Fresh cherry crisp recipe

This fresh cherry crisp recipe is made from scratch with only a handful of ingredients. It is perfect for taking to summer gatherings or potlucks. The crunchy, sweetened oat topping puts the “crisp” in this old fashioned cherry crisp.

Making a crisp couldn’t be easier. It’s nothing more than mixing a few things together and sliding it into the oven. This is a perfect dessert for those just learning how to bake and also those of us who happen to love cherries. No pie filling here or cake mix of any sort.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my cherry crumb cake and my cherry clafoutis recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my cherry recipes in one place.

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Cherry crisp with fresh cherries

The best cherry crisp recipes start with fresh cherries. A cherry pitter makes quick work of it.

Please don’t let pitting the fruit deter you from making this cherry crisp recipe. It is quite literally the most taxing thing you’ll do and it requires no more effort than putting a cherry into the pitter and squeezing. It’s a great mindless activity.

If you have littles, this is the perfect time to get them involved. With a little instruction and supervision, they can do this for you.

What you need to know

To make the best cherry crisp recipe with fresh cherries, the most important ingredient is the fruit. Fresh, plump cherries, to be exact. Look for firm fruit that isn’t wrinkled or dried out, with smooth skin. If the cherries look a bit brown, bruised or puckered, that means they have seen better days and you should pass them over.

This may seem obvious, but when you are pitting the cherries for the crisp, don’t wear white or light colors. If your cherries are super juicy like mine were, there will be a little splatter, and cherry juice will stain. I wear a black t-shirt under a black apron when I do this.

The crisp topping can be made in advance. In fact, if you make a triple or quadruple batch and stash it in the freezer, you are halfway to a crisp whenever you want one. This is also helpful when you need a treat just for one.

Ingredients

This is everything you’ll need to make easy cherry crisp with fresh cherries.

• Fresh sweet cherries – Look for firm, ripe fruit. Bing cherries are common, as are Rainier cherries (the yellow and red variety).
  • Substitutions: You can use sour cherries, but I would bump up the sugar by a couple of tablespoons. You can also use thawed and drained frozen cherries.
• Lemon – A tablespoon of lemon juice goes in with the cherry filling. I also add a little zest for extra zing.
• Flour – The cherries are tossed with flour to help the filling thicken while cooking.
• Sugar – A sprinkling of sugar gives the crisp a little extra sweetness.
• Crisp topping – The buttery oat topping for this crisp is made out of flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, cardamom, and a pinch of salt.

How to make this fresh cherry crisp recipe

Here’s a quick summary of how to make cherry crisp. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. 

1. Prep – Preheat oven to 375°F // 180°C. Use a cherry pitter to remove the pits from the cherries. Then mix them up with a bit of flour, sugar and lemon juice. I also add lemon zest, but it is optional.
2. Make the crisp topping by cutting butter into the flour and oat mixture. It will resemble wet sand or really coarse crumbs when it is done.
3. Assemble – Dump the cherries into your baking dish and sprinkle the crisp topping over the entire thing.
4. Bake – The crisp will bake for about 40 – 45 minutes. Rotate halfway through to ensure even browning.

Cherry crisp recipe FAQ’s

Variations and substitutions

• Extra “crispy” – For lovers of the crisp topping, double the recipe and add a layer on the bottom as well. You’ve just made a cherry crunch dessert.
• Dairy-free / vegan – Omit butter and replace with vegan butter or light olive oil.

Serving suggestions

This old-fashioned cherry crisp recipe is similar to what your Grandmother or Mom would have made. It’s very simple and easy. And, just like them, we serve it with fresh whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Cherry recipes

There are so many things to make with cherries, but here are a few of our favorites:

• Cherry chutney
• Sour cream cherry scones
• Cherry coconut rum slush
• Cherry crumb cake
• Cherry hand pies

Helpful tools and equipment

In addition to the cherry pitter, a sharp paring knife is helpful for slicing the cherries in half. To make the crisp topping, I use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour and oats.

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Originally published 8/14/17. Most recent update 7/25/24.