Mini Cherry Pie

A mini cherry pie baked in a small baking dish makes the perfect fruity dessert to serve one or two people. Juicy cherries are piled high on top of a buttery crust and topped with a sweet cinnamon-spiced streusel topping. This is the only cherry pie recipe you need!

This is the best homemade cherry pie recipe! It's made entirely from scratch and is one of the easiest and simplest pie recipes out there. If making a pie intimidates you, be assured that there is absolutely nothing to fear here. This "cherry pie for one" is made with a simple shortbread pie crust, fresh cherries, and a buttery crumb topping.

The homemade crust is the same shortbread crust used in our pecan pie, blueberry pie, and in our lemon bars. It's sturdy enough to hold the cherry pie filling and there's no need to deal with a finicky traditional pie crust.

So many bakers reach for canned cherries for their cherry pies but I'm sharing my super-easy way to make a cherry pie using fresh or frozen cherries. I promise you won't want to go back to using canned again.

Why This Recipe Works

• Aside from being easy to make, this single serving cherry pie is absolutely delicious! It's fresh tasting and filled with juicy cherries.
• You don't have to make a complicated pie crust. Instead we use our buttery shortbread "cookie" crust which makes the perfect base for this cherry pie.
• The lightly sweetened cherry filling cooks quickly on the stove and lets the cherries shine.
• The simple streusel topping is one that absolutely anyone can make.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

• Cherries: If you're making a cherry pie from scratch, it's important to know what kind of cherries are best for making a fresh cherry pie. Sweet cherries like Bing and Rainier are among the most popular types of sweet cherries and are the ones you're most likely to find fresh in the grocery store. These are the cherries we use in this mini cherry pie recipe. Tart cherries are likely to be found canned or frozen. If using frozen cherries, thaw them completely before starting the filling and if you use tart cherries, increase the sugar in the filling by ½ tablespoon. No matter which type of cherries. you use, be sure to check for how sweet they are and then adjust the sugar accordingly.
• Lemon: Use fresh or bottled lemon juice.
• Cornstarch: This ingredient is used in the shortbread crust. It provides structure to the shortbread while keeping the cookie crust soft and light. Cornstarch is also used to thicken the cherry pie filling.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar is used in the crust and is also mixed in with the cherries which add sweetness and flavor to the pie. We also use a small amount of sugar as well as brown sugar in the crumb topping. If you don't have brown sugar on hand, use our simple small batch brown sugar recipe.
• Butter: Softened butter is used in the shortbread crust and in the topping.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is used in the crust to give it structure and is also used in the topping.
• Salt: A small amount is used in the crust for added flavor.

How To Pit Cherries

When making a cherry pie, the first thing you need to do is pit the cherries. The fastest and easiest way to do this is with a cherry pitter. I don't like to suggest a kitchen tool or gadget unless it's one I use, love, and think is absolutely necessary. Trust me, a cherry pitter is a tool you'll be thankful you have, especially when you bake with cherries often.

A classic cherry pitter grips a single cherry while a small rod pierces the fruit and pushes the pit right out.

How To Pit Cherries Without A Pitter

• Use a pastry tip: Just place it tip-side up on a cutting board and push the cherry firmly onto it until the pit comes out the other end.
• Use a metal or reusable straw: Push the straw up through the bottom of the cherry through the top.
• Use a chopstick: Push it through the stem side of the cherry and the pit shoots out the other end.

How To Make A Cherry Pie

1. Make the crust: Baking the crust without the filling allows the crust to set without absorbing too much of the moisture from the cherry filling. Using a hand mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until well blended. Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt and mix until combined.
   • Press the dough firmly into a lightly buttered 5-inch baking dish using your fingertips or the back of a spoon.
   • Bake 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

2. Make the cherry pie filling: In a 2-quart saucepan, stir together the pitted cherries, cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.

PRO TIP: You'll need about 12 ounces of pitted cherries, this usually is about 2 ½ cups.

3. Pour cherries over the pie crust: Evenly spoon the cooked cherries and sauce over the top of the cookie crust.
4. Make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Blend in the softened butter using a fork and mix until combined. Spoon the topping over the cherries and place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any filling that might spill over while the pie bakes.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until filling is bubbly and the topping is golden.
6. Allow the pie to cool or enjoy while still warm. Top with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Expert Tips

• The baking dish I use for this mini cherry pie is a 5x5-inch baking dish. You can also use a 5x7 or a 6.5x5-inch dish. All of these dishes can be found on our bakeware page. Some of these dishes can be purchased on Amazon and in various home stores. For very best results, use a baking dish of similar size. If you use a dish that is much larger than the ones we recommend, the crust will thinner and will bake faster, and could very easily burn. Using a larger baking dish will leave you with a thinner filling too.
• Use softened butter, not cold butter in the pie crust and also in the streusel topping. Softened butter should still be cool to the touch but when you press your finger into the butter, your finger will leave an indentation. The best way to soften your butter is to put it out on the kitchen counter for a half hour before you want to use it. Another way to quickly soften butter is to put the cold butter in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. If you use this method, be sure to watch carefully - you don't want the butter to melt at all.
• If you would like to make this single serving cherry pie with a traditional pie crust, use our single serving pie crust recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Single Serving Pie Recipes

We have many single serving pie recipes on our website. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Blueberry Pie
• Key Lime Pie For One
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Peanut Butter Pie For One

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this single serving cherry pie, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

• Cornstarch: Banana Cream Pie, Vanilla Pudding, Coconut Cream Pie, Pecan Pie
• Lemon juice:  Lemon Bars, Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Curd, Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
• Sugar: Peach Cobbler, Cream Scones, Deep Dish Brownie, Dutch Baby
• Brown sugar: Apple Fritters, Zucchini Bread, Butter Pecan Granola, Mini Spice Cake
• Cinnamon: Mini Hummingbird Cake, Mini Texas Sheet Cake, Fruit Quesadilla, Fried Apples

If you’ve tried this mini cherry pie or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

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