Summer Cherry Pie
Sweet and tart, this pie uses all the best flavors of summer! Put those freshly picked cherries to good use in this lemony, cherry-packed pie with the flakiest, easiest all-butter pie crust.
This post may contain affiliate links from which, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission to keep this site running. Only products I myself would or do use are recommended.
Anyone else ever go cherry picking? I’ve lived in my town for over twenty five years and until last year I had literally zero idea we have cherry orchards—where you can go pick your own cherries—just a couple towns over.
So a few weeks ago, we took our daughter and managed to pick ten pounds of cherries. Ten pounds is a lot of cherries. Like, “crap what do I do with all of these?” a lot.
So I made my first ever cherry pie and the only cherry pie I’ve ever actually liked. I really do not like the generic store-bought cherry pies. They’re bland and too gelatinous and often sickly sweet.
But not this pie. This pie has a lemony, buttery crust and is packed with fresh cherries that really do taste like cherries, not corn syrup. Slicing them helps pack in as many cherries as possible, and using cornstarch keeps the filling sturdy without altering the taste. I also added lemon zest to help bring out the tartness of the cherries to balance the sweetness.
It’s honestly changed my feelings about cherry pie.
Key ingredients
Cherries. Use any kind, but a tart cherry is ideal to complement the lemon zest and juice.
Sugar. You only need a bit, since the cherries are naturally sweet.
Lemon zest and juice. This is what makes it so summery! A lovely tartness from the lemon juice and zest.
Vanilla. Use pure extract.
Cornstarch. This is how you get a sturdy pie. You do need to bake until it’s bubbling so the cornstarch is cooked through, then let cool completely—but you’ll get a clean, sturdy slice!
Salt. I prefer sea salt, but table salt works, too.
Pie crust. You can use any kind, but I like this flakey lemon butter crust for this pie.
How to make summer cherry pie
First, make a double batch of lemon butter pie crust. Let that chill for at least an hour.
Pit and slice your cherries.
Mix filling.
Roll out pie crusts and line pan.
Add filling.
Weave lattice, crimp edges, brush with milk wash, and sprinkle sugar.
Freeze for 30 minutes then bake until filling bubbles.
Let cool 2-3 hours then slice and enjoy!
My pie making tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making pie crusts. Affiliate links provided.
Vegetable peeler or cheese grater
Pastry blender or food processor
Pie pan (Emile Henry has become my favorite!)
Cherry Pitter (totally worth it if you plan to bake with cherries even a few times in your life)
Tips and notes for this recipe
Don’t skip the chilling!
Most people chill their pies, but I like to freeze mine for just 30 minutes. In fact, you can freeze it a little longer, especially if you’re unable to bake it right away. I’ve gone so far as leaving it overnight, but it did take a bit longer to bake and needed to be tented quite early (since the filling had frozen over and wasn’t baking as quickly as normal). However, it worked! I can’t speak to freezing it longer, but overnight is an option to save time!
Bake until filling bubbles
I know this is part of the directions, but it bears repeating. You want the filling to start bubbling in the center before you take the pie out of the oven. That’s why you need to check the pie early so you can tent it if the crust is browning too early. Almost every filled pie I make (where you fill a raw crust and bake it all at the same time) has to be tented, which is why my husband finally got me this crust protector, which is so helpful! Lattice crusts usually need extra time in the middle, so you can protect just the edges while the middle browns and that filling finishes cooking.
Don’t cut too early!
This is a general pie rule—LET THE PIE COOL! If you cut it too early, the crust will turn chewy and the filling will be soupy. Letting the pie cool at least an hour, but ideally 2 or 3, will prevent these issues and give you that clean slice that stands nice and tall.
Summer Cherry Pie
- prep time: 25-30 minutes
- chill time: 30 minutes
- bake time: 50-60 minutes
- total time: 2 hours (plus time to make and chill the pie crusts)
servings: 8-12 (makes one 8” to 10” pie)
Ingredients:
- doubled batch of foolproof lemon butter pie crust (or layers of your favorite pie crust)
- 2 pounds whole cherries (more if using a larger pie pan)
- zest and juice of two medium lemons
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 3 tablespoons (23g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- 1 tablespoon (14g) butter, cut into several pieces
- 1 tablespoon whole milk (or 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon milk--I just prefer the matte look and taste of a milk wash)
Instructions:
- Remove the stems then wash your cherries and let air dry ahead of time so no excess liquid remains.
- Make your pie crust discs ahead of time and chill--ideally overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 (400 if using convection). Using a cherry pitter (or a straw, but a cherry pitter is SUCH a worthy investment if you plan to make more than one cherry dessert in your life), remove the pits. Slice your cherries in half (optional, but makes for a more cherry-filled filling).
- Stir lemon zest with sugar until fragrant (or pulse together in a food processor).
- Add lemon sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt to the bowl with the cherries. Stir well and set aside while you roll out your crust.
- Roll your chilled crust out on a lightly floured surface, flipping it every so often and using more flour as needed. Flipping prevents it sticking and also helps you roll it more evenly. Roll to somewhere between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick (this rolling pin is a lifesaver here!), about 2-3 inches larger than your pie pan. Lightly sprinkle some flour in your pie pan. Roll about half of it up onto your rolling pin then gently slide this over your pie pan. Use your hands to gently ease it into the pan, gently forming it to the corners without pressing it down too hard. Leave ½ inch crust hanging past the edge of the pan and trim off the rest. Set in the fridge while you roll out the second crust.
- For the lattice, roll out the second crust to be slightly larger than the top of your pie pan and no more than ⅛ inch thick. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into ½ to 1 inch strips (it’s all personal preference). Set aside (cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if you won’t be able to weave the lattice within the next few minutes).
- Stir your cherries one more time and add to the chilled pie crust, getting all of those juices in there. Spread evenly then dot with butter.
- Weave the lattice strips over the cherry filling. This video shows you how to do it easily.
- Trim any excess lattice that extends beyond the bottom crust’s overhang. Gently tuck the overhanging crust under, pressing the lattice into it as you go so the two adhere to each other. Note: I actually folded the overhang over itself so the folded edge was flush with the outer edge of the pie pan. I find this easier to do with lattice, but it’s unconventional.
- Shape the edges any way you’d like. I just used a fork to gently crimp the edges on this pie. Brush with either milk or one egg whisked very well with a tablespoon of milk. The egg will give a shinier appearance. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake at 425/400 for 20 minutes then turn oven down to 375 for another 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles in the center. If the edges begin to brown too quickly (almost always happens), tent the pie loosely with foil or put a crust protector on it.
- Let cool at room temperature for 2-3 hours before cutting.
Enjoy!
Cover leftovers and store in the fridge 3-5 days. Reheat in an oven or toaster oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes.
