Low Sugar Gluten Free Cherry Pie

Total time3 hr 40 min

Prep time45 min

Cook time55 min

This double-crust beauty starts with a tender, flaky crust built from a gluten free flour blend, tapioca starch, and cold cubed butter worked in until the dough turns rich and crumbly before it chills into rollable discs. The filling is where it shines: plump sour cherries mingle with cornstarch, a bright splash of lemon juice, and a whisper of almond extract, creating that classic deep-red, jammy filling without relying on a heavy hand of sweetener. Butter pieces scattered over the fruit melt into the filling as it bakes, and a golden egg wash brushed over the lattice-slit top crust gives the whole pie that irresistible bakery-shelf shine. As it bakes low and slow after an initial high-heat blast, the crust turns deep golden and the filling bubbles through the vents, filling your kitchen with that unmistakable cherry-pie aroma. Let it rest fully before slicing so the filling sets into neat, jammy wedges rather than a runny puddle. It's a genuinely satisfying dessert to bring to the table when you're steering clear of added sugar, without giving up a single bit of that classic homemade cherry pie experience.

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the crust

2 cups gluten free flour blend
King Arthur Baking Company Gluten-Free Measure For Measure Flour Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour Pillsbury Best Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend - 24 Oz Bob's Red Mill Baking Flour, 1 to 1, Gluten Free King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour
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¼ cup tapioca starch
1 tbsp granulated sugar
Chef's tip
Use the same volume. Baking behavior varies by blend: some brown faster or stay softer, while others brown less. Follow the package's baking guidance and start checking a few minutes early.
1 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains it)
½ tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
4–6 tbsp ice water

For the filling

6 cups pitted sour cherries, fresh or thawed frozen
¾ cup granulated sugar
Chef's tip
Use the same volume. Baking behavior varies by blend: some brown faster or stay softer, while others brown less. Follow the package's baking guidance and start checking a few minutes early.
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp almond extract (optional)
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the egg wash

1 large egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp coarse sugar (optional)
Omit this
This ingredient likely doesn’t work for the diet.

Instructions

1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, tapioca starch, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, xanthan gum, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add the cold butter cubes and work them in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining.
2
Drizzle in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring with a fork after each addition, until the dough just comes together and holds when pressed — it should not be sticky or crumbly. Divide the dough into two equal discs, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

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