Enjoy a slice of healthy sugar free cherry pie this summer with this low carb and gluten free cherry pie recipe. It is the ultimate summer dessert and should be served with a dollop of fresh cream!
This rich pastry is made with almond and coconut flour and firmly holds a low carb cherry pie filling. I made a lattice topping so not to hide the tasty and colourful cherries. A slice of sugar free cherry pie should be part of every summer! The recipe for this pie dough is for 2 crusts as I wanted a pie with a lid. I made a lattice pie cover and had a bit of pastry left.
I baked this low carb and gluten free cherry pie when the Chief Taster was working one Saturday. Finding myself with a peaceful house, I set aside a day of baking and sent him photos of my creations throughout the day. My cauliflower falafel had no response from him but when I sent photos of this cherry pie, I could almost hear the tyre squeals as he headed home.
The cherry pie was devoured with pleasure by both of us. Memories of summer childhoods in a pie! I preferred mine with a side of whipped cream whereas the Chief Taster poured the whipping cream straight onto his pie slice. Well, pie slices to be correct. He does have a weakness for cherry pie. Surprisingly, the pie made it to the next day and it was just as delicious. The pastry firmed up a bit but that might be my extra cold fridge.
Low Carb Pastry
Almond flour and coconut flour are the main flours for this pastry but is also has cream cheese in it. Cream cheese can be used for “normal” flaky pastry as it gives it a bit of elasticity so I thought I would try it with a gluten free pastry where elasticity is an issue due to the lack of gluten. Xanthan gum is not something I use a lot but it’s great for this pastry dish to help bind it.
The pastry is a delicate pasty and initially I found it a bit oily, but I put that down to the cream cheese. Also, my kitchen is warm due to the current heat. I live in a hot country and working with pastry at a “cold temperature” is never going to work for me unless I stand in front of the fridge.
Some low carb pastry can be too delicate to roll and needs to be pressed into the pie dish, but this is rolled out between two layers of parchment paper. Just as you would use a Fathead Dough recipe, this pastry is the same but needs more caution when handling. That’s also part of the reason that I went for a lattice pie lid as it was easier to roll the pastry into small strip.
Carb Content in Cherries
Although berries have the lowest carbs in fruit and are a better choice, cherries are medium in carbs and portion control should be adhered to. A half cup of cherries has 8 net carbs and is about 12 cherries. Those summers of eating bags and bags of cherries are no longer for us, but we can still enjoy cherries in moderation.
To put cherries and carbs in context, they have the 8th position of the top 10 low carb fruits. So long as you don’t eat the whole pie in one sitting (I’m looking at you Chief Taster), you can enjoy a slice of this sugar free cherry pie.
For diabetics who need to follow their glycemic index (GI), sweeter cherries had a higher GI than sour cherries and is a medium GI food. Sour cherries have a GI of 22 and is a lower option.
Low Carb Cherry Pie Filling
It is hard to replicate that sweet tinned cherry pie filling, but this low carb cherry pie filling comes close thanks to xanthan gum. The addition of this to lightly stewed cherries gives it a rich sauce and the low carb sweetener. It acts as a thickener and gives the cherry “juice” a similar consistency to the tinned cherries. Adjust the low carb sweetener to your own taste.
Can I tempt you with another low carb dessert?
Cherry Pie
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Ingredients
PASTRY
- 3 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons erythritol
FILLING
- 2 cups cherries, fresh pitted
- 3 tablespoons erythritol
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- ½ cup water
Instructions
FILLING
- Place the cherries, erythritol, xanthan gum and water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Stir well to ensure the xanthan gum is evenly dispersed and taste for sweetness. Add more erythritol if you want it sweeter.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool and thicken.
PASTRY
- Place the flours, baking powder, cream cheese, xanthan gum, egg, butter, salt, baking powder and erythritol into a food processor and blend until you have a dough.
- Form the dough into a ball with your hands, cover with parchment paper and place in the fridge. Chill for 45 minutes.
ASSEMBLY
- Preheat the oven to 180C/375F degrees.
- Lightly butter a pie dish.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge and cut into half.
- Place one half on a sheet of parchment paper and cover it with another layer of parchment paper.
- Roll out gently into a circle slightly larger than the pie dish.
- Remove the top layer of parchment paper, then using a hand under the bottom parchment paper place the pastry into the pie dish. If it breaks or cracks, repair it with your hands.
- Spoon the cherry filling into the pie dish.
- Take the second half of the dough and either repeat the rolling as above for a complete lid or roll out and cut into strips to make a lattice lid.
- Bake for 40 minutes until the top of the pie is lightly golden and firm.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
This post was originally posted in December 2011. The recipe and photos have thankfully been updated.
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Larissa
I am wondering if I can sub the cream cheese with something else in the pie crust? (I want to make this for my in-laws but a couple of them are dairy-free). Recipe looks delicious!
Angela Coleby
Hi, if they are dairy free, butter is out. What about a vegan butter instead? Coconut oil and an egg should work too. Hope you enjoy it!
Autumn
Really impressed with this crust. I'm not against healthy carbs (fruit!), but I don't eat white flour and sugar. I needed a crust for peach pie and this recipe was perfect! My sister LOVES cherry pie, so I will be making this again soon =)
Angela Coleby
Delighted you enjoyed it! Peaches would be yummy with this too!
Keith
For a nicer and more professional looking finished pie, "braid" the lattice top by alternating the strips as you lay them over one another. It takes a bit of time but makes all the difference in the finished presentation.
Angela Coleby
That's a great idea, thanks!
Kim
Are you able to freeze the pie after assembling? I would like to make one ahead of time to freeze but not sure how the ingredients would react upon thawing or should it be reheated from frozen?
Angela Coleby
I've not tried freezing this but perhaps freeze the dough and make the cherry mixture fresh once the dough has defrosted?
Marilyn
Can I use monk fruit or Swerve instead of erythritol?
Angela Coleby
Yes you can. Both should work fine.
Lesley Astbury
Made the Cherry Pie today for Christmas- at husband’s request! Merry Christmas!
Angela Coleby
Merry Christmas! Hope you both enjoyed it!
Lesley Astbury
This pie was sooo delicious! Made it for my husband’s birthday and he loved it! He is Keto/Carnivore, I am 99% Carnivore - but I did have to have a slice of low carb cherry pie! And enjoyed it. Thank you ❤️
Angela Coleby
Delighted you both enjoyed it!
Rachel
For serving size, is one slice meant to be 1/6 of the pie?
Angela Coleby
It's about 1/8th of the pie.
Vik
Could I make the filling ahead of time and freeze it?
Angela Coleby
I can't see why not. The filling would be great with crepes too!
Lisa
What if I don’t have coconut flour? Can I just use almond, and would it make a difference in the recipe?
Angela Coleby
You could use almond flour and would still work as I make other tart pastry recipes with it, such as https://divaliciousrecipes.com/blueberry-mascarpone-tarts-low-carb-gluten-free
Elizabeth
Love the Cherry pie....I added some strawberries - and it is perfect.
I cook but am not a cook so I enjoy all the clues you give. q: may I use arrowroot as thickener? Elizabeth
Angela Coleby
Love the addition of strawberries! Yum! Arrowroot can be used as a thickener.
Damani Tryon
Hi! I'm confused about where to add the cream cheese?
Angela Coleby
It goes into the food processor with the other pastry ingredients.
Sharon
If I use sour cherries I know I would have to add more sweetener but would I have to add more xanthan gum? Could U use glucomannan powder instead & if so how much. I’m not good at adapting recipes in my own. Thanks for your hard work & willingness to share tasty recipes
Angela Coleby
Add more sweetener and glucomannan powder should work. I use the xanthan gum to thicken the sauce for the cherry filling. You may not need it. Make the filling and see what you think about the texture before reaching for a thickener. Happy baking!
Milica
Ive made your cherry pie and it was delicious, my husband is gluten intolerant and we are on keto nutrition for some time, we really enjoy your recipes..even i make your desserts quite often, we are still in ketosis and losing weight, thank you!!
Angela Coleby
Thank you for your lovely review! I'm glad you enjoy them and you are both on track. Well done!
rebi
can I use strawberries instead of cherryes?Thank you
Divalicious
Of course Rebi, that would be delicious!