The BEST Homemade Cherry Pie

Cherry pie slice with homemade cherry filling on a white plate.

Course: Baked Desserts, Desserts, Pies, Sweet Pies

Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American

Prep Time: 2 20

Cook Time: 1 40

Inactive cool down / resting time: 3 30

Total Time: 7 30

Servings: slices

Calories: 321kcal

Author: Dini Kodippili

My favorite cherry pie recipe with easy homemade cherry pie filling, all encased in a flaky, all butter pie crust. The cooked cherry pie filling is the star, with so much extra flavor!

EASY - Easy recipe, especially with the step by step guide for making pie crust. But you can use a storebought pie crust for convenience as well. While I do recommend making the cooked cherry pie filling because of the additional flavor, I also provide the recipe for a simpler no-cook cherry pie filling option.

US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions.

Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.

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Ingredients

Pie crust

1 recipe double pie crust for 9 inch pie dish
1 egg for the egg wash

Cherry pie filling

For an extra juicy, flavorful pie filling

1600 g pitted sweet cherries approximately 10 cups
200 g sugar 1 cup
45 g cornstarch 4 ½ tbsp (packed)
1 pinch sea salt
30 ml lemon juice 2 tbsp
80 mL red wine ⅓ cup

OR for an easy cherry pie filling

1000 g pitted sweet cherries approximately 6 cups
2 oranges zest only
35 g cornstarch 3 ½ tbsp (packed)
150 g sugar ¾ cup
1 pinch sea salt
30 mL lemon juice 2 tbsp

Instructions

Pie crust

Follow my detailed all butter pie crust recipe. This recipe makes 2 pie crusts that will be used as the bottom and top crusts for this pie.
1 recipe double pie crust for 9 inch pie dish
Once the dough is divided into two, wrap and chill (as explained in the pie crust recipe). You can start making the cherry pie filling at this point, while the dough is chilling.
Roll out 1 portion of chilled pie crust to fit the bottom of the pie plate. The pie crust should be about 3 mm in thickness.
Line a 9 - 9.5 inch deep pie pan with the pie crust, being careful not to stretch the dough to fit the pan. Instead, carefully lift and place the crust inside the pan to fit.
Trim the excess pie crust while leaving a ½ in overhang. Do not fold the overhang under, as this is a double crusted pie.
Chill the pie crust for about 30 minutes. The cherry pie filling should be ready after the pie crust has been chilled.

Pre-cooked, extra flavorful cherry pie filling

Follow my recipe for homemade cherry pie filling to make the precooked cherry filling. Due to a portion of cherries being cooked down to form a jam-like base, along with wine, this filling has a more concentrated, complex flavor profile.
1600 g pitted sweet cherries, 200 g sugar, 45 g cornstarch, 1 pinch sea salt, 30 ml lemon juice, 80 mL red wine
This recipe can be made while the pie is chilling in the fridge, or the day before.
Allow the pie filling to cool down to room temperature, or let it chill in the fridge overnight.

OR easy cherry pie filling

This pie filling is easier to make. It makes a very thick, sweet pie filling with lovely orange flavor notes. As the filling will be thickened in the oven, I don’t recommend adding red wine to the filling, since this can create too much liquid.
Pit the sweet cherries and place them in a large bowl.
1000 g pitted sweet cherries
Whisk the salt, sugar, and cornstarch together in a separate bowl. Add this to the cherries.
35 g cornstarch, 150 g sugar, 1 pinch sea salt
Next, add the orange zest and lemon juice and mix well to combine.
2 oranges, 30 mL lemon juice
The pie filling is now ready to be added to the pie crust.

Assembling the pie

Preheat oven to 425°F / 220°C. Place a baking tray in the bottom third oven rack in your oven. The baking tray must be preheated for a minimum of 30 minutes. This is important to achieve a flaky pie crust.
Take the second portion of pie dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust to about a 3 - 5 mm thickness.
Once the pie crust has been rolled out, cover it and place it in the fridge while you get the pie ready.
Take the chilled bottom pie crust from the fridge.
Fill the crust with the cherry pie filling.
Top the pie with the second rolled out pie crust. You can either cut the pie crust into strips to create a lattice topping, or a solid pie crust (with vents), or cut out shapes and top the filling with abstract shapes as a decoration (see pictures in the post for reference).
Press down on the edges of the pie crust with a fork to seal the top crust to the bottom crust. You can also use a little water to help the crusts stick together.
Trim the excess of the top crust to match the bottom. Now, roll or fold the excess crust under to create a thick pie edge and to properly seal the edges.
Place the pie in the fridge for about 30 - 60 minutes for the pie crust to become firm again.

Baking the pie

Whisk an egg for the egg wash. Brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash with a pastry brush. This will create a lovely golden sheen when baked.
1 egg
OPTIONAL - Sprinkle raw sugar on top.
If you topped your cherry pie with a solid pie crust, use a knife to cut a few vents, to allow excess air and moisture to escape.
Place the pie pan on top of the preheated pizza stone or baking tray, and close the oven door.
Lower the heat to 350°F / 180°C, and bake the pie for 45 - 60 minutes. If the pie crust is at risk of burning at any point, cover the top with aluminum foil.
Once baked, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool down and rest until the pie is at room temperature.
As the filling cools down, it will set better. If the pie is warm, the filling will be more liquidy.
Cut the pie into slices and serve.

Notes

Storage and make-ahead tips

The pie filling (cooked version), and the homemade pie dough can be made 1 - 2 days ahead of time and kept in the fridge.

You can also line your pie pan with the dough and keep it in the fridge for about 1 - 2 days. But make sure the whole pan is covered well with plastic wrap, because any exposed areas will dry out and become crumbly.

Pie leftovers can also be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days (assuming the pie filling was made a day ahead). Just make sure the slices are stored in an airtight container.

To make a 9 x 13 slab pie

Pie crust dough for a slab pie

525 g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

212 g iced water

50 g chilled vodka or use the same amount of iced water (for a total of 262 g / 1.1 cups)

700 g all purpose flour - spoon and level when using cup measurements

52 g sugar

1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Make the pie crust as per instructions. Divide the dough into two, for the bottom crust and top crust.
Follow the instruction in my mixed berry slab pie to line baking tray with pie, fill with cherry filling and place the top crust. If the crust is still cold, you can seal and flute the edges. If not, refrigerate to chill the pie crust before doing this,.
Follow the instructions to bake the slab pie.
Preheat the oven to 425°F / 218°C. Place the oven rack in the lower third of your oven, along with a baking dish (like a half sheet pan). The oven should preheat for at least 30 minutes.
Place the pie tray on the preheated baking tray that is in the lower third of the oven (in my oven, this is the rack just above the bottom-most rack).
Lower the oven heat to 350°F / 180°C and bake the pie for 45 – 60 minutes, or until the crust is a lovely golden brown in color. The baking time should be a minimum of 45 minutes for a pie slab. If the crust is browning too fast, use a foil or silicone crust shield to cover the crust.

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