July 12, 2023

Desserts

Cherry Pie

If you've ever wanted to try making a cherry pie from scratch, then this recipe is for you! This pie is made 100% from scratch, including the crust and it turns out perfectly sweet with a lovely golden brown pie crust.

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baked cherry pie with golden brown edges.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This Cherry Pie is easy to make and comes together in just a few hours!
Don’t be intimidated by making your own pie crust, it’s rather quick and easy.
The pie crust is made with a just flour, salt and butter- that’s it!
You can make the crust and cherries a day ahead.
Great for summer to use up those cherries!
You can use fresh or frozen cherries.
Be sure to check out my Vegan Berry Crisp for another fun idea!

Ingredients And Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for Cherry Pie. Scroll down to the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

The crust is made with all purpose flour, I recommend using King Arthurs all purpose flour mixed with sea salt.

Use unsalted grass-fed butter for best results. I like the Kerry Gold butter, otherwise any unsalted butter will do the trick.

I personally like to use fresh cherries as they will keep their shape and have a nice texture to them, even after baking. But frozen cherries will work too.

A blend of both almond and vanilla extract add a lovely flavor.

I like to use coconut sugar to sweeten up this pie, but you can also use cane sugar if preferred. Monk fruit sweetener would also work.

Adding in a touch of orange juice adds so much flavor to this pie. You can omit if desired, but I encourage you to add it in!

A squeeze of lemon juice adds some acidity and a nice flavor. I recommend using fresh instead of pre-bought lemon juice that contains preservatives.

To thicken the sauce and the berries, I added in tapioca flour. Alternatively, you can add in arrowroot starch or corn starch.

An egg wash before baking will give the pie crust a lovely golden brown color.

And lastly, I highly recommend adding on some course sugar before baking. This adds a lovely color and texture to the crust.

all the ingredients that you need to make this cherry pie in individual containers.

How To Make

ONE: Start by making the crust. In a medium bowl add in the all purpose flour and salt. Mix well until well incorporated. Add in chilled and cubed unsalted butter and mix until you have a crumbly mixture.

flour and salt mixed together in a bowl.

chilled butter added into the flour mixture.

TWO: Next, add in 1 tbsp of ice cold water and use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together. Add 1 tbsp at a time until you’ve used the entire 1/2 cup.

a tablespoon of ice cold water added into the crust mixture.

THREE: Bring the dough out onto a floured working surface and knead slightly, and then cut into two equal parts. Flatten each piece into 1 inch disc and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.

FOUR: In the meantime, create the cherry filling. Remove the pit using a pit tool and add the pitted cherries to a large mixing bowl. Add in the extracts, salt, coconut sugar and lemon juice and tapioca flour and mix well. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for a minimum 1 hour.

pitted cherries and the rest of the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl.

tapioca flour added on top of the cherries.

FIVE: When ready, preheat the oven to 400F and remove only one piece of the dough. Place it on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll it out until it’s wide enough to cover the pie pan. Use your rolling pin to roll the dough up and then place it over the baking dish.

the pie crust rolled out on a floured surface

the pie crust added into the pie baking dish.

SIX: Using a slotted spoon, scoop the cherries without getting any of the juices and add them to the pie crust.

the cherries added into the pie crust using a slotted spoon.

SEVEN: Add the juices into a saucepan and heat over low heat for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add the sauce on top of the cherries and spread evenly.

the juices of the cherry pie added to a saucepan.

EIGHT: Roll out the second piece of pie crust and using a pizza cutter, or knife, create the pie topping. Place the topping over the cherry pie, overlapping each one and then brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with course sugar.

the second piece of pie crust rolled out and cut into long pieces to make the pie crust topping.

NINE: Bake at 400F for 20 minutes and then reduce to 375F and bake for another 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing into, about 2-3 hours and enjoy!

the cherry pie after being baked with a slice cut out of it.

Tips And Tricks

Use chilled butter, not rock hard and not room temperature, but chilled. Let it sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes.

Use a pastry tool to combine the flour and butter, otherwise two forks works just as great.

Only add in 1 tbsp of ice cold water at a time and use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.

Make the pie crust and the filling a day ahead if desired.

Use a cherry pitter to remove the pit easily.

How To Serve And Store

Serve this Cherry Pie warm and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Cover leftovers with plastic wrap or foil and store in the refrigerator, enjoy within 5-7 days.

You can also freeze leftover Cherry Pie.

a slice of the cherry pie on a serving spoon.

Taste And Texture

This Cherry Pie is perfectly sweet and has the best cherry flavor. The orange juice really bring out a different taste than other cherry pies that i’ve tried.

The texture of the cherries are tender but still have a crunch to them and the pie crust is perfectly golden brown, flakey and crunchy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use store bough pie crust?

Yes, if you don’t want to make it from scratch, store bought will work great.

Is there a way to make this vegan?

Yes, by using store bough vegan pie crust and omitting the egg wash and using oil instead.

Can I use a different fruit instead of cherries, would the process be the same?

Yes!

Other Recipes You May Like

If you make this Cherry Pie, I would really appreciate a comment and rating down below, under the recipe card. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me over on Instagram, Tiktok or Pinterest!

Cherry Pie

Pin Recipe

PREP TIME:

1 hour

COOK TIME:

1 hour

TOTAL TIME:

5 hours

Author - Hannah

Ingredients

Pie Crust

2.5 cups all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1/2 cup ice cold water
1 egg, for the egg wash
2 tbsp course sugar, optional

Pie Filling

4 cups cherries, pitted
1 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup tapioca flour

SCALE:

YIELDS:

12 servings

Directions

Start by making the pie crust. In a medium bowl add in the all purpose flour and salt. Mix until well incorporated.
Next, add in the chilled and cubed unsalted butter. Use a pastry tool to combine the flour into the butter. If you don't have a tool, using two forks works just as great. Combine until you have a crumbly mixture with pea sized dough balls, see photo above. Do not over work the butter into the flour.
Next, add in 1 tbsp of ice cold water and use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together. Add 1 tbsp at a time until you've used the entire 1/2 cup. Dough will be sticky.
Bring the dough out onto a floured working surface and knead slightly. Don't over work the dough, just knead enough until you can roll it into a ball. Then, cut into two equal parts.
Flatten each piece into a 1 inch disc and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
In the meantime, create the cherry filling. Remove the pit using a pit tool and add the pitted cherries to a large mixing bowl.
Add in the almond and vanilla extracts, salt, coconut sugar and lemon juice mix well.
Then mix in the tapioca flour until each piece is well coated. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for a minimum 1 hour.
When ready, preheat the oven to 400F and remove only one piece of the dough.
Place it on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll it out until it's wide enough to cover the pie pan. Use your rolling pin to roll the dough up and then place it over the baking dish.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop the cherries without getting any of the juices and add them to the pie crust.
Add the juices into a saucepan and heat over low heat for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add the sauce on top of the cherries and spread evenly.
Roll out the second piece of pie crust and using a pizza cutter, or knife, create the pie topping.
Place the topping over the cherry pie, overlapping each one and then brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with course sugar.
Bake at 400F for 20 minutes and then reduce to 375F and bake for another 35-40 minutes.
Let cool completely before slicing into, about 2-3 hours and enjoy!

Notes

Use chilled butter, not rock hard and not room temperature, but chilled. Let it sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes.
Use a pastry tool to combine the flour and butter, otherwise two forks works just as great.
Only add in 1 tbsp of ice cold water at a time and use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.
Make the pie crust and the filling a day ahead if desired.
Use a cherry pitter to remove the pit easily.