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Sugar-Free Clafoutis (Low-Carb, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)

June 4, 2021 (Last Updated: April 29, 2023)
Sugar free clafoutis

In need of an easy and quick sweet treat? It takes only ten minutes to put this sugar-free clafoutis together, and under ten ingredients. Make it with sweet cherries, tart cherries, or experiment with other seasonal fruits.

Ingredients of a sugar-free and gluten-free clafoutis

Clafoutis is a traditional French dessert that can be prepared last minute. Usually made of eggs, milk and heavy cream, sugar, and flour, this dessert is surprisingly easy to transform into a gluten-free, lectin-free, sugar-free and even dairy-free cake.

You only need a few common and accessible ingredients to make a healthier clafoutis:

  • pastured eggs
  • coconut cream
  • almond flour
  • a plant paradox compliant sweetener (I used inulin powder)
  • fresh cherries (frozen cherries can also be used and it can be made with other fruits too)
  • salt, vanilla, and if you want that intense almond taste, add pure almond extract (I love the intense almond taste, but I only use it if I find a pure almond extract).

Of all the gluten-free flours, almond flour is the most natural for this cake, as it is always part of the original recipe. But, if you can’t have nuts, cassava flour can be used. It will need about 2/3 cup of cassava flour, to get a thicker batter. And if you use cassava flour instead of almond flour, make sure you add pure almond extract, to give it the specific almond flavor.

Sugar free clafoutis in the pan

How to make it

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a round baking dish of about 7 inches in diameter, or something equivalent in any shape. Thick glass is great, pie dish, or even a cast iron. The dish should be coated with coconut oil.
  • Add the eggs, coconut cream, sweetener, salt and vanilla, and almond extract, if using, to a mixing bowl and whisk until all creamy.
  • Add the almond flour and combine until all is incorporated. You should get a thick, fluffy, and creamy batter.
  • Pour the batter into the greased dish, level, and place the cherries on top, slightly pushing them down into the batter. They just need a little space in between.
  • Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

This type of cake is more like a dutch baby pancake and is usually eaten warm and sometimes with cream. It has a flan-like texture; I almost felt it was like a cheesecake (I don’t eat cheese so maybe it’s me dreaming of a cheesecake 😃).

The cakes I make are usually not very sweet, so if you think you have a sweet tooth, add more sweetener. You can also sprinkle more on top.

The texture and consistency

Usually, the clafoutis batter is very thin, but I don’t feel it will work in this case. The final consistency should be similar to that of a flan or custard, that’s why a thin batter works in the traditional version.

But in this gluten-free and sugar-free version, I feel we need a batter a little bit thicker so the cake doesn’t come out too moist.

The cherries

There are two schools when it comes to the clafoutis. One prefers the whole cherries, with the pits, and the other without. The reason behind the whole cherry tribe is that this way, the cherries will not let their moisture run out. Which makes sense to me, but I wouldn’t want to encounter pits while I’m enjoying my sweet treat. You can try either.

Use a cherry pitter to get the pits out.

Some cover the bottom of the dish with cherries and then pour the batter on top. I poured the batter first and arranged the cherries on top, gently pushing them down into the batter. Either way would work.

Frozen cherries will release more moisture than fresh ones, so make sure the batter is not too thin if you use frozen cherries.

This lectin-free, sugar-free clafoutis can be easily sliced, but I love having it straight from the baking dish. That’s a nice sharing dessert or weekend breakfast if your family loves to share.

A nut-free version of the lectin-free, sugar-free clafoutis

Some of you are always asking about nut-free versions, and that’s super easy with this cake. Use cassava flour, but you will have to add slightly more flour, about 2/3 cup. The batter should not be too soft.

More fruit cake recipes

For more fruit cake ideas, check out these recipes:

For a similar idea, but executed differently, check out this recipe:

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.

Sugar-Free Clafoutis (Low-Carb, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (6 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)
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By Claudia Curici Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes

In need of an easy and quick sweet treat? It takes only ten minutes to put this lectin-free, sugar-free clafoutis together, and under ten ingredients. Make it with sweet cherries, tart cherries, or experiment with other seasonal fruits.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil for coating the baking dish
  • 3 pastured eggs
  • 1 cup coconut cream
  • 3 tablespoons inulin powder (or another plant paradox compliant sweetener), more if you have a sweet tooth
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • optional: 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract (if you like the intense almond flavor)
  • 1/2 cup almond flour (packed)
  • about 45-50 pitted cherries (you need to cover the surface)

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a round baking dish of about 7 inches in diameter, or something equivalent in any shape. Thick glass is great, pie dish, or even a cast iron. The dish should be coated with coconut oil.

2

Add the eggs, coconut cream, sweetener, salt and vanilla, and almond extract, if using, to a mixing bowl and whisk until all creamy.

3

Add the almond flour and combine until all is incorporated. You should get a thick, fluffy, and creamy batter.

4

Pour the batter into the greased dish, level, and place the cherries on top, slightly pushing them down into the batter. They just need a little space in between.

5

Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

Notes

Note: Make sure the flour is measured after you pack it in the cup. The egg size might differ and you want to have enough flour. If the batter looks too thin, add a little bit more flour. Substitutions: You can make this cake with cassava flour, but you have to add rather 2/3 cup cassava flour. 1/2 cup is not enough.

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8 Comments

  • Reply
    Brenda
    March 25, 2024 at 9:02 pm

    How many carbs in a serving? Could you put nutritional info. On your recipes? It would sure be a help!

  • Reply
    Diana Robete
    June 6, 2021 at 7:54 pm

    Hi Claudia, I made this too, and it turned out great! The only difference was that I used coconut milk, instead of cream, and it was more watery, so I ended up adding 1 cup of almond flour instead of 1/2 cups. Next time, I will put the coconut can in the fridge so the water/coconut separates…then I think less almond flour will be ok, I wasn’t sure of the texture I was supposed to get, but the kids loved it (it was something similar to “gris cu lapte la cuptor”. I made one on Saturday and another on Sunday., as the first batch was gone in no time. Thanks for the recipe

    • Reply
      Claudia
      June 7, 2021 at 4:21 am

      Hi Diana, you are right, need to refrigerate the coconut milk and discard the water that separates from the cream before using it. I’m glad in the end turned out great. And yes, you can describe the texture like that. Maybe yours is a bit different since you had more flour. But who knows, maybe yours is better. If you make the cream version let us know about the difference. <3

  • Reply
    Tammy
    June 6, 2021 at 2:06 pm

    This is so tasty!! I will definitely be making this again! I’d like to figure out what I did wrong with the batter though. But you have any idea how to substitute coconut flour for the almond flour?

    • Reply
      Claudia
      June 7, 2021 at 4:24 am

      Hi Tammy, happy in the end it turned out good. I also wonder what happened. Did you use coconut milk instead of coconut cream? That might be one of the reasons. I just made another one this morning and took some videos of the batter, I’ll post on Instagram in stories and maybe in the FB group (I’m not sure if you are on Instagram but I know you are on FB). Thank you for sharing your experience with us, it’s very helpful. <3

  • Reply
    Tammy
    June 6, 2021 at 12:22 pm

    I packed the almond flour into a 1/2 cup measuring cup. I only blended the eggs and coconut milk until creamy. Then mixed in the almond flour but it never really got thick so I ended up adding a whole lot more flour. And when I added the freshly pitted cherries to the top, they sunk. I cooked it now and additional five minutes while covered with foil. It seems done now. Can’t wait to try it!!

  • Reply
    Tammy
    June 6, 2021 at 11:14 am

    Hello! I’m making this now and I wished the eggs and cream until creamy, then added the flour… But the batter is not getting thick. Was I supposed to whip the eggs and the cream to whip cream with peaks first?

    • Reply
      Claudia
      June 6, 2021 at 11:25 am

      Hi Tammy, no, you were not supposed to get peaks. Just blend until creamy. Which version are you making? The 1/2 packed almond flour should be enough. I think you should be ok.

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