Homemade Cherry Pie Filling
Homemade cherry pie filling, or most other fruit fillings are positively quick and so easy to make. Don’t be afraid, just follow these simple directions for perfect results.
Originally published August 20th, 2013.
Do you know how easy it is to make your own homemade cherry pie filling? Or apple, peach, blueberry or rhubarb pie filling, for that matter? Well, I’m going to show you how super easy it is!
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If “life is like a bowl of cherries”, does it mean that there are endless things you can do with your life, just like those cherries?
Does it mean some cherries are sweet, and some are sour, and that somehow equates to the good and bad in our lives? Instead of pondering life’s analogies, I’d rather do something with that bowl of cherries.
Why substituting ingredients sometimes doesn’t work.
I spied some Balaton Cherries (a type of sour cherry) at the grocery store the other day. They looked so good and I wanted to make boozy cherries like Nonna used to make in Italy. However, when I got home and tried to push them tightly into jars, I realized they were much too big to make Nonna’s alcohol soaked fruit. There was too much sugar in the jars due to all the space between the large cherries.
You may also enjoy this Cherry Cheese Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe
Apparently, according to my cousin Gianfranco, I need to use tiny sour cherries (amarena). The problem is that I don’t even know if I can find them here in the US. I bought one type of small sour cherry a few years ago, but haven’t seen them since. (Sigh.)
Those boozy cherries are one of my favorite things in life! I did keep one jar to try, but I don’t think it will meet my standards of tasting like Nonna’s original. Sometimes, there can be no substitutions in a recipe, and this is a case in point.
So, onto Plan B: homemade cherry pie filling with fresh cherries is infinitely better than its canned counterpart, so that’s what I did, and you can too.
You may also enjoy this strawberry rhubarb pie filling recipe.
How do you make homemade cherry pie filling?
It’s so easy, and this method works for making most fruit fillings. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.
- Just put the fruit and sugar in a pot.
- Next, add corn starch (see the printable recipe below for instructions on how to add the corn starch so it won’t be lumpy).
- Lastly, stir until it comes to a boil and you’re done! It’s that simple.
Use the filling as you desire, but remember that sweeter fruit will need less sugar (peach, eg.) and more sour fruit will need more sugar (rhubarb, eg.).
Homemade Cherry Pie Filling
(or Apple, Peach, Blueberry or Rhubarb)
recipe by Christina Conte FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Place the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a pot over medium heat.
Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the cornstarch (see printable recipe for directions so you don’t get a lumpy sauce) to the cherries and mix well.
Continue to stir with a wooden spoon just until it comes to a boil and is slightly thickened and glossy. Remove from heat.
Ta dah! You now have homemade cherry pie filling! Remember, you can use these directions for other fruit, too. Just adjust the sugar to fruit ratio depending on how sweet or sour the fruit is (taste it to see if it needs more sugar). Here’s my recipe for a super quick, homemade pie crust.
How do you make a cherry pie or crumble?
This filling perfect for pies, crumbles, crisps, and cobblers. It’s amazing topping for cheesecake, blintzes, pancakes, or ice-cream. The thickened fruit is also a delicious filling for crepes, turnovers and in Black Forest Cake–the list goes on and on.
If you’d like to make a cherry pie (or other fruit pie), make this easy crust Pie Pastry in Under One Minute, then fill it with your pie filling. Bake as per my apple pie recipe.
Maybe you’d like to make a fruit crumble instead, as it’s quite a bit easier than rolling out pastry. If so, here’s another super simple recipe for the topping. I made a cherry crumble with my cherry pie filling. Just pour the cherry filling into an 8×8 pan and top with my super-simple, homemade crumble. See the finished crumble photo at the very bottom of this post.
Homemade Cherry Pie Filling (or Apple, Peach, Rhubarb...)
The best and easiest fruit filling recipe, ever!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (1 1/2 lbs) pitted sour cherries (you can use sweet, but cut down the sugar)
- 1 cup (8 oz) sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 heaped teaspoons corn starch (water to mix)
Instructions
- Place the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a pot over medium heat.
- Stir to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, mix the corn starch in a small bowl with just enough water to form a smooth mixture, then add to the cherries and mix well. Add the mixture before the cherries come to a boil, or it will be lumpy.
- Continue to stir the cherries and sauce, just until it comes to a boil and is slightly thickened and glossy. Remove from heat. Use as desired.
Notes
Perfect for pies, crumbles, crisps, and cobblers; amazing topping for cheesecake, blintzes, pancakes, or ice-cream; a delicious filling for crepes, turnovers and in Black Forest Cake--the list goes on and on.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 4 ozAmount Per Serving: Calories: 52Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
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did anyone have trouble getting the sauce to thicken
Did you bring it to a boil? That’s really the only way it won’t work unless the measurements are off and there’s much more liquid for the corn starch to thicken, Cyndi.
I use 2#s cherries and increased cornstarch and it was perfect I also only use 3/4cup sugar.
I’ve made this for years with the Montmorency cherries from my tree and it’s delish! I followed the recipe this year but the filling seems more liquify than usual. Will it congeal as it cools?
It will a little, but as you probably know, it should get thick after the corn starch has been added and cooked. Not sure what would cause the difference if you’re using the same cherries?
Can these be prepared and frozen for baking at a later date? Should they he baked thawed or frozen?
Hi Marcia, what are you referring to?
I think I overcooked the filling a little because I wanted the sauce to become clear so much but wow, it was delicious and the pie I made with your filling was absolutely gorgeous.
This year, our cherry tree was veeeeeery giving, we picked about two cardboard fruit crates every day for like, ten days. We gave à lot, made jams and preserves, made some cake too and ice lollies but your recipe allowed me to preserve my cherries in a new way and we’ll be able to enjoy cherry pies way out of season.
Thank you !
Hi Martine,
Sorry for the delayed response. I have been traveling in Europe and then helped pack up my parents’ house and drove them to stay with me in Los Angeles and just got back after 6 weeks! You are soooo fortunate to have so many cherries from your tree! I know so many others that never get one because the birds eat them all before they’re even ripe! Do you have a secret to share? So glad you liked the recipe! Thank you for your comment!
CC
When sweet cherries were on sale last month, I bought 8 pounds of them. Got them all pitted, and froze them, thinking I would make jam or pie filling when the weather cools. But the recipes I keep finding call for sour cherries. Can I use Bing cherries for the pie filling? I’ll trust your judgment on this, as you’ve never steered me wrong!
Hi Suzi, thank you for your compliment! Yes, you can use sweet cherries, but you most definitely will want to cut down the sugar a lot (maybe only use 1/4 cup/2 oz?) I would also add more lemon juice. Let me know how it works out! CC
Thanks! If the weather stays cooler than last weekend, I may do it sooner rather than later. Next question-can the pie filling be “canned”?
Hi Suzi, I would assume, so, but have never done it so I truly don’t know. I looked a a canning book I have and it doesn’t say! :(
Yes, increase the lemon juice and cut back the sugar..I use brown sugar
Yes you can! You can put 3/4 cups water into a pot, add 3/4 cup sugar, add 1/4 cornstarch and 2 1/2 cups pitted cherries. Cook over low-medium heat. When thickened add 1/4 tsp. almond flavouring, 1 Tbsp butter,1 tsp lemon juice and a dash of salt (optional).
Thank goodness I found you! I shouldn’t leave a review yet as I’m not done but after reading the other comments I’m sure it’ll come out beautifully. I’m making a cherry-rhubarb-huckleberry pie and I’m so tired of all the recipes calling for tapioca to thicken it! Thank you!
No problem, thanks, Jaclyn! I’m sure you’ll love it, too (P.S. star rating is located above the PRINT button on the recipe card.) :)
I used your recipe to bake my first ever cherry pie. I always bake apple pies but since I had some fresh cherries on hand, I decided to get to work. One thing I have done to make my next cherry pie easier – I ordered a cherry pitter! Now, hopefully, my hands will not have to live with cherry stains for days while the stains wear off. However, after the pie was done, it was delicious. This pie filling is sooooo easy and comes out perfectly. I hope to use the same recipe with blueberries. Thank you for this recipe, it is easy and gets raves for taste.
Oh, that makes me so happy! Thanks for letting me know, Elaine! It will work just as well with blueberries, so enjoy that one, too! If you can click on the 5 stars in the printable recipe card, that would be lovely, thank you!