With sweet cherry filling and an irresistible buttery oatmeal crumble, this homemade cherry pie is actually GOOD for you!
I’m one of those people who makes friends everywhere.
I rarely have my iphone out in public and much prefer talking with people around me. About a year ago, I took the metro in DC to see the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin. It was the first nice day of the year, and basically every other person in the city must have had the same idea as I did. Riding the train felt like trying to stuff five days worth of clothing into a suitcase that only holds two. Personal space was not an option.
I started talking with the guy standing next to me, and when the train reached our stop, we continued to talk. We made our way to the Tidal Basin and discovered it bursting with so many people there was barely any room to move, let alone take a picture of the cherry blossoms that wouldn’t end up including a pack of tourists in the background. So we abandoned our plans and went over to a less-crowded area of the city to continue our conversation.
I may have gone home without any pictures, but what I gained that day (we are still friends!) was worth so much more.
This homemade oatmeal crumble cherry pie is made in honor of this year’s cherry blossom season. Topped with a generous serving of my favorite Healthy Ice Cream Recipe (egg-free, vegan), the healthy cherry pie was the perfect Easter dessert!
I used a combination of black and red cherries, giving the pie its gorgeous two-toned appearance.
And when it came time to view the cherry blossoms this year? I was much smarter and skipped the Tidal Basin in favor of some less-touristy areas. I guess this means I’m a local now.
Clean Eating Cherry Pie
Adapted From: Healthy Apple Pie
Oatmeal Cherry Crumble Pie – Clean Eating Recipe
Print This Recipe
[mrp_rating_result show_count="false" show_rich_snippets="false"]
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup spelt, white, or sorghum flour (160g)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup, honey, or agave
- 1/4 cup oil (44g)
- 3 cups pitted, chopped cherries (Tip – I buy frozen because they are already pitted) (400g)
- pinch stevia OR 1 tbsp sweetener of choice
- 1/2 cup rolled or quick oats (40g)
- 1/2 cup spelt, white, or sorghum flour (60g)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, honey, or agave
- scant 1/8 tsp uncut stevia OR 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp oil (33g)
Instructions
*If you don’t have an 8-inch pan, the pie also works in a 9-inch pan if you double the entire recipe.
Preheat the oven to 350F, line the bottom of an 8-inch round pan, springform, or removable-bottom tart pan with parchment, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the first two ingredients, then stir in the 3 tbsp maple syrup and 1/4 cup oil to make a dough. It will seem dry at first, but just keep stirring until it turns into a dough. Smooth evenly into the prepared pan. Press down hard, and bake 12 minutes on the center rack. Toss the cherries and pinch stevia or tbsp sweetener, then spread evenly over the baked crust. In a third bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the cherry layer. Bake 50 minutes. Allow to cool 20 minutes before removing the springform or cutting slices.
Link Of The Day:
Kate says
I was lucky enough to be in DC a few years ago to see the cherry blossoms, and it is still one of my favorite memories.
It amazes me how often people are on their phones–I’ve had some wonderful conversations with strangers that would not have happened if we had all been texting. A lot of these conversations have started because I was reading while waiting in line, and we would start talking about books!
The pie looks beautiful!
Kristen says
I would probably be one of those strangers! I was the girl in high school who read everywhere and always brought a book to the lunch table. Even now, it’s rare to find me without a book in hand. I have a running list of books I want to read.
Kate says
Kristen, I feel like we would probably be friends if we met!!!
Stefanie says
Recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it, but please don’t climb on the cherry blossom trees. They’re extremely fragile and this makes my heart sad 🙁 You’ll be a local as soon as you don’t climb them, I promise!
Directly from http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/visitor-information/faq/: “*Please do not climb the trees or pick branches.”
Alexa says
I know I’m not Katie and I could be wrong, but just from an observer’s point of view from the photo it doesn’t look like she’s actually climbing the tree or hanging on any branches that might break from human weight. I don’t think that’s what they are talking about when they’re worried people might get hurt or hurt the tree branches.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Oh yes, please don’t worry! I definitely would not climb the trees and went no further up than what’s shown in the photo. I do feel silly, though, for not having known this isn’t actually a cherry blossom tree.
Alexa says
Hi Katie, this pie looks so beautiful and I am in love with your photography. What camera do you use?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Canon Rebel T2i, 100mm macro lens f/2.8
Kristen says
Looks delicious, Katie! I also love the pic of you in the cherry blossom tree. So cute!
Unrelated but I made your healthy carrot cake cupcakes for Easter and they were a HUGE hit!
Ayaka says
You makes me miss living in DC! It’s been almost 2 years and and we haven’t been back there since ?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Definitely!
Linda @ the fitty says
Man I wish I had this recipe for easter, what took you so long?! 😛
Laura Dembowski says
I wish I had an easy time making friends. It is really tough for me, and I could use some awesome friends in my life. It’s actually really tough when you don’t have great people to just chat with sometimes. I guess I’ll just have to settle for this pie. It looks fab!
Jenn says
haha second this. Food make a pretty ok friend substitute
Barb says
Looks Good….. but you never say…
are we talking sour cherries like Montmorency
or sweet cherries like Bing?
Thanx!
Vivian says
Two questions: Do you defrost the frozen cherries first? Did you use sweet or sour cherries?
Thanks.
Vivian
Vivian says
Followup! I made a half recipe of this pie, putting it in a small glass pie dish. I used sweet cherries, I did not defrost them, and I did not chop them because I am too lazy. I baked my pie for about 32 minutes. It was delicious and we will definitely be making this again trying sour cherries next time. The crust is simple to make and smoosh into the pie plate and very tasty. Oh, it was easy, too.
Harriet says
Looks great, but I am just wondering how well the slice will hold together if the crust is only on the base! Unless I missed the step to put pastry on the sides as well?
Tiffany says
Hi Katie!
I just made this pie today and my family loved it! It came together so quickly in about 20 min and it was in the oven for 50min. A few things I love about this recipe are that the ingredient list is short, the recipe only dirtied two bowls (I made the filling and crust in the same bowl), and its delicious. I can’t wait to make this pie using blueberries, strawberries, peaches, and more.
Thank you!
Nadine says
I absolutely loved this recipe. I made the pie for my one year anniversary and it was delicious. Half of the pie is gone with just my boyfriend and I eating it. I doubled the recipe, used a springform pan, and had to extend the time a tad for the browning of the crumble. Thank you !!!
Holly says
I only have a 9 inch pan, but I knew a 9 inch pan was not doubling the area of an 8 inch pan. I could have done the math, but this lady did it for me..https://food52.com/blog/13239-how-to-make-your-baking-recipe-fit-your-pan-size
So basically the area of a 9 inch round pan is 22% bigger in area than the 8 inch pan. So I just went through and found 22% of each of the ingredients and added it back to the total amount. I don’t want to type out everything, but it’s easy. For instance, 160 grams of flour * .22= 35.2 and 35.2 +160= 195.2 grams of flour (for a 9 inch pan). Hope that helps other people with a 9 inch pan 🙂
Holly says
Ok…just made this with a 9 inch spring form tart pan using the 22% increase in ingredients and it was filled to the very top. If I had doubled this, it definitely would not have fit. In fact, I am thinking that you could even perhaps use the original amount with a tart pan. I made just a couple of adjustments. In the cherry filling, I had a hard time thinking that the filling wouldn’t be too wet and from making pies in the past, I knew what I could add to thicken int a bit. So I added 2 tsp of instant tapioca, a Tbsp of lemon juice and a sprinkling of cinnamon (I made sure to let this sit together for 10 minutes on the counter before stirring one last time and putting it in the crust). I also used some xylitol in place of some of the sugar. It was really delicious. About the only thing I can think to change if I make this again (and I likely will) is to use almond flour in place of maybe half of the sorghum in the crust (and perhaps in the streusel as well). I made this for my niece’s birthday and served it with vanilla ice cream. Everyone ate every last bite on their plate. Oh…and the other great thing is that it was really easy to make and was stunning to look at.
Lisa T. says
Hi Katie,
I don’t have a tin pan, only a glass pie pan. Will that work too?
Thanks!
Lisa
Julie Dove says
Probably, but it might just be hard to get it out without crumbling.
Lynne says
Can I use blackberries or blueberries instead of cherries? Would I need to make any adjustments? I made this w cherries and it was AMAZING! now id like to try w another berry.
Julie Dove says
Sure!
Kristen Kemp says
I’m making this for Easter and I’m going to use blueberries instead of cherries. What do you (and others) think about adding a bit of lemon zest to the berries and some corn flour to the topping mix? Thanks!
Kristen Kemp says
Hi all! OMG, I made this today as my family’s Easter dessert but with blueberries and nectarines cut to the size of the blueberries. I doubled the recipe and used a larger sized springform pan. It was AMAZING! (if I do say so myself!) Thank you for another fabulous recipe! Please keep them coming!
Kristen Kemp says
Here’s one more picture of today’s successful attempt at this recipe!
Jason Sanford says
Thanks for sharing the pictures. That’s really helpful, and the pie looks beautiful.
AlyssaBug says
Hey, Katie! We have lots of fresh cherries every year at our house, and when I saw this recipe I just couldn’t wait to make it!
I was wondering; would I be able to use quinoa flour in place of the sorghum/white in the crust?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
You can definitely experiment! be sure to report back if you do!
Nehi says
Dear Katie,
This is the second recipe I make from your blog. I have made the vegan brownies before this. Lady!!! You have a gift. How do you make vegan/flour free/sugar free/butter free things be so tasty. We are doing a vegan January but it is my husbands birthday and I was afraid we were going to miss out on having a good dessert. This pie was a delicious surprise. (Mostly because vegan desserts, at least in my experience, are a bigger let down compr d to buttery fatty things) It was easy and delicious, the crust had a crunchy perfect consistency. And I love that in your recipes you say things like “don’t worry about it not being doughy keep kneading!!” Those comments are so helpful when you’re making things for the first time. Anyway, you’re awesome.
Thank you!
Michelle Tadian says
Do you think Almond flour would work in this recipe, I would like to make it GF.
Thank you, just started following you, your recipes are inspiring.
Jason Sanford says
You never know unless you experiment, but please be sure to report back for other readers if you do experiment!
Jason
TeenChef says
This turned out so beautiful and delicious!! I used two cups of raspberries and one cup of blueberries and it is sooooo good. Highly recommend! I cant wait to try other fillings because it seems so customizable! Thanks Katie!
Kathy Shaheen says
Did you use fresh or frozen?
Alice says
Thank you for an amazing, delicious recipe! This is the first time I’ve produced a pie with a solid base and a good crumble, and the and filling (I also added a chopped apple) was wonderful. You’re amazing!
Rory says
Hi Katie,
I was just wondering could I substitute mushed banana for the oil?
Would it also be possible to use gluten free flour? I don’t really want to use plain white flour and spelt or sorghum flour are readily available in my home town.
Rory says
Sorry, I meant to say, sorghum and spelt flour are not readily available in my home town.
CCK Media Team says
Hi sorry we have never tried subbing banana. But you can definitely use all purpose white flour instead of spelt. Otherwise, feel free to experiment with something we haven’t tried and report back if you do!
*edit: noticed you said you don’t want to use white. Unfortunately we can’t vouch for anything we haven’t tried, but edible experiments are the best kind.
Patricia Finck says
I made this amazing pie for the holidays, and it was easy, beautiful, and delicious! The only things that I changed, because some of my family members are either doing a gluten-free or keto diet, were the flour and the oil. I used a mixture of almond flour and coconut flour, and melted butter instead of oil, and also I used Mong Fruit sugar instead of Stevia. I did use frozen cherries (a sweet and tart mixture). I figured that it was time to make a change from the traditional apple pie and/or pumpkin pie, and it was a big hit! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Geralyn Schade says
can I use all tart cherries? I just picked a bunch. Thank you