Until this summer, my homemade cherry desserts came from a can. But with a box full of cherries, compliments of the Northwest Cherries, I decided it was time to step up my game and make a homemade cherry pie filling.
Apparently, cherry pie filling doesn’t have to come from a can.
It takes around 2-3 pounds of cherries to make a cherry pie filling. You must first remove the pits. I shared how to remove the cherry pits when I didn’t have a cherry pitter when the online suggestions failed.
- 6 cups fresh pitted cherries
- 1/2 cup of water and maybe a bit more
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS IN A LARGE SAUCEPAN
- BRING TO A BOIL, REDUCE HEAT TO LOW.
- STIR FREQUENTLY FOR ABOUT 10-12 MINUTES
- COOL SLIGHTLY.
- USE IN YOUR FAVORITE DESSERTS INSTEAD OF CAN CHERRY PIE FILLING.
- REFRIGERATE UP TO A WEEK OR FOLLOWING CANNING INSTRUCTIONS TO FREEZE.
Cherry Pits Out
This was a big deal for me. This was my first homemade pie with real fruit filling. And, cherries are like the ultimate fruit filled pie! Right?
There’s a ton of work on the front end, but when the filling hit the crust (pre-purchased) I checked off a #lifegoal.
Like, this was a homemade cherry pie filling created by me! The mom who can count on two hands the number of times I have followed a recipe. My pies come from Costco during the holidays.
I may have to learn how to make a homemade crust. To play it safe and manage my expectations I used a pre-packaged crust. I added a few star cutouts and felt pretty darn amazing. And, it’s just a pie people!
I was nervous about how my first homemade cherry pie filling would taste. Would it be too sweet or too tart. Turns out it was just right. My family devoured the pie and the compliments were legit!
**disclosure: I received Northwest Cherries for this post. But, I had no help with making this homemade cherry pie filling.
This looks soooo good! I’ve shied away from cherry desserts because I don’t want to pit the cherries but maybe I’ll try it now!