Thick and Juicy Homemade Cherry Pie Filling
Make a thick, sweet, and tart cherry pie filling from scratch using fresh or frozen cherries. This recipe yields a perfect texture for pies, cheesecakes, or toppings.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: About 5 cups of filling
- Category: Dessert Filling
- Method: Stovetop Cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups pitted sweet or tart cherries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- If using frozen cherries, do not thaw them first. Place cherries in a medium saucepan.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. This is your slurry.
- Add the sugar and salt to the saucepan with the cherries. Stir gently.
- Cook the cherry mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the juices begin to bubble and the sugar dissolves, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the bubbling cherry mixture while stirring constantly.
- Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens significantly and boils for 1 minute. This ensures the cornstarch activates fully.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and almond extract.
- Let the filling cool completely before using it in your pie crust or dessert. The filling will thicken more as it cools.
Notes
- For a deeper color, add 1 teaspoon of cherry juice concentrate or a drop of red food coloring when adding the lemon juice.
- If you prefer a less sweet filling, reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup, especially if using sweet cherries.
- This filling can be canned using a standard water bath canning method for long-term storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 35
- Sodium: 50
- Fat: 0.5
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 0