Surprisingly easy to make and super flavorful, this easy cherry pie filling recipe makes me wonder why even bother with the canned stuff!?
I totally understand the appeal of ready-to-go store bought filling. But the only real difficult and tedious part about making your own at home is pitting the cherries.
Otherwise, it takes less than 10 minutes on the stove, and it tastes a million times fresher and more flavorful than the pre-made stuff!
And if all of that wasn’t convincing enough, it’s also much more customizable when you make it yourself. Do you like larger cherry pieces? Smaller cherry pieces? A thicker filling? A looser filling? More sugar? Less sugar? YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU LIKE!
Okay, not annnnything …. like maybe don’t add cheddar cheese to it. But you can do a lot!
Trust me! If you’ve never made your own cherry pie filling at home, now’s the time to give it a go!
Cherry pie filling ingredients:
You only need 5 ingredients to make your own cherry pie filling!
cherries: I used fresh cherries for my filling. If you want to make cherry pie filling from frozen cherries, the recipe is the same. You just may need to cook the filling a bit longer because of the extra moisture found in frozen cherries. No need to defrost though!
sugar
lemon juice: it adds a nice freshness that I find canned fillings lack!
water
cornstarch
How to make cherry pie filling at home:
1. Pit cherries. I don’t have a cherry pitter (I’d probably just use it once and forget about it), so I like to use a metal straw to push out the pit. You can also choose to slice your cherries in half or quarters, or leave them whole depending on your preference. Cook time will be slightly different.
2. Cook cherries, lemon juice, and sugar. Cook until softened to your liking. I like my cherries on the softer side, so I let them cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Add cornstarch/water slurry. Whisk equal parts cornstarch and water in a separate bowl. Then gradually drizzle, mixing constantly, into the cooked cherry/sugar mixture. Continue cooking until it boils and thickens to your liking. Again, you can customize how thick you let it get – just keep in mind it will thicken even more once it’s cooled down.
Cherry pie filling storage:
This cherry pie filling will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, or 3 months frozen. Keep stored in an airtight container or plastic bag for maximum freshness!
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Homemade Cherry Pie Filling Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh or frozen cherries, washed, stems removed, and pitted * see notes
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar ** see notes
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cool water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a medium sized saucepot, combine pitted cherries, sugar, and lemon juice. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from scorching. If you're using frozen cherries, you don't need to defrost them.
- Once it starts boiling, reduce your heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until softened to your liking.
- In a small bowl, whisk together your water and cornstarch until it forms a smooth and thick mixture. Slowly drizzle the cornstarch mixture into the cooked cherry mix, stirring constantly to prevent clumping.
- Continue cooking until the mixture boils and thickens to your liking. If using frozen cherries, it may take slightly longer to thicken because they do have more moisture than fresh cherries. Cool and serve!
Notes
Enjoy!
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