You don’t need to be a pro baker to create a mouthwatering cherry pie with this easy and delicious recipe. No matter if using fresh, canned or frozen cherries, the homemade filling is irresistibly jammy and tangy, wrapped in a perfectly flaky pie crust.

My recipe is written to guide you step-by-step, making it easy for anyone to achieve pie perfection!

overhead view of cherry pie with lattice crust in white pie dish

Why you’ll love this recipe

Foolproof filling: For my homemade cherry pie, I prefer to take the extra step to pre-cook and then cool the filling before adding it to the crust to bake (it doesn’t even take long!). This way, you know exactly how the filling will come out! No more runny pie filling and no more issues with having tart fruit that ended up not sweetened enough. If your cooled filling is not at the consistency or taste that you like for your pie, you can just tweak it before adding it to the crust, making sure you are baking your perfect pie.
Extra-flaky crust: My pie crust recipe is quick to pull together, and comes out perfectly flaky! I’ve tweaked my recipe for years until I landed at the right flour-to-butter ratio to make it easy for new bakers to handle while providing the perfect flake.
Homemade perfection: I firmly believe in making homemade things look, well, homemade. My pies always look imperfectly rustic and homemade – which is totally fine!

Fruit pies are one of my all-time favorite desserts. From apple pie to lemon pie, I have yet to meet one I don’t like! My classic cherry pie is a summer staple, and it’s much easier to make than you’d think.

Even though it’s easy, it does require a bit of patience. The chilling and cooling of both the pastry and the filling take time, but they are crucial to pie success.

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for cherry pie with text labels — Ingredients for cherry pie: Cherries (fresh, frozen or canned), sugar, pie crust, cornstarch, water, butter, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, vanilla extract and almond extract, **not pictured:** egg white.

Ingredient notes

Cherries: Sour cherries are my favorite, but sweet cherries work great as well as long as you reduce the sugar in the filling (instructions included in the recipe below). Fresh, frozen (no need to thaw!) or 3 14.5-oz cans all work in this recipe (again, the instructions for each are further down). I actually like frozen cherries best, because they are so easy to use; but will happily use fresh when I get them from Grandma’s garden!
Extracts: I like using both vanilla and a little almond extract, but you can stick to just one if you prefer. Just don’t overdo it with the almond extract, or it will overpower the entire pie.
Crust: My go-to is my homemade pie crust, and store-bought crusts can be tricky to use with fruit fillings because they tend to be a little thin. If you’re in a hurry and need to use a store-bought crust, just be mindful of using it well-chilled and make sure to not stretch it out when adding it to the pie dish.
Lemon juice: A must if using sweet cherries! If you’re using sour/tart cherries, I suggest tasting the filling first before adding the lemon juice. Substitute 2 tablespoons water if the filling is tangy and tart enough for you.
Cinnamon: I love the hint of warmth and spices this adds, but feel free to skip it if you prefer.
Egg white: I forgot to add the egg white for the egg wash to the photo. If you don’t want to use egg, you can brush the pastry with cream instead.

How to make cherry pie from scratch

I highly recommend making the pastry for the crust (if making a homemade one) before making the filling, because it needs adequate time to chill (at least 2 hours, better overnight, especially if you live in a hot climate!).

To save time, you can prepare both the crust and filling a day or two in advance.

Homemade cherry pie filling

Note: This recipe works the same for fresh and frozen cherries. The alterations for canned cherries are written further below.

1. Cook cherries:

Place the cherries, sugar, extracts, spices and a small pinch of salt in a wide pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer the cherries for 5-8 minutes, until they release their juices (frozen cherries may take a little longer).

overhead view of frozen cherries and sugar in white skillet — place cherries, sugar and seasoning in pan

overhead view of cooked cherries in white skillet with wooden spoon — place cherries, sugar and seasoning in pan

2. Thicken juices:

Take the filling off the heat. Whisk the cornstarch into 4 tablespoons cold water, then pour this slurry into the filling, stirring quickly and constantly until it’s fully combined.

Put the filling back over medium-low heat and allow to simmer, stirring constantly, until the juices have thickened.

cornstarch slurry pouring from glass measuring jug into pan with cooked cherries — add cornstarch slurry

overhead view of cooked cherries in thickened juices in white pan — add cornstarch slurry

3. Adjust:

Taste the filling and add up to 2 tablespoons lemon juice to achieve your preferred tartness. Stir in the butter until melted, then taste and adjust if needed.

If the filling is too sour, add a little more sugar.
If it’s too runny, add a little more cornstarch slurry (never add the cornstarch directly to the hot filling! This will cause lumps. Always dissolve in cool water first!)
If it’s too thick, add more water, tablespoon by tablespoon.
If the filling seems too bland, add a little more vanilla extract or cinnamon.

overhead view of cherry pie filling with melting butter in white pan — add butter

overhead close up view of wooden spoon in homemade cherry filling — add butter

4. Cool:

Transfer the filling to a wide, shallow bowl (if you have it) for faster cooling. If you’re not in a hurry, you can just leave it in the pan. The filling needs to cool completely to room temperature.

Adjustments for canned cherries:

Strain the cherries, catching the juice, then place the juice in a wide pan, reserving ⅓ cup
Add extracts, cinnamon and a small pinch of salt. Add sugar to taste (some cherries come in sweetened juice, so make sure to adjust for the cherries you have on hand). Bring to a boil.
Dissolve ⅓ cup cornstarch in the ⅓ cup reserved juice. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry until fully incorporated.
Put the pan back over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in the lemon juice (if needed) and butter. Stir in the cherries, adjust for taste and texture as described above and allow to fully cool to room temperature.

Assembling the pie

Assembling the pie is not that tricky, but there’s a lot of planned chilling and oven preheating going on to keep the crust as well-chilled as possible while working on your pie, and to make sure you get the best bake!

Note: I highly recommend generously buttering and then placing your 9-inch pie dish in the freezer for 15 minutes before rolling out the bottom crust!

1. Prepare the bottom crust:

Remove one pastry disc from your fridge. Place it between two sheets of baking parchment or between two pieces of plastic wrap. Roll it into a circle 1-inch larger than your pie dish

Transfer the rolled out crust into the buttered, chilled pie dish (this is easy if you halfway roll it over your rolling pin, lift it into your pie dish and then carefully unroll.

Leave any overhang, you’ll use it to fold over the lattice to create a crimped edge in the end.

Place the dish into the fridge to chill until the top crust is prepared (rolling and handling warms it up, you want the bottom crust to be extremely well chilled to keep it from getting doughy and soggy).

overhead view of female hands rolling out pie crust — roll out bottom crust

overhead view of pie crust in white pie dish — roll out bottom crust

2. Prepare the top crust:

Before you begin: Before you start this next step, place a foil-lined baking sheet in the lower ⅓ of your oven. Turn on the oven and heat it to 425°F while you continue working on the pie. Heating up the baking sheet provides a hot surface to put your pie dish on to help the bottom crust brown and cook through.

While the bottom crust is chilling, roll out the top crust into the same-size circle as before. Cut it into evenly sized strips – I like to make them about ⅓ – ½ inch thick.

Place it back into the fridge (not in the freezer; you want the top crust strips cold, but not too cold, or the lattice weave will be more difficult).

overhead view of rolled out pie crust cut into strips — roll out top crust and cut into strips

3. Assemble the pie filling and lattice weave:

Remove the pie dish from the fridge. Immediately spread the cooled filling in the crust.

Remove the top crust from the fridge. Assemble into a lattice weave:

Place half of the pastry strips on top of the pie in the same direction, making sure to choose strips with adequate length.
Start placing pastry strips across, in a one-up, one-down pattern. I find this easier by flipping back the pastry strips I need to weave under, then flipping them on top of the pie again. In the next round, flip back the other strips and place your next pastry strip across.
Continue weaving your pastry strips across until the pie is covered.

overhead view of pie crust strips on top of unbaked cherry pie

overhead view of lattice weave being assembled on top of unbaked cherry pie

4. Crimp and finish:

Arrange the excess pie crust around the pie by folding it to the side; or trim the excess and arrange it in a circle around the edge. (The goal here is to create a thicker crust edge you can crimp). Fold any overhang from the bottom crust over this edge.

Crimp the edge all around, then brush the lattice and the edge with egg white and sprinkle with a little bit of granulated sugar.

overhead view of female hand brushing egg white over lattice pie crust — egg wash

overhead view of assembled but unbaked cherry pie in white pie dish — egg wash

Bake and cool the pie

Baking

Baking and cooling the pie correctly is about as important as keeping the pastry chilled! Don’t chill the filled pie, you’ll want it in the oven ASAP or the bottom crust will get soft and soggy from the filling seeping into it.

Place your pie on the prepared baking sheet in the oven. Bake it at 425°F for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat without opening the oven door to 375°F and finish baking for 30-40 minutes.

After 20-30 minutes in the oven, you may notice the edges getting too brown – cover with foil or a pie shield to keep them from burning!

The pie is done when the crust is golden-brown, flaked up and the filling is starting to bubble up between the lattice around the edges.

Cooling

Once the pie is baked, turn off the oven and remove it using thick oven mitts. Remove any foil or pie shield (careful, hot!).

Place the pie on a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 2-3 hours. After about 2 hours it’s sliceable but still warm. For perfect slices, wait at least 4 hours before slicing to serve!

overhead close up view of lattice topped cherry pie

Top tips

Keep the crust well-chilled: Pie crust only comes out flaky if you chill it well. The butter in the dough must remain solid until it melts in the oven, creating those perfect flaky layers. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it out, the longer the better. Chill the pie dish before adding the crust. Once it’s rolled and in the dish, chill it again.
Don’t use warm filling: Make sure your filling has completely cooled to room temperature before adding it to the unbaked crust, or it will soften and warm up the crust, resulting in a soggy bottom and tears in the crust.
Follow the baking directions exactly: Make sure to place the pie on a hot baking sheet in the lower ⅓ of your oven (pie needs more heat from the bottom than from the top). Bake at 425°F for the first 20 minutes, then reduce the heat 375°F without opening the oven and finish baking for 30-40 minutes.
Keep pie from browning too much: Your cherry pie is ready when the crust is golden and the filling has just started bubbling up around the edges. Cover the pie crust edge with foil or a pie shield after 20-30 minutes in the oven. If you notice the lattice crust browning too much before the pie is ready, tent the entire pie with foil. This shields the crust from direct heat and prevents over-browning while allowing the pie to cook through.
Cool pie on a cooling rack: You must place the pie on a cooling rack to allow hot air to escape on the bottom. Otherwise, the bottom crust may get soggy.
Allow enough cooling time: For the easiest slicing and to avoid a runny filling, let the pie cool completely before cutting. Ideally, allow it to cool for 4 hours, but if time is tight, a minimum of 2 hours will be enough. Slicing into a too-warm pie can cause the filling to ooze out, so resist the temptation to dig in too soon!

Helpful hints

Leftovers

Keep leftovers covered on the counter for up to 2 days.

Make ahead

You can prepare the pie dough and filling ahead of time if needed:

Pie crust: Wrap the prepared pastry tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 2 days, ready for rolling out whenever you’re ready to assemble your pie.
Cherry Filling: After cooking the filling, cool it for 30 minutes to room temperature. Transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate. It will keep well for up to 4 days.

Then, you can easily assemble and bake your pie the day-of. This is especially great for special occasions and holidays!

Freezer storage

You can freeze a fully baked and cooled cherry pie, preserving its deliciousness for up to 3 months.

Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and then in foil.
Label with the name and use-by date.
Freeze for up to 3 months.

To serve, thaw it overnight in the fridge and let it come to room temperature before slicing and serving. This way, you can enjoy a freshly baked pie whenever you like!

Serving tips

A scoop of vanilla ice cream is a classic pairing for cherry pie, but a little bit of whipped cream is just as delicious. Sometimes I like to have a scoop of vanilla Greek yogurt with my slice, especially if I’m eating some leftover pie as a snack 😉

If you’re baking a cherry pie for a fall or winter celebration, warm vanilla custard is really good, too.

frontal close p view of cherry pie slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

More recipes to try

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Classic Cherry Pie

Why you’ll love this recipe