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If you've ever wanted to make an impressive homemade dessert without the fuss of a traditional pie, this Rustic Cherry Galette is exactly what you need. Sweet, juicy Rainier cherries are wrapped in a flaky, buttery pie crust and baked until golden brown for an easy dessert that looks straight from a bakery.

The best part? Galettes are wonderfully forgiving. There's no need for a pie plate, lattice work, or perfectly crimped edges. Simply fold the dough around the fresh cherry filling, bake, and enjoy!

Whether you're using freshly picked cherries during the summer or serving this at a family gathering, this simple dessert is sure to become a favorite.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy enough for beginner bakers.
• Uses just a handful of simple ingredients.
• Beautiful rustic presentation.
• Perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors.
• Delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

What is a Galette?

A galette is a free-form French pastry that's much easier than making a traditional pie. Instead of placing the dough into a pie dish, the filling is piled into the center of a round of pie dough, and the edges are folded over to create a rustic crust.

The result is a beautiful dessert with plenty of flaky crust surrounding juicy fruit.

Ingredients You'll Need

• 12-inch round chilled pie dough
• Rainier cherries, stemmed, pitted, and halved
• Granulated sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Fresh lemon juice
• Salt
• Egg and water (for the egg wash)
• Cinnamon sugar (for sprinkling on top)

How to Make a Rustic Cherry Galette

Gather all your ingredients together. I promise if you get into the habit of gathering all your supplies, you will take fewer steps in the kitchen.

I hardly ever buy store-bought pie dough because it is SO easy to make and store in the freezer. You can find my recipe for that by clicking here. It will make 2 pies, so just divide your dough and place it in freezer bags. Then, when you need one, take it out and lay it on the counter and let it thaw for about an hour.

When you are ready to use it, grab a Silpat like the one I have here from Dixie Crystals. Silpats are the best thing to use if you don't have parchment paper. You can cook anything on these and nothing sticks. They are amazing.

Roll your pie dough out to the size that you need. Don't worry if the sides are not perfect. Remember — this is a rustic dessert.

Place the Silpat and rolled-out dough onto your cookie sheet and set aside.

Now, heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Check Out Those Rainier Cherries!

Grab your tub of cherries and remove stems. Once you get the stems removed, take a cherry pitter (the ones from OXO are awesome!) and remove all the pits.

Using a cherry pitter is the easiest way to remove the pits, but you can also slice them and remove them by hand — it just takes a little longer.

Once you remove the pits, slice all your cherries and place them in a bowl.

Now, you are going to add in 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, juice of 1 lemon, and salt.

You are going to mix it all together in a pot. Using a masher, mash some of the cherries so that they can release their juices.

Place in the middle of the pie crust and then fold the edges up and around it. If there are any openings around the edges at the bottom, seal those so that no liquid leaks out.

Once you make sure that all the edges are closed in, take your egg and beat with 1 tablespoon of water and brush it over the edges of the pie crust.

This will make your crust brown and look golden delicious!

Once you put on the egg wash, the final step before baking is to sprinkle on a little cinnamon-sugar mixture. I love this one from Adams spices.

Bake at 375-F degrees for about 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown and done on the bottom. Transfer to a plate and cool slightly before slicing.

Tips for the Best Cherry Galette

• Keep the pie dough cold until you're ready to assemble the galette.
• Don't overfill the crust or juices may leak excessively while baking.
• Mashing only part of the cherries helps create a naturally thick filling without making it too runny.
• Bake until the bottom crust is fully browned for the best texture.
• Let the galette cool slightly before slicing so the filling has time to set.

Variations

Try changing up the filling with one of these delicious combinations:

• Add a teaspoon of almond extract.
• Mix in fresh blueberries.
• Add sliced peaches for a summer fruit galette.
• Sprinkle sliced almonds over the filling before baking.
• Swap Rainier cherries for Bing cherries if that's what you have on hand.

Storage

Store leftover galette loosely covered at room temperature for up to one day.

For longer storage, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to four days.

Reheat slices in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes to crisp the crust again.

Can I Freeze It?

Yes! Bake the galette completely, allow it to cool, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil. Freeze for up to three months.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm in the oven before serving.

Serving Suggestions

This cherry galette is wonderful served:

• Warm with vanilla ice cream
• With fresh whipped cream
• Drizzled with heavy cream
• Alongside hot coffee
• With a scoop of almond ice cream

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen cherries?

Yes. Thaw and drain them well before making the filling to prevent excess liquid.

Do I have to make homemade pie dough?

Not at all. A refrigerated pie crust works beautifully and keeps this recipe quick and easy.

Why do I mash some of the cherries?

Lightly mashing the cherries releases their juices, helping create a naturally jammy filling while still keeping chunks of fruit throughout the galette.

How do I know when it's finished baking?

The crust should be a rich golden brown, and the filling should be bubbling around the edges. The bottom crust should also be fully cooked and crisp.

Check out these other delicious summer desserts

• Easy Chocolate No Bake Cookies
• Ina Garten's Lemon Bars
• Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies