Sour Cherry Pie
A mouth watering sour cherry pie is made using a homemade flaky buttery pie crust, then filled with a 6 ingredient sour cherry filling. This is the ultimate pie of the summer.
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Sour Cherry Pie
Call it sour cherry pie or tart cherry pie – either way, this pie is sweet and tart and all around delicious. When I was editing the photos for this blog post, my mouth was watering and I thought, “I could really go for some sour cherry pie.”
A mouth watering sour cherry pie is made using a homemade flaky buttery pie crust, then filled with a 6 ingredient sour cherry filling. This is the ultimate pie of the summer.
A sour cherry pie is the perfect dessert for a 4th of July party, a BBQ, or just because it’s summer and cherries are available in abundance. I also have a recipe for small batch sour cherry jam that doesn’t add pectin if that’s more your thing.
Just How Sour Are Sour Cherries?
We came across sour cherries at a farmers market a few years ago and we were intrigued. Being a lover of all things sour, I wondered just how sour are sour cherries? I bought them without a second thought because I’d never seen them fresh in the grocery store in our area.
When my mom and I tried the cherries we were pleasantly surprised that they were actually really tart. We love sour things in our household so I knew I needed to come up with a way to use them in a recipe.
During the summer I see lots of recipes on Pinterest, in magazines, and online about the perfect summer fruit pie. To me, pie is just as relatable to Thanksgiving as it is to the summer, and so, I worked to make my sour cherry pie recipe. Sometimes doing less work on a hot summer day seems much more appealing, so were keeping the filling easy but not to sacrifice being delicious.
Ingredients
This pie doesn’t require lots of ingredients, you just need some patience to make a pie crust and pit the cherries! The work is totally worth it though.
Pie crust: My homemade pie crust is buttery, flaky, and perfect to pair with this sour cherry pie. It makes 2 single crusts or 1 double crust pie. It can be made ahead of time and frozen.
Pitted sour cherries: It takes a bit of work to pit all the cherries but it’s worth it. Use a cherry pitter tool to easily remove the pits. For efficiency, I set up one bowl to collect the pitted cherries and another bowl to put the pits so it’s easier to throw the pits away at once.
Almond extract: Almond and cherry work so well together! If you ever had an almond dessert and thought that it tasted like cherry or vice versa, it’s because they’re in the same plant family. This shared botanical connection creates a perfect flavor dup for baking. (That’s why almond extract may taste cherry-ish). If you’re not a fan of almond extract, you can use vanilla extract instead.
Granulated sugar: We need a bit of sugar to counteract the sourness or it’ll be overwhelming.
Cornstarch: Used to thicken the sour cherry pie filling.
Kosher salt: Lifts and brings out flavor!
What Makes Sour Cherry Pie Different From Cherry Pie?
Cherries fall under sweet or sour and then there are some variations within those two categories. Most of the time you find sweet cherries in the produce section of a grocery store while tart/sour cherries are harder to find.
A bite of sour cherry pie will have a sour and sweet taste while a sweet cherry pie will just be sweet. I find that fresh sour cherries are a little more sour than the frozen ones.
Where Can I Find Sour Cherries?
I’ve found sour cherries at farmers markets or in the frozen section at a grocery store.
Tip: Fresh sour cherries don’t last very long before they start to go bad. Try to use them within 2-3 days of purchasing.
How To Make Sour Cherry Pie
Make the all butter pie crust (makes 2 pie crusts). You can make this ahead of time and freeze it! When you want to bake the pie dough, remove it from the freezer to the refrigerator to defrost overnight.
Pit sour cherries with a cherry pitter and place them into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, almond extract, lemon juice, and salt. Mix together and place the bowl in the refrigerator.
In the meantime, remove 1 dough disc and flour a clean surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough, turning as you go until it’s about ⅛-inch thick. Gently pick up the dough and lay it over a 9 or 9.5-inch pie dish.
Remove the cherry filling mixture from the refrigerator and scoop into the prepared pie dough. Use a spoon or spatula to make sure the filling has distributed evenly.
To make the lattice, remove the other dough disc from the refrigerator and roll it into a circle by turning the dough after each roll. Roll it until it’s roughly 15×15 inches. The lattice strips have to be long enough to cover the top of the pie.
Using a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut out 10 strips. Weave the strips over the pie. Check out my blog post on how to create a lattice pie crust for beginners with step-by-step pictures.
Place the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes (don’t skip this!). In the meantime, make pie wash.
In a small bowl, mix the heavy whipping cream and whole milk. The fat from the heavy cream mixture will brown the top evenly and give it a little bit of shine.
Move the oven rack to the center and preheat the oven to 400℉ (204℃). Once the pie has chilled, use a pastry brush to brush the pie wash onto the lattice. Bake the pie for 25 minutes then turn the pie for even browning.
Turn the oven temperature down to 350℉ (177℃) and bake for 20 more minutes. If the crust is browning quickly, cover the pie with tinfoil or a pie crust shield.
If after 45 minutes the center doesn’t look golden brown, add an additional 5 minutes until the pie crust is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling.
Remove from the oven and let the pie cool for at least 3 hours so the filling can set.
*Optional* Warm the pie in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350℉ (177℃) and serve right away with vanilla ice cream!
FAQ’s
How Far In Advanced Can I Make This Pie?
This sour cherry pie can be made ahead of time and kept covered at room temperature for 3 days or about a week in the refrigerator.
You can make the all-butter pie crust ahead of time and freeze the dough for up to 2 weeks. The dough should sit outside of the freezer for 30 minutes before rolling out.
The sour cherry filling can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Can I use Sweet Cherries instead?
You can, but I don’t recommend it. The measurements in this recipe are to offset the sourness of the sour cherries.
How To Store Sour Cherry Pie
Keep leftover sour cherry pie covered at room temperature for 3 days and then move to a refrigerator for up to 4 more days.
Freezing
Whole pies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Let the pie come to room temperature, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and then place in a freezer bag. To serve, move the pie into the refrigerator overnight to defrost. Reheat at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling and warm.
Pie Crust Trouble?
Check out my all-butter pie crust post with troubleshooting.
RECIPE CARD
Sour Cherry Pie
Equipment
- 9.5 inch pie dish
- pastry cutter or pizza cutter
Ingredients
Sour Cherry Pie Filling
- 1 all butter pie crust recipe
- 4 cups pitted sour (also called tart) cherries (525g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch (14g)
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Pie Wash
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream (14g)
- 2 tbsp whole milk (14g)
Instructions
- Make the all butter pie crust. Keep the crust chilling in the refrigerator and start on the sour cherry filling.1 all butter pie crust recipe
- In a large mixing bowl, add pitted sour cherries, sugar, cornstarch, almond extract, lemon juice, and salt. Mix together and place the bowl in the refrigerator.4 cups pitted sour (also called tart) cherries, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch, ¼ tsp almond extract, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, ¼ tsp kosher salt
- In the meantime, remove 1 dough disc and flour a clean surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough, turning as you go until it's about ⅛-inch thick. Gently pick up the dough and lay it over a 9 or 9.5-inch pie pan.
- Remove the cherry filling mixture from the refrigerator and scoop into the prepared pie dough. Use a spoon or spatula to make sure the filling has distributed evenly.
- To make the lattice, remove the other dough disc from the refrigerator and roll it into a circle by turning the dough after each roll. Roll it until it's roughly 15×15 inches. The lattice strips have to be long enough to cover the top of the pie.
- Using a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut out 10 strips. Weave the strips over the pie. Check out my blog post on how to create a lattice pie crust for beginners with step-by-step pictures.
- Place the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes (don't skip this!). In the meantime, make pie wash.
- In a small bowl, mix the heavy whipping cream and whole milk. The fat from the heavy cream mixture will brown the top evenly and give it a little bit of shine.2 tbsp heavy whipping cream, 2 tbsp whole milk
- Move the oven rack to the center and preheat the oven to 400℉ (204℃). Once the pie has chilled, use a pastry brush to brush the pie wash onto the lattice. Bake the pie for 25 minutes then turn the pie for even browning.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 350℉ (177℃) and bake for 20 more minutes. If the crust is browning quickly, cover the pie with tinfoil or a pie crust shield.
- If after 45 minutes the center doesn't look golden brown, add an additional 5 minutes until the pie crust is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and let the pie cool for at least 3 hours so the filling can set.
- *Optional* Warm the pie in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350℉ (177℃) and serve right away with vanilla ice cream!
Notes
- There is no blind baking for the pie crust in this recipe.
- Follow the chilling times so that the crust doesn’t melt in the oven!
- You can skip the lattice. Roll out the second dough disc, cover the top of the pie, trim the edges so theres a few inches over dough overhanging. Roll the dough up and pinch it together. Cut a slit in the center of the pie for steam to escape.
