This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Homemade cherry pie is bursting with sweet-tart cherries nestled in a flaky, golden crust and topped with vanilla bean ice cream. I am sharing tips and tricks for making sweet cherry pie at home.
This Sweet Cherry Pie is full of robust cherries with a perfectly sweetened filling….all in a buttery, flaky pie crust. It’s also incredibly easy! You can impress others with this handcrafted cherry pie that is super simple to make.
We love to make this in the summer when fresh cherries are in season and perfectly ripe or use frozen cherries to make it for Thanksgiving. If you are looking for another showstopping pie for Thanksgiving, check out the Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe.
Ingredients:
The cherry filling is made from scratch — using frozen or fresh cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, almond extract and butter. The star of the show is the pie crust and an all-butter one always does the trick — All Butter Flaky Pie Crust.
- Cherries: See below on using frozen or fresh cherries
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Lemon Juice
- Butter
- Butter Pie Crust
- Egg Wash
Should I use Fresh or Frozen Cherries in Cherry Pie?
One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether to use fresh or frozen cherries. Both can make a delicious homemade cherry pie, but there are some differences:
Fresh Cherries: Fresh cherries, when in season, have a vibrant flavor that’s hard to beat. They tend to hold their shape well during baking, giving the pie a beautiful texture. However, pitting them can be time-consuming.
Frozen Cherries: Frozen cherries are a convenient option, especially when fresh cherries aren’t in season. They are often picked and frozen at their peak, so they still have great flavor. One thing to keep in mind is that frozen cherries release more juice when they thaw, which can make the pie filling a bit runnier if not handled properly.
How to make Cherry Pie:
- Make Pie Crust. Make the double pie crust recipe. Wrap and let chill while you make the cherry pie filling.
- Make Cherry Pie Filling. In a large bowl, mix together pitted cherries (fresh or frozen), sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir the mixture until the cherries are evenly coated and the sugar and cornstarch are well incorporated.
- Let the filling sit for 15-20 minutes to allow the cherries to release some of their juices. Once the cherries have released their juices, use a slotted spoon to remove the cherries from the juice and place them in a bowl.
- Place the leftover cherry juice into a small saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until juice has slightly reduced and thickened. Cool for 5 minutes, then pour over cherries.
- Bake the Cherry Pie. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled pie dough to fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Pour the cherries into the pie pan. Dot with the 1 Tablespoon of butter.
- To make lattice: Roll out the second pie crust and cut dough into large strips. Lay half of the strips over the filling parallel to each other. Fold every other strip in half, back on itself. Lay down another strip across the first set so that it crosses every other strip and then unfold the strips. Continue to make lattice pattern.
- Make an egg wash by whisking together egg and milk in a small bowl. Brush on the top of the pie crust. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar, if desired.
- Place the pie plate onto a large baking sheet in case the cherry juice bubbles over. Keeping the pie in the oven, bake for 20 minutes. After baking for 20 minutes, turn the temperature down to 375°F and bake for an additional 25-35 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown and the filling juices have been bubbling up. After the first 20 minutes of baking time, I recommend using a pie crust shield to keep the pie crust from becoming too brown.
- Let Cool. Remove the pie from the oven and cool for at least 3-4 hours before slicing and serving. The filling will not be set up if the pie is warm when you slice it. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.
How to thicken Cherry Pie Filling:
To achieve the perfect cherry pie filling, you need to strike a balance between juicy and thick. That’s where cornstarch comes in. Cornstarch is an excellent thickener that helps the cherry filling set without making it too thick or gluey.
As tempting as it is to dig in right away, let your cherry pie cool for at least two hours before serving. This allows the filling to set, making it easier to slice and serve.
FAQ’s:
A runny filling can occur if there wasn’t enough cornstarch used, or if the pie wasn’t baked long enough to allow the filling to set. Make sure to use the recommended amount of cornstarch, and bake the pie until the filling is bubbling.
Yes! Cherry pie can be made a day ahead and stored at room temperature, loosely covered. You can also refrigerate it if you prefer, but let it come to room temperature before serving.
Store leftover cherry pie in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap or foil. It will keep for 3-4 days.
Baking Tip:
To ensure your pie bakes evenly and doesn’t overbrown, a pie shield is essential. A pie shield protects the outer edges of your crust from burning while allowing the center to cook fully.
Using a Pie Shield: Place the pie shield over the crust edges before putting the pie in the oven or halfway through baking. If you don’t have a pie shield, you can use strips of aluminum foil.
Then I think of cherry pie the first thing that comes to mind is our 4th of July in Cambria California. We took a road trip to Big Sur (see guide HERE) and stopped in the charming coastal town called Cambria to be a part of their 4th of July festivities. I was so excited when I heard they were doing a pie eating contest for kids and thought my kids would kill it since they had a lot of practice eating pies!
It wasn’t until the pies came out that we realized they may be in trouble. They were HUGE and I wondered how this was going to go down. My boys were confident they were going to be the winners and I had the camera ready to capture it all.
It was hilarious to watch them love the pie in the beginning, savoring every single bite. It was about halfway through that their expressions changed from joy to disgust. They struggled to finish and barely missed the victory. When the contest was over they looked at me as if they were going to lose their cookies. My son, Mason, declared that he would never ever eat a piece of pie again in his life.
With this fresh on my mind, I wondered if they would stick to that declaration and never eat pie again. I made this Sweet Cherry Pie and crossed my fingers that it wouldn’t ignite memories of the infamous 4th of July pie. I am happy to report that they devoured it!
Now let’s get back to business! Let’s talk about this Sweet Cherry Pie and how to make it even better. Sprinkle the crust with some sparkling sugar and once it’s baked, top it with vanilla bean ice cream. Oh baby…it’s good!
Popular Pie Recipes:
Click the links below for more pie recipes:
Caramel Apple Pie
White Chocolate Macadamia Chocolate Ganache Pie
Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie
Traditional Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Caramel Banana Cream Pie
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Homemade Cherry Pie
Ingredients
- All Butter Pie Crust Double Crust Recipe — https://www.modernhoney.com/butter-flaky-pie-crust/
Cherry Pie Filling:
- 6 cups Cherries (frozen)
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- Egg Wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk)
- Sparkling Sugar optional for sprinkling on pie crust
Instructions
- Make the double pie crust recipe. Wrap and let chill while you make the cherry pie filling.
Cherry Pie Filling:
- In a large bowl, mix together pitted cherries (fresh or frozen), sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir the mixture until the cherries are evenly coated and the sugar and cornstarch are well incorporated.
- Let the filling sit for 15-20 minutes to allow the cherries to release some of their juices.
- Once the cherries have released their juices, use a slotted spoon to remove the cherries from the juice and place them in a bowl.
- Place the leftover cherry juice into a small saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until juice has slightly reduced and thickened. Cool for 5 minutes, then pour over cherries.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled pie dough to fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Pour the cherries into the pie pan. Dot with the 1 Tablespoon of butter.
- To make lattice: Roll out the second pie crust and cut dough into large strips. Lay half of the strips over the filling parallel to each other. Fold every other strip in half, back on itself. Lay down another strip across the first set so that it crosses every other strip and then unfold the strips. Continue to make lattice pattern.
- Make an egg wash by whisking together egg and milk in a small bowl. Brush on the top of the pie crust. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar, if desired.
- Place the pie plate onto a large baking sheet in case the cherry juice bubbles over. Keeping the pie in the oven, bake for 20 minutes. After baking for 20 minutes, turn the temperature down to 375°F and bake for an additional 25-35 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown and the filling juices have been bubbling up. After the first 20 minutes of baking time, I recommend using a pie crust shield to keep the pie crust from becoming too brown.
- Remove the pie from the oven and cool for at least 3-4 hours before slicing and serving. The filling will not be set up if the pie is warm when you slice it. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Who else LOVES cherry pie? Do you serve it every Thanksgiving? We are 10 days away!
Happy Baking! xo
This is an incredible recipe! Made this for my kids and they all were obsessed, the cherry filling has the perfect amount of sweetness. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
This is an amazing recipe! The crust is so buttery and delicious and we loved the filling. Definitely will be making this recipe on Thanksgiving.
A fabulous cherry pie recipe! Thank you.
My family loved it! Very easy to make and I’ll definitely be making it again.
Such a yummy pie recipe! Love
Are the tapioca pearls supposed to dissolve? My pie was a bit runny and I thought it was perhaps because the pearls didn’t dissolve in the water – they held their shape all the way through baking. Thanks!