Gluten-Free Cherry Crisp

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This Gluten-Free Cherry Crisp features a fresh cherry filling underneath a crisp oat and almond flour topping, which bakes up crunchy thanks to the combination of almond butter and coconut oil. The cherries and crisp topping are sweetened with pure maple syrup, so this dessert is entirely refined sugar-free, in addition to being dairy-free and vegan.

I use a very similar gluten-free oat crumble to make my blueberry breakfast bars and my air fryer berry crisp. They bake up crispy, without any butter or white flour!

Cherry crisp served in a white bowl with a scoop of ice cream on top.

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Quick Look: Gluten-Free Cherry Crisp

⏱ Prep Time: 20 minutes
👩🏻‍🍳 Bake Time: 45 minutes
🆒 Rest Time: 15 minutes
⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
🍒 Servings: 8 servings
⚡ Calories: 404 per serving
🍽 Diet: gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, refined sugar-free.
🔥 Flavor/texture: crunchy oat topping with sweet, jammy cherry filling.
👌 Difficulty: easy to prep; only 10 ingredients needed.
❤️ Why you'll love: sweetened with maple syrup and packed with hearty oats and fresh cherries. Works as dessert or breakfast!

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Reasons to love this cherry crisp recipe

No fuss: Compared to a cherry pie or even a cherry galette, where you need to prep pie dough, this cherry crisp comes together effortlessly. Just scatter your oat topping over the cherries and bake! It's even easier than my gluten-free cherry pie bars since there is no need to pre-cook the filling.
Crunchy topping: Coconut oil and almond butter deliver a rich, crispy texture without using butter.
Fast and simple: It takes about 20 minutes to prep this dessert, and most of that time is spent pitting the cherries.
Diet-friendly: Naturally vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and free of refined sugars or flours.

Table of Contents

Quick Look: Gluten-Free Cherry Crisp
Reasons to love this cherry crisp recipe
Ingredient notes and substitutions
A note on measuring ingredients
How to make gluten-free cherry crisp with almond flour
Expert tips
Gluten-free cherry crisp FAQs
More cherry recipes
📖 Recipe

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Ingredients to make gluten-free cherry crisp arranged individually and labeled.

Cherries: You'll need 2 pounds of fresh sweet cherries for the filling. They'll also need to be pitted and cut in half. If cherries are out of season, you can use frozen cherries. (As a bonus, they're already pitted)!
Old-fashioned rolled oats: These are large flake oats so the texture holds up better in crisp toppings compared to quick oats. (I also prefer the texture of large flake oats in muffins, like these blueberry oatmeal muffins)!
Fine blanched almond flour: This helps bind the oats into delicious, crunchy clusters. You can use almond meal if you need to, but I prefer the fine texture of almond flour.
Almond butter: Acts as the primary binding agent in this butter-free recipe. Natural peanut butter works too, but it will introduce a stronger, distinct peanut flavor.
Coconut oil: Replaces traditional dairy butter to help create a perfectly crisp topping. (Also works great in crumb bars like these strawberry steel cut oat bars or these healthy date squares).
Maple syrup: This sweetens the cherry filling and crisp topping, allowing this dessert to stay refined sugar-free.
Cornstarch: Tossed with the cherries to thicken their natural juices so the filling isn't watery. You can also use tapioca starch.
Almond extract: Adds a touch of sweet almond flavor and pairs well with the cherries. If you don't have any, you can just use vanilla extract.

A note on measuring ingredients

For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you'll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you'll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.

How to make gluten-free cherry crisp with almond flour

Cherries in a large glass bowl with cornstarch on the side.

Step 1: To a large bowl, add the cherries, maple syrup, lemon juice and almond extract. Stir to combine.

Halved cherries tossed with cornstarch in a large glass bowl.

Step 2: Add the cornstarch and stir again to combine. Set aside.

Oats, almond flour and salt whisked together in a small glass bowl.

Step 3: Whisk together the oats, almond flour and salt.

Melted almond butter mixture stirred together in a glass bowl.

Step 4: Add the almond butter, maple syrup and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on two 20-second intervals. Stir until melted together and runny.

Crisp topping mixed together in a bowl with a spoon.

Step 5: Pour the almond butter mixture over the oats and stir together until well combined.

Cherries spread out in a white rectangular baking dish with bowl of crisp topping on the side.

Step 6: Add the cherries to a greased 8x11 inch baking dish, spreading them out in an even layer.

Crisp topping scattered over top of the cherries in the baking dish.

Step 7: Scatter the oat mixture over top of the cherries.

Baked crisp in a white rectangular baking dish.

Step 8: Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

Expert tips

Let the crisp sit for 15-20 minutes. This will give the cherry filling time to thicken up after it comes out of the oven.
Gluten-free oats. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but there could be some cross-contamination with wheat products, so make sure they're labeled certified gluten-free.
Don't use tart cherries. This recipe is made using sweet cherries, and since the only sweetener in the recipe is maple syrup, using tart cherries will make the crisp filling too tart.

Cherry crisp in a white baking dish with a serving spoon inserted into it.

Gluten-free cherry crisp FAQs

What's the best way to store leftover gluten-free cherry crisp?

You'll want to store this one covered in the fridge, where it will last for up to 7 days. (The crisp topping doesn't get soggy)!

Can you use canned cherry pie filling for the crisp filling?

In order to keep this recipe refined sugar-free, I would avoid using canned pie filling. For the best texture, I would also skip homemade pie filling and stick with uncooked cherries. (Save the pie filling for these gluten-free black forest cupcakes)!

Can this cherry crisp be made in a different size dish?

If you don't have an 11x8 inch dish, no worries! You can make this one in an 11x7 inch or 9x9 inch baking dish. The result will just be a slightly thicker cherry crisp. It also works well in a 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Can I use different fruit to make this crisp recipe?

I haven't tested this exact recipe with other types of fruit, but this blueberry crisp recipe (without oats) is also gluten-free, refined sugar-free and vegan.

Can this cherry crisp be made in advance?

Yes, you can assemble this crisp recipe a day in advance, then just bake it before serving.