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 have a sour cherry tree which is very productive. Each year we harvest the sour cherries, pit them and freeze them. Over the years I have made a lot of pies and cherry desserts. This year I tried your recipe for both pice crust and cherry filling. They both worked perfectly. I made 5 pies and every one was perfect. I think your technique of combining the sugar and corn starch before mixing into the cherries makes for a perfect pie!
Wow! That’s amazing! Isn’t it so delicious knowing it comes from your own tree? Thank you for your inspiring feedback, Kathy!
This is so yummy! I made it for my 94 year old client and he absolutely loved it!! Delicious flavors thanks for sharing..
Used combination of fresh Ranier cherries and dark red fresh cherries. The pie was very sweet, and the cherries were still a bit firm. Would recommend cutting them in quarters. Not sure I would make again with sweet cherries.
this is the 3rd cherry i made from your amazing recipe. before this, i had never made a cherry pie before, although i do make a lot of pies. while i was in Italy last summer, i made my sister and her husband your blueberry pie recipe. it was a hit! your pie pastry is so good!!
I’m so happy you loved it! You must try the peach pie from my cookbook next. I made it today!
i made this pie and omg! soooo good! i got so many compliments on this pie, i will be making again. i was given alot of cherries, so i had to make this pie!
This cherry pie recipe made a lot of sense. It was easier to make than others I have looked at and attempted. I was happy that it doesn’t have almond extract. I tried a recipe with it and didn’t like it. I’m anticipating a great cherry flavor. I used a long time family recipe for the dough that was one my mother used and always was tried and true. I’m giving this 5 stars just because. My only question is about whether or not I should store it in a pie taker or refrigerate it? You don’t mention that. Out of caution I will refrigerate it. Thank you.
Hi Sandra! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. The pie can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days but refrigerated for longer storage or frozen.
Thank you, Natasha, for another slam dunk of a recipe! I went cherry picking for the first time and tried your amazing recipe. Crust too. Wow!
You’re very welcome! So glad you enjoyed it.
I did exactly as the recipe called for. But when I went to roll out my pie crust, it just crumbled into pieces.
Hi Bella! This is often caused by the temperature of your ingredients and how things are measured (using too much flour). Watch my tutorial on How to Measure Ingredientshere. It’s best to go off visual cues and add more water as needed. I’ve been using 6-8tbsp, we live in Idaho which is a drier climate. I hope that helps.
I measured everything exactly. I threw my dough back in my food processor and added more ice water and that seemed to help.
Can I use a pre bought graham cracker crust instead, and still use the dough for the lattice top? I don’t have a pie pan but i do have a storebought crust I need to use, and a ton of cherries!
Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Dakota! I have not tried a graham cracker crust with this pie filling so I am not sure if it requires any adjustments.