This cherry pie filling is made with fresh sweet cherries that are simmered with a little sugar for a thick and rich filling. Use your pie filling for baked goods, breakfast pastries, as an ice cream topping or in a parfait.
Place the cherries, water, lemon juice sugar and cornstarch in a large pot. Stir to combine.
Bring the cherry mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the vanilla extract. Cool, then serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
This recipe is written for sweet cherries, but will also work for sour cherries. If you’re using sour cherries, increase the sugar by 1/4 cup, or you can add even more than that if you prefer a sweeter filling.
You can store your pie filling in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you’re freezing the filling, you’ll want to thaw it before it’s added to a pie.