Gorgeous cherries are in season, and I've been seeing them everywhere I go these days. So yep, I basically haven't had a cherry-free day in weeks! After all, you don't usually spot organic cherries where I live, so when they're in season, I nab them all haha.
This pie came from a particularly tasty batch and I think this is one of my favorite pie recipes ever to date. So good with the gooey red cherry filling, and a crust that's cookie-like and just to die for -- strangely very "buttery" tasting (a feat for a non-dairy pie, and nope, no butter substitutes were used!).
There's a touch of almond extract in the crust, which adds a deliciously rich flavor to the mix. For a gluten-free and vegan cherry pie recipe, I think this is as good (and wholesome!) as it gets.
By the way, if for any reason you're feeling intimidated by the lattice top of the pie, don't be. It's very simple to make, and is meant to be rustic in design -- flaws are totally ok :). And besides, everyone will be distracted by the gooey red jam peeking out of it anyways!
See the video below for a similar pie I have on the blog (Strawberry Rhubarb Pie) for the lattice-making technique and you'll get the idea -- easy peasy!
The only difference is that I used a pastry cutter (sort of like a mini pizza cutter with a fluted edge blade) to get the fluted edges here. There's a link to the specific kind I used in the recipe notes, if you're interested. Otherwise a regular knife or pizza cutter (as seen in the video above) will do just fine.
Add a touch of vegan vanilla ice cream and you're in for a complete treat... with every gloriously "messy" bite... :)
Cherry Pie (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
This easy homemade cherry pie is a lovely way to take advantage of fresh seasonal cherries. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6" pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- ¾ cup white rice flour
- ¼ cup cashew butter
- ¼ cup dark maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract*
Cherry Filling:
- ¾ cup chopped cherries
- 3 tbsp dark maple syrup
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- juice of half a lemon
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F. Oil a 6" pie plate (or baking dish of a similar size) and set aside.
- Process all pie crust ingredients in a food processor until combined into a dough. Gather the dough and form into a ball, kneading it lightly. Divide this dough in half, and roll each half into a ball. Take one of the balls and flatten it into a disk with your hands. Place into the prepared pie plate and press and shape it down into a pie shell with your hands, covering the base and sides of the dish with the dough. Set aside.
- Prepare the pie filling by mixing all ingredients together with a fork in a small bowl. Transfer this mixture into the prepared pie crust, and smooth it out into an even layer.
- Place the remaining half of the crust dough in between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out roughly into an ⅛" thickness. Cut this dough into ½" strips lengthwise**. Place several of these strips vertically on the pie. Then place several horizontally, interlacing them with the vertical strips. If you need to create more strips, gather up the remaining dough and roll it out again to create more strips. Once finished creating the lattice, fill in any gaps along the edges of the pie with some of the remaining dough. Then seal the edge all around with a fork.***
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 45 minutes (until the edges are nice and golden and the filling bubbles and sets. Cool off on a wire rack, and enjoy!****
Notes
*Use an extra teaspoon vanilla extract as an alternative if you prefer.
**I used this kind of pastry cutter to get the fluted edges. But a pizza cutter or a regular knife will do for straight cuts if you prefer.
***Note: you'll likely have a tiny bit of dough remaining at this stage. I usually roll it out into 2-3 small cookies (roll into a ball, then flatten with a fork) and bake them for 7-9 mins along with the pie.
****Note: a hot pie will always be a little runny when sliced. The pie filling will firm up as it cools off completely.
Nikki says
Hey there, I made my own cashew butter and what not. Hopefully it works out. It's a lot thicker, just kind of like the brand that you used That being said, I want to make a 9-in pie, but would that mean I need to triple the recipe or only double it? Because wouldn't double the recipe make 12 in since the original is only six? I see some people in here saying triple to make a 9-in but how does that make sense?
Audrey says
Hi Nikki. Yes, triple is correct. It doesn't make sense at a glance, but that's because the diameter increase adds a lot more volume to the pan. So instead of looking at it as just an extra few inches, it's important to look at how much volume a pan can hold.
A 6" pie plate holds about 1.25 cups in total volume. While a 9" pie plate holds about 4 cups in total volume of ingredients. With each extra inch in diameter, the pan can hold a lot more ingredients since that inch goes all the way around and usually the depth of the pan increases also.
I hope that makes sense. I know it's a confusing topic for a lot of people. The easiest thing to do always when converting a baking recipe is to just google average volume of the pan size the recipe uses and compare it to the volume of the pan you've got (by googling that as well).
Alyssa says
Hi, would I be able to use frozen cherries instead of fresh? Thanks!
Audrey says
Hi Alyssa. Yes, absolutely. You'd need to thaw them out first though.
melissa jones says
can i substitute honey for maple syrup? we don't have maple syrup where i live :(
Audrey says
Hi Melissa. You can probably use runny honey here instead, although my first choice of substitute would be agave syrup if you have access to that.
I haven't tried honey for this pastry type (as I'm generally not a honey fan). but I know from past baking experiences that honey can act a bit differently in that it crystallizes very easily when heated and this mixture heats a touch when it gets processed in the processor. So I'd recommend not to process it too long (just enough to make it form into a soft-ish dough that holds its shape when pinched together with your fingers as a test). If it gets too firm you can try adding a bit more cashew-butter to the mix and process again. Hope this helps!
Genie says
I always come back to your website whenever I need to make dessert for an event. This time I decided to try this cherry pie for a fam get-together. It was amazing and completely disappeared before any other desserts did. I tripled the recipe and made it in a regular 9” pie plate and served it with vanilla ice cream. You know it’s a winner when everyone wants the recipe! Will definitely be making this again.
Audrey says
Thank you Genie. I'm so glad your family enjoyed this pie! I've been making it a lot this summer myself. I find it's an easy crowd pleaser :) Thanks for the lovely feedback!
Eva says
Made this for two family get togethers this long weekend and at both events this pie disappeared down with rave reviews. Nobody (except my husband and I are vegans) and everyone loved it. A few people said it was the best cherry pie they’ve ever had. Definitely a 5 star recipe and very easy to make. I followed the instructions exactly, except used regular organic white (wheat) flour instead of the rice flour. In the past I’ve made this recipe with rice flour as well and it was just as good. I served it with So Delicious vanilla ice cream — I think ice cream is a must here to seal the deal.
Audrey says
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Eva! Incidentally I made this pie for my family again this weekend as well :) And definitely agree on the ice cream pairing.
Miranda Cloud says
Could I use Arrowroot starch instead of tapioca starch? Thank you!
Audrey says
Hi Miranda, yeah that should work fine. Enjoy :)
Judi says
Audrey, I struggled with pies/pastry for 50 years growing up with a celiac mother who was a wizard at pastry and using gluten free dough. It was very intimidating and I never made a pie successfully, especially a vegan gluten free one - until today! I’m so thrilled! I used almond butter instead of cashew. My lattice was a bit “rustic” but overall an incredible recipe! The technical part about using ice water for traditional pie doughs always threw me - and I ended up frustrated and throwing most of them out! Thanks again for a fantastic recipe!
Audrey says
Hi Judi, aw so happy to hear this worked!! :) Enjoy the pie!
Maddie says
Hiii, could I use oat flour?
Audrey says
Hi Maddie, I think that would work just fine. Enjoy it! :)
Ann says
Thank you for this recipe!!!I'm happy this is gf,dairy free and there are no almonds or coconut, as we can't have these.
I have 3 kids,so I need to make a bigger pie.Do I need to double the recipe or triple it?
Also,can frozen cherries be used instead?
Audrey says
Hi Ann, one of these pies makes about 2 servings (compared to a normal slice of big pie). If you wanted to make it in a more standard 9″ plate, I’d triple the recipe. And yes, you can definitely use frozen cherries, just thaw them out fully first and cut them up smaller (if they’re frozen whole). Enjoy! :)
Sarah says
It wasn’t as pretty as yours, but this is the first gluten free/vegan pie that has actually passed muster - even better!! Delicious!! My family was so happy to have pie again :). Thank you!!
Audrey says
So happy to hear, Sarah! :) Glad you all enjoyed it.
Shirley Higgins says
what can I used instead of rice flour that is a gluten free flour? I only have grainy rice flour .... thank you :)
Audrey says
You can try sorghum flour. It'll be a little bit more delicate that way. Also an all purpose gf flour mix usually works fine too.
Maria says
Hi! Do you think a seed butter, like sunbutter or tahini, might work instead of cashew butter, or would it change the flavor completely?
Audrey says
Hi Maria. I think something like sunbutter or almond butter would work great here. They'll change the flavor a little (since cashews are more mild-flavored), but should still be enjoyable. One of my readers who can't do cashews makes this pie crust with almond butter often and says it works great.
Dee says
HI, the crust looks amazing! I am curious to know if you really mean only 3/4 cup of cherries for the entire pie? That seems so little...
Audrey says
Hi Dee, yes, it's a tiny pie -- only 6" in diameter. You can't fit much more filling in there if you tried :) If you were to multiply this for a more standard pie plate (9") you'd need to triple the recipe (which probably sounds like a much more normal pie filling size, doesn't it?).
I just tend to bake a lot and make different things, so smaller dessert sizes suit me better. But a recipe like this can be easily multiplied as needed.
Dee says
ok, I get it, wonderful, I have teeny pie pans!
Eleanor Dillon says
There's only 3/4 cup of cherries- I'm swimming in cherries at the moment, might i double the cherries but nothing else?
Audrey says
Hi Eleanor. They won’t fit into a small 6″ pie if you double them. However, you can triple the recipe and make a 9″ pie, or double the recipe and make a bunch of small pies in a muffin tray.
Alternatively, you can just cook the filling (can double or triple it) in a small pot and make a makeshift jam: place in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 20-25 mins to reduce the liquids, and stir occasionally throughout the process. If you want it to be a bit of a thicker jam, you can use some agar agar, like in this recipe: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/vegan-paleo-balsamic-raspberry-rhubarb-jam-refined-sugar-free/.