Cherry pie filling for canning features sweet, tart cherries in a thickened sauce, complemented by a hint of cinnamon and amaretto flavor. Canning this pie filling ensures you can use it year-round!

Cherry Pie Filling for Canning

Cherry pie filling for canning features sweet, tart cherries in a thickened sauce, complemented by a hint of cinnamon and amaretto flavor. Canning has historically been used to preserve foods safely for a later use. While canning can be a laborious process, it is such a treat to have jars of homemade cherry pie filling year-round to use for pies and other desserts, like this Cherry Amaretto Coffee Cake or Black Forest Cake Roll. While you can make this recipe any time of year, summer is the best time to can this cherry pie filling since cherries are at their peak freshness.

How to Make Cherry Pie Filling for Canning

This method for cherry pie filling for canning uses a water bath canning method. New to canning? Be sure to read the recipe in its entirety to set yourself up for the best success. There are also great resources available (be sure to see tips below) for all of your canning questions.

The best way to extract the juice from the cherries for this recipe is to freeze them first – freeze the cherries while they are at their peak freshness, which is in the summer months. If cherries are not in season, you can buy already frozen tart cherries. This recipe does call for ClearJel, which is a thickener that is approved to use for safe home canning. You can purchase ClearJel online; be sure to buy the cook type and not the instant type for this recipe.

Equipment

water bath canner or a very large stockpot with a lid and rack
8 half-pint or 4 quart glass preserving jars
4-8 lids and bands for preserving jars
ladle and funnel
kitchen colander
large mixing bowl
kitchen towels or paper towel
tongs or jar lifter
knife or skewer
large sized saucepan

Ingredients

15 cups frozen red tart cherries (about 10 lbs), thawed * see notes
3 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup ClearJel cook type*
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup bottled lemon juice*
1 tsp amaretto liqueur, amaretto flavoring or almond flavoring (optional)

Instructions

Drain thawed cherries in a colander and placed over a large bowl to drain. Set 4 cups of the liquid and the cherries aside (discard remaining cherry juice or save for another use).
To prepare jars: place jars (without lids or rims) in an upright position in a water canner or large stockpot with a rack and fill with hot water. Cover the jars with water by about 1 inch. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer; keep jars in a low simmer until ready to fill. Place lids in a separate saucepan and keep on low heat to keep warm for sealing. Leave clean bands nearby.
Whisk together the 4 cups of cherry liquid, granulated sugar, ClearJel and cinnamon in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil until thickened and mixture begins to bubble. Add lemon juice. Return to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add reserved cherries and amaretto liqueur or flavoring. Return to a boil, stirring constantly but gently. Remove from heat.
Using a ladle and funnel, carefully spoon hot pie filling into jars and leave 1” headspace at the top. Use a knife or skewer to remove any large air pockets. Wipe each rim of jar with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Then place a warm lid on top and then a band and screw on tight. *Any pie filling that does not fill an entire jar will need to be refrigerated for immediate use.
Place filled jars back into water canner or large stockpot using tongs or jar lifter. Ensure jars are still covered by at least 1″ of water.
Place lid on water canner or stockpot and bring to a full boil. When the water is boiling, set timer and allow jars to process according to your altitude * see below for processing times
Remove from heat, take lid off water canner or stockpot and allow jars to sit in water 5 minutes. Then, carefully lift jars out using jar lifter or tongs and place on a kitchen towel and dry them off.
Check to see if the jars are sealed by pressing down on the top of each lid. It is firm and does not move, it is sealed. Jars can still “pop” (seal) for several hours after removing from water bath after processing. If the lid still bounces after several hours, it is unsealed and will need to be refrigerated for immediate use.

Tips for Cherry Pie Filling for Canning

Be VERY careful and TAKE YOUR TIME!
You can use fresh, tart cherries for this recipe; however, it does work best to freeze the cherries and then thaw to extract more juice
ClearJel is a thickening agent made just for safe home canning and you can purchase online; be sure to buy the cook type and not the instant for this recipe
Bottled lemon juice is preferred by the USDA for safe home canning due to the acidity it contains; read more about bottled lemon juice for safe home canning here
Refrigerate any unsealed jars. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place up to 1 year per USDA guidelines (some manufacturers state can be used up to 18 months). Open jars must be refrigerated.
If you live in elevation, processing times will be different:
- 0-1000 ft: 30 minutes
- 1000-3000 ft: 35 minutes
- 3000-6000 ft: 40 minutes
- 6001 + ft: 45 minutes
The USDA has a great guide to use found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to rate and leave a comment below or on Instagram or Pinterest!

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Cherry Pie Filling for Canning

thetimelessbaker

Cherry pie filling for canning features sweet, tart cherries in a thickened sauce, complemented by a hint of cinnamon and amaretto flavor. Canning this pie filling ensures you can use it year-round!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 45

cooling time 4

Total Time 5 45

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings pints or 4 quarts

Calories 565 kcal