Couldn’t Be Easier Cherry Pie Recipe
November 11, 2009 •
This easy cherry pie recipe takes about three minutes to assemble and then 45 minutes to bake. There is no easier and more delicious cherry pie out there. You’re going to love it!
I make 3 pies for Thanksgiving dinner. It doesn’t matter how many guests are coming, nor who they are.
Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without a slice of cherry pie.
And a slice of pumpkin pie.
And a slice of pecan pie.
It just isn’t.
And I make all 3 of them myself, usually on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
Are you impressed?
Everyone always raves about all that work I did to make three pies, but all three are so easy that it’s embarrassing.
See, I buy two boxes of pre-made pie crusts. It doesn’t matter whether they’re Pillsbury or the store brand; they’re all flaky and delicious. So I buy the crusts, roll them out into my pretty pie pans, and then I cook the pies. It does take a bit of work, but one evening after work, I take care of it and then it’s done.
To contrast, I make a chocolate cherry cheesecake for Christmas dinner, and I think that is more work than the three pies.
This cherry pie is by far the easiest of the three pies I bake, and it’s a great place for my young daughter to feel like she’s helping.
What makes this cherry pie so easy?
The secret to this cherry pie is that everything is pre-made, and I don’t mean that you make it ahead of time. I mean that you buy it.
Is that cheating? I don’t think it is.
So you take two refrigerated pie crusts and two cans of cherry pie filling, and you plop it all in a pie plate and bake it. Voilà, you’ve got an impressive cherry pie.
A free cookbook? Yes, please!
Get 10 of my favorite Instant Pot recipes in my free cookbook, Instant Pot Made Easy! Click the button below to download. If for some reason, the button doesn’t work for you, leave a comment below, and I’ll email it to you.
Couldn't Be Easier Cherry Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 prepared pie crusts I always buy these in the dairy case pre-made. I am normally a make-it-from-scratch kind of girl, but on Thanksgiving, there's so much to do already, without making homemade pastry dough. I have gotten the store brand and the Pillsbury, and both come out very nicely.
- 2 cans cherry pie filling I have used both the regular and the lower sugar. These days I use either 2 cans of regular or one of each. (Two cans of lower sugar with Splenda makes the pie come out tasting odd.), with Splenda
- milk
- sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Place one pie crust in a deep dish pie plate. Allow your little helper to use her fingers to press it into the bottom, sides, and especially the corners of the plate. (Yes, pie plates are round and don't have corners. I mean the place where the sides connect to the bottom. That's kind of a corner.)
- Open the cans of pie filling and scrape it into the pie plate. Ask your helper to spread it evenly across the crust with a spatula.
- Lay the remaining pie crust on a large cutting board (or directly on the counter). Help your helper to make four cut outs (these will allow the steam to leak out of the pie; without them, the top crust will have big air bubbles trapped under it). If you don't have a cookie cutter, you could cut a couple of Xs or even a couple of slits with a sharp knife after you've put the top crust on the pie.
- Carefully lay the second pie crust on top of the pie filling, and press the edges together. You may need to use a bit of water or egg to get them to stick together nicely. Cut the top crust so that it's even with the bottom crust, and finish the edge however you want.
- Brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. This is just to make it pretty and not at all necessary.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, cover the outer edge of the pie with aluminum foil or a pie shield to make sure it doesn't get too brown. (See link in notes for a pie shield.)
- Cool at least an hour before serving. The filling will set up as the pie cools.
Notes
© 2009 – 2020, Tara Ziegmont. All rights reserved.
I would like to use the can cherries with the splenda but I agree they have a strange taste. I never thought to mix a can of regular with the splenda ones. I will try that.
Joyce
Reply
I love the pies that you've made part of your holiday. The cherry pie sounds delicious.
Reply
This is my daughter's favorite pie so she always makes it and brings it to Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy your cherry pie!
Reply
My, it doesn’t get any easier than this! And boy would I like to have a piece of that cherry pie right now! Thanks for sharing with us. 🙂
Reply
Looks yummy and so colorful. Thanks for the recipe.
Reply
No one knows this but when I don’t have time to make dessert this is my favorite way to make a cherry pie. My family think I spent all afternoon make one of they favorites.
Geri
Reply
Joyce – Given a choice, I usually go with the all sugar ones. They just taste better. Mixing it one can of each is much less noticeable, but still not as good as the original. (Isn't that always the case?)
Reply
It'll be our secret. 😉
Reply
Definitely sounds easy. And looks beautiful!
Reply
That looks delicious!!
Reply
Shortcuts in baking are good. And nobody ever has to know.
Reply
Shortcuts in baking are good. And nobody ever has to know.
Reply
I also make three pies, regardless of how many guests we are having: pumpkin pie, cherry pie, and Vermont Maple Apple Pie (YUM). My cherry pie always fails, so I was going to give up and buy a frozen pie this year, but I think I can handle your recipe. 🙂
Reply
So easy my husband is making it right now. Thanks for sharing.
Reply
There must be an error…14 minutes to bake?!!!
Reply
You’re right. It should have been 40-45. Not sure where 14 came from!
Reply