Fresh Cherry Pie Filling Recipe

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.

   

2. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.

   

3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.

   

4. Cool slightly before using.

   

5. Fill pie shells, use in another dessert like a cherry cake, or freeze for later. 

   

6. The recipe makes enough pie filling for one 9-inch pie.

   

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.