostini
• Cherry Smoothie Recipe