Cherry Cream Cheese Pie Recipe
Grandmama used to make this for any holiday and she’d send an entire pie to our house! Fortunately, my brother, bless his heart, didn’t eat things like this, which meant I got to eat his share. My sister pretty much came out of the womb counting calories so I’m pretty sure I ate her share as well.
Opening the refrigerator and finding Cherry Cream Cheese pie looking back at you sure was a beautiful sight!
Let me show you how easy this pie is to make!
Recipe Ingredients:
- Cream cheese
- Lemon juice
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla
- Graham cracker crust.
- One can of your favorite pie filling. I’m using cherry because that is what Grandmama always used.
How to Make Cherry Cream Cheese Pie Step by Step Instructions
- Place your softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl and add your sweetened condensed milk.
- Add in your lemon juice and vanilla.
- Mix that up until creamy and smooth.
- Spread into pie crust.
Like so.
- Cover that and put it in the refrigerator for several hours.
- I also refrigerate my pie filling at this time as well, just stick the whole unopened can in there.
- After several hours, top with your favorite pie filling.
Oh my. Look how pretty that pie is!
- Return this to the refrigerator to firm up some more until ready to serve.
Look at this photo…
Isn’t it time you made cherry cream cheese pie for someone you love?
Servings: 4
Calories: 350kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounce pkg cream cheese softened
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla use the cheap stuff like me if you want, no shame in that!
- store bought graham cracker crust
- 1 Can of pie filling of your choice I love cherry or blueberry
Instructions
- Make sure cream cheese is softened at room temperature to prevent pie from being lumpy. In mixing bowl, place cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix until creamy and smooth. Spread into pie crust and cover. Refrigerate several hours. Top with pie filling and return to refrigerator until completely chilled. Serve cold.
- Note: This is a soft pie. It won't get firm so keep it in the refrigerator and serve cold. Some readers have also mentioned that you can also double the cream cheese to keep it from being runny.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!
You might enjoy this post:
No Churn Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream
Did you have a grandmother who made you a special treat as a child?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
Oh I love this pie! My grandma just made one for Thanksgiving. It’s super easy too!
My maternal grandmother made a delicious and very rich old fashioned butterscotch pudding that takes a while to cook. It was my mother’s favorite dessert. I made it one year for her birthday, along with other family favorites. She enjoyed it so much. Three days later she went into hospice where she later died. This recipe is so special to me. My paternal grandmother died when I was four but I remember watching her make a pineapple upside down cake and explaining how to make it to me. It is another family favorite that my late father always requested for his birthday. One birthday his brother was in town and he had a piece of cake. He took a bite, looked at my dad and said “it is just like mother’s”. Best compliment ever! I love family recipes – everyone’s, not just mine. Thank you to all who have shared recipes and stories. I have enjoyed reading them! I am going to try quite a few!
I made these pies for my kids as they grew up and now I’m a grandmama and my kids make them for their kids… thank you for sharing ! Love this pie!
My “Grannie” made this pie especially for me as a kid! I loved it and still do. Hiwever, my Grannie’s pie filling was firmer and held its shape. Any suggestions for doing that? Also, she made a “lemon icebox pie” that was a no bake recipe. Im trying to find her recipe as it was fabulous. Of course, back then (early 60s) you had to make your own graham cracker crust!
Michael, I have been making a version of this pie that might be what you’re looking for. Instead of sweetened condensed milk & lemon juice, use 1 C heavy whipping cream beat with 2 TBSP granulated sugar & 1 tsp vanilla til stiff peaks form. Beat the room temperature cream cheese in another bowl. Add to the whipped cream, beat till well mixed. Spread into graham crust. Top with pie filling & chill.
The lemon ice box pie is 1 container of cool whip 1- 6 oz. lemonade and 1 can sweetened condensed milk! Mix the lemonade and the milk together and stir in the cool whip. Pour into the graham cracker crust and chill! We make this every summer! <3
Do you recommend tart or sweet cherry pie filling? I bought both. Thanks in advance for your response.
Hey Yvonne! I’m not sure if you’re talking to me or Mary Jane, but just in case it is me, I use sweet 🙂
try apple pie filling on top with a little caramel sauce drizzled over. Very good as well!!!
Awww , this would have to be my husbands favorite pie , and is sooo easy to make , thank you Christy for sharing.Have a very blessed day.
Could you make this in a 9 x 13 pan if you doubled the recipe?
Yes, and I think that is a wonderful idea! Just keep in mind its very soft 🙂
Thanks so much for this! Growing up, my mom would let us choose whatever we wanted her to make for our birthday desserts. This was always my choice.
🙂 You have good taste Moni!!
My grandmother made this pie! Only thing she did different was she mixed the cherry pie filling into the the mis itself. Not a heavy pie but fluffy and darn delicious! I’ve tried to make it but i think im forgetting an ingredient becuase mine turns out heavy, good but not grandmas. Does anyone know if I’m missing an ingredient? Oh and it was a no bake pie.
It sounds like your making the millionaire pie. Add chopped pecans!
This looks delicious. I love blueberries. I’m thinking about making one blueberry,
and one cherry. Ummmm.
hubby loves it with blueberries
It sure is good with blueberries too!
Wonderful recipe – I’ve made it twice – once with a chocolate crust!
This was the first pie I learned to make as a girl with my mother. It was called Cherry-O Cheese Pie on the EB milk label and so that name stuck for us but later my Hubs referred to it as Your Mother’s pie as it was always requested for holidays. Love your photos!
This stuff is absolutely delicious, but wish it would be firmer like the picture of yours. Mine turns out mor like soup than pie. I have in the fridge (for about 24 hours) at a temperature slightly above freezing and it will not firm up. Any suggestions?
Double the cream cheese!
hi ya’ll. I doubled the cream cheese and it is not runny.
Thanks Kathy, I have added your suggestion to the notes for the recipe. Different climates and refrigeration times will impact the filling so your suggestion is so appreciated for those who have found it to be runny. I love to see members of the Southern Plate family helping each other out ❤️
Blend well in mixer or with beaters on a high speed. However, stir in the lemon juice separately by hand at the end. The mixing on high aerates the cream cheese mixture and the juice stirred in well but gently at the end thickens it up. Then refrigerate for 3 hours before applying topping.
Will this be thick enough if I double recipe and put it in a 9 x 13 pan ? Want to make it for New Year’s. Thanks
oh mercy that sounds wonderful. I think it will work fine, just make sure it’s chilled really well and that you know it is a softer pie. Also, I’m gonna need your address and what time the meal is 😉
My grandma always made my two favorite items when I would stay with her and grandpa on Christmas vacation. Old fashioned chocolate fudge and sugared popcorn! Yummy! I am going to try this pie looks so good! I make one similar with vanilla pudding and cherry pie filling on top. But I love cream cheese so I have to try it!
I see as I read the comments along with these posts that the pie is soft…I saw someone making a refrigerated cheese cake such as this and she added a packet of plain gelatin to the lemon juice and let it dissolve and added..maybe that would thicken it? Also, would just make it plain and serve it with a fresh fruit sauce…straw or raspberry cut up with a little sugar and let is set a bit to get juicy..or even a rhubarb/strawberry sauce or peaches or you can buy canned fruit..apple with a carmel drizzle would be great too…hope this helps…I also saw that someone used 1 cup heavy whipping cream with 2 Tbsp sugar and 1tsp vanilla…that might make if firmer than the sweetened condensed milk…also if you check out the Knox gelatin sight…they may have the recipe with the gelatin…
Nice tip!
I made this for a get together and though it was delicious, it was very runny. I understand it’s a soft pie but I’d assume it’s not that soft. We just ate it with fresh fruit and graham crackers ❤️
My grandmother always made French almond cookies (Pandema’s) and gallettes (one at a time). Delicious!!!
I have been making this pie for years and years. It’s a really good one. Mine have always been thick enough to stay together. Maybe add a little more cream cheese to it. Thank you so much for reminding me of it. All the family stories were great. My grandmother used to make an Apple and orange cake. I am the only one left who remembers how to make it in our whole family. I am 72. That recipe has been around for 3 generations. Have fun baking!!
Ronda Mixon Would love to have the recipe for apple/orange cake.
Yes!
My grandma always made all of us (each family) Ice Box fruitcakes. No one in our family likes candied fruit so it is made with fresh coconut, red and green maraschino cherries, and pecans, instead of candied fruit, but you use it if you do like it. It was always packaged in a Honey Maid graham cracker box. I loved them. Still do!!!
could you share her recipe? my mom made them also , I failed to get recipe
BJ, please share your recipe for Ice Box Fruitcakes. My family like yours does not like the candied fruit but loves coconut, cheeries and nuts. Thank you.
BJ and Linda here is my 1970’s Ice Box Fruitcake recipe: 1 lb. pkg. marshmallows, 1 small can evaporated milk (5-oz.), 1 lb. box graham crackers, 1 small bottle each red marschino cherries and green cherries, cut up, 1 16 oz. pkg. (or however, it comes now) flaked coconut and 1 quart pecans. Melt the marshmallows in the evaporated milk in a small saucepan. In a large bowl, crush the entire box of graham crackers (nowdays you can use the food processor for this), Mix the cracker crumbs and melted marshmallows together. Add the red and green cherries, coconut and pecans. Mix all thoroughly and pat firmly in a buttered tube pan. Chill. Turn out on a plate and cut in slices to serve. Dianne Evans, Waleska, GA
Thank you so much for your recipe. You are so sweet to share. Bless you.
I hope you get the chance to try it soon Dolores! Enjoy!!
I have been looking for this particular recipe my entire adult life, and I am 73 years young. I remember eating this as a child. I wanted to make one , never could find recipe. Thanks for sharing it . Can’t wait to make it.
My grandma was from England and made jam cake every year with strawberry jam and homemade whipped cream. I couldn’t wait to see it on the table when we went over.
That sounds delicious!
The pie filling is the same as the one we use but we make a homemade strawberry topping. In fact this is our family favorite that my husband has named “The Right Kind of Strawberry Pie” We use the pie for birthdays and one of my sons had me made this for him for his groom “cake”. It is a favorite that everyone loves and I rake in the compliments.
How do you make the strawberry topping? Would love to give it a try.
I have never made a cheese cake from scratch. Thanks for the recipe. When we went to my Granny’s first thing we did was head to the cookie jar. She always had tea cakes. I now make them for my kids.
When I was in high school, we used to make this in cupcake papers with a Nilla wafer as the crust! It’s yummy and you can feel like you aren’t overindulging when you just have one little mini-pie! Of course, who can stop with one!
I remember this with vanilla wafers too. I was reading along and wondered if this would work with the vanilla wafers. Thank you for sharing that.
My pleasure, great minds think alike LOL, hope you enjoy it. It truly is delicious!
One Grandmother made Fondant out of butter and powdered sugar. We’d color it pink and green, add flavors and role it out in many cool ways and cut it into bit sized pieces, my other Grandmother made a frozen wipe cream dish in ice trays that had green and red cherries, pecans, pineapple and a bit of Scuppernong wine – yum!
My grandmother on my mother’s side had passed away before I was born but I will bet the Butter Pie my aunt made was her recipe. I loved it and just got the recipe recently from my mother. Mom also had a recipe for coconut tarts (my dad’s favorite) that I would bet also came from my grandmother.
Would you be willing to share your recipe for the coconut tarts? And what is “butter pie”