Some pies are about the filling. This one is about the top.
The golden strips of a sugar-free cherry lattice pie are the whole point, and getting a low-carb dough to roll, strip, and weave without cracking takes a blend that behaves like pastry flour. Almond flour and vital wheat gluten do that work, cold butter keeps it flaky, and the filling thickens with a scant pinch of xanthan so the cherries stay whole and glossy underneath.
The plate matters here. A small 6-inch pie plate is what makes this pie work, because it keeps the filling tall instead of spreading it into a thin layer.
The dough divides two ways, two thirds for the shell and one third for the lattice, and the whole thing bakes at 350°F for 38 to 45 minutes. Then it needs at least an hour and a half to cool before you cut it, which is when the filling finally sets enough to hold a clean slice.
Eight servings, about 150 calories each, with roughly 4g net carbs, 7g protein, and 3g fiber per slice. If you want the allulose behavior in more detail, my guide to sugar-free sweeteners for baking covers how it browns and where it behaves differently from table sugar.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A real lattice, not a solid lid. The dough rolls out thin enough to cut into 6 to 8 strips, so the top looks handmade and the cherries stay visible underneath.
- The filling is mostly whole cherries. Nothing is pureed, and the syrup thickens around intact fruit, so every bite has soft cherries in it.
- A flaky low-carb crust. Finely ground almond flour, vital wheat gluten, oat fiber, and cold cubed butter give you layers that flake instead of crack.
- Only about 4g net carbs a slice. Eight servings at roughly 150 calories, with 7g protein and 3g fiber.
- One bowl, one saucepan, one plate. There is no blind bake and no separate custard stage. The filling cooks on the stove and goes straight into the shell.
Ingredient Notes
For the flaky low-carb crust
Finely ground almond flour (⅔ cup, 70g) is the base, and the grind matters. Finely ground flour presses into a tender sheet that rolls without fighting you. Coarser almond meal leaves pieces that crack the moment you try to lift a lattice strip.
Vital wheat gluten (¼ cup, 25g) is the ingredient that makes this dough behave like pastry dough. It gives the crust the gluten structure that almond flour alone cannot, which is what lets thin strips hold their shape on top of the filling. Oat fiber (2 tbsp, 12g) absorbs moisture and keeps the crust tender rather than crumbly, and granulated allulose (2 tbsp, 24g) sweetens and browns it.
Cold unsalted butter, cubed (2½ tbsp, 35g) goes in last, cut in until pea-size pieces remain. Those pieces are the flakes. One large egg (50g) binds the dough, ice water (1 to 2 tbsp, 15 to 30ml) only when the dough needs it, and fine salt (¼ tsp) sharpens the almond flavor.
For the tart cherry filling
Frozen unsweetened tart cherries (1½ cups, 240g) are the whole filling. Tart cherries are more tart and more fragrant than sweet cherries, and frozen ones hold their shape better through a short simmer, which is exactly what you want when you are thickening with gum instead of reducing for a long time. If you want exact numbers for the fruit in your own freezer, USDA FoodData Central lists raw cherries separately from the frozen ones.
Granulated allulose (⅓ cup, 50g) melts into a clear syrup that turns glossy rather than sticky. Lemon juice (1 tbsp, 15ml) keeps the cherries bright and balances the sweetness, alcohol-free cherry flavor (1 tsp) boosts the fruit aroma, and a pinch of fine salt pulls the whole thing together.
The scant ⅛ tsp of xanthan gum is the whole thickening strategy, and it is a small amount for a reason. Dumped in at once, it clumps and turns the filling to paste. Sprinkled in gradually while the pan is still hot, it disperses and gives you a glossy sauce that coats the cherries without hiding them.
For the lattice finish
One large egg white (30g) beaten with 1 tsp water is the wash that goes on last. It gives the strips a glossy, evenly browned surface instead of the patchy color you get from a plain egg wash. That is the whole finish. No sugar, no spice, nothing else.
How to Make It
Step 1: Heat the oven and mix the crust
Heat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix the almond flour, vital wheat gluten, oat fiber, granulated allulose, and fine salt. Then cut in the cold cubed butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until the butter is broken into pieces no bigger than a pea.
Do not rub it all the way in. Those visible pieces are what flake.
Step 2: Bring the dough together and chill it
Add the egg and mix it through. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, only until the dough holds together when you pinch it.
Too much water is the one mistake that makes this dough impossible to roll. Once it comes together, divide it into two uneven pieces, roughly ⅔ for the base and ⅓ for the lattice, and chill both for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Cook the tart cherry filling
Put the frozen tart cherries, ⅓ cup of the granulated allulose, lemon juice, alcohol-free cherry flavor, and a pinch of fine salt in a small saucepan. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the cherries soften and release their juice and the syrup looks like a thin, glossy sauce.
Step 4: Thicken with xanthan and cool
Sprinkle in the scant ⅛ tsp of xanthan gum a little at a time while stirring over the heat. Give it 20 to 30 seconds, just until the filling looks glossy and slightly thicker, then take the pan off the heat.
Cool the filling for 10 to 15 minutes. Pouring hot filling into raw dough softens the crust, so this cooling step is what keeps the bottom from going soggy.
Step 5: Line the plate and add the filling
Roll the larger piece of dough between two sheets of parchment until it is thin enough to see your hand through. Ease it into the greased 6-inch pie plate and press it up the sides, keeping it thin.
A thick shell is the reason a pie this size feels heavy rather than rich. Trim the overhang, then pour in the cooled cherry filling.
Step 6: Weave the lattice
Roll the remaining dough out the same thin way and cut it into 6 to 8 strips with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Weave them over the filling, alternating the direction of the strips, and leave the gaps slightly uneven. A ruler-straight lattice is harder than it looks and always reads as store-bought.
Step 7: Brush and bake
Whisk the egg white with the 1 tsp of water and brush it lightly over the lattice. Do not flood the strips, or the egg will pool in the gaps and bake into a sheet. Bake at 350°F for 38 to 45 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the filling bubbles gently in the gaps.
Step 8: Cool before slicing
Take the pie out and let it cool for at least 1½ hours before you cut it. This is the part people skip, and it is also the part that decides whether the slices are clean. The filling is still setting as it cools, and cutting early gives you a soft, runny first slice.
Success Tips
- The 6-inch plate keeps the cherry filling tall and abundant. A larger plate would spread the same filling into a thin layer, and the filling is the point of this pie.
- Keep the cherries mostly whole and the crust thin. Do not crush the fruit while stirring, and roll the dough thin enough to see through it. Both go against the instinct to make a small pie look generous.
- Add the xanthan very gradually. Dumping it in at once clumps it, and clumped gum makes a gummy filling. A pinch at a time, stirred over the heat, is the whole difference.
- Keep the butter cold for a flakier crust. If your butter is soft before it goes into the bowl, it blends into the flour instead of staying in pieces, and you lose the flake.
- Cool fully before slicing so the filling sets. An hour and a half is the floor, not the target. The pie also keeps slicing cleanly the next day, which makes it an easy thing to make ahead.
Storage
This recipe does not come with a tested shelf life, so treat the sugar-free cherry lattice pie as a make-ahead dessert for the day it is baked or the day after. Cover it loosely and keep it at room temperature for the first few hours, then refrigerate if you are holding it overnight. Bring it back out about 30 minutes before serving so the filling softens enough to slice cleanly.
The crust is more fragile once it has absorbed moisture from the filling, which is another reason to keep the shell on the pie rather than cutting and storing slices separately. If you do end up with individual slices, press parchment between them so the lattice does not stick to the slice below.
Sugar-Free Cherry Lattice Pie FAQ
Can I use a regular pie crust recipe?
Not for this one. The filling cooks and thickens with xanthan gum, so it does not bake off excess moisture the way a runny cherry filling does in an all-butter shell. This almond flour and vital wheat gluten crust is formulated to hold its shape under that filling.
Why does my filling turn gummy?
Almost always the xanthan. It went in too fast, or too much of it went in, and gum that clumps will not dissolve back out. Add it a pinch at a time over the heat and stir for the full 20 to 30 seconds before you judge the texture.
Can I use fresh or canned cherries instead of frozen?
Frozen works best, because the short simmer softens the fruit without turning it to mush. Fresh cherries will hold their shape even better, which means they need more cooking to soften, and canned cherries are usually already packed in syrup that will throw off how much allulose the filling needs.
How do I know the pie is done baking?
Color first, then time. At 38 to 45 minutes at 350°F the lattice should be deeply golden all over, not pale in the middle of the strips, and the filling should be bubbling gently in a few of the gaps. Pale lattice with bubbling filling usually means it needs another few minutes.
Do I really need the 1½-hour cool?
Yes, and longer is better. The filling finishes setting as it cools, so cutting early gives you a slice that runs. If you are short on time, an hour at room temperature then 30 minutes in the fridge helps, but plan the full cool into the bake from the start.
Give the dough its 15-minute chill, keep the butter cold, and the lattice behaves. This sugar-free cherry lattice pie bakes in under an hour and then does the rest of the work on the counter, which is the easy kind of waiting.
If you want a nut version of the same idea, the sugar-free turtle pecan pie cooks a similar allulose caramel in a 7-inch pie dish, and the sugar-free Texas trash pie uses a simple pressed almond crust for a chunky no-roll bake. If you want a top made of woven strips rather than crumbs, the sugar-free dutch apple pie scatters a loose pecan streusel over the apples instead of rolling and weaving a lattice.
Sugar-Free Cherry Lattice Pie
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat oven to 350°F. Mix crust dry ingredients; cut in butter, leaving pea-size pieces.
- Add egg, then just enough ice water for dough to hold. Divide ⅔ for base and ⅓ for lattice; chill 15 min.
- Simmer cherries, allulose, lemon juice, cherry flavor, and salt 5–7 min.
- Sprinkle in xanthan gradually; cook 20–30 sec until glossy. Cool 10–15 min.
- Roll larger dough between parchment; line pie plate with a thin bottom and side crust.
- Add filling. Roll remaining dough, cut 6–8 strips, and form a rustic lattice.
- Brush lattice lightly with egg-white wash.
- Bake 38–45 min until deeply golden and filling bubbles gently.
- Cool at least 1½ hrs before slicing.
Notes
- The 6-inch plate keeps the cherry filling tall and abundant.
- Keep cherries mostly whole and crust thin.
- Add xanthan very gradually to avoid gummy filling.
- Keep butter cold for a flakier crust.
- Cool fully before slicing so the filling sets.