5-Ingredient Low-Carb Cherry Pie Bars

5-Ingredient Low-Carb Cherry Pie Bars include a sweet and sticky cherry pie filling made using fresh cherries or frozen cherries, a delicious crumble topping, and a rich and buttery shortbread crust. This healthier dessert recipe is easy to make, is egg-free, vegan, dairy-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and it includes a Paleo option!

The Low-Carb Blueberry Crumb Bars I posted a few weeks ago were so well received that I figured I would re-visit the topic in the form of cherry pie!

The concept for these bars is to incorporate all the delicious facets of cherry pie – that sweet and gooey cherry filling and flaky crust – and simplify the preparation process by making bars.

Using fresh or frozen cherries, these bars turn out tasting so fresh and inviting. And we all know the crust is what really seals the deal!

While the simple glaze is certainly not mandatory, it adds a nice creamy texture and brings a similar vibe as a fruit danish.

The ingredients we need for this keto dessert recipe are super simple, and each ingredient plays an important role. Let’s discuss them!

Ingredients for Low-Carb Cherry Pie Bars:

Frozen Cherries: Using frozen cherries for the cherry pie filling (rather than canned cherry pie filling) results in a fresh and flavorful mouth-watering experience!

You can also use fresh cherries, although my preference is to use frozen because they come pitted. Having the cherries pre-pitted saves a great deal of time! Nevertheless, if you enjoy using fresh cherries, they will certainly work too.

Sugar-Free Granulated Sweetener: In keeping these cherry pie bars sugar-free and low-carb, we use a sugar-free granulated sweetener. My personal preference is monk fruit sweetener as I personally don’t use sugar alcohols often, but you can go with your favorite brand and type of calorie-free sweetener.

Tapioca Flour or Xanthan Gum: In order to thicken the cherry pie filling, we need a thickener. I use tapioca flour or arrowroot flour, but you can also use cornstarch or xanthan gum.

Almond Flour: The grain-free flour of choice for these bars is almond flour! It generates a rich and buttery crust and amazing crumble topping. Because the crust and topping are made with the exact same ingredients, we only have to mix up one bowl of dough, thereby saving time and energy.

Different brands of almond flour contain varying absorbencies, so if your dough seems overly wet or oily, add more almond flour (typically 1/2 cup) until a cohesive dough forms.

Coconut Oil or Butter: The fat portion of the recipe! We need some liquid and fat to bring the crust together into a cohesive whole and keep the flour from burning during the baking process. The coconut oil or butter also provides richness and adds to the deliciousness of the bars.

Sea Salt: A real flavor enhancer, a pinch of sea salt goes a long way in bringing out all of the flavors and ensuring all of the flavors meld together nicely. Don’t skip it!

Optional Glaze: If you’re making the optional glaze, you will also need sugar-free confectioners sweetener (also known as sugar-free powdered sugar). The glaze is a combination of sugar-free powdered sugar and water (or lemon juice for a lemon flavor).

Recipe Adaptations:

Cornstarch can be used as a 1:1 replacement for tapioca flour, but if you’re using xanthan gum, start with 1 teaspoon and then adjust up to two teaspoons if need be. The goal is to achieve a thick (not runny) fruit pie filling.

Stevia drops will also work great and shouldn’t require further adjustments to the recipe, although I haven’t tested it to know the exact amount yet.

Use pure maple syrup instead of sugar-free sweetener for Paleo cherry pie bars, or use regular cane sugar or maple sugar.

If you’re using coconut oil instead of butter, you may need to add 1/2 cup of additional almond flour as I have found it tends to be a bit greasier than melted butter.

Now that we’re familiar with the five simple ingredients needed to make this easy recipe, let’s bake them!

How to Make Low-Carb Cherry Pie Bars:

Prepare the Crust and Topping:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 9” baking pan with parchment paper. 

Stir all of the ingredients for the crust and topping in a large mixing bowl until it is well combined and a thick sticky dough forms. Note: If you’d like, you can use an electric mixer or a stand mixer, but the dough comes together easily so this isn’t necessary. The dough may seem very crumbly – this is normal, and it will press together easily when you go to make the crust. 

Measure out ¾ of a cup of the mixture and set it aside to use for the crumble topping later.

Transfer the remaining almond flour pie crust mixture to the parchment-lined pan and press it into an even layer with your hands. 

Use a fork to poke many holes in the crust. 

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven.

Make the Cherry Pie Filling:
While the crust is baking, prepare the cherry filling. Transfer the frozen cherries and a pinch of sea salt to a saucepan. Cover the saucepan and heat it over medium heat on the stove top, stirring occasionally.

After a few minutes, liquid will begin to leach out of the cherries, and once this occurs, you can mash the cherries with a spoon or fork until it reaches your desired consistency (creamy or chunky both work!).

Add the tapioca flour and sugar-free sweetener to the cherry pie filling and stir well to combine. Allow the mixture to boil for a couple of minutes to thicken, then remove it from the heat.

Make the Bars:

Pour the cherry pie filling on top of the prepared crust and smooth it into an even layer.

Use the reserved crumble mixture to sprinkle over the cherry filling. Note: you can leave the mixture very crumbly or you can press it into small dough nuggets, depending on the look you’re going for.

Bake the bars at 350 for 22 to 30 minutes or until the topping is golden-brown and the filling is bubbly.

Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

If you’d like, you can make the optional glaze by simply stirring together the sugar-free confectioners sweetener with water until it’s nice and creamy. Drizzle the glaze over the bars, and enjoy!

Store any leftover Keto Cherry Pie Bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Nutritional Information:

When slicing the bars into 16 equal-sized squares, each bar contains 189 calories, 9 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, and therefore 6 grams of net carbs.

Depending on whether you follow a ketogenic diet or a general low-carb diet, you can assess whether or not these bars are suitable for your nutritional needs.

While these bars don’t contain added refined sugar (like cane sugar), they do contain some sugar in the form of fructose. 

Some people on the keto diet prefer avoiding fructose altogether to ensure no spike in insulin, but for those who follow a low-carb but not ketogenic diet, these bars are a great healthier sweet option.

And that’s it! Everything you need to know about these amazing tangy, perfectly sweet and lovely cherry crumb bars!

More Low-Carb Dessert Recipes:

• Keto Lemon Bars
• Low-Carb Carrot Cake Muffins
• Giant Chewy Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
• Keto No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Enjoy!

5-Ingredient Low-Carb Cherry Pie Bars

4.46 from 11 votes

The easiest cherry pie recipe you'll ever make! 😉 These delicious grain-free sugar-free cherry pie bars are lovely for sharing.

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 Bars

Ingredients

Cherry Pie Filling:

• 3 cups 16 oz. frozen cherries*
• 1 Tbsp sugar-free granulated sweetener
• 1 Tbsp tapioca flour**
• Pinch sea salt

Shortbread Crust and Topping:

• 3 cups almond flour
• ½ cup coconut oil or butter melted
• ¼ cup sugar-free granulated sweetener
• Pinch sea salt

Sugar-Free Glaze:

• 1 cup sugar-free powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp water or lemon juice

Instructions

• Prepare the Crust and Topping:1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 9” baking pan with parchment paper. 
• Stir all of the ingredients for the crust and topping in a large mixing bowl until it is well combined and a thick sticky dough forms. The dough may seem very crumbly - this is normal, and it will press together easily when you go to make the crust. 
  
• Measure out ¾ of a cup of the mixture and set it aside to use for the crumble topping later.
  
• Transfer the remaining almond flour pie crust mixture to the parchment-lined pan and press it into an even layer with your hands. Use a fork to poke many holes in the crust. This will allow it to bake evenly as there will be some airflow through the shortbread crust. 
  
• Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven.
• Make the Cherry Pie Filling:1. While the crust is baking, prepare the cherry filling. Transfer the frozen cherries and a pinch of sea salt to a saucepan. Cover the saucepan and heat it over medium heat on the stove top, stirring occasionally. After a few minutes, liquid will begin to leach out of the cherries, and once this occurs, you can mash the cherries with a spoon or fork until it reaches your desired consistency (creamy or chunky both work!).
  
• Add the tapioca flour and sugar-free sweetener to the cherry pie filling and stir well to combine. Allow the mixture to boil for a couple of minutes to thicken, then remove it from the heat. It should be the consistency of cherry pie filling, rather than runny so just be sure to cook the filling until it is nice and thick.
  
• Make the Bars:1. Pour the cherry pie filling on top of the prepared crust and smooth it into an even layer.
  
• Use the reserved crumble mixture to sprinkle over the cherry filling. Note: you can leave the mixture very crumbly or you can press it into small dough nuggets, depending on the look you’re going for.
  
• Bake the bars at 350 for 22 to 30 minutes or until the topping is golden-brown and the filling is bubbly. Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
  
• If you’d like, you can make the optional glaze by simply stirring together the sugar-free confectioners sweetener with water until it’s nice and creamy. Drizzle the glaze over the bars, and enjoy!
  

Notes

*If using fresh cherries, add ¼ cup of water

**You can replace the tapioca flour with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot flour, or 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum.

Store any leftover Keto Cherry Pie Bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1Bar (of 16) · Calories: 189kcal · Carbohydrates: 9g · Protein: 5g · Fat: 16g · Fiber: 3g · Sugar: 4g

Author: Julia

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cherry pie bars, healthy desserts, keto dessert recipes, low-carb cherry pie bars, paleo, paleo dessert recipe, shortbread crust, sugar free desserts, sugar-free glaze, vegan, vegan desserts, vegan recipes

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