Cherry Pie Filling

Make your own cherry pie filling from scratch today. It's sweet and simple, made from scratch with just five ingredients. Use cherry pie filling to make cherry pie, to fill turnovers, or as a cheesecake topping.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings cups

Author Heather

Ingredients

4 cups (616 g) pitted cherries if frozen, thaw
1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar *
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup (28 g) cornstarch
pinch of salt
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon optional

To make a cherry pie

2 prepared pie crusts top and bottom
1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar optional

Instructions

In a saucepan over medium heat, add cherries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, a pinch of salt, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
If your cherries are not very juicy, you may want to add water (from a few tablespoons to ½ cup depending on your fruit) to thin the sauce.
Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until mixture has thickened (If your mixture is sticking to the pan, turn the heat down to low and add a splash of water). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Baking into a pie

Preheat oven to 375℉. Place prepared pie crust into an 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Fill with cherry pie filling, then place top pie crust over filling. Pinch the edges closed, then make a slit in the middle of the pie for steam to escape. Optionally, sprinkle with a tablespoon of granulated sugar before baking.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, then remove from oven to cool.

Video

Notes

Sugar quantity: *The amount of sugar can be adjusted to suit your tastes and depends on the sweetness of your cherries. Add as little as ½ cup for a less sweet filling. If using sweet cherries, I recommend reducing the amount of sugar to ⅔ cup.
Cherries by weight: 4 cups of pitted cherries weighs about 21 ounces/616 grams
Best cherries for cherry pie: Sweet or tart cherries can be used in this recipe.
Storage: Cherry pie filling will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator.
Freezing: Pie filling can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed, freezer safe container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. Pie filling will thicken when chilled, but thins out again when heated in the oven.

Nutrition