How to Make Homemade Sweet Cherry Pie Filling; Canning

Marie Overton
Jul 3, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Jul 14

Cherry pie is one of the joys of summer. Especially since I have a FREEZE BULK PIE CRUST recipe that when combined with this homemade sweet cherry pie filling will help you go from zero to pie in nothing flat.

Cherries are a common crop in our area of the Pacific Northwest and I love to take advantage of the fresh fruit from my neighbors. Canning cherry pie filling allows us to enjoy this fabulous fruit year-round, not just when it is in season. Canned pie filling also makes for quick and easy pie, crisp, and pancake, waffle, or ice cream topping; it’s not just to make delicious pies.

The big thing with canning is planning ahead. If everything is prepared in advance canning goes smoothly. I think one of the hard things is that canning is seasonal. With the yearly fruit yield, certain details might be forgotten when I wait for the next season to come around. Hopefully, my video will help you to remember the way that works best for you.

Cherries and cinnamon sticks on a wooden board, with a jar of dark jam in front of a silver pot. Grey blurred background.

Preparation to Make Homemade Sweet Cherry Pie Filling:

Generally, this recipe makes 6 pints of cherry pie filling.

INGREDIENTS

4 1/2 pounds cherries 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups cold water 1/2 cup lemon juice 6 tablespoons Clearjel

Fill your boiling water bath canner about halfway and place it on medium heat to warm up. We want it warm, but we do not want it to boil yet.

Water pours over dark cherries in a metal colander in a sink. The scene has a clean and fresh atmosphere with a gray countertop.

Hands in a kitchen using an orange cherry pitter over a glass dish on a granite countertop, with pots and a large bowl nearby.

Wash and pit 4 1/2 pounds of cherries. I really love this Norpro Delux Cherry Pitter. It makes cherry pitting super simple.

Hand pours water into a pot of flour on a granite counter with a wooden spoon inside. Text reads "1 1/2 cups Cold Water."

Blend sugar, cinnamon, and Clearjel in a large pot. Then add the cold water.

Brown sauce being stirred in a silver pot with a wooden spoon. The setting appears to be a kitchen, with a dark background.

Heat the mixture until it starts to bubble.

Pot of simmering red sauce being stirred with a wooden spoon. Bowl of dark cherries being added. Steamy, kitchen setting.

Add the lemon juice and mix it in well. Cook for 1 minute.

Hands stirring dark red cherries in a steaming pot. Metallic kitchen setting with a silver ladle visible. Warm, cooking mood.

Add the pitted cherries and cook an additional 3 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla.

Canning Cherry Pie Filling:

A hand pours dark red jam from a pot into jars using a ladle on a speckled countertop.

Fill your pint-sized jars with a jar funnel leaving 1 inch of headspace. Wipe off the rim of the jar with a clean cloth if needed.

Place lids on top and screw rings on until they are finger-tight.

(For quality, American made Superb canning lids and jars follow this link and use the coupon code WP20 to get 20% off your purchase.)

Place the jars in a boiling water canner, covering them with 1-2 inches of water. Process for 25 minutes at sea level. (Adjust the processing time if you are above 1000 feet.)

After processing, allow to cool in the water bath with the heat off and the lid removed for 5 minutes.

Person using jar lifter to place sealed red jam jars on burlap cloth on a kitchen counter. Background includes a sink and cabinets.

Remove jars from the canner and let them cool on a heat resistant surface about 1-2 inches apart so they can cool a little faster. This protects the counter from being burned and the jar from the cool counter, which could break the jar due to the temperature difference. Allow the jars to sit for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, check to be sure that the lids have sealed down. Lids will suck down if they are sealed. If you have any that do not seal, place them in the refrigerator and use them within the next week. Label your jars with the contents and date preserved. Store sealed jars in a dry, cool, dark place.

Glass jar of dark cherry preserves with a spoon inside, surrounded by fresh cherries and cinnamon sticks on a wooden surface.

2 Comments

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Donald

Jul 23

Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Delicious! I cut back to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon because I am not such a fan, but everything else was spot on! It's very difficult to find a GOOD recipe for cherry pie filling starting with dark, sweet cherries! I canned it in pints. If I need it for a full pie I will open two jars, otherwise it's just more practical to have pints so I can use it for topping cheesecake or ice cream or even yogurt or oatmeal!

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Marie Overton

Jul 30

Replying to

I love making my own canned goods because I can personalize it for my preferences. I'm so glad this worked well for you.

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