Cherry crumble pie is a timeless recipe passed down from generation to generation, made with love and plenty of sweet juicy cherries!
what’s your cherry crumble pie style?
This classic cherry crumble pie can be made entirely from scratch, or semi-homemade, whichever fits your style. Me, I usually go with a good quality frozen crust to lighten the load and that’s ok because this pie is all about those plump juicy cherries. My homemade cherry pie filling takes just minutes, and I always have a stash of bulk crumble topping in the freezer!
what type of cherries to use?
FROZEN ~ my first choice! Frozen cherries are best for cherry crumble pie. They’re already pitted, and are frozen at peak ripeness. They’re ideal for all kinds of baking. I used frozen sour cherries for my pie.
FRESH ~ fresh cherries are best for eating out of hand. They need to be pitted and are too much work for a pie like this.
CANNED ~ canned or jarred cherries can be mushy, and are often packed in sugary syrup. If you want to use canned, look for cherries canned in water or juice.
what about sweet or sour cherries?
- Sour cherries have a tart and tangy flavor with a higher acidity level. They’re perfect for baking.
- Sweet cherries have a milder, sweeter flavor with a lower acidity level. Sweet cherries are best eaten fresh, out of hand.
making a cherry crumble pie, step by step
step 1. We’ll pre-bake our crust
I take my frozen crust straight from the freezer, line it with parchment paper and pie weights, then bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the weights and let it cool before filling.
step 2. Fill with cherry pie filling
My cherry pie filling is easy to make, homemade. While I do take shortcuts on occasion in my kitchen, I draw the line at canned pie filling ~ they’re definitely not worth it. Keep a few bags of fruit in your freezer and you can make mouthwatering homemade pie filling so easily.
step 3. make the crumble
Blend butter, sugar, flour, oats and almonds into a moist sandy crumble. Use your fingers or a food processor for a quicker crumble.
step 3. Top the pie with the crumble and bake!
Cover the entire top with your crumble topping. (I used 1 1/2 cups, for those of you who make it in bulk like I do.)
how to know when your cherry crumble pie is done
For this recipe the pie filling is already cooked before it goes into the oven. You’re looking for a golden crust and signs of a bubbly hot filling. Note: It will still be jiggly when done, that’s normal. The filling is liquid when hot but thickens up as it cools.
what about all that juice!
Never trust a fruit pie that doesn’t run (it’s probably loaded with gelatinous thickeners.) Fruit pies are meant to be juicy! Hold your head high when you serve a piece of pie with juices running across the plate ~ that’s a whole lotta delicious.
tips for cherry crumble pie
- Regular pie plates (rather than deep dish) work best for crumble fruit pies like this ~ the fruit won’t be stable if you try to pile it too high.
- Definitely pre-bake your crust ~ the pie doesn’t bake for long enough to do the job.
- Feel free to play with your crumble topping ~ add different nuts or a hint of spice like cinnamon or cardamom.
- Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving. It will hold together better for slicing.
cherries rock!
- Cherry recipes you need to make now!
- Cherry Almond Crisp Dump Cake
- Sour Cherry Almond Bars
- Whitefish with Cherry Salsa
- Fresh Cherry Dessert Sauce
- Cherry Lemonade Popsicles
- Sweet Cherry Almond Bars
Cherry Crumble Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch pie plate
Ingredients
- 9" frozen pie crust, do not thaw
- 3 cups cherry pie filling, homemade or storebought. Note: depending on your pie dish you may need a little more or less filling, Homemade recipe here.
crumble topping
- 4 Tbsp butter, cut in pieces
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp rolled oats
- 2 Tbsp slivered almonds (sliced is fine)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
prebake your crust
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with baking beads or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool before filling.
- Fill cooled pie crust with cherry pie filling, I used about 3 cups.
Make the crumble topping
- I like to make the crumble in my food processor~ I just pulse until the mixture resembles a moist crumbly sand. But you can do it by hand as well, just put everything into a bowl and work with your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients. It will take a few minutes until there are no more lumps of butter or dry flour left. The mixture should be lightly moist and evenly crumbly.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pie.
- Bake the pie for 35-40 minutes till golden and hot throughout. Let cool before slicing.
I made as directed and the crumble on top was so dry-it felt like actual sand โน๏ธ
Oh no! Sorry this didn’t work out for you. I make my crumble topping in the food processor, which really gets the butter nicely incorporated into all the other ingredients. If making by hand you really have to work it with your fingers quite a bit to get it thoroughly mixed. Otherwise you can definitely add more butter next time for a moister crumb.
Do you thaw the frozen cherries to make the pie filling? I want to use frozen and not canned or fresh.
No, since you’re cooking them, you can use from frozen.
Can you make this a day before and how would you store it?
If possible I would make the crust, filling, and topping the day before and store separately in the fridge. Then assemble and bake the next day. If this isn’t possible then you could make the pie ahead, I’d store at room temperature loosely covered with foil.