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This Easy Cherry Pie is my updated version of a beloved family recipe and my favorite dessert growing up. With its flaky golden crust and sweet-tart cherry filling, it’s a simple homemade pie that’s perfect for holidays, summer gatherings, or anytime you want a taste of nostalgia.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Easy Cherry Pie is as approachable as it is delicious. The filling is made with canned cherries, so you can enjoy a slice of cherry pie any time of year, not just in cherry season. It comes together with simple, everyday ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. And if you’re short on time, you can easily swap the homemade pie dough for a ready-made crust without sacrificing flavor or flakiness. It’s a classic dessert that’s flexible, fuss-free, and always a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients Needed for Pie Dough
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Shortening
- Cherry heering or vodka (you can't skip this ingredient for this pie dough)
- Ice water
Step By Step For Pie Dough
- In the bowl of a food processor, process 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar and salt until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the chilled butter and shortening and continue to process until incorporated and the mixture forms uneven clumps, with no floury bits remain, about 15 seconds.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and evenly redistribute dough evenly around the processor bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup flour to the mixture and pulse until mixture has broken up into pieces and evenly distributed around the bowl, about 4 to 6 pulses.
- Transfer the mixture to a larger bowl and sprinkle cherry herring and ice water over mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula, until the dough starts to stick together. The dough will be wetter than most.
- Divide the dough evenly into 2 pieces. Place each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten to a 4-inch disk. Wrap each piece tightly with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Before rolling out, let the dough sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften.
Ingredients Needed for Cherry Pie Filling
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Instant tapioca, processed to a powder
- Ground cinnamon, optional
- Almond extract
- Cherry heering, optional
- Canned red tart cherries
- Unsalted butter
- Turbinado sugar
Step By Step for Pie Filling
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, tapioca powder and cinnamon. Add the almond extract and cherry heering if using, and cherries and mix well to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Pour the cherry filling in the chilled pie dough lined pie plate and scatter butter on top.
- Loosely roll remaining pie dough around a rolling pin and gently unroll it onto the filling. Press the bottom and top layers of pie dough together and trim the overhand to 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. Tuck the edges under and crimp the edges. Freeze the pie for 30 minutes.
- Cut slits on the top of the dough to let the steam vent, and brush the top of the pie with egg wash using a silicone pastry brush. Sprinkle course sugar on top.
- Place pie on the heated foil lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until the crust is lightly golden brown, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and rotate the pie and until the juices are bubbling and crust is deep golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes longer.
Tips For Success
Pie Dough
- Cherry Heering or vodka is essential to the tender texture of this pie crust. This dough is moister than most standard pie dough and can take more flour when rolling this dough out.
- You must use a food processor for this dough.
- Be sure to shape the dough into a round. This will make it easier to roll out and keep its shape.
- Preheating a rimmed baking sheet in the oven helps keep the bottom crust crisp and not soggy while baking.
Cherry Pie Filling
- Ground instant tapioca helps thicken the filling while still keeping the filling juicy.
- I added a little bit of Cherry Heering for extra flavor, but you can omit it.
- Be sure to let this pie cool at least 4 hours before slicing.
Baking Tools
- Food processor
- Plastic wrap
- Rolling pin
- 9-inch pie plate
- Rimmed baking sheet(s)
- Parchment paper
- Foil
- Spice grinder for tapioca
Food Photography Gear and Styling Tips
Camera Gear
- Nikon D850
- Lens: 105mm Macro & 50mm
- Tripod: Weyllan Tripod
- Strobe light: Godox AD200 Pro
- White foam core reflectors
Food Styling Tips
- Backlighting to show the best highlights.
- Bowl of cherries to emphasize the flavor of the pie.
- Wood cutting board to add warmth and also to bring out the color of the pie crust
- Blue and white plates to use for layering and contrasting colors to highlight the color of the pie filling.
- Tea towel for texture.
Let's Connect
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Easy Cherry Pie
Yield:
8
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
40 minutes
Additional Time:
4 hours
Total Time:
5 hours 10 minutes
This Easy Cherry Pie is a timeless dessert made simple! With a buttery, flaky crust and a sweet-tart cherry filling, this pie comes together with minimal effort but delivers bakery-worthy results. Perfect for holidays, summer gatherings, or any time you’re craving a classic fruit pie, it’s as beautiful as it is delicious. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat!
Ingredients
SPECIAL TOOLS
- Food processor
- Plastic wrap
- Rolling pin
- 9-inch pie plate
- Rimmed baking sheet(s)
- Parchment paper
- Foil
- Spice grinder for tapioca
PIE DOUGH
- 2 1/2 cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces and chilled
- 8 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
- 1/4 cup cherry herring
- 1/4 cup ice water
EGG WASH
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
CHERRY FILLING
- 1 1/3 cups (9.6 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons instant tapioca, processed to a powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons cherry herring (optional)
- 3 14.5 ounces cans of Red Tart Cherries, drained, rinsed, and dried with paper towels
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
PIE DOUGH
- In the bowl of a food processor, process 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar and salt until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the chilled butter and shortening and continue to process until incorporated and the mixture forms uneven clumps, with no floury bits remain, about 15 seconds.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and evenly redistribute dough evenly around the processor bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup flour to the mixture and pulse until mixture has broken up into pieces and evenly distributed around the bowl, about 4 to 6 pulses.
- Transfer the mixture to a larger bowl and sprinkle cherry herring and ice water over mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula, until the dough starts to stick together. The dough will be wetter than most.
- Divide the dough evenly into 2 pieces. Place each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten to a 4-inch disk. Wrap each piece tightly with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Before rolling out, let the dough sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften.
- Roll out one pie dough on a lightly floured surface until it measures 12 inch in diameter. Loosely roll the disk of dough around a rolling pin and gently unroll it over a 9-inch pie plate, letting the excess dough hang over the edge. Ease the dough into the plate by gently lifting the edge of the dough with your hand and pressing the dough with your other hand. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and loosely wrap the dough-lined pie plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the second pie dough on a lightly floured surface until it reaches 12 inches in diameter. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently roll the dough around a rolling pin and unroll the dough on to the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the disk of dough until firm, about 30 minutes.
EGG WASH
- Combine the egg and water together in a small bowl and set aside.
CHERRY PIE FILLING
- Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place a foil lined rimmed baking sheet on the rack and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, tapioca powder and cinnamon. Add the almond extract and cherry herring if using, and cherries and mix well to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Pour the cherry filling in the chilled pie dough lined pie plate and scatter butter on top. Loosely roll remaining pie dough around a rolling pin and gently unroll it onto the filling. Press the bottom and top layers of pie dough together and trim the overhand to 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. Tuck the edges under and crimp the edges. Freeze the pie for 30 minutes.
- Cut slits on the top of the dough to let the steam vent, and brush the top of the pie with egg wash using a silicone pastry brush. Sprinkle course sugar on top.
- Place pie on the heated foil lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until the crust is lightly golden brown, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and rotate the pie and until the juices are bubbling and crust is deep golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes longer.
- Let pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has set, about 4 hours. Slice and serve with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Storage: Pie can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 257Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 179mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 6g
*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary.*
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