Cherry Pie Filling

Homemade Cherry Pie Filling

Homemade cherry pie filling comes together quickly and easily when you’re making homemade cherry pie but it can also be used for so much more than that!

You can spoon it over homemade vanilla ice cream or swirl it into your yogurt bowl and we even like to pour it over our buttermilk pancakes.

It’s made with simple ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen including fresh cherries, water, cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice.

This thick, syrupy, glossy filling presents a striking red color and a sweet and tart flavor that can elevate all your summer treats including these cherry pie bars.

Why This Recipe Works

• Quick and Easy. With just 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cook time, the rest of the time is spent waiting for it to cool. It’s so easy!
• Any time of the year. Frozen cherries can also be used year-round, so it’s a great recipe to keep for the holidays too!
• Versatile. As mentioned above, this recipe is a treat in and of itself. I’m talking by the spoonful, friends! It’s great for waffles, french toast, ice cream sundaes, oatmeal, parfaits, you name it.
• Adaptable. This recipe can be tweaked for slight adjustments in flavor. Adding different flavor extracts for example, or maybe some warming spices, depending on what you use it for.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Cornstarch: This is to help thicken the cherry pie filling. This also helps it set so that it’s not a runny sauce.
• Water: Boiling water helps to dissolve the sugars and cook the cherries down.
• Cherries: The best cherries for pie filling are going to be ripe, fresh, and juicy! No discoloration, medium red to dark red, and of course pitted. You’ll need to remove the pits first.
• Granulated sugar: Sometimes cherries can be quite sour, so you can play with the amount of sugar and use more if needed.
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice: This helps to brighten up the homemade pie filling with a bit of citrusy zest. The acid also helps the filling to set and balance out the sweetness. Use more if your cherries are very sweet.

Variations

Add a bit of cinnamon for a bit of warming spice. This is especially great when making it around Thanksgiving and Christmas time and throughout the fall and winter months.

A bit of almond extract or vanilla extract can be added for extra flavor.

You can also replace the refined sugar with honey or maple syrup if preferred.

How to Make Cherry Pie Filling

Let’s make this filling from scratch in a few easy steps.

Expert Tips

• Use a cherry pitter to remove the pits. This will save you time and will prevent most if not all of the red stains on your hands!
• You can use frozen cherries. Slightly thaw them first and drain any excess juices. Use only 1/4 of the water to make the slurry.
• If using honey or maple syrup instead of sugar, be mindful that it will change the flavor of the cherry pie filling. It will still taste great, but using too much can be overpowering.
• When using it as a topping to a fruit tart or fruit pizza, for example, reserve the surrounding juices for something else. Try and use mostly just the cherries so that it doesn’t become too runny.

Ways to Use Cherry Pie Filling

There are loads of desserts with cherry pie filling that aren’t even pies! Cherry tarts can also be filled with pie filling and here are some more examples of how to use it:

• Cherry crisp with pie filling and crumble topping or streusel topping
• As a topping for a creamy no-bake cheesecake, cherry cheesecake dip or this mini cheesecake recipe.
• Layered between or on top of chocolate cake or as a filling for chocolate cupcakes
• As the fruit layer in an easy dump cake
• Over a bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream

Storing

Keep stored in an airtight container or mason jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to 3 days in the fridge.

It thickens as it cools, and even more so when it’s cold. To loosen it up again, heat it in the microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between or on the stovetop until smooth once again.