It’s likely that if you’re a fan of Supernatural, you’re as passionate about pies as Dean Winchester.
According to popularity polls, apple pie and pizza rank quite high, however, cherry pies are also extremely popular all over the world.
Having a quality product around for special occasions is nice when it is so good. However, there is one huge question.
Can you freeze a cherry pie? Yes, The pie filling can also be frozen separately, baked or unbaked. The baking part of frozen pies can last for up to six months, the unbaked part can last up to four months, and the filling will last up to four months if it is kept properly.
In the case of cherry pies, you can freeze them for prolonged storage periods.
If you want to preserve baked cherry pies for later, you can freeze them and thaw them, or you can freeze the pie raw and bake it later.
In this article, we will show you how to bake and freeze pies – from cherry pie to any other type you want. Let’s take a look at how to freeze cherry pies immediately!
Why Freeze Cherry Pies
Cherry pie is easier to freeze when it is already frozen. It takes a lot of time and effort to bake a pie every day, or to have one each day even if you adore the stuff.
You can prepare pies in advance for the holidays by freezing them ahead of time.
Imagine how much time you could spend with your family if you didn’t have to spend so much time in the kitchen during the holidays. You could freeze the pies months in advance and it would save you time in the kitchen.
There are two ways to freeze the cherry pie, and both are easy.
To save time, you can prepare cherry pie ahead of time by:
- Baking large batches of pies and putting them in the deep freezer, or
- Freezing the filling and crust separately, unbaked.
The two methods are relatively simple to use. Below you’ll find details on freezing pies perfectly.
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How to Freeze Cherry Pie
It’s very simple to freeze cherry pies, provided you know how to do it. I’ll explain how. The following describes how to freeze unbaked and baked whole cherries pies.
In addition, we will discuss how you can preserve and freeze separately the filling if your pie crusts are fresh.
How to Freeze a Baked Cherry Pie
One of the simplest methods of freezing a pie is to freeze a baked cherry pie. To avoid odors and burns, simply freeze the cherry pie as usual.
Here’s how to freeze a baked pie (cherry or otherwise):
- Make sure the pie has cooled completely before cutting.
- When wrapping the cherry pie, keep the pie in a pan or similarly protective container. Make sure the pie is not stretched too tightly or too loosely.
- Make sure the pie is wrapped in an airtight environment by placing the pie in a freezer bag after wrapping.
- If you can stack the pies without contaminating the tops, do so. It will keep the pies from crushing when they’re frozen.
To prevent the bottom and sides of the pie from getting damaged while it’s in the freezer, you should wrap the pie in a sturdy pie pan. Pies that will be frozen for several days may be best stored in pie pans with lids to protect their tops.
Even though you may accidentally jostle or squish your precious pie treat later in the freezer if you use a lidded container, it may be better than ruining it!
Cherry pies can be frozen for up to six months.
How to Freeze an UnBaked Cherry Pie
Cherry pies that have not yet been baked can also be frozen in the same manner as baked pies, except your pie will not need to cool since it hasn’t been baked yet.
For extra protection, wrap the pie in plastic wrap or foil after it’s been assembled and place it in a freezer bag once it’s been assembled.
You will need to make adjustments when baking a frozen cherry pie if you plan to freeze it:
- The filling should be thickened with 11.2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Additionally, one tablespoon of flour can be used.
- Fill the pie crust with cornstarch or flour before adding the cherry filling.
Pies can be frozen for up to 4 months if they are placed in a pan, wrapped, and placed in a freezer bag.
How to Freeze Cherry Pie Filling
Rather than freezing the crust and filling of a cherry pie, you can freeze the filling alone – or freeze the crust and filling in different batches.
The best way to enjoy cherry pies all year long is to freeze only the fruit pie filling and then use it in a freshly baked crust. By doing this, your pie crust will be fresher, and it will also eliminate the worry of it getting squashed when it is frozen.
This method requires a few additional preservatives in comparison to storing both unbaked and baked cherry pies.
Here’s how to freeze cherry pie filling:
- Prepare the cherry pie filling with 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch. Additionally, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of flour to the cherry pie filling. By doing so, it will stay fresh longer.
- When the filling has finished cooking, allow it to cool completely.
- After the filling has cooled, transfer it into an airtight container that can be stored in the freezer. Select a container that can hold the filling with a small amount of extra space.
- For up to three to four months, put it in the freezer with a label.
In addition to freezing the filling, you can also freeze it in a foil-lined pan. Freeze the mixture for a few hours, and then remove the frozen block and wrap it more securely with foil.
In comparison to the shelf life of a baked cherry pie, cherry pie filling alone has a shorter shelf life when frozen.
How to Thaw a Cherry Pie
Cherry pie that has been lovingly frozen must thaw before it can be heated, baked or enjoyed!
Let’s thaw and bake the frozen cherry pie (whole, baked, or broken):
- It is best to let the pie thaw overnight in the fridge or for at least 24 hours.
- Removing aluminum foil/plastic wrap when thawed is necessary.
- Cherry pie should be baked at 350°F on a steel tray. You want the filling to become warm and bubbly after a few minutes after a pre-baked pie. The baking time for a pie that hasn’t been prebaked should be followed.
- After the pie has cooled, slice it. Eat.
Alternatively, you can thaw pre-baked cherry pies by placing them in a low oven. The pie is unwrapped and put directly into a 300°F oven to bake for an hour, rather than thawing in the fridge.
Allow the cherry filling to thaw overnight or longer in the fridge before baking. Place the pie in the oven and follow the directions.
If the crust is not yet baked, it is not best to pop the pie straight in the oven if the filling was frozen separately. This is especially true if the filling was at room temperature (just made).
To find out more helpful information about thawing and defrosting frozen pie delicacies, read our guide.
Tips For Freezing Cherry Pies
When you freeze cherry pies for the first time, you need to keep in mind a couple of things.
The freezing of cherry pies involves a number of ‘dos and don’ts’. Beginners often do not know these tricks.
It is normal to be able to freeze completely baked pies. So, these instructions apply to chess pies, sweet potato pies, pecan pies, custard pies, and apple, peach, mixed berry, and strawberry rhubarb pies as well.
Do: Use high-quality wrappers.
To ensure that those tasty cherry pies you made will last a long time once frozen, you should use high-quality wrappers.
You can also use a heavy-duty freezer bag and plastic freezer wrap as well. Aluminum foil is the first recommendation that comes to mind.
Do: Throw away bad or spoiled pies.
If you don’t wrap the pies properly or if they’re squashed, there’s a possibility that one or two will go bad due to mold or spoilage.
When a rotting smell or mold is detected, you should throw them away because they’re not fit for consumption.
Do: Store the pie in the deep freezer if you can.
Deep refrigerators and deep freezers are available on some regular refrigerators. While these aren’t all as practical as deep freezers capable of generating very low temperatures, they’re still worth having if you have them.
Your cherry pies should be stored in a deep freezer, ideally at 10-15°F, which will guarantee them to be preserved for at least 6-8 months.
Don’t worry about having just a normal freezer if you do not. You can keep your pies up to 6 months in a normal freezer.
Don’t: Freeze pre-baked pies with cornstarch in the filling.
If you’re freezing cherry pies that will be baked after they’re frozen, you don’t need to add cornstarch or flour.
It has thick molecules which leak when heated after being frozen, even though it is usually helpful. Heated starch degrades, resulting in ruined pie filling.
There a few issues that result from re-heating a pre-baked, frozen pie that was not baked yet. On the other hand, if the pie was baked, but then frozen and thawed, there was no issue.
It is important to keep in mind that cherry pies are not the only types of fruit or custard pies that can be baked.
When pre-baking, you should use alternative thickeners instead of cornstarch, like flour, tapioca, or arrowroot starch.
Don’t: Freeze pies that contain gelatin.
To get the most flavor out of cherry pies, serve them warm. Gelatin should not be used to make cherry pies if they will not be frozen.
The gelatin inside the filling has a similar tendency to leak, making the filling runny and ruining its taste. You should take this into account when using gelatin when baking pies like lime pies.
Don’t: Keep it out too long.
If not stored under the best conditions for a long time in a cool and dry area, cherry pies don’t last very long. Unless it is wrapped loosely in aluminum foil, the pie will become inedible after two days.
The expiration date won’t last very long, even if it’s covered with aluminum foil, after it’s thawed.
A regular fridge or a deep fridge may be used to store freshly baked cherry pies.
Cherry Pies for Every Season – Freezing Review
In December, whenever you get the itch for something warm and sweet, now you know how to satisfy that craving.
In case you want to invest a lazy weekend in baking a lot of pies, freezing them can save you a lot of time and effort.
Get those sumptuous cherry pies any time of year by trying this trick!
