This sour cherry pie is everything you want a cherry pie to be. The recipe works well with fresh or frozen tart or sour cherries. The resulting dessert is the perfect mix of sweet, tart, and delicious. Top it with ice cream or whipped cream for the perfect fruity treat.
There is just something about a classic cherry pie that is hard to beat. I originally posted this recipe in 2017 after we harvested a mess of cherries from my aunt’s tree.
We sat at her kitchen island pitting cherries with grandma all afternoon. We had a blast and of course some of those cherries had to turn into a pie.
She has since moved, so cherry pies have been made with tart cherries from the freezer section at the grocery store the last few years. That is about to change though, we just planted a sour cherry tree (and two sweet cherry trees!)
In a couple of years we should have a mess of cherries of our own. I can’t wait to bake with them!
For me the scariest part about baking a fruit pie is making sure the cherry pie filling is going to be thick enough. It is always hard to tell what it is going to do when you put it in the oven.
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While a loose filling still taste great, it is hard to serve. This recipe takes the guess work out of whether or not the filling is going to set up because you cook it on the stove for a bit first.
That way you have a chance to adjust as needed before it ever hits the pie pan. You can also adjust for sweetness if you want, so feel free to give it a taste and make it perfect for your taste buds.
This method works especially great for frozen berries. It allows you to keep all of that tasty juice without worrying.
More Recipes To Try
If you want to switch up your cherry pie a bit, try making a cherry rhubarb pie. It is a delicious combination of sweet, tart, and sour.
Try making cherry berry pie for another fruity favorite. Or you can check out my collection of pie recipes for even more tasty inspiration.
Sour Cherry Pie
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pitted sour cherries
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1 recipe for double crust pie pie crust
- Optional: milk or egg for wash and additional sugar
Instructions
- Put cold cherries, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch in large saucepan. Stir until combined.2 pounds pitted sour cherries, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup cornstarch
- Bring the cherry mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Keep boiling and stirring until it thickens to cherry pie filling consistency.
- Remove from the heat and stir in almond extract if desired.1 teaspoon almond extract
- Allow the cherry pie filling to cool completely before assembling the pie.
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Preheat a baking steel or sheet pan on the bottom rack.
- Roll out pie crusts and place bottom pie crust in 9-inch deep dish pie plate.1 recipe for double crust pie pie crust
- Spoon cooled pie filling into the bottom crust. Place the top crust and crimp the edges to seal. Cute vents in the top crust. If desired, brush with egg wash or a bit of milk and sprinkle with a little bit of granulated sugar.
- Place pan on preheated baking steel or sheet pan and bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Cover the edges with a pie shield or aluminum foil to prevent over browning and drop the oven to 375°F and continue to bake for about 30-40 minutes. Crust should be golden and the filling should be bubbling.
- Remove from oven and let coo before slicing and servingl. Delicious on it’s own, but really good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
Notes
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Made this today and it was a big hit. it was a runny but that was my fault as the cherries were still semi frozen and i was in a rush. The flavor was great. Loved the flavor.
I am so glad you liked it!
I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this postt
was great. I don't know who you are but certainly you are goiung
to a famous blogger if you aren't already 😉 Cheers!
I love cherry pie, but no one else in my family likes it. I don't make it because I'd hate to eat the entire pie! But, your recipe is tempting! Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle. Pinning.
Oh no! Though I am not sure it would deter me to be the only cherry pie eater, if anything it might be a good reason to make more cherry pie! 😉 Maybe a carry-in will pop up and you can have help eating it that way! Thanks, Beverly!
Your tart cherry pie looks and sounds delicious. Tart cherries are the best. Thank you for sharing your recipe at the Snickerdoodle Create~Bake~Make link party!
Thank you!
My mouth is watering! It's been a long time since we made a cherry pie! Pinned your recipe to share 🙂
It had been too long for me too! Thank you!
I really MUST comment,my name is Teri Giese.lol,I have no clue what all the accounts are for commenting!🤔Anyway,I am so old,that I recall going up to Door County,Wi.,with my high school bo,to pick cherries for my mom to make the handed down tradition of,"cherry sauce".What makes me "old at almost 56,"but am really not old at all!;is that we /I was made to use a bobby pin to pit every freaking cherry!So serious.But,I do love cherry pie so thanks for reminding me that a pie is very much going on the meal rotation ASAP!😜
A bobby pin isn't a half bad idea! How fun that you got to go pick cherries with your honey for your mom. Now I am wondering what was in your mom's "cherry sauce." Did you have it on ice cream or cheesecake or how did you use it?! Now I'm hungry just thinking of the possibilities!
It's never too late to share a delicious pie recipe! Wonder if my little cherry tree will ever have enough berries for me to make a pie. If not, I'm coming over to your house 😀
That's what I figured! Come on over any time! We would have so much fun!
You're so lucky to have all those cherries available to you! We had a cherry tree when I was growing up and eating them right off the tree was heaven–we never had enough at one time for a pie. I've only made cherry pie once in my life but you have me thinking I need to bake another soon. Happy Thursday Carlee!
Happy Thursday to you too! I really want to have some fruit trees, but my husband thinks they are a mess. I think I may have to try harder!
Cherry pie is one of my favorites! I love it so much, and with tart cherries, it's even better! My parents had 2 cherry trees in our backyard when we were growing up, and I loved it. I really miss being able to walk out and grab a handful of cherries. I've actually never made a cherry pie, sounds like something I need to do! 🙂
Oh my goodness, you definitely have to! I really want to get some fruit trees but my husband says they're too much mess. One of these days!
You are right pitting cherries is a lot of work but sooo worth it!! My BFF's favorite pie is cherry, I should surprise her and make this. I can taste the sweet-n-tart now and sounds so delicious!!
They are soooooo good, but so dang much work. I always go a little crazy when the bing cherries are in season. They are so good and I guess the pits help you pace yourself.