The Best Cherry Pie has a deliciously gooey sweet cherry filling ⎯ not soupy or runny ⎯ the perfect amount of tartness, a flaky all-butter pie crust, and a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top!
Forget all the other cherry pie recipes: this one gives you the perfect texture and flavor!
The best Cherry Pie of your life
I like my cherry pie gooey. I want the filling to have a consistency similar to that of jello but looser, with a beautiful red glossy look. Sweet with just the right amount of tartness.
And I like to add in 3 different extracts and balance them carefully, so you can’t make up exactly which ones were used, you just get a b0mb flavor that you can’t explain.
Need more details on why this is the best cherry pie you’ll ever eat?
Why this recipe works:
- Gooey, not soupy or liquid. This cherry pie slices beautifully, it’s mess-free and is just so satisfying to eat and look at! It has the perfect filling with the consistency similar to that of jello but looser and a delicious glossy look.
- Best flavor. The filling is sweet with just a hint of tartness and is greatly enhanced by the combo of extracts that I swear by when it comes to cherry pie: vanilla, almond, and coconut. You cannot taste them separately but together they give this pie the “OMG what did you put in it?!” factor.
- Pie crust. For this pie I used my Homemade Pie Crust which makes 2: one for the bottom and one for the lattice top layer. It’s buttery, golden brown, and shiny ⎯ forget soggy.
- Easy. Anyone can make this pie and wow their friends & family!
- Prep ahead. Make the pie dough up ahead of time and bake when you’re ready!
Ingredients
Pie crust. I used my Homemade Pie Crust for this all-butter crust. It makes 2 crusts so you’ll use one for the bottom of the pie and one for the lattice top (or whatever decoration you want to do on top). I recommend making the pie dough a day ahead of time (or more) so it’s quicker and easier. Of course, you’re welcome to use you own pie crust recipe if you’d like.
Cherries. Use sweet cherries for this recipe. I know lots of people like to use sour cherries and if that’s what you have on hand, you might want to up the amount of sugar used, I can’t give specific advice on that though as I’ve never tested this recipe with sour cherries.
Lemon juice for that hint of tartness that every good cherry pie needs. I recommend using freshly-squeezed. Lime also works (delicious).
Sugar. Just regular white granulated sugar.
Tapioca starch. Enter one of the secret ingredients. I use tapioca starch (yuca also works) to get that perfectly gooey filling that slices beautifully and has a similar consistency to that of jello but looser with a perfect glossy look. With this recipe you don’t risk your pie coming out soupy, runny or gummy. Ditch the cornstarch, tapioca is so much better for cherry pies!
Vanilla extract. I use this extract as a base.
Almond extract.
Coconut extract. Trust me on this combo of vanilla-almond-coconut. You cannot taste these extracts separately and make out which were used. They’re there to give you that overall b0mb flavor that you cannot figure out, that “OMG what did you use??” factor. They’re carefully balanced.
Butter. Use unsalted butter and cut it into tiny cubes because you will be adding them into the holes left by the lattice pie crust on top. The butter will prevent the filling from bubbling over as fat naturally disrupts the formation of bubbles. It also adds more flavor so it’s overall a great addition to any fruit pie!
Egg and milk for the egg wash, to get that beautiful golden brown crust with a slight shine.
How to make cherry pie step-by-step
STEP ONE: Make the pie crust following my Homemade Pie Crust recipe or using your favorite pie crust recipe. This can be done 1 or more days ahead of time, if desired.
STEP TWO: Clean and pit the cherries using a cherry pitter (I recommend this one if you don’t have one already). If you don’t have a pitter, you can use a round piping tip or a straw.
STEP THREE: Make the cherry pie filling. In a large bowl, add the pitted cherries, lime juice, sugar, tapioca starch, vanilla extract, almond extract, and coconut extract. Stir until combined.
STEP FOUR: Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
STEP FIVE: Prepare the pie. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the chilled discs of pie dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle to fit a 9-inch (22 cm) pie dish and carefully place it into your pie plate. Add the cherry filling to the pie dough, making sure you pour in all extra liquid that’s in the bowl.
STEP SIX: Make the lattice crust for the top layer. Remove the second disc of pie dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle then use a knife to cut out 10 stripes about 1/2-inch wide (1.25 cm) each. Lay the strips of pie dough over and under one another, pulling back strips as needed to weave. Trim off any extra dough from the ends of the strips, then press them into the bottom layer of the crust and flute the edges.
STEP SEVEN: Make the egg wash. Beat the egg yolk with the milk until combined and smooth then brush the crust of the pie with your prepared egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Finally, add the small butter cubes on top of the cherry pie filling, right in the holes left by the lattice crust.
STEP EIGHT: Bake in the middle rack of your oven for 40-50 minutes or until the pie filling begins to bubble around the sides of the pie. As a rule of thumb, once the filling is bubbling you want to let it cook for another 3-5 minutes then remove the pie from the oven. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover the pie with a layer of aluminum foil greased with non-stick spray or vegetable oil. Allow to cool down to room temperature (about 2-3 hours), serve, and enjoy!
How do you store cherry pie?
Store cherry pie covered at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. If you wish to store it for longer than that, store it covered in the refrigerator for a total of 4-5 days.
Can you make cherry pie ahead of time?
Yes and there are 2 ways you can do that. You can either make the pie crust ahead of time and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. When ready to prepare your cherry pie, follow the recipe starting with step 2.
Or you can make and bake the pie 1 day ahead of time, allow it to cool down completely, cover it, store it at room temperature and serve it the next day.
Should you reheat cherry pie?
This is really up to you! Cherry pie can be enjoyed at room temperature, chilled, or it can be reheated it if you enjoy the comforting flavor of warm cherry pie. There’s 3 methods for reheating fruit pies:
Oven: reheat it in a preheated oven at 300F (150C) covered with a layer of aluminum foil to keep it from over-browning and reheat for 15-20 minutes. This is the best method.
Microwave: reheat it in the microwave in 30-second intervals until heated through. Keep in mind that microwaving may turn the crust chewy so I only recommend this if you’re in a rush.
Stovetop: reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over medium heat covered with a lid for 4-5 minutes or until heated through. This is a good method if you want to crisp up the bottom of the pie.
HAPPY BAKING!! I hope you’ll love this Cherry Pie Recipe from scratch as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More pie recipes you’ll love:
The Best Cherry Pie You'll Ever Eat
Ingredients
- 2 discs pie crust (I used my Homemade Pie Crust Recipe to make mine)
- 2 lbs or 5 cups (800 g) whole fresh cherries (when pitted you should get around 1.3 lb or 570 g cherries)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cups (150 g) white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp (50 g) tapioca starch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 tsp coconut extract
- 1 tbsp (15 g) unsalted butter (for topping)
- 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk (beaten, for the egg wash)
Instructions
- Make the pie crust following my Homemade Pie Crust recipe or using your favorite pie crust recipe. This can be done 1 or more days ahead of time, if desired.
- Clean and pit the cherries using a cherry pitter (I recommend this one if you don't have one already). If you don't have a pitter, you can use a round piping tip or a straw.
- Make the cherry pie filling. In a large bowl, add the pitted cherries, lime juice, sugar, tapioca starch, vanilla extract, almond extract, and coconut extract. Stir until combined.
- Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
- Prepare the pie. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the chilled discs of pie dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle to fit a 9-inch (22 cm) pie dish and carefully place it into your pie plate. Add the cherry filling to the pie dough, making sure you pour in all extra liquid that's in the bowl.
- Make the lattice crust for the top layer. Remove the second disc of pie dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle then use a knife to cut out 10 stripes about 1/2-inch wide (1.25 cm) each. Lay the strips of pie dough over and under one another, pulling back strips as needed to weave. Trim off any extra dough from the ends of the strips, then press them into the bottom layer of the crust and flute the edges.
- Make the egg wash. Beat the egg yolk with the milk until combined and smooth then brush the crust of the pie with your prepared egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Finally, add the small butter cubes on top of the cherry pie filling, right in the holes left by the lattice crust.
- Bake in the middle rack of your oven for 40-50 minutes or until the pie filling begins to bubble around the sides of the pie. As a rule of thumb, once the filling is bubbling you want to let it cook for another 3-5 minutes then remove the pie from the oven. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover the pie with a layer of aluminum foil greased with non-stick spray or vegetable oil. Allow to cool down to room temperature (about 2-3 hours), serve, and enjoy!
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