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This small cherry pie is made from scratch with juicy fresh cherries, a buttery shortbread crust, and a cinnamon crumb topping. It bakes in one dish for one or two.
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Equipment: 2-quart saucepan, 5-inch baking dish
- Cook Method: Stovetop and oven
- Servings: 2
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: Sweet-tart cherries with a buttery cinnamon streusel and a crisp shortbread base.
This mini cherry pie has a thick, spoonable cherry filling brightened with lemon, tucked under a tender crumb topping.
Why You’ll Love This Cherry Pie Recipe
I stopped buying canned cherry pie filling years ago, and this small cherry pie is the reason. Cook fresh or frozen cherries down with a little sugar and lemon and you get a filling that tastes like real cherries, not what comes out of a can.
We built this one as a single serving recipe and tested it from the ground up, because a full cherry pie doesn’t shrink neatly into a 5-inch dish.
It took batch after batch of fresh cherries to balance the sugar, lemon, and cornstarch. The early fillings ran watery, then I overcorrected and they set up too stiff, until the amounts finally landed where the filling holds its shape on a spoon.
That’s why a proper cherry pie for one or two is so hard to find. Most people aren’t going to run through that many batches to get one small pie right.
The crust keeps this pie simple. Instead of rolling out pastry, you press a buttery shortbread dough into the dish with your fingers. It has more flavor than a standard pie crust, and it’s the same one I use in my small blueberry pie and small batch lemon bars because it holds fruit without turning soggy.
I love this pie warm from the dish with a little homemade whipped cream, the cherries glossy under a soft streusel top. If you like this one, keep a jar of my small batch cherry pie filling on hand, or make a mini cherry dump cake when you’d rather just dump and bake.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what goes into an individual cherry pie and what each ingredient does. If you have anything left over, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder for ways to use it up.
Cherries: Sweet cherries like Bing or Rainier are what we use, and they’re the ones you’ll find fresh in most grocery stores.
Tart cherries, usually sold canned or frozen, work too; just add an extra ½ tablespoon of sugar.
Thaw frozen cherries completely and drain off the extra liquid before cooking, so the filling doesn’t turn watery.
Whatever you use, taste a cherry first and adjust the sugar to match its sweetness. Extra fresh cherries are good in our single serving ambrosia.
Lemon juice: A little fresh lemon juice brightens the filling and balances the sweetness of the cherries.
Cornstarch: This one pulls double duty. In the crust it keeps the shortbread tender and light, and in the filling it’s the thickener. It needs a full boil to activate, which is why you bring the cherries up to a boil before lowering the heat. The filling keeps setting as it cools.
Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the crust and the filling. The streusel uses both granulated and brown sugar, with the brown sugar adding a little depth up top. Out of brown sugar? Make our small batch brown sugar recipe.
Butter: Use softened salted butter in both the crust and the streusel. You want it soft but still cool, cool enough to hold a fingerprint when you press it. Don’t let it melt.
Flour: All-purpose flour gives the shortbread crust its structure and does the same for the streusel.
Salt: I like using a small amount in the crust.
Recipe Variations
Once you’ve made this cherry pie with fresh cherries a few times, these swaps are worth trying. Each one changes the flavor without changing how the pie is built.
Almond Extract: Stir ⅛ teaspoon almond extract into the filling after you take it off the heat. Cherries and almonds come from the same family, so a little almond deepens the cherry flavor.
Warm Spices: Add a pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg to the filling for a warmer, spiced flavor.
Cherry-Berry: Swap ½ cup of the cherries for fresh blueberries or raspberries. They cook down alongside the cherries and add a little tartness.
Traditional Pie Crust: Use our single serving pie crust in place of the shortbread. Press it into the same 5-inch dish and adjust the bake time until the crust is golden.
No-Top-Crust Cherry Pie: For a single crust, open-faced cherry pie, leave off the streusel and bake the cherry filling right on the shortbread crust. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling bubbles at the edges.
How to Pit Cherries
Pitting the cherries is the first thing to do, before you start the crust or the filling. A cherry pitter is the fastest way: set a cherry in the tool, press down, and a small rod pushes the pit straight out. It’s worth owning if you bake with cherries often.
No pitter? Any of these three work:
- Pastry tip: Set a large piping tip upside down on a cutting board. Press the cherry stem-side down onto the tip until the pit pushes out the other end.
- Straw: Hold the cherry over a bowl and push a metal or sturdy reusable straw up through the bottom until the pit comes out the top.
- Chopstick: Press a chopstick through the stem end of the cherry until the pit pops out the other side.
How To Make A Small Cherry Pie
This homemade cherry pie comes together in three easy parts: a press-in shortbread crust, a quick stovetop filling, and a streusel top. The photos below walk you through it, and the recipe card has exact amounts.
- Make the crust: With a hand mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt, and mix just until it comes together into a soft dough.
Press it firmly and evenly into a buttered 5-inch square baking dish with your fingertips or the back of a spoon.
Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden, then set it aside to cool. - Cook the cherry filling: In a 2-quart saucepan, stir together the pitted cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until the juices thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.
You’ll need about 2½ cups of pitted cherries, roughly 12 ounces. - Fill the crust: Spoon the cooked cherries and their sauce evenly over the cooled crust.
- Make the crumb topping: In a small bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the softened butter and blend it in with a fork until the mixture forms crumbs. Scatter the topping over the cherries, then set the dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips.
- Bake the pie: Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling bubbles around the edges.
- Cool and serve: Let the pie cool for a few minutes, or serve it warm with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Expert Tips
Use the right size dish. A 5×5-inch baking dish is ideal, and a 5×7 or 6.5×5-inch dish works too. In a larger dish the crust presses out too thin and bakes faster, so it can overbake before the filling is ready.
Soften the butter, don’t melt it. Both the crust and the streusel need softened salted butter. Leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes, or microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds and watch it closely. It’s ready when it’s cool to the touch but holds a fingerprint.
Press the crust in an even layer. Work the shortbread across the bottom and into the corners so it’s the same thickness all over. Even thickness bakes evenly; thin spots brown and firm up faster than the rest.
Bake the crust just until golden the first time. This crust bakes twice, once on its own and again under the filling. Pull it at lightly golden the first time, even if it looks a touch underdone. It sets during the second bake, and stopping early keeps it from overbaking by the time the pie is done.
Troubleshooting
If your cherry pie isn’t turning out quite right, here is how to fix common issues like a runny filling, a soggy crust, or filling that sets up too thick.
Why is my cherry pie filling runny?
A runny filling usually means the cornstarch didn’t fully activate. The filling has to reach a full boil for the cornstarch to thicken, so bring the cherries all the way up to a boil before lowering the heat. If you used frozen cherries, thaw and drain them first so they don’t add extra liquid. Let the baked pie cool for a bit too, since the filling keeps setting as it cools.
Why is my crust soggy?
A soggy crust usually means the filling went on before the crust was baked and cooled. Bake the shortbread crust on its own first, then set it aside to cool completely before spooning on the cherries. A warm or underbaked crust soaks up the juice, while a cooled crust stays firm under the filling.
Why did my filling set up too thick?
Too-thick filling usually means it cooked too long. Cook the cherries just until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes, then take the pan off the heat. It keeps thickening as it cools, so pull it on time rather than reducing it further in the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Skip the stovetop step, since canned filling is already cooked. Bake and cool the crust, spoon the canned filling over it, add the streusel, and bake until the topping is golden and the filling bubbles.
Yes. You cook the cherries with sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice on the stovetop first, so the filling thickens before it goes onto the baked crust.
Refrigerate it, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat a slice in the oven, or enjoy it cold from the fridge.
Yes. Cool the baked pie completely, wrap it well, and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge and warm in the oven.
Yes. Thaw them completely and drain the extra liquid before cooking, so the filling doesn’t turn watery. Sweet and tart frozen cherries both work.
Yes. Double all the ingredients and bake in two 5×5-inch dishes or one 6×8-inch baking dish.
Yes. Fit it into the 5-inch dish in place of the shortbread and adjust the bake time until golden.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this Cherry Pie For Two 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.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Small Cherry Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust
- 2 ½ tablespoons salted butter – softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the filling
- 2 ½ cups pitted cherries
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the topping
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons salted butter – softened
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- In a medium bowl, beat 2½ tablespoons softened butter and 2 tablespoons sugar with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Add ¼ cup flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly into a buttered 5×5-inch baking dish with your fingertips or the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Set aside to cool for about 20 minutes.
Make the filling
- In a 2-quart saucepan, stir together the cherries, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and the lemon juice.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Spoon the cherries and sauce evenly over the cooled crust.
Make the topping
- In a small bowl, stir together ¼ cup flour, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Add 3 tablespoons softened butter and mix with a fork until crumbly.
- Scatter the topping over the cherries and set the dish on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is golden and the fulling bubbles at the edges.
- Let the pie cool for a few minutes, or serve it warm with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
will can of pie filling be ok to use in this recipe
Yes, but you’ll need to adjust the recipe. Skip the filling step—no need to cook the cherries. After baking and cooling the crust, spoon the canned cherry pie filling over it, add the streusel topping, and bake until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbly.
thanks Joanie, enjoying your recipes
Joanie,
The hubby is pre-diabetic. Could I use whole wheat flour? Have you tried it?
I haven’t tested this recipe with whole wheat flour, but since it’s used in the shortbread crust, it may make the texture a bit more dense or crumbly. You might consider using half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour to help keep some tenderness. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try!
Can I use canned cherry pie filling?
Yes, absolutely! Canned cherry pie filling works perfectly with this crust. It’s a great base for canned pie filling. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Can I use frozen dark sweet cherries?
Yes, make sure to thaw them fully before using.
Terrific recipe.
Hi Joanie,
Can I use your Small Batch Cherry Pie Filling in this? As it calls for 1 cup of cherries, would I double the filling recipe?
Thank you!
The small batch cherry pie filling is essentially made the same way, we just reduced the quantities. You can use that recipe or simply use the filling recipe shown in this pie recipe. It is basically the same ingredients found in the small batch cherry pie filling, but doubled.
Would a parchment paper sling work to lift pie out of pan?
It should work fine.
Great recipes for me. I live alone. My browers does not show any of your photos.
All other sites they come up fine. Using Safari