Cherry Pie Recipe

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/26/22
cherry pie

 Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 1 pie
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
501 Calories
18g Fat
81g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 501
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 9g 46%
Cholesterol 29mg 10%
Sodium 151mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 81g 29%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 42g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 13mg 66%
Calcium 30mg 2%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 271mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Cherry pies are known for being tart, sweet, and full of juicy goodness. We used freshly-picked tart cherries, but since they’re only in season for a short amount of time, you can always buy frozen tart cherries. You can also use sweet cherries, but lower the sugar to 3/4 cup and add a bit more lemon juice for that nice tart flavor.

A fresh cherry pie with a beautifully flaky lattice crust will impress everyone at your next family meal or potluck. Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust:

  • 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter

  • 1/3 cup cold shortening, diced

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 cup cold water

For the Filling:

  • 7 to 8 cups fresh tart cherries, or 6 cups frozen

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided

  • 1/4 cup cornstarch

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

  • 1 tablespoon butter, diced

Steps to Make It

Prepare the Crust

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    pie crust ingredients
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  2. Grate the butter with a cheese grater into a bowl. Add the shortening, flour, and salt.

    grated butter and flour in a bowl
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  3. Cut the butter and shortening into the flour with a pastry blender until the fat is dispersed throughout the flour. The butter and shortening should all be pea to bean-sized pieces.

    butter and shortening cut into flour with a pastry cutter
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats 

  4. Add the water a little at a time until you have a rough dough.

    pie crust dough in a bowl
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  5. Form the dough into two balls and flatten. Wrap one in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

    pie crust dough
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats 

  6. Roll one ball of dough into a round that's about 1/8-inch thick and 12 inches across.

    pie dough rolled into a circle
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  7. Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Press the dough all the way down and allow some of the dough to hang over the edge of the pie tin. Set aside. If your kitchen is warm, place the lined pie pan in the fridge.

    pie crust in a pie tin
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

Prepare the Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

    cherry pie filling ingredients
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  2. Pit the cherries using a cherry pitter for the fastest results. Thaw the cherries if you are using frozen.

    cherries pitted in a bowl
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  3. Thoroughly drain the cherries once you are done pitting or thawing. Then combine them in a large bowl with 3/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir to combine, and taste. Add more sugar (up to 1 1/4 cups) if necessary and stir to combine.

    pitted cherries tossed in sugar and cornstarch in a bowl
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  4. Fill the bottom pie shell with the cherry mixture and dot the top with the diced butter.

    cherry pie filling in a pie crust
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  5. Roll out the other pie dough circle into a 10-inch circle. Cut the circle into 1-inch strips.

    pie crust dough cut into lattice strips
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  6. Lay four of the strips over the filling in the same direction.

    pie crust strips folded over the top of a pie
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  7. Fold alternating strips over themselves halfway and place another strip in the center of the pie to create the lattice design.

    forming a lattice crust
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  8. Fold the strips back over the center strip. Repeat alternating which strips you fold back.

    forming a lattice crust on a cherry pie
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  9. Repeat on the other side of the pie.

    forming a lattice on a cherry pie
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  10. Crimp the edges of the pie crust together, trimming as needed and sealing.

    pie crust edges crimped on a cherry pie
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  11. Sprinkle the top of the pie with granulated sugar.

    pie crust sprinkled with sugar
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats

  12. Transfer the pie to the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and flaky and the filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.

    cooked cherry pie
     Leah Maroney / The Spruce Eats 

Tips

  • It’s really important to have cold ingredients for your pie crust. This will help keep the butter from melting when you form the crust. The pieces of butter and shortening are what help keep the crust flaky. 
  • We use a mix of butter and shortening because butter provides great flavor in the crust and the shortening helps keep it workable and flaky once it’s been baked.