My homemade Cherry Pie recipe is bursting with fresh cherry flavor and baked in a golden, flaky crust. Follow a few simple steps so your pie is sliceable and and you don't wind up with a goopy mess. Even a novice baker will have success with this recipe. In just a few hours your family and friends will be enjoying this seasonal wonder!
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Living the New Jersey - a.k.a. "The Garden State" - I have access to wonderful dark, tart cherries starting late July and through August. I only offer cherry pies at the bakery during this time as I want the best for my customers. I seldom make this pie outside of cherry season as the cost of shipped cherries is a bit more than I am willing to pay - unless I just have to have one!
What Type of Cherries to Use
The choice of which cherries to use in a pie is a personal choice. My personal choice is the darkest, tartest cherries I can find. My favorite variety is the Montmorency cherry.
For a brief history of cherry production and use visit "The National Cherry Festival" website.
Prevent a soggy cherry pie
You could just dump a bunch of cherries, cornstarch and sugar into a pie pan - but you will end up with a runny, soggy pie. Take a little extra time following the steps below for the perfect cherry pie. If you are a visual person, check out my video.
Prepare the Cherries
- Preparing your cherries will take some time, and turn your hands red, but the resulting pie is worth it!
- Rinse the cherries well in cold water.
- Remove the stems and pits from the cherries. To pit cherries I use a #10 piping tip which I demonstrate in my video. Whole Foods Market has a helpful video which demonstrates four additional ways to pit a cherry.
Macerate Cherries
- Macerating will slightly soften your cherries and pull out some of their natural juices. This step is important to make a presentable pie slice.
- Toss your pitted cherries in a bowl with 50 grams (¼ cup) of granulated sugar. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the cherries to macerate. If you want to prepare the cherries the day before baking your pie, place the covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight.
- After the cherries have released some of their juices, pour the cherries into a strainer placed over a bowl to collect the juices- you need this yummy, cherry-flavored juice for the next step.
Prepare Slurry
- Next prepare a slurry which will be used as the thickener for your pie.
- Add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to a small bowl and dissolve by whisking in 3 fluid ounces of cold water.
- Place the following in a medium saucepan place: ½ cup of macerated cherries, reserved cherry juice, 50 grams granulated sugar (¼ cup), cinnamon, vanilla, and almond extract (optional).
- Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the pan and stir constantly until thick.
- Remove pan from heat and let the slurry cool briefly.
- Pour slurry over cherries and fold gently until all the cherries are coated.
Assemble Pie
- This cherry pie is made in a 9" pie pan. I use my flaky dough recipe for this pie as it is buttery, delicious and strong enough to hold up to a heavy filling.
- Lightly whip an egg and brush the dough in the pan using a pastry brush. This will add a layer of protection to prevent a soggy bottom crust.
- Pour the cherry filling over the bottom crust in the pie pan. You do not need to par-bake the crust.
- Finish the pie with a top crust or lattice work. If using a top crust, place at least 4 slits in the dough to allow the steam to escape while baking.
- Apply the egg wash to the dough on the top of the pie and sprinkle generously with raw or granulated sugar.
Bake Pie
- Place the finished cherry pie on a cookie sheet or pie drip catcher to prevent any juices from dripping in your clean oven!
- This pie will start baking at a high temperature (425° F) for 10 minutes. The high temperature is needed to bake the crust quickly and form those flaky layers everyone loves.
- Lower the temperature to 350° after 10 minutes and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Check the pie occasionally. If the crust is turning too dark, place a pie shield over the outer crust or wrap loosely in foil.
- Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving (approximately 2 - 3 hours).
- Enjoy!
📋 Recipe
Homemade Cherry Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Food Scale Optional - for accurate measurements
- 1 Pie Drip Catcher To keep the oven clean!
- 1 Pie Crust Shield To help prevent a burnt crust
- 1 9" Pie Pan
- Bowls, measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 Batch Flaky Dough Crust rolled into a 9" pie tin. Top crust or lattice strips for top of pie.
To Macerate Cherries
- 1 ¼ Pounds Fresh Dark Cherries: rinsed, pitted and stems removed (approximately 2½ to 3 cups)
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
Pie Slurry
- 3 Tablespoon Corn Starch
- 6 Tablespoons Cold Water (for dissolving corn starch)
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Almond Extract Optional
Finishing Pie
- 1 Large Egg, lightly whipped (used to wash the top of the pie)
- 1 Tablespoon Raw Sugar or Granulated Sugar (for sprinkling over top crust)
Instructions
Macerate Cherries
- Wash cherries in cold water. Remove stems and pits.
- Sprinkle 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar over cherries. Toss gently. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes to allow cherries to slowly release juices.
Make Slurry
- Drain cherries using a strainer placed over a bowl. Reserve the drained juices for making the slurry..
- Add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to a small bowl and dissolve by whisking in 3 fluid ounces of cold water.
- In a medium saucepan place: ½ cup of macerated cherries, reserved cherry juice, 50 grams granulated sugar (¼ cup), vanilla, and almond extract (optional).
- Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Lower the heat to low. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the pan and stir constantly until thick.
- Remove pan from heat and let the slurry cool briefly.
- Pour slurry over cherries and fold until all the cherries are coated.
Assembling the pie
- Pour the cherry filling into a pie pan lined with the dough of your choice (I prefer my flaky dough for this pie). Evenly distribute the filling using a spatula.
- Place lattice strips over the cherries and seal the edges. If using a top crust, cut at least four 2" slits into the top crust to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Lightly whip an egg and use a pastry brush apply to the top crust. Sprinkle with raw or granulated sugar.
- Place assembled pie in the refrigerator or freezer to allow the crust to relax.
Baking the Pie
- Preheat the oven to 425° while the pie is resting in the refrigerator/freezer.
- Place the pie on a cookie sheet or pie drip catcher and bake for 10 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to 350° after 10 minutes and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Check the pie occasionally. If the crust is turning too dark, place a pie shield over the outer crust or wrap loosely in foil.
- Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.
Karen Kasberg says
I love your method of pitting cherries! My son has a cherry tree and has been begging me to bake him a pie but I was hesitant due to the pitting process. After watching your video, it seems to be a piece of cake! Thanks for the great tip!
Ebony says
We just finished making this cherry pie and had to jump back on here and tell you thank you for this recipe! It's soooo good and easy to make! I haven't had cherry pie in a while, but decided to give this a try for something different. We love it!
dessertswithstephanie says
Ebony, Thank you for the feedback. So pleased you enjoyed the recipe.
Sarah James says
What a delicious cherry pie. I like how you macerate the cherries first to soften them, it worked a treat, thanks for sharing.
Kate says
This recipe is cherry pie perfection! It turned out exactly how I love it.
Roseline says
Thanks so much for sharing, I do love cherries but must admit I mostly admire them from a distance because a KG cherry cost $9-12 here,well out of my budget.
But having said that, I love frozen cherries too which are for whatever reason more affordable.
After reading your post and the well-explained recipe and ingredients needed, I will try this very soon.
Again brilliant share, thanks so much for always making baking fun even for a lousy baker like me.
Debbie says
I love cherry pie! It’s one of my absolute favorites! This recipe is so easy to follow! Also - interesting that tart cherries are best starting late July and through August (I’m from Ohio so guessing it’s the same timeline.)
Alan Davis says
Yea! First cherry pie I have made that doesn't run all over the place. Great recipe ?
The Curious Dig says
I love the classic American pies and this makes me think about Twin Peaks. Delicious!
JoLynn says
Perfection ?
Ally says
Thanks! Just in time for cherries in Michigan.