This recipe was pronounced “the best cherry pie I’ve ever eaten” by our friends! It has a sweet yet tart cherry filling inside a buttery, flaky whole wheat crust.
It is just the right amount of sweet to be enjoyed with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream without being overly sweet.
If you’re looking for pie recipes to make for thanksgiving with fresh whole wheat flour crusts we’ve got you covered with this cherry pie, apple pie and pumpkin pie.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Soft white wheat: We used fresh ground soft white wheat flour for the crust. You can also use hard white wheat or spelt flour. Just note you will probably need a little bit more water if you use hard white wheat flour.
- Sugar: You’ll need some granulated cane sugar for the cherry pie filling and a little for the crust. We also like to sprinkle the top of the pie with coarse sugar, such as raw cane sugar or Demerara.
- Salt: Just regular sea salt.
- Butter: We like to use unsalted butter for the pie crust, you can use salted butter, just reduce the salt in the recipe by half.
- Egg: Used to brush the top crust to get a nice golden brown color.
- Cherries: We use fresh sweet cherries, you can also use frozen cherries.
- Cornstarch
- Tart cherry juice: This makes the filling a little more saucy and adds extra flavor.
- Fresh lime juice: Helps balance out the sweetness and adds some great flavor. You can also use lemon juice.
- Vanilla extract: We like adding a hint of vanilla for flavor.
- Almond extract: The almond extract adds a lot of flavor that goes super well with the cherries.
- Water: You’ll need some ice cold water for the pie crust.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
- This pie recipe has you thicken the filling before adding it to the crust. It has the best consistency when done this way. That said, you can toss all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and then dump it right into the crust, and continue on with the recipe. You will need to bake it for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly all over, not just on the edges. The pie tends to have a really thick layer of sauce on the bottom and a little bit of runny syrup on top, if you prefer your cherries less cooked this might be a good method for you. We just preferred the more even consistency of the pre cooked filling. Both pies were delicious and had “this is the best cherry pie I’ve ever had” statements when it was shared with friends!
Instruction Photos
Overview of instructions with photos. See recipe card for quantities and full instructions.
Step 1: Make the crust: Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Cut the cold butter into thick slices and add to the flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Step 2: Add ice cold water and toss to combine, add enough that when you lightly squeeze some of the dough in your hand it stays together. Knead the dough just a couple of times, until it comes together. You don’t want to overwork it.
Step 3: Divide the dough into 2 pieces, making one slightly larger than the other. Shape each into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate while you make the filling.
Step 4: Make the cherry pie filling: Remove the stems and pits from the cherries. Then place them into a large saucepan with the rest of the filling ingredients. Stir until well combined. Place over medium high heat, cook them until the filling is thickened, stirring constantly. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan often, we like using a heat proof rubber spatula. It should take about 8-10 minutes.
Step 5: Remove the larger pie dough disc from the refrigerator. Roll it out on a well floured surface into a 12 inch circle, lifting and reflouring as needed so it doesn’t stick to the cupboard. Transfer the dough to a 9 inch pie pan. Roll the excess crust under to create a crust. Pour in the cherry filling and spread it out evenly.
Step 6: Roll out the smaller pie dough disc on a floured surface and cut into 1 inch strips.
Step 7: Lay the strips on top of the pie to create a lattice. Here are detailed instructions on how to do a lattice top pie.
Step 8: Cut the ends of the strips off if they are too long or pinch them into the crust then flute the edges.
Step 9: Brush the top crust with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Step 10: Bake at 375°F for about 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
This cherry pie is fabulous served slightly warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is also good served with whipped cream.
Storage
Store the pie covered at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
How to Freeze
After the pie is completely cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and place into a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator. This is great for making ahead for busy holidays like Thanksgiving. If you want to serve the pie warm, place it into a 300° oven for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Tips From Our Kitchen
Don’t overwork the pie dough or it will turn sticky and be tough when it is baked.
If you’re using freshly ground flour, make sure it is completely cooled before using it in the crust.
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Cherry Pie with Whole Wheat Crust
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ⅔ cups (200 g) soft white wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons (26 g) granulated cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 10 tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter cold
- 4 tablespoons (60 g) ice cold water
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 teaspoons coarse sugar raw cane sugar or demerara
Cherry Pie Filling
- 6 cups (980 g) pitted sweet cherries
- ½ cup (105 g) granulated cane sugar
- ¼ cup (36 g) corn starch
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup (60 g) tart cherry juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Make the pie dough
- In a large mixing bowl combine 1 ⅔ cups (200 g) soft white wheat flour, 2 tablespoons (26 g) granulated cane sugar and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Cut 10 tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter into slices and add to the flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour in 4 tablespoons (60 g) ice cold water a little at a time and toss together to combine. Add water until you can squeeze a handful of the dough lightly and it stays together. Dump the dough onto the counter and knead a couple times to bring it together (don’t overwork it).
- Divide into 2 portions, making one a little larger than the other. Shape them into discs and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Make the cherry pie filling
- In a large saucepan, add 6 cups (980 g) pitted sweet cherries, ½ cup (105 g) granulated cane sugar, ¼ cup (36 g) corn starch, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ cup (60 g) tart cherry juice, 1 tablespoon (15 g) fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon almond extract. Stir with a heatproof rubber spatula until the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat.
Assemble the pie
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- On a well floured surface, roll out the larger disc of pie dough into a 12 inch circle. Lift the dough and add more flour periodically while rolling it out to keep it from sticking. Transfer the dough to a 9 inch pie pan.
- Lightly roll the edges up to form the crust, don’t pinch it together yet.
- Roll the other disc of dough into an 11 inch circle and cut into strips 1 inch wide.
- Pour the cherry filling into the pie crust and smooth the top.
- Arrange the strips of dough on top of the pie to create a lattice.
- Brush the dough with the beaten egg and then sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Place the pie onto a large baking sheet (to catch any drips) and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
We calculate these nutritional facts using an estimate and they can vary drastically between ingredients used and measuring technique. So, they are not intended for medical use.
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you!