Perfect Cherry Crumble Pie with a Crunchy Topping
I have to admit, I’ve always been obsessed with pies. As a Michigander, cherry pie is at the top of my list. I love all things cherry!
If you can’t choose between cherry pie and cherry crumble, this recipe is for you. Why not choose both!
My beef with mainstream cherry pies is that they can sometimes be too sweet. I love a sour, tart cherry taste, which is hard to find.
After some experimenting, I found the perfect combination of sweet and sour with a unique flavor. I’m so excited to finally share my delectable Cherry Crumble Pie with you!
It’s got the most delicious buttery crust, filled with my tart cherry pie filling, and to top it off – a crunchy oat crumble! Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to this warm pie and it’s pure heaven!
What Makes This the Best Cherry Crumble Pie
- Tart cherry filling: Unlike store-bought cherry filling, my homemade version uses pomegranate to tone down the sweetness and bring out the tart cherry flavor.
- Flaky crust: My all-butter pie crust is what makes this pie so good. Every bite is light and crispy—just the way a pie should be.
- Special topping: The crunchy oat crumble topping adds a perfect texture
- Unique: I’ve added a few unique touches. This is no ordinary pie! You’re in for a treat!
What is Cherry Crumble Pie?
Cherry Crumble Pie may be my new favorite dessert. It’s got everything you could want—a sweet and tangy cherry filling, a buttery crust, and a crunchy oat topping that’s just perfect.
If you love cherries so much that you can’t decide between cherry crumble and cherry pie, this recipe is for you! Why not have both? Cherry Crumble Pie is a hybrid of both my favorite cherry desserts.
A filling packed with juicy cherries while still being the perfect consistency, a crumb crust that cooks up just right and never goes soggy, and, best of all, some unique touches that really make it a pie to remember!
So keep reading, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know!
What You’ll Need to Make a Cherry Crumble Pie
Ingredients in this Simple Cherry Pie
Here’s a quick look at a few of the key ingredients. You’ll find the full list at the bottom of the page!
- Pie crust: I like to make my own all-butter pie dough, though grabbing a store-bought crust is fine if you need to save time. You will only need a single crust.
- Cherries: I’ve tried both fresh and frozen, and honestly, frozen cherries work great if you can’t find fresh ones. If you can find tart cherries, that’s great. If not, that’s fine too – the acid in this recipe will balance out the sweetness.
- Oats: Make sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant oatmeal.
- Butter: Melted butter is what makes the crumble topping so rich and golden. Trust me, you’ll love how it turns out.
- Pomegranate Molasses: My secret recipe to get a perfectly tart cherry filling! I use Cortas Brand, which can be found at any Middle-eastern grocery store.
- Sumac (optional): To amp up the tartness, I add sumac to the oat crumble. Find it online or at any Middle-eastern grocery store.
Tools
If you want to see my favorite measuring tools, check out my Essential Measuring Tools Guide.
Making A Cherry Crumble Pie Step By Step
Here’s a quick rundown of how to make this cherry crumb pie recipe. Jump to the recipe at the bottom for the full instructions!
Jump to Recipe- Cook the cherry filling: Cook cherries until they soften and break down.
- Prepare the pie crust: Roll out the dough and place it in your pie dish.
- Fill and top the pie: Spoon the cooled cherry filling into the crust. Then, make the crumble and sprinkle it over.
- Bake: Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 375°F and bake for another 30 minutes.
- Cool and enjoy: Let the pie cool for 3 hours on a cooling rack—it’s tough to wait, but trust me, it’s worth it.
It’s really that easy! Scroll down, and I’ll walk you through a bit more detail so you can feel totally confident making your own amazing pie!
Tips For Cherry Crumble Pie
- Keep the crumble chunky: When you’re mixing the topping, don’t overdo it. I always leave some bigger chunks for that perfect crunchy bite on top!
- Protect the crust: To stop the edges from burning, cover them with foil or a pie shield after the first 20 minutes.
- Let it cool completely: I know it’s hard to wait, but give the pie time to cool. It helps the filling set and makes cutting it so much easier.
- Make the crust yourself: Trust me, skip the store-bought crusts—homemade is so much flakier and so delicious. Use my butter pie crust recipe instead.
How to Store Cherry Crumble Pie
- Refrigerate: Once the pie cools completely, cover it with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. It’ll stay good for up to a week.
- Freeze: Got leftover pie or want to save some for later? Wrap the pie tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, and freeze it. It keeps for up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead: I love using my all-butter pie crust recipe, but store-bought dough works great too if you’re short on time. You can even bake the whole pie ahead of time and follow the storage tips here.
- Reheating: To warm up a frozen pie, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, cover it with foil and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
My Literary Inspiration for this Recipe
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Funny Story by Emily Henry is a romance about a heartbroken librarian and a bartender, two unlikely roommates who fall in love. Set in the fictional small-town of Waning Bay, Michigan, it seems to be clearly based off Traverse City, MI.
Traverse City is well-known as the “Cherry Capital of the World”, for their famous cherry harvests in late summer/early autumn. If you visit in August, you’ll be able to pick cherries and enjoy loads of cherry recipes, from pie to crumble, to dried cherries!
This book gives me all the Northern Michigan cherry vibes that inspired this bake!
For more seasonal book recommendations like this one, check out my summer reading list.
More Dessert Recipes
- Raspberry Charlotte Cake – A light, fruity cake with fresh raspberries and summer berries.
- Spiced Apple Cheesecake – Creamy cheesecake with spiced apples and a crunchy walnut crust.
- Brown Butter Cookies – Soft cookies with a rich, nutty brown butter flavor.
- Pistachio Apricot Cake – A moist cake with crunchy pistachios and sweet dried apricots.
Cherry Crumble Pie
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Pie dish
- Medium saucepan
- Small microwave-safe bowl
- medium mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 1 single crust pie dough or store-bought pie shell if using a recipe for a double-crust of pie dough, half the recipe
Tart Cherry Flling
- 2 lbs fresh or frozen cherries pitted
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice about half a lemon
- Zest of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses optional
Crumble Topping
- ¾ Cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ? tsp salt
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ tsp Sumac optional
Instructions
To make the cherry filling:
- Add the pitted cherries, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and pomegranate molasses to a medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat until cherries are completely thawed and sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. When the cherries start to breakdown and a sauce forms, turn off the heat and stir in the flour. Stir until all the clumps dissolve. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the pie crust
- While the cherries are cooking, roll out the pie dough.Use a half batch of my all-butter pie dough recipe, or a store-bought raw pie crust.
- Roll the dough into a circle 12 in. wide and about ? of an in. thick. Carefully lift the dough and place into a 9 in. pie dish. Press the dough into the sides of the dish.
- Fold the edges underneath themselves to create a crust on the lip of the pie dish. Continue all around the pie.
- Crimp the edges of the pie crust. For this recipe, I like the V-crimp: Situate one hand on the outer edge of the pie crust, and one on the inner side. Pinch your thumb and forefinger of the outer hand together, creating a V-shaped groove. Place your pinched fingers against the outer edge of the crust. With your other hand, press your forefinger into the inner side of the crust. Push the crust outwards into the V-shaped groove between your pinched fingers. Continue all around the crust.
- Using a slotted spoon, gently spoon the cooled cherry filling into the raw pie shell. Discard any remaining liquid.
Make the crumb topping
- Preheat the oven to 400?.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, sumac and salt. Slowly add the melted butter and stir with a rubber spatula. Add in the sliced almonds and mix to combine. You might have to break up clumps with your hand. The mixture should be crumbly.
- Pour the crumble topping over the cherries and Spread evenly towards the edges. Pat down with the rubber spatula.
Bake
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 375?.Cover the crusts with strips of foil or pie crust shields to protect from burning.Bake for an additional 30-35 minutes.
- When the cherry filling is bubbling, and the crumble topping is golden brown, remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 3 hours.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream and top with pomegranate arils.
