So it’s cherry season which is always exciting for me! Mostly because during the rest of the year cherries cost eleventy-billion dollars, but they are practically giving them away at the stores near us right now!
I’ve always loved fresh cherries, though I really hate pitting them – making this handy dandy cherry pitting tool a lifesaver! Don’t get me wrong, I can do it with a knife, I just end up with purple stained hands for days that have people looking at me sideways out in public wondering if I just committed a gruesome felony.
Other people just smile and nod – they know what’s up.
Cherries – that’s what.
Even if you are really low carb or keto, cherries can fit into your diet plan in moderation. They aren’t much higher in sugar than fresh berries, and because they are so packed with flavor, a little goes a long way in low carb dessert recipes.
Speaking of recipes, I don’t cook with cherries that much because I just love eating them raw. I did make this Paleo Cherry Crisp a couple of years ago that’s still very popular on the blog though. If you haven’t tried it I recommend it – super easy to throw together at a moment’s notice, and it tastes amazing with low carb vanilla ice cream!
One cherry-based recipe that I’ve always wanted to try was Cherry Clafoutis. Mostly because I like the name. If you’ve never heard it pronounced, you say Clafoutis like this (kla-FOO-tee.) See? It even sounds fun.
The French eat Cherry Clafoutis for dessert and sometimes even breakfast, which is a tradition I can absolutely get behind!
Until now I’d been enthralled by the name Cherry Clafoutis, but had never actually made the dish. So I remedied that situation last week. The end result was so much better than I’d expected from the descriptions I’d read and the photos I’d seen! It has a glossy, not quite crisp exterior, with an almost custard-like interior – yet it’s firm enough to pick up when chilled.
Having never made traditional Cherry Clafoutis before, I started with this recipe from Saveur as my base, but took quite a few liberties with it to make my low carb and gluten free version.
There is a significant amount of vanilla in here that I thought might be too much, but it definitely wasn’t, so make sure to use it all – it’s not a typo. The intense vanilla flavor makes the custard heavenly. I added some cherry extract too, but almond would also work to round it out I think.
There are so many things to love about this recipe, but one of my favorites is that you literally throw all of the ingredients (except the cherries) in the blender until smooth, pour it into a buttered pan, toss your cherries on top and bake it for around half an hour.
It makes the entire house smell fantastic, and when it comes out of the oven it’s equally delicious warm or cold (if you can wait that long.)
Mr. Hungry LOVED this recipe – there were none of the usual “it’s good but it would taste better with real sugar and flour” comments. He was too busy rummaging through the fridge to find his emergency can of whipped cream to put on top of his second helping – which he followed up with by finishing it all for breakfast the next day. That’s how I know this one is a real keeper.
Unfortunately I only had a bite or two because I’m avoiding dairy and eggs right now and this has both. Those two bites were total bliss though!
Another thing I love about this recipe is how versatile it is in the sense that you can make it in one large pan, mini skillets for two to share, or in individual serving sizes in a muffin pan.
This is seriously the most perfect brunch recipe ever – it keeps well in the fridge if you need to make it ahead, and even if you don’t it’s so easy to make that you can decide to whip it up last minute and have it served in no time. And if you are buying up tons of cherries you can pit and halve them, then freeze them to have ready any time you get a craving for this.
Once you try it, I have a feeling you’re going to be craving it A LOT.
Don’t have cherries around, or eleventy-billion dollars to buy them out of season? No worries, you can put berries or other fruits in the same clafoutis base with excellent results! Which is giving me some fun ideas for future versions.
Time to CLAFOUTIS ALL OF THE THINGS!
Cherry Clafoutis – Low Carb and Gluten Free
- Yield: 8 servings or 12 muffins 1x
Description
This fantastic (and super easy) low carb and gluten free recipe is based on the classic French dessert and can even be eaten for breakfast or brunch! Keto, LCHF, and Atkins diet friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp salted butter
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (vanilla flavored if you can get it)
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar substitute (I used this brand)
- 1/2 tsp cherry extract (I used this brand)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- pinch of kosher salt
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup almond flour (I used this brand)
- 1.5 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F.)
- Use the butter to grease a 9 or 10″ cast iron pan or baking dish, or a large (12) muffin pan (or two 6 muffin pans.)
- Combine the almond milk, heavy cream, sweetener, cherry extract, vanilla extract, xanthan gum, salt, and eggs in a blender and blend for about 10 seconds.
- Add the almond flour and blend for an additional 30 seconds or until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the pan or muffin tins.
- Spread the cherries, cut side up evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes if making 4″ muffins (or until set & a knife in the center comes out clean.)
- Bake for 35 minutes if making in one large pan (or until set & a knife in the center comes out clean.)
- Serve warm or chilled.
Notes
To see a list of my favorite low carb products and brands that I recommend for sweeteners, flours, etc. you can check out the IBIH Pantry Ingredients Page!
Approximate nutrition information per serving:
Slice from pan (1/8th): 194 calories, 15g fat, 6g net carbs, 8g protein
One “muffin” (1/12th): 129 calories, 10g fat, 4g net carbs, 6g protein
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: French
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karen says
I was researching this dessert and the french do not pit their cherrie as baking them with the seed intacked, gives an almond flavor to the dessert.
Steve says
As. Well as tooth breaking capability…
Jamie says
This looks interesting. I pitted a bowl of cherries and am looking for some ideas. I don’t have cherry extract but since I saw that the French leave the pits in for an almond flavor, I think I will use almond extract instead. Will report back. :)
Eric says
Made this twice for different events over July 4th holiday weekend. The first time just to see how it came out, and thought it was OK, but not terrific. A couple of people commented that it was not very sweet. So the second time, I raised the sweetener amount to 1/2 cup, and dusted the top with grated nutmeg and powdered sweetener. The sweetener because a french cookbook recipe calls for a dusting of powdered sugar, and the nutmeg just because I wanted it.
Note: in France they make it using whole cherries, pits and all! They put the cherries in the pan, pour the batter over, and into the oven it goes. So no need to sweat if the cherries don’t float on top.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Eric, the amount of sweetener is definitely subject to personal taste, as well as how sweet the cherries are that you’re working with! Dusting it with the powdered sweetener is a great way to compensate and make adjustments after the fact – thanks for that tip!
Caitlin says
Thanks for another winner! It’s delicious!
Katie says
We made these yesterday for a small brunch. They were an absolute hit. My husband and I fought over the last one. The only thing that I didn’t like about the recipe is that the clafoutis stuck to the bottom of the muffin pans, even though i thought i had buttered them *very* generously. I’ll be using a silicone muffin pan when we do the muffins next time. I can’t wait to try this as a base for other fruits. Thank you so much!
Katie says
As an update to my previous comment, i just tried this with a different muffin pan and used a bit more butter. They came out so easily. It must be my other pan! Wonderful recipe. This will be a staple in our house for years to come. I’ve already made it with frozen cherries and another with strawberries. Both turned out beautifully!
sparkly jules says
I made this last night with raspberries and 2% milk, it’s fabulous. Had it warmed with whipped cream for breakfast. Fabu!!
cimmaryn says
Just to update — the muffins have cooled, and there is definitely more of a ‘sweet’ taste, and less ‘eggy’. Yum!
cimmaryn says
Ok, I made these! I forgot how much fun it is to bake. :) I think my batter was a little thin — do you need to give time for the xanthin gun to thicken? Maybe I should add more almond flour? I stayed true to the recipe, except I used whole milk instead of almond milk.
My cherries sank, like another poster’s. However, I had extras, so I just put them in, too. :) I figured it was like Venice — eventually some would be at the surface. LOL I had maybe 6-7 halves per muffin.
They rose amazingly while cooking, though they deflated a bit when I took them out. Wonderfully glossy. Smell great — I used cherry extract that is 3-4 times stronger than regular (lorAnn oils), which I have never used before.
I’ve never had this dish before, so I cannot compare. Hot out of the oven, it seems a little eggy (but good). Not very sweet, which seems strange because they smell really sweet. :) I’m tempted (since I had one for ‘dessert’ tonight) to put a sweet drizzle on them.
Easy recipe, great results. Thanks for this!
cimmaryn says
I would like to substitute something for the almond milk. Could I just use regular (whole) milk? Or more heavy cream? Would I need to make any other tweaks if I do?
Thanks!
Isanna says
I had to bake for an hour at 400. I didnt have xanthan gum, i used guar gum, the same amount. And i used heavy cream instead of whipping. Could that be a reason.
Susana says
I made this last night and it was fantastic!!! My husband and I had breakfast for dinner, lol. Thank you sooo much for the recipe. I followed it to a T (however, didn’t have cherry extract… so used extra cherries :)