9 Best Cherry Varieties For Pie

Tart cherries, pie cherries, sour cherries – whatever you call them, they’re the cornerstone of fresh pie filling. Not as sweet as those tailored to fresh eating, tart cherries are smaller and more acidic with a lower sugar content. They’re the key ingredient in cherry pie for good reason: they offer a delightful, textured balance of sweet and sour that comes with every bite.

In addition to being ideal for baked goods, pie cherry trees (Prunus cerasus) serve as cross-pollinators to sweet cherry varieties (Prunus avium). Many cherries need a companion of a different species to fruit, so grow compatible partners in the backyard orchard for a bounty of stone fruits for snacking and cooking. 

Cherry trees in the edible landscape are ornamental and attract pollinators. Their charming, delicate blossoms emerge in spring before the leaves. They supply pollen and nectar for bees and other insects before the petals drift away on the breeze. The fresh green leaves follow, and the deep fruits develop by late summer. In winter, their silvery bark is ornamental, and their bare branches create perches for birds.

If you want to add one or a few to your landscape, here are the best cherry varieties for pie and beyond!

Romeo Cherry Tree

• Compact Size
• Heavy Fruit Production
• Cold-Hardy
• Self-Pollinating
• Versatile Planting Options

View at Epicgardening.com

Juliet Cherry Tree

• Compact and space-saving
• Delicious sweet-sour cherries
• Cold-hardy and resilient
• Low maintenance
• Attractive garden addition

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Cherry Differences: Sweet and Sour

In cultivation for thousands of years, cherries followed ancient trade routes and spread throughout Asia to Ancient Rome, Greece, and beyond with colonization. Not only delicious in preserves, juices, and fillings, but they also contain health benefits.

Anthocyanin is a class of flavonoids with antioxidant properties that give cherries their color. They also contain vitamins C and A, beta-carotene, and other nutrients. While there are different Prunus species from ornamental to edible, we’ll focus on the distinctions between those for fresh eating and those for jam and baking (or filling and processing, in commercial terms). 

Turkey is the world’s largest producer of cherries, followed by China, Chile, and the U.S. Most varieties grown stateside are sweet cherries (P. avium) to enjoy both fresh and cooked. The Pacific Northwest grows the bulk of the sweet cherry yield.

Tart cherries (P. cerasus) are fewer in number and in variety in the United States and come mainly from Michigan and the Great Lakes region, and on a smaller scale in Utah, Montana, and Colorado. There are two primary types of cultivars for sour cherries: ‘Morello’ with dark red fruits and the lighter red ‘Amarelle.’ 

Growing Pie Cherries

Prunus cerasus is a small, specimen tree that averages 15 to 30 feet tall with thin, spreading branches for a bushy form. Cold-hardy and rugged, they set buds on old and new wood to ensure fruiting. Their bloom time is the latest among stone fruits (April to late May), making them less susceptible to frost damage than earlier species.

The majority of sour cherries in the U.S. are ‘Montmorency,’ a staple variety for some 400 years, with other cultivars emerging in popularity. For the best fruiting, even self-fertile types usually benefit from another variety for cross-pollination.

Self-fertile types also serve as pollinating partners for those who require it, as long as both bloom at the same time. For small spaces or for a singular tree, self-fertile selections are a good fit. Grow flowering shrubs and perennials in the vicinity to support bees and other beneficial insects that visit the blossoms.

Sour cherries are hardy in zones 4-8 and grow best in areas with mild summers and cool winters. They dislike long summers and need a winter chill period for flowering and fruiting, which is around 1,000 hours between 35-55°F (2-13°C). Occasionally, Prunus cerasus can escape cultivation and become invasive.

Commercial cherry trees are grafted onto vigorous rootstock. This means the upper varietal growth may differ from the rootstock of a top-performing species. The rootstock may show improved cold or heat tolerance, disease resistance, dwarf or compact sizing, or sturdy roots.

‘Montmorency’

	botanical name Prunus cerasus ‘Montmorency’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 8-18’
	hardiness zones 5-9

‘Montmorency’ is the go-to tart cherry variety for pies and preserves. The hybrid is from the idyllic Montmorency Valley in France and is the reliable standard among sour types. Gracing orchards since at least the 1600s, it accounts for 95% of U.S. tart cherry production.

The medium to large bright red fruits are firm, tangy, and rich, perfect with a little sugar for dessert fillings and jams. The interior flesh is white to yellow, and the juice is clear, as with most sour types. ‘Montmorency’ ripens in late June, depending on your climate. 

‘Montmorency’ is cold-hardy, early-to-ripen, and productive. It serves as a strong pollinator partner for other varieties, from sweet to sour. Pair it with sweet ‘Bing,’ ‘Rainier,’ and ‘Black Tartarian’ for exceptional yields. ‘Montmorency’ is self-fruitful and doesn’t need an additional variety to fruit. It’s also a parent plant for other strains of tart varieties.

‘English Morello’

	botanical name Prunus cerasus ‘English Morello’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12-16’
	hardiness zones 4-9

‘English Morello’ is a primary variety of pie cherry that went on to parent multiple contemporary cultivars. The 1862 heirloom has dark red fruits, red juice, and a small form. Its dense canopy has thin, drooping branches.

Because of its levels of anthocyanin (the antioxidant responsible for the deep red) and melatonin, the ‘Morello’ varieties may become increasingly popular in the United States as they are in Europe. Much of what the U.S. grows is the ‘Amarelle’ strain, like ‘Montmorency,’ which only has the red pigmentation in the skin.

‘English Morello’ has long-lasting blossoms that are good companions for cross-pollinating many other types. It is self-fertile and doesn’t need another variety to fruit, though fruit set improves with another nearby. ‘Morello’ needs 450 chill hours to set buds. ‘Morello’ is late to ripen, usually in August.

‘Northstar’

	botanical name Prunus cerasus ‘Northstar’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10-15’
	hardiness zones 4-8

‘Northstar’ is a 1950 University of Minnesota hybrid, with one of the parents being ‘English Morello’ (the other is a Siberian pie cherry). For ‘Northstar,’ this hybridization means medium-sized chocolate-red fruits with deep red juice and purple-red flesh. 

Like its parent, the trees are small, making them easy to prune and net to keep birds and other predators away from the ripening fruits. As dwarf fruit trees, they’re versatile in the home garden, fitting into small spaces. 

‘Northstar’ ripens in late June to early July. It shows good resistance to leaf spot and rot. 

‘Meteor’

	botanical name Prunus cerasus ‘Meteor’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10-14’
	hardiness zones 4-8

‘Meteor’ is another hybrid out of the Minnesota Fruit Breeding Program from 1952. ‘Montmorency’ and a Russian variety are the parents, and the result is a dwarf tree with upright, spreading branches. The quality, medium-sized fruits are bright red. They have clear juice and pale flesh. 

‘Meteor’ also has misshapen pits that make them difficult to process commercially without shattering. Fortunately, that’s not an issue in the home garden, and the later blooms and mature fruits of ‘Meteor’ extend the harvest. 

‘Meteor’ shows good disease resistance to leaf spot. It’s self-fertile and will produce fruits without a different variety nearby. It needs about 800 chill hours for good fruit set.

‘Emperor Francis’

	botanical name Prunus avium ‘Emperor Francis’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12-18’
	hardiness zones 5-8

‘Emperor Francis’ is a sweet cherry, not a sour one, but it makes our list for its tastiness fresh or in pies. It’s a light, sweet cherry and an old variety that does well in the Northwest and Eastern U.S from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic. Winters in the east can be challenging for cold-susceptible fruit trees, but ‘Emperor Francis’ is a reliable performer.

‘Emperor Francis’ has light yellow-white fruits blushed with red. Their sugar content makes them especially sweet, lending to their merits fresh and also in cooking and baking. Light, sweet cherries often become maraschinos, preserved in brine and further sweetened.

‘Montmorency’ acts as a pollinator for ‘Emperor Francis,’ as do other sweet, self-fruitful cultivars like ‘Lapins,’ ‘Sweetheart,’ and ‘White Gold.’

‘Romeo™’

	botanical name Prunus cerasus ‘Romeo™’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 5-8’
	hardiness zones 2-7

‘Romeo™’ brings sweet and sour notes with its deep red-purple fruits. A dwarf sour pie variety, this cherry suits container culture and small spaces. It makes growing a self-fruitful cherry possible across garden scales. And, there’s plenty to harvest with its prolific yield.

Because ‘Romeo™’ bridges the sweet and tart, it’s a fine cherry variety for pies. It’s also exceptionally cold-hardy for overwintering right in the pot. With multi-season interest from white blooms to glossy leaves to gold fall color, they’re appealing even when not in fruit.

For a duo and extra yield, pair ‘Romeo™’ with ‘Juliet,’ a match in compact stature, production, and hardiness.

‘Danube®’

	botanical name Prunus cerasus ‘Danube®’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10-15’
	hardiness zones 4-7

‘Danube®’ is a newer variety from Hungary that’s sweeter than most tart types for fresh eating. It ripens early, slightly before ‘Montmorency.’ The dark red stone fruits are medium to large, glossy, and juicy. Popular in Europe, the University of Michigan introduced it to the United States.

‘Danube®’ has a spreading canopy and heavy-bearing branches. It is partially self-fertile and ripens in early July. Pair it with another, either a late-blooming sweet cherry or an early-blooming tart one, to boost the yield.

‘Surefire’

	botanical name Prunus cerasus ‘Surefire’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 14-16’
	hardiness zones 4-9

‘Surefire’ is out of New York’s Agricultural Research Station in Geneva (now Cornell). It’s a late-flowering pie cherry, which protects the blossoms and buds against bounceback freezes. “Surefire” for its reliable production and vibrant red color, the large, crack-resistant fruits have a high sugar content. They’re tasty for fresh eating in addition to fillings and jams.

‘Surefire’ is self-fruitful and ripens in August. Its structural branching and small size mean less pruning and easy access at harvest time.

‘Balaton™’

	botanical name Prunus cerasus ‘Balaton™’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12-15’
	hardiness zones 4-9

‘Balaton™’ is another Hungarian variety from Michigan State University with vigorous growth and high production of pie-worthy cherries. It blooms and ripens around the same time as ‘Montmorency,’ a late-season tart cherry. The sweet and tangy, firm fruits hold their shape well after pitting and are larger than other sour types.