There’s nothing like a fresh Cherry Pie with juicy cherries bubbling through a rich, flaky crust. Watch the video tutorial and learn how to make the best cherry pie from scratch with our easy, homemade Pie Crust and fresh or frozen cherries. I’m also sharing my best tip to ensure you have a perfectly thickened and saucy cherry pie filling.
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Helpful Reader Review
“That was THE most amazing pie I have ever made. The crust was easy and turned out perfect. Cherry pie filling was delicious (used a mix of 1 can and 1 frozen bag). This will be my forever crust recipe and my family is happy I make pie!” – Lori-Anne ★★★★★
Cherry Pie Video
I hope you’re pumped and inspired to bake your own cherry pie while cherries are in season, or you can use frozen when the craving strikes (see instructions below).
Homemade Cherry Pie Recipe
I love cherry season – I look forward to it every year and I take full advantage of cherry recipes, from Cherry Clafoutis to Cherry Sauce, and my absolute favorite has to be this sweet cherry pie. The cherries become jammy, coated in a sweet and thick sauce that makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
Memories are made around homemade pies and there’s something so satisfying about creating a pie from scratch. We change up the fruit with the seasons and make Apple Pie in the cooler months, then Blueberry Pie and juicy Peach Pie as the summer stone fruits ripen in our yard.
The only downside to a homemade pie is in waiting for it to cool before enjoying it. For easier serving, let the pie cool almost to room temperature so the juices thicken. If you slice into a hot pie, the filling will slide out (you’ll thank me later). This tried-and-true cherry pie recipe has been well-loved by beginner and expert bakers over the years, and I hope it becomes a favorite for you!
Ingredients
- Cherries: We love sweet red cherries here but you can use a variety of cherries and even a combination of different cherries.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice balances the sweetness and adds some juiciness to the filling. Use less or omit if you are using a tart cherry.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar amplifies the natural sweetness of the cherries. You can adjust sugar to taste depending on the sweetness of your cherries. Add more for tart cherries.
- Corn Starch: This helps to thicken the cherry pie filling to create a bubbly saucy center just like in our Cherry Sauce.
- Butter: We use unsalted butter to dot the cherry pie filling before applying the crust.
- Pie Crust: You will need two disks or 1 recipe for Pie Dough, to make the bottom crust and lattice top.
The Best Way to Pit Cherries:
To be safe, double-check that every pit exits the cherries. There are the cherry pitters I use and love:
- For big batches of cherries – use a countertop pitter. You can get through a lot of cherries faster.
- For small projects (like cherry pie!) – you can use a hand-held cherry pitter.
Can I use Frozen Cherries for Cherry Pie?
Cherries from the freezer work great when cherries aren’t in season. Using frozen cherries can be even easier since they are already pitted. Make sure frozen cherries are well thawed. Lightly rinse them and let them sit in a colander to drain well. Use 2 1/2 lbs of frozen cherries for this recipe.
Can I make a Sour Cherry Pie?
Since sour cherries are generally smaller, you will need about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs (or 6 cups, pitted) of sour cherries. Since sour cherries are more tart, use 1 cup of sugar.
How to Transfer a Pie Crust to the Pan
Transferring pie crust to a pie pan is easy. Flour your work surface before rolling out the dough to prevent sticking.
- Roll the first pie crust to a 13″ diameter circle
- Roll the crust onto your rolling pin
- Unroll crust over your deep dish pie pan
How to Make Cherry Pie
A homemade cherry pie filling is easy to make and takes just a few ingredients. The cornstarch creates a thick bubbly cherry filling while the cinnamon and lemon juice amplifies the flavor of the cherries. The resulting filling is bubbly and saucy like our Cherry Sauce.
- Stir together cherries and lemon juice.
- Whisk together cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon and combine with cherries. Stir until the cherries are saucy and evenly coated.
How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust
Here’s a quick visual reference for making a lattice pie crust for cherry pie. I still use this visual reference when making pie because I can move through the steps at my own pace.
- Place 5 strips of dough horizontally over the pie filling, with the longer strips in the center and shorter strips towards the edges.
- Fold back the 2nd and 4th strips halfway and place a long vertical strip of dough in the center.
- Fold the strips back over the new line then fold back the alternate strips (1st, 3rd, and 5th). Continue adding and alternating strips then switch to the other side of the pie, until the lattice is complete.
How to Crimp a Pie Crust
Your fingers are all you need to make a beautiful crimped or scalloped pie crust.
- Tuck in excess dough behind the bottom pie crust.
- Crimp the crust edges by pushing the dough out with your index finger and at the same time pushing/pinching the dough around it with the thumb and forefinger of your other hand. Repeat all the way around the edge.
Pro Tips for the Best Cherry Pie
- Freeze the unbaked pie for 10-15 minutes while the oven preheats (this keeps crust from sagging in the oven and browning too fast).
- Brush the pie crust with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp milk or water) and sprinkle with coarse sugar just before baking.
- Arrange the oven rack to the lower third of the oven to keep the crust from getting too brown.
- For easier cleanup, place a sheet of foil under the pie once you turn the heat down to 350˚F.
- For cherry juices to thicken – once you see the juices bubbling through the lattice, let it bubble for at least 5 minutes – this is necessary to activate the corn starch and also for the fruit to release pectin, which helps thicken the filling.
I hope you take full advantage of cherry season with your own homemade cherry pie. Cherries have to be my favorite stone fruit, and I’ve always loved them fresh and especially baked into desserts. From the flaky buttery crust to the juicy cherries that burst with every bite – this pie has your name written all over it!
See those thick juices bubbling through the crust – that’s what I call a perfect cherry pie! Don’t forget to serve each slice with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. It will melt slightly into the slice, making it irresistibly good.
Cherry Pie
Ingredients
Cherry Pie Ingredients:
- 6 cups sweet cherries, pitted (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 lbs)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cups sugar, use 1 cup for sour cherries
- 5 Tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, diced, to dot the top
- 1 Recipe for Double Pie Crust
Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp milk, or water
- 1 Tbsp coarse sugar
Instructions
- Make pie crusts and refrigerate 1 hour before using. Arrange oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 5 Tbsp corn starch and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
- Pit cherries and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Sprinkle on sugar/cornstarch mixture and stir together until evenly moist.
- Roll the first pie crust disk into a 13" circle and transfer to a 9" wide, deep pie pan. The edges should hang a little over the edge of the pan. Pour the cherry mixture over the bottom crust along with any accumulated juices. Dot with Butter.
- Roll the second crust into a 12" circle and use a pizza cutter to slice into ten 1-inch strips. Using the 10 strips of dough, create a lattice crust over the top (see photo tutorial on Natasha's Kitchen). Tuck in the excess dough at edges then pinch the edges to seal or crimp edges if desired. Refrigerate pie 30 minutes (or freeze 15 minutes) while preheating oven to 425˚F.
- Beat together 1 egg and 1 Tbsp milk or water and brush the egg wash over the lattice crust and edges. Sprinkle the top with 1 Tbsp coarse sugar. Bake in the lower third of the oven at 425 ˚F for 25 minutes.
- Place a sheet of foil on the bottom rack to catch drips, reduce oven temperature to 350˚F, and bake an additional 35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden and cherry juice has been bubbling through the lattice top for at least 5 minutes.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Cherry Recipes
We are wild about cherry recipes and take full advantage of those juicy sweet cherries in Summer. These are a must-try:
- Black Forest Cake
- Cherry Smoothies
- Chocolate Cherry Cake
- Cherry Upside-Down Cake
- Cherry Crumble
- Sparkling Cherry Lemonade
I made this tonight and it turned out great! However I think one of the instructions could be written better. When it says to place foil or a cookie sheet beneath the pie in step 7, I initially thought you meant to put it directly underneath the pie so that the pie sat on it, but then I watched the video and I saw you put it on the oven floor, so I opened the oven again and moved the sheet pan to the bottom of the oven instead.
Hi Anthony! I updated the instructions for clarity and less confusion. I’m glad you enjoyed the pie!
Thank you! Your recipes , instructions, tips, and ideas have changed my family’s eating. We now eat at home more and we are saving $$$ AND we have together time in the process
Just made this tonight and had to come back to thank you. So good!
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for sharing.
Would the northern cherries work for this? The smaller ones, nearly stem-less, often used in jams? Thank you!
Hi there! Yes, but you may need to experiment with the sugar amount and how much cornstarch you’ll need to use. If they are tart, add more sugar to taste. Tart cherries typically release more juice, which would require more thickener.
To hit the right taste(traditonal flavor), one has to add Almond extract to bring up the cherry filling’s flavor.
I followed this recipe explicitly and it was soup 🙁 so sad
Hi Bri! I’m sorry to hear that. I would be happy to help troubleshoot. Did you let your oven fully preheat before baking? Was the filling bubbling when you removed it from oven? If not, it needed additional time to bake. It will also thicken as it cools. If that doesn’t solve the issue, you could use a little more corn starch.
Mine too! So upset. $30 worth of cherries for soup. I should have used tapioca instead of cornstarch like my GMA used to.
5 star recipe and my favorite pie ever! Make it all the time! Frozen cherries work good too.
Super running recipe. Needed significantly more corn starch. (My corn starch was fresh, brand new, so pretty disappointing.) This made the crust mushy.
Hi Ler! Im sorry to hear that. Did you use fresh cherries? Also- underbaking the pie or not letting the pie cool enough can lead to a runny filling.
Can you freeze the filling to make pies later?
Hi Kim! The pie as a whole freezes well, so I think that would be fine.
Can I use tapioca for the thickener? I find that it gives a clear, glossy appearance to the thickened juice when it bakes. Thank you. Love your recipes.
Hi Judy! I haven’t tested that, but it should be fine. Just follow the package instructions for recommendations on how much to use.
Natashas would you cook the cherry filling before pouring it into the pie shell, like the cheese cake cherry topping?
Hi David. We do not precook the cherries. I’m sure you could with some modifications to the recipe but without testing it myself, I can’t provide those instructions.
I am making this and the blueberry pie recipe for Christmas for the first time this year. I can’t rate either one yet, but I wonder why on this recipe you use corn starch while on the blueberry pie recipe you use flour. You write there that flour gives a better consistency, so I wonder why use cornstarch here?
Hi Kirt, both work well as thickeners for pie and can be substituted – it’s a matter of preference and also how much juice the fruit releases. I’d love to hear back from you and hope you absolutely love the pies!
So excited to try! Could I do a crumble topping instead like your dutch apple pie? Would cooking times change? Thank you always!
Hi LeeAnn! I haven’t tested it in the specific recipe to know if any adjustments are needed. I think it could work. For the filling to thicken, it needs to start to bubble. If the crumble topping starts to burn, I would place a piece of foil on it to allow some more baking time as needed. I hope that helps. Let us know how it turns out.
Can I use frozen cherries for your cherry pie recipe?
Yes you can use frozen cherries
Do you have to let the frozen cherries defrost first or can you justice and fill pie shell
Hi Marie, I address this under the “Can I use Frozen Cherries for Cherry Pie?” section of the recipe post. I hope its helpful.
Hi Natasha. I have a question about your pie crust. Do I need to bake the bottom crust before I put the cherries in. I watched your video and saw that you did not but I was wondering to get a more crispy bottom, could I do that?
Hi Jodie! No, you don’t need to pre-bake the crust for this recipe. The crust cooks through very well.
Great thank you! Can’t wait to try them both out.
You’re very welcome! Let me know how it turns out.
I will make this cherry pie in a few days. My issue is with any pie keeping the edges from burning. I try to cover the edges with strips of foil but it’s so frustrating, they fall off. I know their is a pie shield but I can’t afford that
Can I substitute instant tapioca in place of cornstarch?
I haven’t tested that but I think that will work. You can use appriximately 2 tablespoons of instant tapioca for every tablespoon of cornstarch.
Delicious! My daughter substituted with vegan butter and the dough is so flakey and delicious.
For those who say the sauce didn’t thicken up, let it COMPLETELY cool down. I know it’s hard, but keep it in the refrigerator for couple hours after it cools downs a bit. Trust me, the sauce will thicken up after putting it in the fridge! This is by far the best pie I’ve ever made! Natasha, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes! So far everything I’ve made by you, it’s been a hit at home! Can’t wait to try more recipes 😊
Thank you so much, April!
Hi
Can I use canned cherry pie filling? I don’t have fresh cherries.
Hi Helen, we prefer this with fresh cherry and haven’t experimented with canned cherry to advise. If you experiment with canned, please let us know how you like it. For reference, we used 6 cups of fresh cherries pitted (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 lbs).