Active Time:

50 mins

Total Time:

7 hrs 10 mins

Servings:

10

Homemade cherry pie is joyful nostalgia in a pan. It conjures laughter-filled summertime memories of times spent outdoors with loved ones. It’s all-American, it’s visually striking, it’s universally loved by all ages, and it’s just plain delicious.

The crust in this homemade cherry pie recipe is flaky yet sturdy. (Yes, you can save time and effort by using a store-bought version instead.) The filling sets to perfection.

Serve cherry pie with vanilla ice cream if you like. It’s ideal for a summer barbecue or potluck picnic. And if you try it and love it, leave a review to let us know.

Cherry Pie Ingredients

To make cherry pie dough, you’ll need:

all-purpose flour
granulated sugar
kosher salt
unsalted butter

ingredients for pie crust in clear glass bowls — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley

To make the cherry pie filling, you’ll also need:

fresh sweet cherries
granulated sugar
cornstarch—This helps create a syrupy liquid out of the juice that leaves the cherries.
lemon
vanilla and almond extracts

Additional ingredients needed for cherry pie include:

egg
turbinado sugar
vanilla ice cream—for serving, if you like

You'll use these to add a shiny egg wash on the pie crust. The sugar doesn't melt while baking, and it adds a nice crunch to the crust.

ingredients for a cherry pie, including fresh cherries and sugar — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley

What Is the Difference Between Sweet and Sour Cherry Pie?

There are two main types of cherry pies: sweet cherry pies (made with sweet cherries) and sour cherry pies (made with bright red tart cherries). For best results, don’t confuse the two.

This recipe is for a sweet cherry pie. Sweet cherries are accessible—they’re in season in summer, but you can find them at the grocery store almost year-round. (Whereas tart cherries are only available fresh for a few weeks every year, and are hard to find frozen; they’re often only really available in canned form.)

The fresh sweet cherries in this recipe are pitted and tossed with sugar, cornstarch, some lemon for brightness, and vanilla and almond extract to enhance the natural cherry flavor, and baked in a flaky, all-butter crust.

Tips for the Perfect Cherry Pie

The Southern Living Test Kitchen has made hundreds of pies collectively, so they offer these tips for making the best cherry pie possible?

If desired, you could also replace some of the sweet cherries with tart cherries in this recipe (although they are much harder to find fresh).
Frozen cherries work just as well; thaw them out and drain any residual juices.
If using fresh cherries, consider investing in a cherry pitter. There are plenty of hacks for pitting cherries without a proper pitter—such as pushing them out with a straw or chopsticks or pulling them out with a paper clip—but for the two pounds of cherries required for this homemade cherry pie recipe, it’s worth it to spring for the right tool.
As an alternative to the homemade dough in this recipe, you could use store-bought pie crust for ease if desired, or use your own favorite pie dough recipe (just make sure it yields enough for a double-crust pie).
And if you do make your own dough, consider making extra as it’s plenty versatile and stores well: You can make it ahead of time, store it in the freezer, and it makes a great base for any pie.

preparing pie crust strips for lattice pie crust — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley

More Delicious Fruit Pie Recipes

Looking for a dessert recipe for dinner or a picnic? Consider these alternatives:

Additional reporting by Alesandra Dubin.

Ingredients

Dough

2 1/2 cups (about 10 5/8 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup (8 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cubed
6 to 8 Tbsp. ice water, as needed

Filling

5 1/2 cups (1 lb., 12 oz.) pitted fresh sweet cherries (from 2 lb. whole cherries)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 2 Tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 small [6 oz.] lemon)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Additional Ingredients

1 large egg
1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions

Prepare the Dough:

Pulse flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined, about 5 pulses. Add butter; pulse until mixture looks crumbly and butter forms pea-sized pieces, 8 to 10 pulses.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley
Press Dough:

Transfer Dough mixture to a large bowl, and sprinkle with 6 tablespoons ice water. Using a rubber spatula or your hands, press the mixture together until it begins to clump and hold its shape when squeezed together, about 2 minutes, adding up to remaining 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley
Chill Dough:

Transfer Dough to a clean work surface, and divide evenly into 2 portions. Gently press and flatten each portion into a 5-inch disk; wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley
Roll out Dough:

Unwrap 1 Dough portion. Roll into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured work surface. Transfer and fit Dough round into a 9-inch pie plate; trim overhang to 1/2 inch.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley
Cut Dough strips:

Roll second Dough portion into a 13-inch round. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut Dough round into 8 (1 1/2-inch-wide) strips; discard scraps. Transfer Dough strips to a lightly floured baking sheet. Chill Dough in pie plate and Dough strips until ready to use.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley
Prepare the Filling:

Stir together cherries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, almond extract, and salt in a large bowl until well combined.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley

Spoon cherry mixture into prepared pie crust, gently pressing into an even layer. Sprinkle evenly with butter.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist Christina Daley
Make lattice crust:

Arrange Dough strips in a lattice design over Filling. Press the end of of each strip into Dough overhang to create a seal between top and bottom crust; trim and discard excess.
Chill pie:

Fold edges of Dough over itself, and crimp as desired. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill until Dough is firm, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F with a rimmed baking sheet placed on rack in lower third position.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Brush crust with egg wash:

Whisk together egg and water in a small bowl until combined. Brush top and edges of Dough with egg mixture, and sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Bake pie:

Place pie on hot baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue baking until Filling is thickened and bubbling in center and crust is golden all over, about 1 hour, covering crust edges with aluminum foil after 30 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Cool pie:

Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature, about 3 hours. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley