Fresh Cherry Pie Filling Recipe

Fresh cherry pie filling recipe

The Spruce Eats / Diana Mocanu

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 8 servings

Fresh, juicy cherries are one of the highlights of summer, and this easy, homemade cherry pie filling with fresh cherries is a great way to use them.

If you have an abundance of cherries, you can scale the recipe up and freeze the extra pie filling in containers to use later.

Ingredients

  • 5 to 6 cups fresh pitted cherries (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch (use Therm-Flo thickener if freezing)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for cherry pie filling
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Mocanu
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.

    Combine all ingredients
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Mocanu
  3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.

    Bring to a boil
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Mocanu
  4. Cool slightly before using.

    Cool slightly
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Mocanu
  5. Fill pie shells, use in another dessert like a cherry cake, or freeze for later. 

    Fill pie shells
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Mocanu
  6. The recipe makes enough pie filling for one 9-inch pie.

    Cherry pie
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Mocanu

Tips

  • How to Freeze Cherry Pie Filling: Ladle the pie filling into plastic freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Let the filling cool to room temperature, but do not leave it out for more than 2 hours. Seal and label containers with the name and date.
  • How to Pit Cherries: If you're pitting a lot of cherries, you might want to buy a pitter. There are large pitters with containers that work well in large quantities. And there are small pitters for smaller quantities, like the Oxo Good Grips pitter for cherries and olives. If you don't have a pitter, there are some inventive ways to get the pits out by hand. Insert a sturdy straw into the stem end and push it through, pushing the pit out. Or use a chopstick to poke the cherry out. 
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
244 Calories
0g Fat
62g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 244
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 62g 23%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Protein 2g
Calcium 24mg 2%
*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.)