A homemade Cherry Pie with tart cherries in a sweet sauce and a flaky pie crust is a fan favorite from Thanksgiving to Christmas!
We are going to make this easy cherry pie recipe for Thanksgiving dinner along with our other favorite pies such as pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and apple pie.
Pies are delicious year-round but they are the shining stars of desserts during the holidays and especially for holiday dinners. Whether you like your pie warm or cold, with ice cream or whipped cream, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
Here’s Everything You Need To Make The BEST Cherry Pie
Ingredients Needed For A Homemade Cherry Pie
The ingredients needed to make a homemade cherry pie are fairly simple. We’ve offered a few alternatives for when you are short on time or want another option. The pie crust you choose will make a big difference though, so if you have time to make homemade pie crust, we strongly recommend doing so!
- Pie Pastry: You’ll need two 9-inch pie pastries for this recipe. One for the bottom crust and one for the top. We suggest using our easy homemade pie crust for the best pie, but you can use store-bought dough if you are short on time.
- Cherries: We used canned pitted tart cherries in this recipe so that it can be made year-round and not only during the cherry season. You can also use frozen pitted tart cherries that have been thawed.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the pie and is the perfect complement to tart cherries.
- Thickeners: We thickened the cherry pie filling with all-purpose flour and quick-cooking tapioca.
- Almond Extract: This pie has a little almond extract for flavoring. You can use vanilla extract instead for a different flavor.
- Butter: We dotted the pie filling with a little butter for added flavor.
- Egg White: We brushed beaten egg white over the pie crust to help it turn golden brown.
- Coarse Sugar: Sprinkle the pie crust lattice with coarse sugar for added texture. You can also use sparkling sugar sprinkles or skip this step if you prefer.
How To Make Cherry Pie
Making a homemade cherry pie is so easy! You can even use a store-bought crust if you are short on time. Roll out the crust, mix together the filling, add the top crust, and bake the pie!
- Crust: Roll out one of the pie pastries to form the bottom crust, and roll out the other one and cut it into strips for the lattice.
- Filling: Mix together the pie filling ingredients and pour the filling into the bottom crust. Dot with cubed butter. Top with the lattice crust, brush with egg white, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake: Start by baking the pie at a high temperature and then reduce the temperature for the remaining time.
Variations
Everyone loves the classic, but sometimes it’s fun to switch things up and make other varieties. You can go mini, add a crumb topping or even add some cheesecake! Here are a few of our suggestions:
Mini Cherry Pies
Use 5 or 6-inch pie plates for small pies, or use a muffin pan to form mini pies. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden.
Cherry Crumb Pie
Make a crumb topping by combining 1 cup of flour, 2/3 cup of brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of butter (cut into small cubes) until crumbly. Spread over the pie filling. Bake as directed in the recipe until the filling is bubbly and the crumb topping is evenly golden brown.
Cherry Cheesecake Pie
For a cherry cheesecake, make a cheesecake on a graham cracker crust and top it with cherry pie filling. Find our recipe for cherry cheesecake here.
Storage and Freezing
How To Store
Allow the pie to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover the pie with plastic wrap or foil and store it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. If you want to freeze a fruit pie, it is better to freeze it unbaked.
How To Freeze Cherry Pie
To freeze a tart cherry pie, prepare it as directed in the recipe but skip the egg wash until ready to bake. Place the pie in the freezer to allow the crust to harden and keep its shape. Remove the pie once it is frozen and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, place it in a freezer bag, and label the bag. Freeze for up to two months.
When ready to bake, do not thaw the pie. Unwrap the pie, brush it with egg white, and sprinkle it with coarse sugar. Then, bake as directed in the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure you start with high-quality canned or frozen cherries and that you add enough sugar to complement the tart cherries. You can also add vanilla extract, almond extract, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, or ground ginger.
Cherry pie is most often served cold or at room temperature. But it is also delicious when served warm. You can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
You can add blueberries, raspberries, or apples to make various kinds of fruit pies.
Want more pie recipes? Try these next:
This classic Banana Cream Pie recipe has sliced bananas covered in a creamy homemade pudding in a cookie crust and topped with whipped cream.
This Chess Pie recipe has a sweet custard filling that is golden brown on the top and dusted with powdered sugar. Perfect for Thanksgiving.
Homemade Blueberry Pie made with plump berries and a flaky crust topped is best enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
This Peach Pie recipe is easy to make with fresh peaches and simple ingredients just like grandma used to make. Includes how to freeze peach pie filling.
Cherry Pie
Ingredients
- 2 pie pastries
- (2) 14.5 oz cans whole pitted tart cherries drained
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 3 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoon butter diced
- 1 beaten egg white
- ½ tablespoon coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with one of the pastries. Mix together the drained cherries, sugar, flour, tapioca, and almond extract.
- Spread the pie filling over the pie crust. Dot with the cubed butter.
- Top with a 9-inch pie crust in either a lattice design or add the whole crust with slits cut into it for venting. Trim and flutes edges.
- Brush the crust with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake at 450˚F for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350˚F and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly. Cover edges loosely with foil, halfway through baking, if they are getting too brown. Cool on a wire rack.
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