Canning cherry pie filling ensures you have a taste of summer available all year long.
A small batch approach allows you to pick your fruit in the morning, can it in the afternoon, and repeat the following day.
You’ll preserve your entire harvest at the peak of freshness!
A water bath canner is a great tool to use for canning cherry pie filling.
You won’t need many other special tools.
How to Make & Can Cherry Pie Filling in a Water Bath Canner
This recipe is easy to scale. I’ve written instructions that make just one quart jar of filling. However, if you have more produce available, you can make more in one batch!
Equipment Needed
- Colander
- Cherry pitter
- Stainless steel saucepan
- Stainless steel saucepan with lid
- Small saucepan
- Water canner with lid
- One quart jar with lid and ring (for the cherry amount listed below)
- Jar lifter
- Lid lifter
- Canning funnel
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups sour cherries
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Clear Jel
- 1 1/3 cups cold water
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Dash cinnamon (optional)
- Dash almond extract (optional)
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
About 10 minutes
Canning Time
30 minutes
Step 1: Choose Your Cherries
Most cherry pie fillings are made with tart, bright-red cherries. Look for varieties like Morello and Montmorency.
In a pinch, you can use eating cherries (like Bing or Rainier), but they won’t have the tartness you expect from a traditional pie filling.
Choose cherries that are both firm and very ripe. Ideally, you’ll pick them straight from the trees for your pies.
If you must purchase them, ensure you’re getting fruit that was picked when ripe (and not ripened in a factory or on the store shelves).
Step 2: Wash Your Cherries
Cherry farmers sometimes use pesticides and horticultural oils that can give your pies an unpleasant flavor. Washing ensures you’re working with fruit that’s right for a canner.
Place a few cherries in a colander and rinse them with a stream of cold water. Repeat until all of your produce has been washed.
Step 3: Pit Your Cherries
Most cherries are sold with the pits buried deep inside. These pits can break a tooth if they end up in a bite of pie, so they should be removed.
If you’re growing cherries or planning to work with them extensively (in recipes like this one or in this tasty recipe for canning whole cherries in syrup), a pitter is a great investment.
This tool uses a pinching motion to press pits out of the center of your fruit.
You’ll need 3½ cups of cherries, and none should have pits.
Step 4: Prepare Jars and Lids
The ingredients I’ve listed will fill one quart jar. This amount will make one traditional pie that serves about eight.
I like to put up pie filling in pint jars instead, as this amount makes a smaller pie that serves just four (and doesn’t require a refrigerator for the leftovers).
If you use pint jars, nothing about this recipe (including the processing time) will change. To keep the writing simple, I’ll keep referring to one quart jar in these instructions.
Wash your jar with water and soap, and place it inside your water bath canner. Cover it with water, put the lid on the canner, and let the jar simmer in the warm water.
This step pre-heats your water for canning, and it ensures your jar is clean and ready for filling.
Place your lid in a saucepan filled with water over low heat until you’re ready for it.
Step 5: Blanch Your Cherries
Place your cherries in your stainless steel saucepan and cover them with a little more than a half-gallon of water. Bring the water to a boil, and cook the cherries for a full minute.
Drain your cherries and put them back in your stainless steel saucepan. Put the lid on the pan so the cherries stay warm until you’re ready for them.
Step 6: Make Sweetened Sauce
Combine 1 1/3 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar. Add ¼ cup and 1 tablespoon of Clear Jel. This additive will make your pie filling thick and filled with gooey goodness.
If you’re using spices, add a dash of cinnamon and almond extract to the mixture and stir well.
Over medium-high heat, cook these ingredients in your second stainless steel saucepan until the liquid begins to thicken and bubble. Stir the entire time, as the sugar likes to stick and scorch at these high temperatures.
Add 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the mixture, and keep stirring the entire time. Cook for 1 minute.
Step 7: Fold In Cherries
Add your cherries to this mixture and stir carefully to combine everything. Return the mixture to a boil while you stir.
It’s critical that your pie filling is boiling before you move on to the next step. If your cherries aren’t fully boiling when you fill your jars, they could cook while inside the canner.
Juice could leak out from the lids and keep the jars from sealing. Don’t make this mistake.
Step 8: Fill Your Jar
Remove your pie filling from the heat, so it doesn’t keep cooking or scorch as you move on to the next step.
With your jar lifter, pull all of your jars from the canner. Keep the heat on and ensure the water inside the canner is at a full boil.
Put your canning funnel in the jar, and use your ladle to spoon up the filling. Add it to the jar, but leave a full inch of space at the top of the jar.
Step 9: Apply Lids and Rings
Pie filling is thick and sticky. Bits you’ve spilled won’t wash away inside the canner. Instead, they’ll keep your lids from sealing.
Dampen a paper towel, and wipe the top of every jar. When you’ve created a clean surface, use your lid lifter to remove the lids from the water bath.
Put one lid on each jar, and screw it down until it’s finger-tight.
Step 10: Process Your Jar
Place your prepared jar in the canner, and ensure it’s covered with at least an inch of boiling water. Put the lid on the canner and process the jar for 30 minutes. Adjust for your elevation as needed.
Don’t remove the lid from the canner while your jars are processing.
Step 11: Let the Jar Rest
After the processing is complete, turn off the heat and remove the lid from the canner. Leave the jar submerged in the canner for 5 minutes, allowing the contents to stabilize.
Use your jar lifter to remove your jar from the canner. Keep the jar upright while you pick it up, and place it gently on a cutting board. Let the jar rest for 24 hours.
Step 12: Test Your Work
After 24 hours, your lids should be tightly connected to the jar. Test it by pressing on the lid and ensuring it doesn’t make noise or move.
Write the date on the lid, and store your pie filling in a cool and dark space.
If the lid didn’t seal, it’s time to eat pie! Lids that don’t affix mean contents that aren’t safe for long-term storage.
How Long Does Canned Cherry Pie Filling Last?
The USDA says foods preserved in a water canner should be eaten within about a year. I write the date on all of my jars so I know when the deadline is looming.
However, this pie filling is so tasty that it rarely lasts a full year on my shelf.
Ideas for Using Cherry Pie Filling
Cherry pie filling has plenty of uses. In fact, if you’re clever, nothing goes to waste.
These are a few of my favorite ways to incorporate pie filling into my family’s menu:
- Make a traditional two-crust pie filled with cherries.
- Make a crumble top for your cherry pie for a new spin on an old favorite.
- Top warm brie with cherry pie for a tasty and romantic snack.
- Add pie filling to muffin mix.
- Pack pie filling into the center of completed cupcakes.
- Top cheesecake with cherry pie filling.
- Add spices to pie filling and use as a sauce for pork chops.
- Make your next waffle extra special with a layer of pie filling.
- Place pie filling between two baked cake layers and cover both with frosting.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3⅓ cups sour cherries
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Clear Jel
- 1⅓ cups cold water
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Dash cinnamon optional
- Dash almond extract optional
Instructions
Choose Your Cherries
- Select tart, bright-red sour cherries (such as Morello or Montmorency) for that classic pie filling flavor.
- Choose cherries that are firm and very ripe, ideally picked straight from the trees.
Wash Your Cherries
- Rinse the cherries in a colander under a stream of cold water to remove any dirt or residues.
Pit Your Cherries
- Using a cherry pitter, remove the pits from the cherries. You should have 3½ cups of pitted cherries.
Prepare Jars and Lids
- Wash your quart jar and lid with hot, soapy water.
- Place the jar in your water bath canner, fill with water, cover with the lid, and heat over medium until ready to fill.
- Warm the lid in a saucepan filled with water over low heat.
Blanch Your Cherries
- Place the pitted cherries in a stainless steel saucepan and cover with just over a half-gallon of water.
- Bring to a boil and cook the cherries for 1 minute.
- Drain and return the cherries to the saucepan; cover to keep warm.
Make Sweetened Sauce
- In a second stainless steel saucepan, combine 1⅓ cups cold water with 1 cup sugar and the Clear Jel (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon).
- If using, add a dash of cinnamon and almond extract.
- Over medium-high heat, stir continuously until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Fold In Cherries
- Add the warm, blanched cherries to the sweetened sauce.
- Stir carefully to combine, then return the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Ensure the filling is boiling hard before moving on to the next step.
Fill Your Jar
- Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Using a jar lifter, carefully remove your pre-heated jar from the canner.
- Insert a canning funnel into the jar and ladle in the cherry pie filling, leaving a full inch of headspace at the top.
Apply Lids and Rings
- Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel to remove any residue.
- Using the lid lifter, remove the warmed lid from its water bath and place it on the jar.
- Secure the ring until it is finger-tight to allow air to escape during processing.
Process Your Jar
- Place the filled jar back into the water bath canner, ensuring it is covered by at least 1 inch of boiling water.
- Cover the canner with its lid and process for 30 minutes (adjust for your elevation as needed).
- Do not disturb the jar during processing.
Let the Jar Rest
- After processing, turn off the heat and carefully remove the canner lid.
- Leave the jar submerged for 5 minutes, then use the jar lifter to remove it.
- Place the jar upright on a cutting board and let it cool undisturbed for 24 hours.
Test Your Work
- After 24 hours, check the jar’s seal by removing the ring and pressing the center of the lid. It should not flex or pop.
- Write the date on the jar lid and store in a cool, dark place.
Notes
- Storage: Canned cherry pie filling should be used within about a year. Labeling and rotating your jars by date ensures you enjoy them while at their best.
- Usage Ideas:
- Make a traditional two-crust cherry pie.
- Use as a filling for crumble-topped pies or turnovers.
- Spoon over ice cream, cheesecake, or pancakes for a burst of summer flavor.
- Mix into muffin or cupcake batters for a fruity twist.
