Julie Clark
Posted:
Grandma’s Sour Cherry Pie
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This easy Sour Cherry Pie recipe uses just 4 ingredients for the filling and is packed with sweet-tart flavor. It’s a family favorite recipe from my Grandma, made with canned tart cherries and a homemade pie crust.
This Sour Cherry Pie has no peeling, pitting, or fussy prep. But, don’t forget the dollops of butter on top of the homemade cherry pie filling. Its our secret for adding rich flavor, just like with our raspberry sauce and strawberry topping.
From my kitchen to yours.
This pie comes straight from my grandma’s handwritten recipe collection, one of those old fashioned desserts that makes me think of warm summer afternoons and scoops of vanilla custard melting into sweet & tangy cherries.
We’ve tested this recipe every which way over the years. My mom and I each had slightly different versions written down from my Grandma. One used the cherry juice from the cans, the other didn’t.
After lots of baking (and a few messy oven spills!), I’ve found that draining the juice from the cherries gives the cleanest, most picture-perfect pie. It’s so pretty we featured it in our new Tastes of Lizzy T cookbook!
If you love this sour cherry pie, try my grandma’s Christmas cut out cookies!
Enjoy! -Julie
What you’ll need.
- Pie crust: Use my grandma’s pie crust recipe, sourdough pie crust, or even a whole wheat pie crust. A store-bought pastry crust is just fine when you need a shortcut.
- Tart red cherries: Use three cans, drained well.
- Sugar: 1 ½ cups. You can use Splenda or stevia for a lower-sugar version.
- Minute Tapioca: 3 tablespoons is all you need to thicken the filling beautifully.
- Butter. This adds a depth of flavor to the filling. Don’t skip it!
Grandma’s Sour Cherry Pie Recipe
This is my Grandma’s Sour Cherry Pie recipe. Simply the best cherry pie there is, and so easy to make with just 4 ingredients inside. We love eating it warm with ice cream on top.
Servings 8
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
- double pie crust dough your favorite recipe or store bought
- 3 cans red tart cherries, juice drained 14.5 ounces each
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons Minute tapioca
- 3 teaspoons salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Prepare the pie dough. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and place one piece of rolled out dough in the pie plate. Press gently into the bottom of the pie and up the sides, then tear off any excess edges past the edge of the pie plate. double pie crust dough
- In a small bowl, combine the drained cherries, sugar and tapioca. Pour this into the bottom pie shell. Dot the teaspoons of butter on top of the cherry filling. 3 cans red tart cherries, juice drained, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons Minute tapioca, 3 teaspoons salted butter
- Place the other rolled out pie dough on top of the cherries (or make a lattice-top if you'd like). Fold the top dough under the bottom dough and pinch the edges together. Prick the top pie dough with a fork so steam can escape.
- Bake pie for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is nicely golden brown. If desired, you can cover the edge of the pie crust with aluminum foil so it doesn't get too browned. If you do this, remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour before serving. It's delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Video
Notes
- I like to sprinkle about two teaspoons of sugar on top of the unbaked pie, right before baking. I love having that little bit of sugar on top of my crust!
- Place a rimmed baking sheet under the pie pan to catch any drips.
- The pie sets up more as it cools, so resist slicing too soon.
- Make it gluten-free by using a gluten-free pie crust.
- Add a teaspoon almond extract to the filling for a bakery-style twist.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks. The calories shown are based on the pie being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of pie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 20mg | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use sweet cherries?
I have not tried sweet cherries with this sour cherry pie recipe. If you choose to, reduce the sugar by at least ½ cup since the cherries will be sweet already.
“Drain all of the juice from your threee cans of tart red cherries. We’ve made it all ways, adding juice from two cans, adding juice from just one can, and draining all three cans. However, draining both cans definitely leads to the best looking pie, with no run over.
SO, is it drain 3 cans or 2? A bit confusing. I think 1 simple sentence would be beneficial.
I’ve used this recipe for decades and it’s always a hit. I put about 1/4 cup of sugar plus a teaspoon of vanilla in my pie crust. Thank you for posting this.
Yes, yes, wonderful! I am sooo glad to find yoThamk you. I can’t wait to make it.ur recipe! Tart cherry pie is my favorite pie. I have looked long for a recipe similar to what I remembered in my childhood. Not too sweet as todays recipes.
We picked the cherries off our tree for the first time ever “10 years”. The pie from it was sooo good using this easy recipe. Thank you very much we now have a new family project.
Richard
Can I use cherries packed in heavy syrup?
Should I adjust sugar?
How would you make this using fresh sour cherries from your tree?
I have two sour cherry trees growing in my yard, and I couldn’t figure out what to do with all the cherries! This cleared that up right away!
Topped with some softened vanilla ice cream. Incredible!
This is the recipe I have used for years and it always pleases. I agree with sprinkling sugar on top and I also sprinkle a little cinnamon. Great!
i love cherry pie. this looks so delicious!
I can just imagine the sour cherry taste in every bite, love this!