This cherry pie recipe is sweet, tart and bursting with juicy cherries, all tucked inside our flaky, buttery homemade pie crust. Made with fresh or frozen cherries and a hint of almond and lemon, it gives you that classic homemade cherry pie flavor any time of year—no canned pie filling needed.

I’ve said it before, but I am a pie girl through and through. Give me a slice of pie over almost any other dessert (except strawberry shortcake…my true love!). That flaky golden crust, juicy fruit filling and contrast between buttery, crisp pastry and gooey cherries? Dream. Come. True.

And while cherry pie may seem like a summer dessert, frozen cherries make this one perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas too. You can even make the whole pie ahead of time and freeze it, which is exactly the kind of dessert I want when every inch of my kitchen is already spoken for.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You only need a handful of ingredients for homemade cherry pie. Here’s what really matters:

• Pie Crust: Our all-butter pie crust makes enough for the bottom and beautiful lattice top.
• Cherries: Tart cherries are our first choice, but sweet cherries work too. Fresh or frozen can both be used.
• Sugar: Sweetens the cherries. You may want to adjust it slightly depending on how tart your fruit is.
• Lemon: A little acidity brightens the filling and balances the sugar.
• Almond Extract: Just a sma

This beautiful, quick and easy Old Fashioned Cherry Crisp Recipe with an oatmeal topping is loaded with saucy sweet cherries. Our cherry crisp is perfectly sweet and tart with a secret ingredient to make it extra special. This classic Cherry Crisp with extra oatmeal topping is what summer fruit dessert dreams are made of.

Just like my homemade Apple Crisp, this recipe is a staple!  We love to serve it warm out of the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.  It’s a quick and easy dessert that’s great for when company is coming! 

Our Favorite Cherry Crisp Recipe

My sister has a cherry tree and is always finding a new way to use her cherries. One of our favorite ways to use cherries is a cherry pie. With our homemade cherry pie filling which can be canned, frozen or stored in the fridge.

This summer fruit crisp boasts amazing flavor with a secret weapon…

The Secret to Easy Cherry Crisp

Have you ever had a dessert that you’ve had a million times, but then you have one that blows your mind and you can’t quite pinpoint why? That’s this recipe and the secret is almond extract. It’s a little something special that will transform your filling!

Ingredients In This Cherry Crisp Recipe

• All Purpose Flour: Provides structure to the topping and helps create a crumbly texture.
• Old-Fashioned Oats: Never use quick oats! Old fashioned add a chewy, rustic texture.
• Brown Sugar: Sweetens the crisp with a warmth white sugar lacks.
• Cinnamon and Nutmeg: These spices add warmth and aromatic flavor to the topping, complementing the cherries.
• Salt: Enhances the flavors of the other ingredients and balances the sweetness.
• Cold Unsalted Butter: Fat that makes the topping rich and crumbly.
• Fresh Cherries: The main filling of the dessert! Make sure the pits have been removed.

Served warm with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of the BEST homemade whipped cream – it’s hard to beat this classic!

How to Make Cherry Crisp

1. Topping: In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together to evenly distribute all ingredients. Mix in the cold butter.
2. Filling: In a saucepan prepare the filling.
3. Bake: Add the cherry filling to a baking dish and top with the oatmeal crumble topping. Bake until the crumble is golden brown and the filling bubbles happily underneath

Chocolate and cherries just belong together, don’t they? I’ve always believed there’s something incredibly romantic about that combo—rich chocolate, bright cherries, a little burst of tart sweetness—and this chocolate cherry cake brings it all together with almost no effort.

My grandma looooved cherry cordials. I remember having them at her house one Christmas and instantly, the moment I bit into them I knew… these are not for me…haha!

Nowadays my taste buds have grown up quite a bit and I can see how much cherries and chocolate belong together!

Because this cake stays unbelievably moist (thank you, cherry pie filling!), it’s a total crowd-pleaser for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, or honestly any night you want something that feels a little special without getting too fussy. Trust me—one bite and you’ll know why this cake keeps disappearing around here.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Chocolate Cherry Cake

If you’re a chocolate lover, this cake is about to become a new favorite. A boxed chocolate cake mix and canned cherry pie filling come together for a rich, ultra-moist chocolate cherry cake that tastes way more homemade than it is—without the extra effort.

• Easy and Impressive: Because the base starts with a cake mix, the batter comes together in minutes. Mix, bake, cool—done. It’s the kind of dessert that feels special without adding stress to your day.
• Extra Chocolatey: The frosting doubles down on the chocolate with both melted chocolate and cocoa powder for deep, fudgy flavor—no dry or overly sweet frosting here.
• Generously Frosted: The recipe makes enough frosting for a thick, dreamy layer (the way I like it!), but you can use less and stash the rest in the fridge for another dessert if you want.
• Pretty Finishing Touches: Add a sprinkle of chocolate chips or a few extra cherries on top for color and texture—it makes each slice look irresistible.

Slice into squares and serve—no one has to know how easy it was.

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Cherry Cheese Danish Sliders [+Video]

Sweet sliders are becoming my new obsession and these cherry cheese danish sliders are like eating a cherry cheese Danish and a cherry cheesecake at the same time.

Sweet cherry pie filling and tangy cheesecake filling all enclosed in sweet Hawaiian rolls, baked to golden perfection and topped with a creamy glaze and sliced almonds.

I made a big batch of cherry pie filling to shoot a bunch of cherry recipes and then I got creative with how to use it. I had a package of slider buns in the freezer and I thought, why not make some cherry sliders? I’d photographed the s’mores sliders the day before sooooo…let’s keep a good thing going!

Whether you are looking to change things up for Saturday breakfast or you want a simple fruit dessert, these cherry cream cheese sliders can please a crowd and they take less than 30 minutes to make.

Ingredients for Cherry Cheese Danish Sliders

Pull your phone out and start adding these items to your grocery pick up list! You’re going to want make these ASAP…

• Hawaiian Sweet Rolls: you can use store bought or make your own if you have the time
• Cream Cheese: make sure it is room temperature and preferably full fat
• Powdered Sugar: adds all the sweetness to the cheesecake filling
• Lemon Juice: adds a pop of acidity
• Egg Yolk: makes the cream cheese filling extra creamy and rich
• Butter: mixed with the sugar and brushed on the bottom of the pan to help the sliders not stick and to create a sugary crust on the bottom
• Sugar: adds a sweet caramel-y crust to the bottom of the sliders
• Cherry Pie Filling: homemade or store-bought will work just fine. You could also use any filling you want…strawberry, apple or blueberry.
• Egg: combined with water, creates an egg wash for the tops of the buns
• Water: whisked with egg to create an egg wash

Drizzle

• Powdered Sugar: the sweetness and structure for the drizzle
• Whole Milk: helps create the drizzle
• Sliced Almonds: adds texture to the sliders and resembles a classic cherry cheese danish

This is meant to just be an overview of all the ingredients. For all the measurements and details, keep scrolling to the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Dessert Sliders

Homemade Cherry Pie Filling

Want to make a delicious cherry pie from scratch? This easy recipe for homemade cherry pie filling will have you whipping up a delicious dessert in no time!

Love cherry pie but hate the store-bought filling? Try making your own with this simple and delicious recipe! Just a few ingredients and a little bit of time is all it takes to create the best cherry pie filling. It is glossy and gorgeous and so silky smooth!

Growing up there was always a can of cherry pie filling hanging out in our food storage. In great desperation we’d find ways to create desserts like a cherry filling stuffed burrito that we’d fry in a pan and drizzle glaze over the top. Actually, I should totally make that again, haha.

All these years later I still have fond memories of mom’s no bake cheesecake with tart cherry pie filling on top, my little cherry burritos and so on but I’ve found that homemade pie filling is really the secret to a better dessert. If you can find tart cherries vs Bing etc, you’ll end up with an even better results.

Ingredients for Cherry Pie Filling

With just a little time and these 4 ingredients, you can have a homemade cherry filling worth singing about! Here is what you will need:

• Pitted Sour Cherries: You might think a sweet cherry is what you would want for baking desserts, but the opposite is true. Tart cherries make the best cherry desserts with that signature cherry flavor. You can use fresh cherries preferably but frozen cherries will work fine too.
• Cornstarch: Used to thicken the pie filling as it heats up.
• Sugar: Balances the tartness of the cherries.
• Cinnamon: Adds a warm flavor to the filling.

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below so keep scrolling for the all the details.

How to Make Homemade Cherry Filling

Watch how easy it is to take those 4 ingredients and make this cherry pie filling recipe at home…

1. Pour the cherries in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the juices release and start simmering.
2. In a small bowl, stir the rest of the ingredients together and once the cherries are simmering, add the cornstarch/sugar mixture and stir until combined.
3. Let it simmer until bubbling and thick, then remove from the heat.

See that’s totally doable! These instructions can also be found in the recipe card below where you can save or print the recipe as well.

What Type of Cherries are Best?

Sour cherries are best for baking, and the best varieties are called Morello, Montmorency, or Amarelle. Those can be hard to find. We used Rainier cherries, which are a little easier to find. Bing will work as well, but I would use them as a last resort. They are sweet cherries.

How to Remove a Cherry Pit

If you use fresh cherries, you will want to remove the pits. You can slice the cherries in half and pop the pit out, or my favorite little tool is this cherry pitter. It is so handy and just pops the pit right out