Cherry Pie Filling Recipe (Fresh or Frozen)

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Looking for a way to use all of those fresh summer cherries? Make homemade my Cherry Pie Filling recipe! My recipe is so easy and you only need five ingredients! Use this easy filling for pie or use it to create other delicious cherry desserts. Once you try making homemade pie filling, I can promise that you will never want to buy canned store-bought pie filling again. Using fresh cherries makes a huge difference – Perfectly sweet with just the right amount of sugar this pie filling is all about that fresh cherry flavor.

cherry pie in a clear mason jar surrounded by cherries.

Recipe Notes

You can use sweet cherries or tart cherries – the key is in the lemon juice.
This recipe is for pie filling – not the whole pie. Sometimes you want to use pie filling for topping a cherry cheesecake or to use on pancakes or in cherry ice cream.
Use my cherry pie recipe to turn this pie filling into a full pie – with double crust or crumble topping. Just note that it takes a bit of time to make a full pie – you need to make this pie filling and let it cool, make the homemade pie crust, then bake the full pie and let it cool.

Bowl of cherries in a cherry decorated bowl

Ingredients Needed

Cherries: Pitting cherries can be a chore but the easiest way to pit a cherry is with a cherry pitter. You will also need to remove the stems. Don’t have a cherry pitter? Learn how to pit a cherry with a straw.
Water: When you cook the cherries, you will need to add some water. Cooking the cherries in water helps break them down and release the cherry juices.
Sugar: You will need some granulated sugar to sweeten the pie filling.
Cornstarch: To thicken your filling, you will add a slurry which is made with cornstarch and cold water.
Lemon Juice: You will also need some lemon juice which helps balance out the sweetness from the sugar.

How to make cherry pie filling

Cook Cherries: Place the prepped cherries and water in a sauce pan. Bring it to a boil and cook the cherries for 10 to 15 minutes or until they have softened and released their juices.
Mix and Boil: Add the sugar to the cherries followed by a cornstarch slurry. Stir continuously. The mixture will thicken quickly at which point you can take it off the heat.
Taste: At this point, taste the filling (carefully- it will be hot!) and if it’s too sweet you can add lemon juice to balance it out.
Cool: Transfer the filling to a bowl or large bowl. Let it cool to room temperature and then place it in the refrigerator until you ready to use it.

Tips & Variations

You can add some vanilla or almond extracts to the pie filling – stir it in after you’ve removed it from the heat.
If making a full pie, be sure to brush the pie dough with egg wash so it will get golden brown.

FAQ

Can I use canned cherries instead of fresh?

Canned cherries are a little different – for those they’re already soft from being canned. In that instance, you’d thicken the liquid first, then stir in the cherries.

Ways to use Cherry Pie Filling

You can use this filling to make the BEST cherry pie with my homemade crust or a store bought pie crust. You can make it with a top crust or make cherry crisp with a crumble topping.
Cherry Delight, Cherry Cheesecake Dessert, or make Cherry Dump Cake
Cherry Pie Bars with crumble topping
Switch out the apple pie filling for the cherry in Apple Cheesecake Pie
Top pancakes or waffles or use them as a cake filling!