Naturally Sweetened Cherry Pie Recipe

This cherry pie recipe makes a delicious naturally sweetened pie using sweet cherries. The pie filling isn’t sugar free, but is naturally sweetened with honey. It’s one of the best cherry desserts for summer!

I bet you never thought you’d put the words “Clean Eating” and “Cherry Pie” together in the same sentence, did you?

A slice of Clean Eating Cherry Pie on a white background, shown up close so you can see the cherries.

Ya, me either. But that’s exactly what I’m gonna do here.

I recently created another recipe and photo shoot for Elvis International Magazine. They asked me to make Elvis’s favorite Cherry Pie recipe.

Well, far be it from me to turn down work OR cherry pie! I mean, I’m trying to lose weight and all, but let’s face it. Whether it’s once per year, or once per week. At some point, everybody has a cheat meal. So why not make it a slice of something that’s not only tasty, but healthy too!!

The interesting thing is, I didn’t have to change very much of the original cherry pie recipe to clean it up. The more of these recipes I make, the more I realize how much people enjoyed very simple foods in those days. We could all learn a lesson or two from Elvis, eh?

I will say that the clean eating pie crust is not as flaky as traditional pie crust, but it’s better for us, and it’s tasty. That’s all I need!

OTHER NATURALLY SWEETENED DESSERT RECIPES:

CRUST RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE CHERRY PIE FILLING

CHERRY PIE RECIPE:

Copyright Information For The Gracious Pantry
Clean Eating Cherry Pie

Homemade Cherry Pie

Cherry pie is and American favorite, but it doesn’t have to be totally unhealthy for you!
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings (1 standard pie)
Calories: 198kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 batch clean eating pie crust (see recipe above – rolled thin)
  • 5 cups cherries (cut in half and pitted)
  • 2 tbsp. cornstarch (arrowroot or tapioca starch will work too)
  • ¼ tsp. almond extract
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. sea salt
  • 1 cup honey
  • milk or egg wash for pie top (1 egg beaten with a fork and brushed over pie top)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Make your pie crust (this will only take about 10 minutes). Just be sure when you roll it out that it’s rolled very thin. About 1/8 of an inch should do the trick. If you leave the crust to thick, that’s all you’ll taste when you bite into you’re pie. And lets face it. The cherries should be the star here.
  • Prepare your cherries (this takes a little time, but you can always do this in advance).
  • Combine your cherries, cornstarch, almond extract, cinnamon, salt and honey (if you are using it) in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
  • Pour your cherries into your pie crust.
  • Position the second crust over the top of your pie, and pinch the edges together all the way around. You can use a fork if you want it to look pretty. You can also get creative like I did here with a little of the leftover dough. I cut out some chickens (at least I think that’s what they are), and placed them around the edge.
  • Don’t forget to cut a vent in the top of your pie so steam can escape!
  • Using a basting brush, brush a light coat of milk over the top of your pie.
  • Place the pie in the oven and bake for approximately 45-60 minutes or until the fruit juices start to bubble in the pie.
  • Cool on a cooling rack, slice and serve.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible. Data does not include pie crust or milk or egg wash.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 213mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 6.3mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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46 Comments

  1. Yum! I didn’t know pie could be made well AND clean! It looks like I have lots to learn about clean eating…:-)

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Sarah – There are soooo many “regular” recipes out there that can be converted to a clean version!

      Let me know what you think of the pie!

  2. i love cherry pie! thanks for this post! it made me think of a question i have had for a few weeks now though. is a small amount of cornstarch in a recipe ok for clean eating? i sprinkle a little in my clean eating taco seasoning but always wonder if it’s ok. i’m guessing from this recipe that it is!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Nellie – I always buy organic cornstarch. As far as I know, it’s clean. If anyone knows different, please let me know!

    2. Does this recipe work well with fresh cherrys off my tree? that’s what I’m looking for to use these cherries up because we have tons! But the last recipe I tried had me use vanilla pudding. Let’s just say that didn’t turn out very good.

      1. The Gracious Pantry says:

        Mary – I bet it would be just fine! 🙂

  3. Wow – this is awesome! I love cherry pie and I can’t wait to try this.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Kim – Please let me know what you think! I love feedback!

  4. I’d say skip the salt and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It “brightens” the flavor of fruit like salt does with savory things, especially if you are using sweet cherries (like Bing). I think I will use xylitol instead of agave. Although agave is low glycemic it can raise tryglicerides, a problem I sure don’t need. When my Daddy had a heart attack at 50 yo his cholesterol was fine, but his tryglycerides were high.
    I used xylitol to make a fresh strawbery pie last weekend for company and it was wonderful. Just ask if you would like my recipe.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jodi – I ALWAYS love getting new recipes to try. Send it on over!

  5. thanks Tiffany! i haven’t read anywhere that organic cornstarch ISN’T clean, so i also assumed it was fine! can’t wait to try the pie and i just love everything you post! you really keep me motivated!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      You’re sweet Nellie, thanks!

  6. Beautiful cherry pie! I can’t seem to get enough of the ruby-hued stone fruit during the summer, so I will have to reserve some to make this.

    I am so glad to have stumbled upon your blog via foodgawker… your clean eating approach to cooking mirrors my own food philosophy, and I’m planning on searching through your recipe archives. Looking forward to being a regular reader!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Thanks Lauren! I’ll have to check out your blog as well!

      Cherries are fantastic, aren’t they? So sad they are on the “dirty dozen” list. Organic cherries can cost an arm and a leg. But on occasion, I don’t mind spending it when I get something yummy like cherry pie! lol

      Thanks for stopping by!

  7. Hi Tiffany, me again. I want to make this pie next weekend. I do not have agave, can you substitute sweeteners?
    You should do a post about different sweeteners and how to substitute them in recipes. I run into this all the time…just a thought 🙂

  8. Personal Training Melbourne says:

    Now that looks nice, yet another recipe I will be trying from you! keep them coming!

  9. hi there – your pie looks yummy! i can’t wait to give it a try!!! do you think i could make this with sour cherries? maybe increase the sweetener a bit?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Krista – I’m not sure. I’ve never worked with sour cherries. But it’s worth a try. You could also add a bit of unsweetened apple sauce to the cherry mixture. Maybe a 1/2 cup apple sauce and an extra 1/4 cup agave. I’m not sure if it would work, but it’s worth a shot. Let me know how it turns out!

  10. I’m wondering if I can use frozen dark sweet cherries instead of fresh ones? Right now cherries are super expensive and not even all that sweet because they aren’t in season over here…if I used frozen would my pie turn out mushy? Can’t wait for ur input, ur recipes are fabulous!!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Melissa – I think frozen would work providing you defrost them completely first. Let me know how it turns out!

  11. I can’t wait to try this recipe. But, when I went to your printer mode to print this recipe the pictures (although pretty) were huge and took 5 pages to print. I will have to hand write the recipies in the future so if you could make the pics smaller I’d start printing them again. Or is there a way to just print the recipe only (not your intro or pics)? Thanks!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lauren – Sounds like something is wrong. I’ll check on it. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂

    2. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lauren – Should be all fixed now. Thanks again!

  12. I am looking for some fun portable treats to send in lunches. These make me think of the commercially made pies that were my grandmother’s favorite. Have you made any of your pies in a way similar to the fried pies?

    1. graciouspantry says:

      Amanda – I’m not sure what you mean. But if you want something small, you could do mini pies in a muffin tin. I would use the pans they have for the large muffins.

  13. graciouspantry says:

    Oh!!! Sure, you could do that with the pie crust. It won’t be as light and flaky, but still good.

  14. graciouspantry says:

    Oh!!! Sure, you could do that with the pie crust. It won’t be as light and flaky, but still good.

  15. Can you use xylitol instead of honey? Any idea what the ratio would be on that?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Catilin – You can, but you have to substitute by weight, not volume. If you weigh them both, you can sub in equal amounts. Hope that helps.

  16. Hi Tiffany…. I just made the cherry pie using the pie (sour) cherries. The honey gave it just the right amount of sweetness. Mine didn’t turn out as pretty looking as yours, but it tastes really good. I bought some whipped cream from Traders Joes to go on top to hide the little imperfections. Thank you for the recipe.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Rose – Fabulous!!! So glad it turned out well! 🙂

  17. I can’t believe this exists. Thank you so much!! 😀

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jeni – Haha! Enjoy! 🙂

  18. Hungry to eat well says:

    Did using frozen cherries work?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      HTEW – Are you asking me or somebody else here?

  19. I’m a beginner cherry pie maker and I’m having a difficult time understanding this recipe. The ingredients do not call for agave…..has this been substituted for honey? Also, the ingredients call for almond extract and cinnamon, but there are no steps that tell me what to do with these two ingredients?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      B – Sorry about that. All fixed!

  20. kassie (@kmakesithappen) says:

    omg thank you so much for making this recipe. I’d love some good gluten free recipes! Love your website.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Kassie – Thanks so much! I have a gluten free crust on my blog here, just add the filling! 🙂

  21. Thank you! My 13 year old son picked 6 pounds of cherries from Grandma’s tree today and this is exactly what we were looking for!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Cassi H – My pleasure! I hope you both enjoy it!

  22. Could the filling or pie be frozen? Would I freeze it before or after cooking? Thanks so much 🙂

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Nh – I would just freeze the filling. The crust might not hold up so well.

  23. I used frozen cherries and the filling was super runny – was it because I didn’t use fresh cherries??

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Amanda – Yes, that would have been the water from them being frozen. If you want to use them, you would need to thaw them and let them drain for several hours. But then you also lose some of the juice. Fresh is best here.