Classic Cherry Pie Recipe (VIDEO) (2024)

There’s nothing like a fresh Cherry Pie bubbling through a rich, flaky crust. Learn how to make the best cherry pie from scratch with our easy, go-to Pie Crust and fresh or frozen cherries.

Homemade pies are easy to make and so satisfying to eat. We change up the fruit with the seasons and make Apple Pie in the cooler months, then Blueberry Pie, juicy Peach Pie and of course this sweet cherry pie in Summer.

Classic Cherry Pie Recipe (VIDEO) (1)

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Homemade Cherry Pie

Memories are made around homemade pies and there’s something so satisfying about creating a pie from scratch. 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.

Don’t forget to top each slice with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. It will melt slightly into the slice, making it irresistibly good.

Watch How to Make Cherry Pie

If you enjoyed this Cherry Pie video tutorial, you can check out all of our video recipes on our Youtube Channel. 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).

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Ingredients for Cherry Pie

  • Cherries – we love sweet red cherries here but you can use a variety of cherries and even a combination of different cherries.
  • Lemon juice – balances the sweetness and adds some juiciness to the filling
  • Sugar – amps up the natural sweetness of the cherries. You can adjust sugar to taste depending on the sweetness of your cherries.
  • Corn Starch – helps to thicken the cherry pie filling
  • 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 base and lattice top.
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Variations

  • Frozen Cherries – cherries from the freezer work great 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.
  • For a Sour Cherry Pie – Since sour cherries are generally smaller, you will need about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs (or 6 cups, pitted) 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.

  1. Roll the first pie crust to a 13″ diameter circle
  2. Roll the crust onto your rolling pin
  3. Unroll crust over your deep dish pie pan
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The Best Cherry Pie Filling

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.

  1. Stir together cherries and lemon juice.
  2. Whisk together cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon and combine with cherries.
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How to Make a Lattice 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.

  1. Place 5 strips of dough horizontally over the pie filling, with the longer strips in the center and shorter strips towards the edges.
  2. Fold back the 2nd and 4th strips halfway and place a long vertical strip of dough in the center.
  3. 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.
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How to Crimp Pie Crust

Your fingers are all you need to make a beautiful crimped or scalloped pie crust.

  1. Tuck in excess dough behind the bottom pie crust.
  2. 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
  3. Repeat all the way around the edge.
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Pro Tips for the Best Cherry Pie

  • Freeze the unbaked pie 10-15 minutes while the oven preheats (keeps crust from 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 oven rack to the lower third of the oven.
  • For easier cleanup: place a sheet of foil (or slide a sheet pan) under the pie once you turn the heat down to 350˚F.
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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!

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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

Classic Cherry Pie Recipe

4.97 from 155 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Classic Cherry Pie Recipe (VIDEO) (11)

There's nothing like a homemade Cherry Pie bubbling through a rich, flaky crust. Learn how to make the best cherry pie from scratch with our easy, go-to Pie Crust and fresh or frozen cherries.

SavePinReviewPrint

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Dough Cooling Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 8 people

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:

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 or baking sheet beneath the pie, reduce oven temperature to 350˚F, and bake additional 30-35 minutes, or until crust is golden and cherry juice is bubbling through the lattice top.

Nutrition Per Serving

317kcal Calories55g Carbs3g Protein10g Fat3g Saturated Fat24mg Cholesterol122mg Sodium263mg Potassium3g Fiber34g Sugar140IU Vitamin A8mg Vitamin C26mg Calcium1.1mg Iron

  • Full Nutrition Label
  • Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Classic Cherry Pie Recipe

Amount per Serving

Calories

317

% Daily Value*

Fat

10

g

15

%

Saturated Fat

3

g

19

%

Cholesterol

24

mg

8

%

Potassium

263

mg

8

%

Carbohydrates

55

g

18

%

Fiber

3

g

13

%

Sugar

34

g

38

%

Protein

3

g

6

%

Vitamin A

140

IU

3

%

Vitamin C

8

mg

10

%

Calcium

26

mg

3

%

Iron

1.1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cherry pie

Skill Level: Easy/Medium

Cost to Make: $$

Calories: 317

Natasha Kravchuk

Classic Cherry Pie Recipe (VIDEO) (12)

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

Classic Cherry Pie Recipe (VIDEO) (2024)

FAQs

Should you prebake the bottom crust of a cherry pie? ›

You do not need to par-bake or blind bake this bottom pie crust. Reducing the filling's juice on the stove keeps excess liquid off the bottom pie dough, plus we bake the pie for long enough that the bottom crust sufficiently cooks through.

How do you keep the bottom crust of a cherry pie from getting soggy? ›

Brush the Bottom with Corn Syrup or Egg White

Coating the inside surface of the bottom crust will create a barrier to prevent sogginess.

How to thicken canned cherry pie filling? ›

Another way to thicken your pie filling is with cornstarch. Mix the cornstarch with a bit of sugar to prevent your filling from taking on a chalky taste. Or try any number of different pie thickeners like flour, arrowroot or tapioca.

Why was my cherry pie so watery? ›

Not enough starches in the filling. You can use pectin, corn starch, or even flour to thicken your filling. Too much moisture in the syrup or cherries. Need to be cooked down more.

What is done on the bottom crust before adding the pie filling? ›

Partially bake a pie crust if your crust needs longer in the oven than the pie filling, such as brownie pie or quiche. And if you want an extra-crisp pie crust for your apple pie, you can partially blind bake the crust before adding the filling.

Do I need to poke holes in bottom pie crust? ›

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

How can I get my pie crust to brown on the bottom? ›

Getting a brown, flaky/crispy bottom crust on your pie is all about quick and effective heat transfer. That's why aluminum or aluminum/steel pans — rather than glass or stoneware — are your best choice for baking pie. Metal, especially aluminum, transfers heat quickly and efficiently from oven to pie crust.

How long to prebake pie crust? ›

For a pie that will need no further baking, like a chocolate cream pie, bake the crust until it's evenly browned and crisp-looking, 30-45 minutes if you used pie weights or beans and 60-75 minutes if you used sugar.

What is the best thickener for cherry pie? ›

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency. Tapioca starch is preferable for products that will be frozen because it will not break down when thawed. We like tapioca in blueberry, cherry or peach pies.

How do you thicken cherry pie filling without cornstarch? ›

All-purpose flour is an easy solution, as you're sure to have it in your pantry. Since it's lower in starch, you'll use more of it than you would higher-starch thickeners. Quick-cooking tapioca makes filling bright and clear, but also gives it a stippled and somewhat sticky texture.

Will cherry pie thicken as it cools? ›

Then, allow the filling to cool completely. If you've ever made homemade pie dough, you know that the name of the game is keeping it cold until it goes in the oven. To help keep it cold, we want to add a cool filling to it, not a warm one. Plus, letting the filling cool will give it a chance to thicken even more.

How to tell when a cherry pie is done? ›

Tip: What's the best way to tell if your pie is done? For fruit pie, the top crust will be golden brown, and you'll be able to see filling bubbling around the edges and/or through the vents. For best results, let the filling bubble for at least 5 minutes before removing the pie from the oven.

Should I Prebake my bottom pie crust? ›

You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie.

Should pies be baked from the top or the bottom? ›

A pie's place in the oven is on the bottom rack. The worst mistake you can make with your pie is under-baking the bottom crust—it makes for a soggy, doughy mess.

Do you cook bottom of pastry in a pie? ›

To prevent them becoming soggy, shortcrust pastry cases need to be partially cooked before adding moist fillings. This process, known as blind baking, which seals the surface and results in a crisp pastry case.

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