This recipe on homemade vegan cherry pie filling made with fresh cherries comes together with handful of ingredients and few minutes. It is so delicious that I wont be surprised if you can’t stop eating it straight from the jar. Think beyond pies , this cherry filling will satisfy your sweet tooth in more than one way. You can make it all year long using frozen cherries too!
How are you guys doing? I know it’s been over 3 months that I have posted anything. With a new born and a 6 year old in the house life has been very hectic. I am slowly finding my way to get back to sharing wonderful recipes with you. Hopefully I will be more consistent in the near future .
This is a forever pending post. It was supposed to be shared in 2017 but somehow couldn’t make it on the blog because of my pregnancy complications. Now that cherries are in season I couldn’t wait to share this super simple delicious cherry recipe with you guys!
I went cherry picking last year and came home with bucket full of cherries. Though we enjoyed eating them day and night , I thought homemade Vegan cherry pie filling will be a great idea. Today I am sharing 2 ways of making this easy cherry pie filling that is VEGAN and GLUTEN FREE. This was my 1 st cherry picking experience and I enjoyed it to the core. Plucking on fresh cherries and eating them right away was so much fun.
This vegan cherry pie filling is not overly sweet like store bought ones. It will stay good for a week in the fridge and longer if frozen.
Guys this is deliciously versatile stuff to top over any dessert all summer long.
We are ardent cherry lovers and you will find us using this cherry pie filling in about anything.
Some cool ideas for using cherry pie filling or any leftover cherry pie filling-
You can fill your pies , top it over pancakes, waffles, crackers, funnel cakes.
You can fill in cakes or cupcakes with it.
Add it to your frostings or make ice cream .
You may even make cheesecakes with this filling .
It all starts with pitting fresh cherries. Make sure you pick firm cherries. Now there are couple of ways to do it. You may invest in a cherry pitter.
I don’t have one so I have used a thick straw (boba straw) and a bottle to pit the cherries and it really works! You may use sturdy plastic or metal straws. Or even chopsticks or dowels .
Below are two videos that I have referred to for pitting the cherries-
At first I thought this would really be boring and time consuming , but actually it was fun!
It took me less than 20 minutes to pit 5 cups of cherries. I sat with the straw , a bottle and cherries. Put on my favorite series on Netflix and before I know I had pitted over 5 cups of cherries.
As I was running out of time I pitted the cherries a day before I actually made the filling. I placed the pitted cherries in an airtight container in the refrigerator until I made the filling.
Making the filling the Stovetop method took me less than 15 minutes and it turned out so good.
I made this Cherry filling using frozen cherries in my Instant Pot when cherries were not in season.
It turned out pretty delicious without burning or sticking at the bottom. I topped it on ice creams and waffles at a house party. It was a great hit!!
This recipe was originally published on Aug 22, 2018 .Republished with improved recipe on May 9, 2019.
Stove top method for homemade vegan cherry pie filling –
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Vegan cherry pie filling from scratch
Ingredients
For corn starch paste
- 3.5 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup water
Other ingredients
- 5 cups / 3 pounds fresh cherries pitted already
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup additional water for cooking
- 1 cup sugar in raw/ organic granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or any flavoring of your choice , optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together cornstarch and ½ cup water until a smooth paste . Keep aside.
- In a thick bottom saucepan combine cherries, ¼ cup water, lemon juice, sugar , extract , flavoring over medium heat.
- Cover lightly for quick cooking. Stir occasionally .
- Bring this mixture to a simmer . Cherries will release its juices .
- Now slowly stir in the cornstarch water paste. The mixture will start to thicken immediately.
- Now reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes until the cherries are tender but not fully smashed and the filling has thickened.
- Add in the cinnamon and combine.
- Switch off the flame and let the filling cool down. It will thicken more as it cools.
Notes
INSTANT POT METHOD
I have made jam in in my IP with great success so thought why not try pressure cooking the cherries for filling in my Instant Pot as well. This was a pretty successful experiment which didn’t require me to be around stirring the filling. And I am happy with the results too. How to make Cherry Pie filling Recipe using Instant Pot- Refer to the ingredient list above. Switch on the Instant Pot Throw in everything called for except the cornstarch water paste. Give it a good stir Close the IP lid on sealing position. Hit Manual , low pressure 1 minute . Then perform quick release by carefully turning the valve to vent. Once the silver pin drops open the lid . Switch IP to Saute mode. Add in the cornstarch paste and stir 2-3 times to combine. Let the filling come to a simmer once and then switch off the IP. Stir once again and its done. The filling thickens more as it cools down. Let it cool down completely before storing or filling. If using frozen cherries then use MANUAL LOW PRESSURE 0 minute .QUICK RELEASE. Skip the addition of the ¼ cup water called for cooking as frozen cherries will release enough water to cook . Cinnamon is optional. The cherries I have used were super sweet so the sugar is used accordingly. If you have a different setting to try on , please share it in the comment section so that everyone will benefit. It is all about experimenting. I had used sweet cherries. If using tart ones adjust the sugar quantity. Make it all year long with frozen cherries- You may use already pitted frozen cherries. I have tested this recipe with frozen cherries too. Follow the recipe above for stove top or instant pot. Just do not add water to cook cherries initially as frozen cherries will release enough liquid. Add water plus cornstarch paste later as mentioned. Additional flavors that you can add are almond extract, cardamom or cayenne .Shelf Life of homemade cherry pie filling
1 week in the fridge and upto 2 months in the freezer. Freeze in one time use portions and do not re freeze. You might need to add couple teaspoon water and warm it a bit after thawing if it is too thick.Nutrition
How did I use vegan cherry pie filling?
Instead of making a pie I decided to make a Vegan poke cake for a family summer picnic. Oh boy ! It was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and no one believed it was Vegan. Recipe link here .
Shelf Life of homemade cherry pie filling
1 week in the fridge and upto 2 months in the freezer. Freeze in one time use portions and do not re freeze. You might need to add couple teaspoon water and warm it a bit after thawing if it is too thick.
I like the Stove-top as well as Instant Pot method to make this filling. Which one do you prefer?
Do let me know below in the comment section.
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Hi, can I use dried pitted cherries or can only fresh cherries be used?
Hi, I haven’t tried using dried cherries so no idea how it would work. I can tell you that it won’t be moist and soft enough as the cherries are dry!
Everything went great until it came time for the quick release on my instant pot (6qt). It sprayed cherry juice all over my counter top, stove top (luckily I have burner covers on them) and up the cabinet in which the steam/juice was escaping. The amount of cherries in the pot was nowhere near the half full mark in the container, more like 1/4 the amount that the 6 quart bowl can take. The cherry pie filling smelled great and tastes great but the mess was a shocker. LOL
Oh, I am so sorry to not have mentioned that you always place a towel over the black knob and do a Quick Release for any recipe. I always mention in my Instant Pot recipes. I will update this information. Glad you liked the recipe.
The only problem with what you suggest is that it goes against the product use warnings not to cover the vent when releasing the steam.
Hi Carla, Is it? I think the warning may mean not to cover with any solid object like a lid. The cloth is fine, where the steam can pass through but the splutters are controlled.
I have been doing this since 4 years without any problems.
Hey Khushboo,
How can I make a sugar less version of this one or any of your other cakes? It would be great if you can share any info!
Thank you so much!
Hello Nisha, my current favorite is monk fruit. You can use any other equivalent artificial sweetener as well.
Its really good my husband wanted me to make home made pie and my favorite was cherry so i made a vegan version with pie crust and filling. Ita great it taste absolutely amazing I might have over did it with the cornstarch though lol but it’s still great!
Awesome Heidi, yes the pie filling thickens considerably after cooling due to cornstarch so just check on that ratio. Thank you for a lovely feedback!