What’s better than cherry pie? How about Mini Cherry Pies — individual, flaky crusts filled with luscious cherry filling and baked until golden and bubbly. These personal pies are the ultimate crowd-pleaser, perfect for potlucks, backyard barbecues, bridal showers, or even cozy nights in.
They’re easy to make, easy to serve, and absolutely impossible to resist. Each mini pie is the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and buttery, with the bonus of being mess-free and portable.
🌟 Why You’ll Love These Mini Cherry Pies
- 🍒 Tart-sweet cherry filling wrapped in flaky pie crust
- 🥧 Perfectly portioned — no slicing required
- 🧁 Great for parties and bake sales
- 🧁 Use store-bought or homemade dough
- ❄️ Freezer-friendly — prep ahead and bake fresh
👉 From my kitchen: I love brushing the tops with egg wash and sprinkling them with coarse sugar for an extra-crispy, golden finish. It adds bakery-style polish with minimal effort!
🛒 Ingredients
Makes 12 mini pies (standard muffin tin)
For the cherry filling:
- 2 cups pitted fresh or frozen cherries (or canned cherry pie filling)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (adjust based on cherry sweetness)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional — enhances cherry flavor)
- Pinch of salt
For the crust:
- 1 package refrigerated pie crusts (2 rounds), or homemade crust
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk (for egg wash)
- Coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)
👨🍳 Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Cherry Filling
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine:
- Cherries
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cherries release juice and the mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and almond extract. Let cool to room temperature.
🍒 Shortcut: Use 1 can of cherry pie filling if you’re short on time.
Step 2: Prepare the Crusts
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Roll out the pie crust and cut 12 rounds (about 3.5–4 inches wide) using a biscuit cutter, glass, or small bowl.
- Gently press each round into a greased muffin tin to form a mini pie shell.
- Reroll scraps as needed.
🥧 Optional: Cut out small shapes (hearts, stars, lattices) from leftover dough for pie tops.
Step 3: Assemble the Mini Pies
- Spoon 1–2 tablespoons of the cherry filling into each crust.
- Top with a second crust, a small cutout, or a lattice if desired.
- Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar for a golden finish.
Step 4: Bake
Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes before gently removing. Cool completely on a wire rack, or serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- Top with vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream
- Drizzle with white chocolate or glaze for a bakery-style touch
- Serve in cupcake liners for easy handling at parties
- Make them festive by using themed crust cutouts for holidays!
🔍 Nutrition (Per Mini Pie, approx.)
- Calories: 210
- Carbs: 28g
- Fat: 9g
- Sugar: 14g
- Protein: 2g
- Fiber: 1g
Nutrition will vary depending on dough and filling used.
💡 Tips & Variations
- Use different fillings like blueberry, apple, or peach
- Make-ahead: Fill and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking
- Freeze unbaked pies and bake from frozen (add 5–7 minutes to bake time)
- Mini lattice tops give a rustic, classic pie look
- Add chopped nuts like almonds or pecans to the filling for crunch
✨ From My Kitchen to Yours
These Mini Cherry Pies are everything you love about cherry pie — sweet, tart, flaky, and buttery — but wrapped up in a tidy, adorable package. They’re the perfect mix of rustic charm and homemade goodness, and they always bring a smile whether they’re served at a picnic or a party.
Once you make these, you’ll want to try every fruit filling you can think of. They’re endlessly adaptable and always a hit!
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