Savor summer with this gluten free cherry crisp recipe. Golden Rainier cherries, bubbling maple sauce, and a crisp almond-oat topping create this delightful dessert. A flavorful almond flour, oats, and almond paste streusel crowns the gluten-free crisp. While the cherry filling bakes to bubbly perfection to deliver the best cherry treat!
Gluten Free Cherry Crisp For Two
Plump cherries, bubbly cherry-maple sauce, soft and crisp topping, whispers of almond flavor, and vanilla ice cream. I’ve just described my ideal summer dessert!
We have the pineapple mango crisp, the apple biscoff crisp, and now we have the cherry gluten free crisp. And just like my popular cherry almond galette recipe, these cherries shine with the pairing of almond in the filling and topping!
Everything To Love About This Recipe
- Fresh cherries – With a single fruit filling, the cherries have a chance to shine! Just like they do in my fresh cherry ice cream!
- Crispy almond oat topping – A flavorful gluten free streusel crisp topping made with almond flour and oats.
- Easy to make – The crisp topping comes together easy, and the cherries do all the work to develop flavor while they bake.
- Bold almond flavor highlights – We have almond in the filling and topping. And almond paste in the topping is key to bringing the almond flavor front and center.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Cherries – I use fresh Rainier cherries. – the same cherries I use in my Rainier cherry mousse! Use any cherry you like, including frozen.
- Lemon juice – The lemon juice adds a brightness to the cherries.
- Maple syrup – We use pure maple syrup in the filling and topping. Swap in any sweetener you prefer.
- Almond extract – Almond and cherries are a wonderful pair! A little almond extract goes a long way.
- Almond flour – Unblanched almond flour is the base of the streusel topping for this cherry crisp. The almond flour adds flavor, texture, and structure.
- Rolled oats – I recommend rolled oats for their size and texture in the crips topping.
- Tapioca flour – Tapioca flour goes into the cherry filling to thicken it as it bakes. It also goes into the topping to add a little chew.
- Salt – Salt is great at balancing and enhancing flavors.
- Butter – I recommend unsalted butter since we are adding our own salt. And the butter must be cold so the topping doesn’t bake into a cookie!
- Almond paste – One of my favorite ingredients, almond paste amps up the flavor in the topping. You could certainly omit if you prefer.
Baking Equipment
- Cherry pitter – In my opinion, the cherry pitter is the only way to get the seed out of the cherry! There are other diy methods, but I’ve tried them, and trust me, the pitter is easy.
- Mixing bowls – A couple small mixing bowls work great.
- Baking dishes – If you want to use the dishes in my photos, they are these cute little casserole dishes. Otherwise, use any small baking dishes, or a single baking dish.
- Small baking sheet – I highly recommend using a small baking dish to hold your mini baking dishes while baking. It makes getting the crisps out of the oven easier.
Gluten Free Cherry Crisp With Almond
These mini cherry crisps have an abundance of almond:
- Almond flour in the topping
- Almond extract in both the topping and filling
- Almond paste in the topping
But my favorite in this recipe is the almond paste. Almond paste is essentially blanched almonds ground with sugar, a little water, and probably some extra almond extract for flavor. You usually find it in the baking aisle and it comes as a solid brick wrapped in foil.
It is not to be confused with my almond cream filling in the almond croissants recipe. As that name implies, it is a little creamier and made with butter and egg.
Is Almond Paste The Same As Marzipan
There is a difference between almond paste and marzipan. Almond paste will have a higher ratio of almonds, making the texture more gritty – similar to cookie dough. Whereas marzipan has a higher sugar ratio which makes it smooth.
How To Make A gluten Free Cherry Crisp
What I love about a fruit crisp recipe is how easy they are to make. Yet, they have a wonderful complexity with the different flavors and textures!
- Prepare your cherries – Pit the cherries, then sprinkle with the lemon juice, maple syrup, almond extract, and tapioca flour.
- Make the crisp topping – Mix together the flours, oats, and salt. Then, cut in the butter and almond paste with your fingers. Stir in the maple syrup last and mix until you have a moistened dough.
- Assemble the crisps – In your mini baking dishes, pile in the cherries and top with the crisp topping.
- Bake the crisps – Place the baking dishes on a small baking sheet – much easier to get in and out of the oven! Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly.
- Cover with foil – If the topping is browning too fast, loosely cover the crisps with a piece of foil.
- Cool slightly – And I mean slightly. The crisps are best enjoyed warm, but you don’t want lava hot filling!
- Enjoy – Top with scoops of ice cream or dollops of whipped cream and devour!
Tips For Success
- Use a cherry pitter – I touched on this above, but trust me, the cherry pitter is your friend!
- Make sure the butter is cold – For the topping, we want the butter to stay cold so the topping retains bite size pieces when baked.
- Use the extra cherry juice – You will have extra liquid in the bowl after you spoon the cherries into the baking dishes. Drizzle it over the cherries!
- Place the baking dishes on a baking sheet – To simply make it easy to get the small little dishes in and out of the oven!
- The cherry crisps are best enjoyed warm – And don’t forget a little ice cream!
FAQ’s
Yes! You will want to change you baking dish as well to accommodate a larger batch.
You could try placing the cherry over a (empty) bottle of soda and poke the pit out with a chopstick. I’ve tried this and I find it’s too much work. A cherry pitter is ideal!
I use Rainier cherries in this crisp recipe. They are slightly sweeter and have a beautiful color!
They should work fine. No need to thaw them either. Just note the filling may be a little softer.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. I recommend re-heating in the oven at 350F degrees until bubbly again. Or, you can microwave the crisps.
Gluten Free Mini Cherry Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
Crisp Topping
- 5 tablespoons blanched almond flour
- 5 tablespoons rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
- pinch salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 tablepoon almond paste
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or granulated sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Cherry Crisp Filling
- 2 ¼ cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
Crisp Topping
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, oats, tapioca flour, and salt. Add in the butter cubes and the almond paste and mix into the dry ingredients using two forks or your fingers. Mix until the mixture becomes moistened by the butter (much like a cookie dough).5 tablespoons blanched almond flour, 5 tablespoons rolled oats, 2 tablespoons tapioca flour, pinch salt, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes, 1 tablepoon almond paste
- Add the maple syrup and almond extract and stir to thoroughly combine. Place the crips topping in the refrigerator while you prepare the cherries.2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Cherry Filling
- Use the cherry pitter to pit the cherries. Slice the cherries in half – or you can leave whole if you prefer.
- Add the prepared cherries to a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle the tapioca flour, maple syrup, and almond extract over the cherries. Stir to combine.2 ¼ cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved, 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 2 teaspoons tapioca flour, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Spoon the cherry filling into the mini casserole dishes. For any extra liquid, equally divide it among the crisps. Sprinkle the crisp topping over the cherries. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crisp topping is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbly. If the topping is browning too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil until finished baking. Tip – Place the filled mini casserole dishes on a small baking sheet to bake. This will make getting the small dishes in and out of the oven easier.
- Cool the crisps for a few minutes on a cooling rack before serving – the crisps are best enjoyed warm. Top with ice cream or whipped cream and Enjoy!
RECIPE NOTES
- Cherries – I use Rainier cherries for this crisp recipe. I find that they sweeter than regular red cherries. Use any fruit you prefer.
- Almond Paste – I typically see Solo almond paste (linked in the recipe) and Odense almond paste in my grocery.
- Serving Dishes – The dishes in the photos are linked in the recipe. You can also use 2 small pie dishes or a smaller size casserole dish.
- Serving Size – The recipe yields 2 mini cherry crisps. However, it can easily be doubled to make a larger crisp.
- Substitutions – Swap cornstarch for the tapioca flour 1:1. Swap in any sweetener of choice for the maple syrup 1:1.
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch gluten free and traditional desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you!
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