Don’t be intimidated by the idea of making a cherry pie from scratch. Once you pit the cherries, the hardest part is behind you, and it is shockingly easy to make this cherry-filled pie! This pie is such a treat with its sweet and flavorful filling. The buttery, jammy cherry filling complements the rich, flaky pie crust perfectly, making this pie a crowd-pleaser.
All you need are a few simple ingredients, and you’ll have this homemade cherry pie recipe done in no time. The hardest part is waiting for the pie to cool enough to dig in! But trust me, it’s so satisfying to eat and well worth the wait and labor. Want to try another pie recipe? Try my strawberry pie recipe, blueberry pie recipe, or my apple pie recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Cherries — you can use sweet or tart cherries for this cherry pie. If using tart cherries, you can add extra sugar to the filling, so it’s sweeter to balance the tartness.
Lemon — I highly recommend juicing a fresh lemon as the flavor is brighter and fresher than bottled lemon juice.
Cornstarch — you will need cornstarch to help the cherry filling thicken.
Butter — make sure you add unsalted butter to the filling to avoid making it taste salty.
Almond extract — the addition of almond extract helps deepen the flavors of the cherry pie and helps the cherry flavor shine.
Pie crust — I recommend making my homemade pie crust recipe as store bought pie crusts are usually on the thinner side, so they’ll cook and brown too quickly.
How to Make Cherry Pie
1. Pit and halve the cherries.
2. Place in a medium pot with ½ cup sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, frequently stirring, until very juicy and simmering. Whisk the remaining ½ cup of sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the cherry mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thickened.
3. Remove from the heat. Dot the top with butter and add the almond extract. Stir together until the butter is melted. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
4. Roll one pie crust into a 13-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, letting the excess hang over the edge of the pan. Pour the cherry filling into the pie crust.
5. Roll the second pie crust into a 12-inch circle and cut into 1-inch wide strips. Arrange the strips in a lattice pattern and place them over the top of the cherry filling. Trim the edges of the pie dough, leaving about 1-inch of overhang, then tuck the excess dough under and crimp the edge as desired.
6. Brush the dough lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes before reducing the heat and baking for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Place the pie on a wire rack and let cool for a few hours before slicing.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- You can use frozen cherries or canned cherries instead of fresh cherries. Thaw and/or drain the cherries and reserve ⅓ cup of the juice for the filling. Add to the pot with the cherries before cooking.
- For a bright red cherry filling, add several drops of red gel food coloring to the filling.
- Make sure you start the oven off on high heat as it helps the pie dough set and helps the cornstarch in the filling thicken up.
- The longer you allow the cherry pie to cool before cutting, the more the cherry filling can thicken. If not, the filling will spill out as you try to serve a slice.
- A glass baking dish is perfect for beginner bakers as the glass makes it easier to see if the crust has browned to your liking.
- Do not skip letting the pie filling cool before adding it to your pie crust. The colder the crust is before you bake it, the more flakey it’ll be.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to pit cherries without a cherry pitter?
If you do not have a cherry pitter, you can use a chopstick to push the seed out or place a piping tip on the countertop and push the cherry down on the tip.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can make the filling a day ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator. Also, as the pie needs to cool for a few hours, you can always make the entire pie the day before you need it, and once cooled, cover with plastic and keep it at room temperature.
How do I store leftover pie?
I recommend storing leftover pie in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Make sure to cover leftovers tightly, so they don’t absorb any scents from the fridge. You can reheat the pie in the oven or microwave before serving.
Can I freeze the pie?
You can freeze the cherry pie for up to 3 months. Make sure to tightly cover the pie before freezing. Once ready to eat, bring the pie to room temperature after thawing overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the oven until warmed through.
How do I make a lattice top?
Place 4 to 5 strips of dough evenly horizontally over the pie filling. Fold every other strip of dough all the way back and place one of the strips perpendicularly on top of the pie at the edge. Unfold the strips over the perpendicular one. Fold them back and repeat with the rest of the dough, creating a grid-like lattice top over the pie.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Cherry Pie recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Cherry Pie
Equipment
- Small pot
- Small mixing bowl
- 9" pie pan
- Rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh cherries (650g)
- 1⅓ cup granulated sugar (266g)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch (50g)
- 2 tablespoons butter cubed
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 homemade pie crusts
- egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk)
- coarse sugar
Instructions
- Pit and halve the cherries. Place in a medium pot with ½ cup sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently, until very juicy and simmering, about 10 minutes
- Whisk the remaining ½ cup of sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the cherry mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Dot the top with butter and add the almond extract. Stir together until the butter is melted. Cool for at least 30 minutes. (Filling can also be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before baking.)
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one pie crust into a 13-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, letting the excess hang over the edge of the pan. Pour the cherry filling into the pie crust.
- Roll the second pie crust into a 12-inch circle and cut into 1-inch wide strips. Arrange the strips in a lattice pattern and place over the top of the filling. Trim the edges of the pie dough leaving about 1-inch of overhang. Tuck the pie the excess dough under and crimp the edge as desired. Brush the dough lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375F and continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling all over. (Shield the edge of the pie with foil at any time if it appears to be getting too browned.) Place the pie on a wire rack and let cool for a few hours before slicing.
Video
Notes
- You can use frozen cherries or canned cherries instead of fresh cherries. Thaw and/or drain the cherries and reserve ⅓ cup of the juice for the filling. Add to the pot with the cherries before cooking.
- For a bright red cherry filling, add several drops of red gel food coloring to the filling.
- Make sure you start the oven off on high heat as it helps the pie dough set and helps the cornstarch in the filling thicken up.
- The longer you allow the cherry pie to cool before cutting, the more the cherry filling can thicken. If not, the filling will spill out as you try to serve a slice.
- A glass baking dish is perfect for beginner bakers as the glass makes it easier to see if the crust has browned to your liking.
- Do not skip letting the pie filling cool before adding it to your pie crust. The colder the crust is before you bake it, the more flakey it’ll be.
