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Fresh Cherry Pie

This is a truly homemade cherry pie recipe, bursting with fresh cherries and topped with a beautiful, from-scratch lattice pie crust, just like Granny used to make!

top down photo of a homemade cherry pie, with text overlay of recipe name.

Homemade Cherry Pie

Fresh cherries are in the grocery stores right now and I decided to advantage of this and make a homemade cherry pie. Everything in this cherry pie is made from-scratch, with a buttery homemade pie crust and real cherry pie filling!

Granny’s recipe box is filled with homemade pie recipes. When I was a little girl when Granny would make a pie, she would use the leftover-dough scraps to make little cinnamon rolls for my sister and me. But of course, the pies were the main event!

There’s nothing quite like the taste of a truly homemade cherry pie, especially when it’s brimming with the juicy goodness of fresh tart cherries and crowned with a beautiful, from-scratch lattice pie crust.

Forget store-bought shortcuts – this recipe is all about savoring the process and enjoying the incredible flavor of a dessert that tastes like pure summer perfection! Get ready to fill your kitchen with the sweet aroma of sweet cherries and create a show-stopping pie that will impress everyone at your next gathering!

–Sara

top down view of a slice of cherry pie, with remaining pie in background.

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the crust
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup of vegetable shortening (chilled)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 6 to 8 Tablespoons of ice water

For the Cherry Filling:

  • 8 cups fresh cherries (about 2 ¼ pounds)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten (for the egg wash)
  • Coarse sugar for sprinkling

Helpful Kitchen Tools

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Instructions

To Make The Crust

  1. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
  2. Cut 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter into slices and add to the food processor, along with the shortening.
  3. Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
  4. Add second stick (1/2 cup) of cut up butter and pulse until the dough is in pea sized pieces.
  5. Add the egg yolk and 6 Tablespoons of ice water and pulse until the dough begins to clump together. You can add up to 2 more Tablespoons of cold water, as needed, until the dough is the right consistency.
  6. Turn dough out onto a clean surface, divide in half and press into two discs.
  7. Wrap the pie dough portions in plastic and refrigerate at least two hours.

To Make The Cherry Filling:

  1. Remove pits from each cherry.
  2. Combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract in a large bowl.
  3. Toss or stir until all ingredients are combined and cherries are coated.

To Assemble The Pie:

  1. Sprinkle flour on the surface where you will roll your dough.
  2. Roll out one disc of dough into a 12-inch round.
  3. Gently lift from surface and place the dough in the bottom of the pie dish, leaving a one-inch overhang.
  4. Spoon the cherry filling into the pie pan.
  5. Roll out the second disc of dough and cut into 3/4 inch wide strips.
  6. Lay half the strips over the pie, about 3/4 inches apart.
  7. Fold back every other strip and lay another strip perpendicular to the existing strips.
  8. Continue weaving strips.
  9. Trim strips, leaving a one-inch overhang.
  10. Fold the overhanging dough over the edge of the pie plate, pressing to seal and secure it in place.
  11. Crimp the edges with your fingers.
  12. Brush lattice and crust edges with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
  13. Refrigerate pie about 30 minutes before baking.

4 step photo collage showing how to assemble a cherry pie.

Baking Directions:

  1. Put a baking sheet covered with foil into oven and preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Put the pie on the hot baking sheet in the oven and reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
  3. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling (about 55-60 minutes).
  4. Check at the half-way mark and if the crust is getting too brown, tent it with foil.
  5. When done, transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least two hours before you cut and serve.

pie in the oven baking.

Prep Tips

  • Crust – While this pie could be made with prepared pie crust, I’m including a homemade recipe. It’s fairly easy because you cut the butter into the flour with a food processor. I was a little intimidated by doing a lattice crust but I took it slow and while it wasn’t perfect, after baking it looked amazing.
  • Cherries – Fresh cherries will be a little firmer and a little tarter than canned pie filling. You can use more or less sugar depending on whether you have sour cherries or sweeter ones.
  • Removing the Cherry Pits – I did not have a cherry pitter on hand but I had read you could easily push the pit out with a chop stick. I did not find that easy at all! Instead I used a paring knife and made a slit down the side and then pulled the pits out. It took about 20 minute to pit 8 cups of cherries. Since the juice will sometimes splash as you remove the pits, be sure and make sure your surface and chair are protected.
  • Timing – Before making this recipe, be sure and read all the directions. The pie crust and pie need to spend some time in the fridge and the pie must cool for a couple of hours. Because of this, you’ll need to allow for at least six hours to make it and have it ready to serve.
  • Serve with – Cherry pie tastes fabulous on its own, but I also like to serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

top down view of a homemade cherry pie with lattice crust.

More Homemade Pie Recipes To Try:

Fresh Cherry Pie Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)

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Fresh Cherry Pie Recipe

This is a truly homemade cherry pie recipe, bursting with fresh cherries and topped with a beautiful, from-scratch lattice pie crust, just like Granny used to make!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cherry, pie
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Refrigerator and Cooling 5 hours
Total Time 7 hours
Servings 10
Calories 500kcal
Author Sara Garska
Cost $15

Equipment

  • Pie Pan
  • Mixing bowls
  • Food processor
  • Rolling Pin
  • Baking sheet
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Paring knife

Ingredients

Pie Crust

Cherry Filling

Instructions

Pie Crust

  • Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
  • Cut butter into slices and add 1/2 cup to the food processor, along with the shortening. Pulse until the texture is like coarse meal.
  • Add the second stick of cut up butter and pulse until the dough is in pea sized pieces.
  • Add the egg yolk and 6 Tablespoons of ice water, pulsing until the dough begins to clump together. Add up to 2 TB more water (if necessary) until the dough is the right consistency.
  • Turn dough out onto a clean surface, divide in half and press into two discs.
  • Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours.

Cherry Filling

  • Remove pits from each cherry.
  • Combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juices, and almond extract in a large bowl.
  • Toss until all ingredients are combined and cherries are coated.

Making the Pie

  • Sprinkle flour on the surface where you will roll your dough.
  • Roll out one disc of dough into a 12-inch round.
  • Gently lift from surface and place in pie dish, leaving a one-inch overhang of dough.
  • Spoon in the cherry pie filling.
  • Roll out the second disc of dough and cut into 3/4 inch wide strips.
  • Lay half the strips over the pie, about 3/4 inches apart.
  • Fold back every other strip and lay another strip perpendicular to the existing strips.
  • Continue weaving strips until the top of the pie is covered.
  • Trim the ends of the strips as needed, leaving a one-inch overhang.
  • Fold the overhanging dough under itself, along the top edge of the pie pan, pressing to seal.
  • Crimp the edges with your fingers.
  • Brush the lattice and crust edges with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
  • Refrigerate pie about 30 minutes before baking,

Baking Directions

  • Put a baking sheet covered with foil into the oven and preheat to 400°F.
  • Place the pie in the oven on top of the hot baking sheet and reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
  • Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling (about 55-60 minutes).
  • Check at the half-way mark and if the crust is getting too brown, tent it with foil.
  • When done, transfer pie to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least two hours before cutting and serving.

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate only.
Fresh cherries will be a little firmer and a little tarter than canned pie filling. You can use more or less sugar depending on how sweet your cherries are.
I did not have a cherry pitter on hand but I had read you could easily push the pit out with a chop stick. I did not find that easy at all.
Instead I used a paring knife and made a slit down the side and then pulled the pits out. It took about 20 minute to pit 8 cups of cherries.
Fresh cherries can be juicy and that juice is bright red. Wear clothes that you don’t care of they get a splash or two of juice.
Since the juice will sometimes splash as you remove the pits, be sure and make sure your surface and chair are protected.
All in all, making a homemade cherry pie was fun and I loved the final results.

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 128mg | Potassium: 301mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 688IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg

Pin our old fashioned cherry pie recipe on Pinterest:

Old Fashioned Cherry Pie Pinterest Image.

You might also like these cherry desserts:

chocolate cake topped with cherries; text overlay "Cherry Chocolate Cake"

Chocolate Cherry Cake

cherry divinity candy, cut into squares, on parchment paper.

Cherry Divinity Candy

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