BEST Homemade Vegan Cherry Pie (Gluten Free!)

Juicy, sweet, and unbelievably EASY vegan cherry pie. This cherry pie tastes just like the classic with a perfectly set cherry pie filling and the flakiest “buttery” pie crust that’s all vegan, dairy free, lower in sugar, easily gluten free. Honestly, no one will be able to turn down a slice of this vegan pie!

Why you need to make this vegan cherry pie:

You are just going to love this vegan cherry pie, and for some really good reasons. 

Of course, blueberry pie, apple pie, and strawberry pie are amazing. But vegan cherry pie? Next level. It’s my family’s favorite vegan dessert to serve at Fourth of July, and it comes around again in the winter time too. 

Not only is this the best cherry pie that I personally have had (including from before my vegan days), but it’s also fully approved and rated the best cherry pie by every family member as well, including some of the pickiest of eaters.

Let’s go over why you won’t regret making this cherry pie 😉

• This vegan cherry pie is FULL of sweet cherries- the best kind of cherries- so you get a deliciously sweet fruit pie that celebrates the natural sweetness of the fruit, lower sugar, and still an above fantastic taste.
• The cherry pie filling sets perfectly– and I do mean perfectly. No runny pies over here! 
• You only need 6 ingredients!
• When you try this vegan pie crust, you won’t want to go back to regular or store bought. It’s just such a game changer. Not only is it super flaky, but it’s also “buttery” and has a great structure.
• The flavor of the cherry pie filling is above and beyond. With a bit of almond extract, this filling is just out of this world delicious!
• This vegan cherry pie is completely eggless, dairy free, refined sugar free, and can easily be made nut free and gluten free without missing the flavor. It’s honestly a dream come true.

Make this deliciously juicy summer pie for your next cookout, barbecue, summer birthday, Fourth of July, or any time! Honestly, no one will be able to refuse a slice 😉

What kind of cherries do you use for pie?

Typically, for cherry pie, you’d use sour cherries. However, I think that the best cherry pies are actually made with sweet cherries, and then we’ll reduce the sugar. Trust me, it really does make for the best homemade cherry pie!

For sweet cherries, you can use either dark sweet (Bing) or Rainier. The Bing cherries are the type of sweet cherry variety that’s a dark ruby red, and Rainier are more yellow with hints of vibrant red. Neither of these are considered the “pie cherry” variety, I know, but we’re really trying to highlight the natural sweetness of the fruit with all of its flavors, rather than just granulated sugar. So that’s why I recommend sweet cherries over tart!

In terms of whether you should use Bing cherries or Rainier, Bing cherries will give you a more classic cherry pie look, and according to Dr. Michael Greger, they also have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Can you substitute frozen cherries for fresh?

For this vegan cherry pie recipe, you can use either frozen or fresh, or both! I’ve actually tested this recipe with both frozen, fresh, and a mix, and all varieties work. This is because we’re cooking the cherries first, which will help reduce a bit of the liquid, especially in frozen.

How to make the best vegan cherry pie with a perfect lattice crust (overview)

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe. 

Easy Cherry Pie Filling

This vegan cherry pie filling is my all time favorite. You can even make the pie filling just as a dessert or a topping for vegan cheesecake!

To start, you’ll toss together the cherries with maple syrup, arrowroot starch or cornstarch, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. 

Cook the cherries for about 10-15 minutes total (bringing them to a boil first, then allowing the cherries until it just begins to thicken). Once the cherries are cooked, you should have a juicy cherry pie filling. It won’t be super thick just yet, but definitely will have thickened a little in the heating process.

Transfer the cherry pie filling to a bowl, and allow the cherries to cool for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Flaky, “buttery,” perfect vegan pie crust

Then we have the pie crust. This is my all time favorite, non-vegan approved BEST vegan pie crust recipe, that we’ll make into a lattice crust (more on that below!). And to be honest, it’s even simpler than a regular pie dough. So forget store bought or making the conventional all together!

This vegan pie crust consists of flour, vegan butter, arrowroot starch or cornstarch, a hint of maple syrup, and ice cold water. Trust me, it is MAGIC. Most of these ingredients you’re probably familiar with, but if you’re a first time butter user, then know that I strongly recommend Flora Plant Butter. Honestly, the consistency is so similar to regular butter, as is the taste, and it makes for the BEST vegan pie crust. Every person that doesn’t strictly eat dairy free or vegan and has tried this crust has also shared the same sentiments!

Now, we aren’t going to par-bake the crust for this vegan cherry pie, but we’ll get into that in the next sections. It actually makes the process easier!

If this is your first time making pie dough, or a vegan one (because it’s just slightly different since this pie dough is eggless), let’s go over the basics:

1. You’ll first pulse together the flour, arrowroot starch, and cubed COLD butter. Cold is crucial, as you’ll be working the dough, and you don’t want it to be tacky. Pulse the mixture in a food processor until you get a sandy texture.
2. Next, add in the teaspoon of maple syrup, and a tablespoon at a time of the ice cold water as you continue to pulse the mixture consistently until you get a thick dough ball. Then we’ll chill the dough for 20 minutes to make sure that the butter is still cold and able to be worked with. We’ll actually be making a lattice crust as well, so you’ll divide the dough into two discs before chilling!
3. When ready to roll out one dough disc, you’ll roll the dough on a lightly floured and clean surface to be about 1″ wider than your pie dish (I used a 10″ pie dish), and about 1/8″ thick.
4. Carefully transfer your pie dough over to your pie dish (this takes some practice. You can check out this pie crust video here to see how, or read this helpful pie dough guide!).

Now you’re ready to fill your pie, and make the lattice crust!

Tips & Tricks for making a lattice crust

If this is your first time making a lattice crust, I highly recommend checking out my YouTube video for how to make a lattice crust, along with reading our Pie Crust Guide (linked above and in the recipe card) for all the tips and tricks.

But making a lattice crust is actually way simpler than it seems, and is quite fun.

• Make sure the dough is moveable but cold. It’s all about having the dough at the perfectly chill but moveable temperature. This is usually between 65-68F. That’s when I find the dough is easily rollable but still quite cold, so that we can handle the lattice strips without the dough breaking.
• Roll the dough to be an 1/8″ thick. Get out your ruler for this part (and the next, really). Super thin dough will break, once again. Make sure you’re rolling evenly, and to 1/8″ thick.
• How to make perfect lattice strips: I roll my dough out to be about 12-14″, and I use a pizza cutter to slice each lattice strip about 1″ thick. I really like the look of a tightly weaved lattice crust, so that’s why I slice it so thick. You can slice them thinner if you prefer!

1. You’ll first start by laying half of the strips parallel to each other on top of the pie.
2. Then lift back the second, fourth, and sixth strip. Place a lattice strip that’s appareled across the strips. Place the second, fourth, and sixth strips back.
3. Now pull back the first, third, and fifth strips. Place another lattice strip directly next to the last lattice strip, appareled across the first batch. Place the first, third, and fifth strips back.
4. Repeat, alternating the groups of paralleled strips until you’ve achieved a woven lattice crust!.

How long to bake a cherry pie

This vegan cherry pie takes about 45-50 minutes to bake, depending on your oven. I brushed the top of my lattice crust with a bit of melted vegan butter and a sprinkle of coconut sugar (but you can also use brown sugar!). It helps to achieve a really flaky pie dough top!

The most important part is that you allow the cherry pie to rest for 1-2 hours after baking. This is because the juices really need to set as they cool. Giving your pie time to rest after baking will prevent a super runny cherry pie mishaps! Just a super juicy, gooey, and deliciously sweet vegan cherry pie!

Happy pie baking!

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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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