13 Best Ways To Elevate Cherry Pie

Cherry pie might make you think of mid-summer dinners at a picnic table, fireflies buzzing around and the last bit of white wine trickling into your glass as you savor the marriage of tart and sweet flavors. Or perhaps cherry pie is the dessert you turn to in the middle of winter when the persistent cold has taken its toll, and you just want to feel the warmth of a fruity dessert again. Whenever you decide to make a cherry pie, it feels like an undeniable treat, a simple pleasure in an ever-more complicated world.

And while a simple cherry pie is a thing of beauty, it's a dessert that can easily be elevated with a few simple tricks. That's why we talked to Fran Kolenik, owner of Drive-By Pies in Brookline, Massachusetts, and chef Jean Carlos, a pastry chef at the InterContinental Hotel Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia, to get the 411 on the best ways for home cooks to upgrade their cherry pie recipes.

Give these tips and tricks a try the next time you bake a pie at home, and the results may just blow you away. After all, isn't the best way to celebrate this delicious dessert by doing it justice in the kitchen?

We get it: Using canned cherries — or even pre-made cherry pie filling — makes baking a pie so incredibly easy. But unfortunately, it also makes for a worse pie, if you ask the experts. "Certainly advise to never use canned cherries," says Fran Kolenik. Both Jean Carlos and Kolenik were clear: Steer clear of canned cherries. So, what should you use instead? Well, according to Carlos, "Fresh cherries are best — they are rich in flavor and have nice sweetness." Of course, it'll be easier to find fresh cherries during the summer months when cherries are in season, so that's definitely the best time to make cherry pie.

However, you don't have to wait for summer just to indulge in your favorite dessert. There's another option if you want to make a cherry pie out of season (or just save some money on the ingredients). "Fresh or frozen is best!" explains Kolenik. Therefore, you shouldn't be afraid to head to the frozen section to get what you need to make your cherry pie. You'll have more success there than in the canned section.

Have you ever made a cherry pie only to realize that the flavor came out tasting a little ... flat? Many people have encountered the same problem, and it can be a real bummer after you spend all that time and energy baking a pie from scratch. Luckily, though, there's an easy way to create a more interesting, complex flavor in your cherry pie by following our top-notch cherry pie filling recipe.

Of course, all the ingredients this recipe calls for are important, but perhaps the one that makes the most difference is the pineapple juice. Why? Well, mostly because it adds a layer of tartness to the pie filling. This can help counteract a super sweet filling that doesn't offer much in the way of interest. At the same time, pineapple juice will give the filling a touch of subtle sweetness as well. This marriage of tart and sweet creates a beautiful balance in your pie filling, resulting in a cherry pie you won't want to wait to share with friends. Don't worry, though — the amount of pineapple juice this recipe calls for is very minimal, so it's not going to end up actually tasting like pineapple at all.

Sometimes, you just need to opt for whatever kinds of cherries you're able to find at your local grocery store or farmer's market. After all, we can't all order our cherries from the very best fruit purveyors in the country. However, if you do get the chance to be picky about what kinds of cherries you might want to use, you may want to get your hands on cherries from Michigan. "We use only a sour Michigan cherry for our pies!" says Fran Kolenik, who finds that these cherries offer a better flavor than others.

Montmorency cherries, ⅔ of which hail from Michigan, are largely considered the best variety for cherry pies. This is largely because these cherries are so tart. You know when you bite into a slice of pie only to realize that it's way, way too sweet? Well, by using tart cherries generally (and the Montmorency variety specifically), you won't have to worry about that overwhelming sweetness. Rather, you'll be working with a moderate tart flavor that will make your cherry pie taste mouthwateringly good. If you ask us, it may be worth shelling out a few extra bucks for the fancy cherries if it results in a more delicious special occasion cherry pie.

Most cherry pie recipes you'll see will call for the filling to be thickened with flour or cornstarch. This is a very important ingredient, as it yields a firmer, more luscious filling instead of one that's simply oozing with liquid and doesn't stay inside the pie particularly well. However, just because the specific recipe you're looking at calls for flour or cornstarch doesn't mean you absolutely have to use those ingredients. If you're looking for an alternative that will result in a more delicious cherry pie, you may want to consider using tapioca flour instead.

According to Fran Kolenik, this is a hack that can seriously transform your cherry pie filling. "A tip for most of our juicy fruit pies is to use tapioca starch instead of flour," explains Kolenik. That way, you won't be dealing with a watery, too-juicy filling that falls apart as soon as you cut into the pie. "It binds better with the sugar; you can use less of it than flour or cornstarch, and it has no taste."

Craving a more complex cherry pie but can't figure out how to achieve just that? You're not alone. When it comes to single-fruit pies, flavor profiles can get boring super fast. That's because you're not working with very many different ingredients that all add their own flavors to the mix. But just because you're making a cherry pie doesn't mean you can't incorporate other fruity flavors into the mix. In fact, this pomegranate cherry cocoa pie recipe upgrades a basic cherry pie by incorporating multiple other flavor elements. Our favorite, though, has to be the pomegranate juice this recipe calls for.

If you've ever tasted pomegranate juice before, then you know it's light and tart, which can offer some complexity to your cherry pie — particularly if you struggle with it being too sweet. And since you're not just working with cherry flavors, you get a more interesting finished product. Whether you want to make this specific recipe, utilizing the cocoa as well as the pomegranate juice, or you're just looking for a way to make the cherry pie filling recipe you always use a bit more flavorful, pomegranate juice is sure to get the job done without much extra effort on your part.

If you're like many of us, you may have a can of sweetened condensed milk that's been hanging out in the back of your pantry for ages, just waiting to be used. Well, we may just have found a purpose for that sweet and sticky ingredient: adding it to your pie filling. This may not seem like the most obvious addition to a cherry pie, but it's a secret ingredient that can make your cherry pie super creamy and luscious.

Haven't worked with this ingredient before? Then, you may not realize that it offers a super-sweet, concentrated flavor, along with a thick, sticky, and creamy texture that can totally transform anything it touches. And that's precisely why it works well in your cherry pie recipe. It adds an element of thickness to the mixture while providing a rich flavor profile and a lovely creaminess that you won't be able to achieve with most other ingredients. This can help ensure you don't end up with a thin, runny filling, and it even adds a touch of sweetness to the finished pie. So, make sure you grab a can of the stuff the next time you're shopping for cherry pie ingredients, and you'll see just how much it can elevate your basic cherry pie recipe.

Sometimes, in a recipe, the simplest ingredients can make the most noticeable differences in the finished product. That's certainly true when it comes to cherry pie, largely because you're not working with that many ingredients in the first place. Sure, you can just use some sugar, cherries, and a thickening agent to make your cherry pie filling, but it may fall a little flat on the flavor front. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a way to infuse more flavor into the pie, you may want to follow one of Fran Kolenik's helpful tips.

"We like to add lemon zest and a pinch of cinnamon, too!" she explains. That lemon zest will offer your pie a touch of tartness without thinning out the filling recipe too much. Then, the cinnamon contributes an earthy, warming flavor profile to the pie. Together, these two ingredients create a flavor powerhouse that can make a huge difference in how your cherry pie turns out.

If you decide to use canned cherries for your cherry pie, you might realize that the finished pie ends up being too sweet. But if you eat fresh cherries regularly, then you may already know that fresh cherries can be quite tart. The same can be said for the frozen variety. Therefore, when you're working with fresh or frozen cherries, you may realize that your pie turns out too tart — which is probably the last thing you want from a dessert. But luckily, you can easily balance out too much tartness with a sprinkling of sugar.

Of course, most cherry pie recipes already call for sugar in the first place, but you may need to adjust the amount of sugar you're using depending on just how tart those cherries are. Our suggestion? Taste the pie filling as you go. If you try it and realize that it tastes too tart, stir a bit of sugar into the mixture, then taste again. Keep going until you reach your preferred sweetness level. So, if excessive tartness is a mistake you always make with cherry pie, now you know exactly how to fix it.

You may assume that if you make the best possible cherry pie filling, you don't have to worry too much about the pie crust itself. After all, isn't that part of the dessert just ancillary anyway? Well, no, not exactly. A good crust is essential to making the most delicious possible cherry pie, which is why you should make sure you're using the best possible pie crust recipe (or choosing a high-quality store-bought variety).

Fran Kolenik underscores the importance of using a high-quality crust: "Of course, you must start with an amazing crust," she says. Kolenik uses her mother's pie crust recipe. Unfortunately, that's a recipe you're probably not going to get your hands on, but maybe you can ask your own mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa for their favorite pie crust recipe or just find one online that makes an especially delicious crust. Once you find a solid cherry pie crust recipe, you'll never go back to those sub-par store-bought varieties.

We've already talked about how a lot of pies — and cherry pies specifically — can end up being kind of one-note on the flavor front. That's because you're not using a ton of different ingredients and because pies are, well, quite sweet. That sweetness is delicious, of course, but it can also overwhelm your taste buds when you have more than a bite or two of something like a cherry pie. Therefore, there needs to be something to balance out that intense sweetness. And that's exactly where vinegar comes into play.

Vinegar can elevate your cherry desserts, like cherry pie, because it provides acidity to the dish. This is especially important if you're using particularly sweet cherries (or you've just gone a bit heavy-handed with the sugar). But don't go overboard here, or your cherry pie might come out tasting like a cherry salad. You really only need a splash of the stuff to liven up your pie.

When it comes to cooking and baking in general, your skills in the kitchen are only part of the equation to make a great dish. The quality of the ingredients you're using also really matters. The pie filling ingredients are essential, of course, to make sure you have the right balance of flavors in your pie. But if you're making your own crust from scratch, you'll want to pay close attention to the ingredients you're using for that, too. And according to Jean Carlos, one ingredient is especially important: butter.

"A quality butter with a high fat content will make your dough more tender and flaky and bring [a] really nice flavor," he explains. So, no, this is not the time to use that low-fat, almost-butter stuff you have hanging out in your fridge. Rather, spring for the nice (and fatty) stuff if you want to get the most delicious results.

We love a traditional pie with a fancy lattice top crust, which can be especially beautiful on cherry pie, with that bold red color peeking through. Or you could go for a simple, basic crust that gets the job done and yields the perfect everyday pie. But why not switch things up and make your cherry pie a bit more interesting? That's why you might want to learn how to give your cherry pie a crackly, sugary topping.

You'll want to top your pie with crust like you normally would, but don't stop there. Use a brush to wet the top of your crust, using about 2 tablespoons of water. Then, you can sprinkle some extra sugar on top, ensuring to really make sure that the crust is completely covered. After your cherry pie bakes and comes out of the oven, it'll have a crispy, sweet crust that's both visually interesting and texturally pleasing. Plus, it can add even more sweetness to your pie.

If you've ever baked a cherry pie only to cut into it to find an almost-raw crust, you're not alone. It's a common problem home bakers experience, and it can be a huge disappointment after you've spent so much time baking your cake. However, there's an easy way to remedy this problem, and it's a method that will ensure your pie comes out tasting as delicious as possible. According to Jean Carlos, you'll want to give your cherry pie two separate stints in the oven.

"The best option is [to] always bake the base of the pie for [a] few minutes before adding the filling and put it in the oven again to finish [the] process." This will ensure that your crust is thoroughly baked through without the threat of overcooking the filling inside. Carlos says that baking your pie in two different sessions, one without the filling and one with the filling, yields a "caramelized dough" and a "juicy filling," which is, after all, "how a pie should be," per Carlos.