Cherry Crumble Pie {Paleo, Gluten-Free}

The crumb topping on this juicy sweet cherry crumble pie not only gives it a nutty crunch, it makes it super easy to make since there’s only a bottom crust to work with. Make this paleo dessert a la mode with some coconut vanilla ice cream and watch everyone swoon!

I live for the first day, each year, that I see bags of cherries appear at the grocery store.   Totally serious here guys, they are my favorite!   And, every year on that day, I buy like three bags and then try to figure out how to turn them into something magical.

This year, it’s a juicy gooey sweet cherry crumble pie.  The first crumble pie appearing on the blog!  I need more now – this one was WAY too good to just stop here.

I started with my go-to paleo pie crust – just a single crust – since a crunchy nutty crumble topping subs in for a top crust.

The filling is super easy – at least after you’re done pitting all those cherries!  I HIGHLY recommend buying a cherry pitter for this part if you don’t already have one.  It makes cherry pitting fly by – seriously – I had ALL my cherries pitted in 5 minutes.

The filling is sweetened with maple sugar but you can also use coconut sugar if you prefer.  Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar you use to suit your taste.

I used tapioca flour as a thickener, but you can just as easily use arrowroot for the same results.  A little lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and you’re good to go!

For the topping, I used a mix of almond flour and walnuts for nutty flavor and crunch, plus grass fed butter, although ghee and palm shortening can sub in as well.

You can use a food processor to pulse the topping, but it’s also pretty easy to use a pastry blender – or even just a fork – to get a nice crumbly texture.  If your topping gets pasty instead of crumbly, you can chill it prior to topping the pie.  This will ensure the topping doesn’t “melt” into the filling.

The pie bakes for about 50 minutes and needs several hours at room temperature to settle and thicken up.  I like serving it at room temperature or slightly warm with a scoop of coconut vanilla ice cream to make it an extra special treat.

Summer – here we come with cherry crumble pie!  Grab your cherry pitter and a pie dish because it’s time to dive in – let’s go!

Cherry Crumble Pie {Paleo, Gluten-Free}

Cherry Crumble Pie {Paleo, Gluten-Free}

The topping on this juicy sweet cherry crumble pie not only gives it a nutty crunch, it makes it super easy to make since there’s only a bottom crust to work with. Make the paleo dessert a la mode with some coconut vanilla ice cream and watch everyone swoon!

Author: Michele Rosen

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Cooling Time: 3 hrs

Servings: 9 servings

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4.5 from 18 votes

Ingredients

Crust + Filling:

• 1 pie crust recipe unbaked
• 2 lbs sweet cherries pitted (about 4–5 cups pitted)
• 3 Tbsp tapioca flour or arrowroot*
• 6 Tbsp maple sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp pure almond extract **

Topping:

• 6 Tbsp pure maple sugar or coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup grass fed butter ghee, or palm oil shortening, cold and broken or cut into pieces
• 2/3 cup walnuts or another nut, chopped

Instructions

Crust:

1. Chill the pie dough for at least one hour before rolling it out. To roll it out, sprinkle tapioca flour on a piece of parchment paper, place the dough on top and sprinkle with more tapioca. Cover the dough with another piece of parchment paper and slowly roll out the dough into a circular shape, about 12” diameter.
2. Remove the top piece of parchment and place you pie dish face down over the dough. Take one hand underneath the parchment papered carefully flip the crust into the pie dish, then carefully remove the parchment paper. It’s normal for the dough to break a bit - you can easily repair it.
3. Pat the crust into the dish, patching where necessary, then place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

1. Preheat your oven to 400° In a large bowl, toss the pitted cherries with all the filling ingredients, then place in the refrigerator while you make the topping.

Crumble:

1. You can use a pastry blender, fork, or food processor to make the topping. Place all ingredients except for the chopped walnuts in a large bowl or food processor. Blend by hand or pulse until you get a crumbly mixture, then stir in the chopped nuts. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, remove the crust and filling from the refrigerator. Flute/crimp the edges of the pie crust, then add the cherry filling to the crust, leaving excess juice in the bowl. Remove the topping from the freezer and crumble all over the filling.
3. Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes, cover with aluminum foil and lower the oven temperature to 375° Continue to bake 30 minutes. Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for at least 2-3 hours before serving. Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*I like my filling on the juicy side. If you want it less juicy, add an additional tsp or 2 of tapioca/arrowroot to the filling.
**You can use a full tsp of vanilla if preferred.

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Want More Cherry Recipes?  Try One of These!

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