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Thick and Juicy Homemade Cherry Pie Filling From Scratch

Close-up of thick, glossy cherry pie filling with whole, bright red cherries in a white bowl.
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Make the best homemade cherry pie filling that is perfectly thick, glossy, and bursting with sweet-tart flavor. This easy stovetop recipe works great with fresh or frozen cherries and avoids runny results.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups fresh or frozen sweet cherries, pitted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional, for bakery style flavor)

Instructions

  1. If using frozen cherries, do not thaw them first. Place the cherries in a medium saucepan.
  2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and cornstarch until fully combined. This prevents lumps.
  3. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture to the saucepan with the cherries. Stir gently to coat the fruit.
  4. Add the water and lemon juice to the saucepan. Stir everything together.
  5. Place the saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens significantly and begins to bubble. This usually takes about 5 to 8 minutes.
  6. Once the filling is thick and glossy, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract, if using.
  7. Allow the homemade cherry pie filling to cool completely before using it in your pie crust or other desserts. Cooling helps it set to the perfect thickness.

Notes

  • This recipe creates a thick cherry pie filling that sets well, preventing watery pies.
  • For sour cherry pie filling, adjust the sugar down slightly or use all sour cherries.
  • This versatile filling works perfectly as a cherry cheesecake topping or a delicious cherry cobbler filling.
  • If you are looking for canned cherry pie filling hacks, adding a teaspoon of cornstarch slurry (1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp cold water) to a can of filling and simmering briefly can help thicken it.
  • You can find more great recipes like this on our Pinterest account.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://kitchenuser.net/cherry-pie-filling-homemade-thick-juicy/