Fresh Cherry Pie with Lime

Fresh cherry pie is a delicious way to use fresh cherries. It's an easy homemade cherry pie filling that tastes great. The zesty lime really lifts the flavour of the sweet cherries to make this recipe extra special.

There's cherry pie, and then there's homemade fresh cherry pie with lime. Totally different things.

The overly sweet, processed canned cherry pie filling that comes in most store-bought pies ain't nice. It barely tastes of cherries. 

This traditional homemade cherry pie celebrates cherries in all their delicious glory.

I've added some extra zing with lime juice and zest, because the two fruits go so beautifully together.

I absolutely love cherries.

As soon as they come into season, I can't wait to buy punnet after punnet of these sweet, juicy orbs.

I like how they slow you down as you avoid the pit. You must undertake mindful fruit-eating, lest you crack a tooth on their solid pearls.

Tips and Tricks

Although this pie is super easy, I thought I'd give a little extra help with a few cook's tips and tricks. If you have any other questions, ask them in the comments and I'll update this section!

- I've used store bought pastry to make this pie easier, but you can very easily make your own. Try this recipe.

- Feel free to leave out the lime if you aren't a fan. It will be a traditional pie and still tasty.

- Don't skip the cornflour/cornstarch - it thickens the cherries and creates that traditional cherry sauce. 

How to pit cherries

There are plenty of ways to take out cherry pits. I have one major piece of advice for you though - do not wear a white t-shirt. All methods can be a little messy!

Pitter - Don't be put off by the pitting process. A cherry pitter is inexpensive and makes it so much easier. Just place one into the manual gadget, press it over a bowl and the pit will pop out! It's definitely the easiest method and my cherry pitter gets quite a lot of use every cherry season!

How to remove cherry pits without a pitter

How to remove cherry pits with a chopstick
Simply remove the stem, then push a chopstick into the stem end of the cherry and the pit should shoot out! Be sure to do it over a bowl as it could get a bit messy. 

How to remove cherry pits with a paper clip
Remove the stem, then insert the looped end of the paper clip into the stem end and 'hook' the pit and pull it out.

Cherry Pie Filling Recipe

This is sooo easy to make. Once you've pitted the cherries, you simply need to heat the cherries with water, sugar, vanilla and lime zest.

Let it bubble for 5 minutes, then stir in the cornflour/cornstarch (dissolved in 3 tbsp of water), bring it back to the boil and voila - fresh cherry pie filling!

Cherries

At the bottom of my garden, a cherry tree has just sprung into life.

It hasn't had fruit in the years that we've lived here, but after pruning an overgrown bush, we now have fresh cherries!

The tree will need a bit of love and attention, but I hope it will bear more fruit next year.

Cherries might just be my favourite fruit. They certainly are during this time of year. 

Fresh cherry recipes

Cherry Popsicles with dark chocolate and almonds
Cherry hand pies
Vegan Black Forest Cake
Black Forest Cherry Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Cherry bars

Nostalgic cherry pie 

Cherry pies are so popular in North America (happy 4th of July, American readers!), and they remind me of growing up near Vancouver.

I love nostalgic foods and how a method of cooking or a smell can transport you back in time. This best cherry pie totally takes me back to my childhood whenever I make it. Nostalgia pie. 

Looking back, I remember making pastry with my mum when I was a little girl, helping her to roll out the pastry and taking a few cheeky nibbles of the dough.

I recall playing with my sisters in the garden while eating cherries and seeing who could spit the pits the furthest into a jar.

I wonder what food memories my children will have when they grow up? What cooking smells will capture a moment for them to look back upon and smile.

Recipe

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes and cakes. Kate x

Lime and Fresh Cherry Pie

This lime and fresh cherry pie is easy to make and full of great taste from the sweet cherries and vibrant lime.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 8

223 kcal

Author: Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts

Ingredients

• 1 package shortcrust pastry usually vegan, but check packaging

Cherry Pie Filling

• 8 cups (1 kg) fresh cherries
• 1 cup (200ml) water
• 4 tablespoons sugar or more if the cherries are very sour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 2 limes
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water to make a slurry
• 2 tablespoons of milk non-dairy if vegan for brushing the pastry

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 400F / 200C
• Line a 23cm/9in pie or tart tin with the shortcrust pastry, trim the edges and reserve and refrigerate the excess pastry. Line the bottom with baking paper then weigh it down with baking beans or dried rice. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden.
• Remove the paper and baking beans and cook the tart for a further 7 minutes. Remove from the oven but leave the oven on.

For the Cherry Pie Filling

• Meanwhile, make the cherry pie filling: Remove the pits from the cherries with a pitter gadget (much easier!) or carefully with a knife.
• Add the cherries to a large saucepan over a medium heat with the water, sugar, vanilla, most of the lime zest (reserve some for decoration) and the lime juice. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour in the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine. Bring back to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat. It will be thick but not overly gelatinous.

For the pie

• Roll out the excess pastry and cut into desired shapes.
• Pour the filling into the pie shell and top with the pastry shapes. Brush the pastry shapes with milk (dairy or non-dairy) and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350F / 170C and cook for a further 30 minutes.
• Allow the pie to cool for a few hours before serving cold. Keep in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 223kcal Carbohydrates: 44g Protein: 3g Fat: 1g Sodium: 122mg Potassium: 329mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 23g Vitamin A: 90IU Vitamin C: 9.7mg Calcium: 25mg Iron: 1.3mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts!

The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.