This classic cherry pie recipe brings the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors to your table in just over an hour. With a quick 20-minute prep time and 45 minutes in the oven, you’ll have a delightful dessert that’s both comforting and crowd-pleasing.
Best of all, each slice contains only 122 calories, making it a relatively guilt-free indulgence when you’re yearning for something special.
Main Ingredients
- Fresh or Canned Cherries: 1.5 lbs fresh sour cherries or 3 cans (14.5 oz) sour cherries
- Sugar: 3/4 cup granulated, plus extra for topping
- Cornstarch: 1/3 cup for perfect thickening
- Butter: 2 Tablespoons for richness
- Pie Crust: Homemade double crust recipe
- Additional Flavoring: 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Egg White: 1 large, beaten for golden crust
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cherry Preparation: If using fresh cherries, pit and halve them, then cook with sugar and lemon juice until juicy
- Sauce Making: Create a smooth cornstarch mixture, combine with cherry juices until perfectly thickened
- Crust Preparation: Roll out bottom crust to 12″ diameter and place in 9″ pie pan
- Filling Assembly: Pour cooled cherry mixture into crust, sprinkle with cinnamon
- Lattice Top: Create beautiful lattice pattern with 1/2″ wide strips of dough
- Final Touches: Brush with egg white, sprinkle sugar, and crimp edges
- Baking: Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes, covering top with foil after 25 minutes
- Cooling: Let cool completely on wire rack before serving
Cooking Techniques
Making a cherry pie is all about getting that perfect balance of sweet and tart filling with a flaky crust! The key technique here is cooking your cherry filling before it goes in the pie. This helps control the moisture and creates that thick, jammy texture we all love.
If you’re working with fresh cherries, don’t skip the step of cooking them separately first – it makes such a difference in the final texture. For the lattice top, start simple! Even a basic crosshatch pattern looks beautiful and lets the steam escape while baking.
Fresh vs. Canned Cherries Guide
Both fresh and canned cherries work wonderfully in this pie! Fresh sour cherries give you that bright, natural flavor, but they’re only in season for a short time. If using fresh ones, look for bright red cherries that are firm but not hard.
Canned cherries are a fantastic option year-round and save you the time of pitting fresh ones. Just remember – if using canned cherries, you’ll want a deeper pie dish since they tend to come with more juice.
Storage and Leftovers
Your cherry pie will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days. The best way to store it is to let it cool completely first – this keeps the bottom crust from getting soggy.
Cover it loosely with foil or plastic wrap. Want to enjoy it warm? Just pop a slice in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. The filling might be a bit runnier when heated, but it’ll be just as tasty!
Serving Tips
Cherry pie is amazing on its own, but try serving it slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – the contrast between warm pie and cold ice cream is magical! For a special touch, dust the top with a little powdered sugar right before serving.
If you’re having guests over, warm up the pie about 10 minutes before dessert time – the smell of warm cherry pie floating through your home is simply wonderful!
Cherry Pie
Equipment
- 9-inch pie pan
- Saucepan
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1.5 lbs fresh, sour cherries or three (14.5 oz) cans sour cherries
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Crust
- 1 recipe homemade pie crust this recipe makes 2 crusts: one for the bottom and one for the top
- 1 large egg white beaten with a fork
- granulated sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- If using fresh cherries: Pit and halve the cherries. Add them to a saucepan with sugar and lemon juice and toss to combine. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until juices are released.
- Use a slotted spoon to spoon cherries out into a bowl. Spoon some of the sauce into a cup and stir in the cornstarch until smooth. Return to pot with remaining juices and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Pour over cherries and set aside while you prepare the pie crust.
- If using canned cherries: Drain the juice from the cans of cherries into a saucepan, reserving ⅓ cup in a small bowl. Set the cherries aside. Add cornstarch to the bowl with the reserved ⅓ cup of juice and stir well to combine.
- Heat the saucepan (that has the juice in it) over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir well. Bring mixture to a low boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Fold in the cherries.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out bottom crust and place in 9-inch pie pan. Add filling and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Create lattice top with remaining crust. Crimp edges. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, covering with foil after 25 minutes if needed. Cool completely before serving.
