This cherry pie filling recipe creates a luscious sauce using fresh, frozen, or canned cherries. It’s a reliable from-scratch alternative to store-bought cherry pie filling and works well in pies, cobblers, crepes, turnovers, and many other desserts.
If you use fresh cherries, wash, stem, and pit them before cooking. Manual or handheld cherry pitters make the job faster and cleaner.
Fresh Cherry Cobbler
To make a fresh cherry cobbler, spread the cherry filling in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish and top with spoonfuls of drop-biscuit dough. For a sweeter shortcake biscuit, add one to two tablespoons of brown sugar and a splash of vanilla to the dough.
Bake at 350°F for about 18–20 minutes until the biscuits are golden and the filling is bubbly. This filling freezes well—thaw completely and stir before using.
You can also spoon the cooled filling into jars and refrigerate for several days. It makes a wonderful topping for toasted biscuits, shortcakes, pound cake, ice cream, or yogurt.
For a thicker turnover filling, finely chop the cherries and add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch. For a cherry-apple crepe filling, add thin apple slices and a pinch of cinnamon to the mixture.
One favorite dessert that uses this sauce is Cherry Cloud (Angel Fluff): layers of angel food cake, sweetened whipped cream, and warm cherry sauce, finished with toasted pecans for crunch. It’s an easy, impressive treat for gatherings.
Gather cherries—fresh, frozen, or canned—along with sugar, a squeeze of lemon, and a few drops of almond extract, and you’ll have a versatile homemade cherry filling ready in minutes.
Cherry Pie Filling
This basic recipe works best with sweet cherries like Bing. If you use sour cherries, reduce the sugar—start with 3/4 cup, taste, and adjust as needed.
Ingredients
5 to 6 cups pitted cherries (fresh or thawed frozen), about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup granulated sugar (adjust for tart cherries)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch until smooth and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cherries, lemon juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then stir in the water-cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until the mixture returns to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 6–8 minutes until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract, if using. Let cool before using in pies, tarts, or as a topping.
Cherry Pie Filling from Canned Cherries
If using canned tart cherries, reserve the juice from two 14.5-ounce cans and drain the cherries. You’ll need about 1 cup of reserved cherry liquid.
Ingredients
2 (14.5-ounce) cans tart cherries, drained (reserve juice)
1 cup reserved cherry juice
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Whisk the reserved cherry juice and cornstarch together in a small bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the drained cherries, lemon juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then stir in the cherry juice-cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until the sauce returns to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.
Remove from heat, stir in the butter and almond extract, and allow the filling to cool before using. This version makes a quick, tasty filling when fresh fruit isn’t available.
