Keto Berry Pie
Published June 24, 2022 • Updated February 26, 2026
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A low carb berry pie with a flaky almond flour crust, four types of berries, and an American flag design I've been making for summer cookouts since 2018.
I started making this for the 4th of July back in 2018, and it’s become the recipe my family expects every summer. The whole thing is built on my flaky almond flour pie crust that actually rolls out, holds its shape, and gets genuinely flaky in the oven. If you’ve tried rolling out keto dough before and watched it crack apart, this one handles differently.
What makes this stand out is the technique. I use a folded piece of aluminum foil as a divider to keep the blueberries and blackberries separate from the raspberries and strawberries while baking. It sounds almost too simple, but it keeps the colors clean and gives you that flag pattern without the berries bleeding together. Then I punch out stars and cut wavy stripes from the top crust, which is honestly the fun part, especially if you have kids who want to help.
The filling is tangy, jammy, and holds together without getting soupy. I thicken it with ground chia seeds and arrowroot powder, which sets cleaner than cornstarch alone. Summer berries are ideal, but I’ve also made this in February with frozen ones (thaw them, drain the liquid, squeeze in paper towels and the filling holds up fine). I use this same crust for my apple pie and pumpkin pie, so if you’ve made either of those, you already know the process.
I’ve brought this to neighborhood cookouts where nobody else was eating low carb, and people went back for seconds without asking about ingredients. That’s my test for any recipe. If the non-keto crowd eats it and comes back, it works. One reader told me she kept bracing for disaster with the crust and “it just didn’t come,” which is exactly the reaction I want. My strawberry pie gets a similar response, but this one has the visual impact that makes people pull out their phones before cutting into it.
For other summer options, my coconut cream pie is no-bake and comes together fast, and the lemon tarts are what I bring when I want something smaller and more portable. But for the 4th of July, this is the one I keep coming back to.
How to make this American flag pie
- Make the crust. I use a food processor to pulse almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, salt, chilled butter, and cream cheese together. Add egg and vinegar, pulse until a ball forms. Split into two (one slightly larger for the bottom).
- Mix the berries. Toss blueberries and blackberries with the sweetener-thickener mix. Do the same with raspberries and strawberries in a separate bowl.
- Separate by color. Fold aluminum foil into a divider inside the pie. Pour the blue mixture on the left, red on the right. Carefully remove the foil.
- Add stars and stripes. Roll out the second crust, punch out stars with cookie cutters, cut wavy stripes. Lay them on top and crimp edges with a fork.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool at room temperature for 2-3 hours before slicing so the filling sets properly.
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Keto Pie Crust Ingredients
2 cups almond flour -
6 tablespoons coconut flour
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2 teaspoons xanthan gum
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1 teaspoon salt
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1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
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2 ounces cream cheese, softened
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2 eggs
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1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
American Flag Pie Ingredients
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1/3 cup sugar free sweetener
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3 teaspoons ground chia seeds
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1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
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1 cup blueberries
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1 cup blackberries
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2 cups raspberries
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2 cups diced strawberries
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2 teaspoons lemon juice
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star cookie cutters
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make the pie dough
To a food processer, add almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum and salt. Pulse to combine. Add chilled cubed butter and cream cheese. Pulse until coarse crumbles form. Add egg and vinegar. Pulse until combined and a dough ball forms. Separate into two balls (make one ball slightly larger for the bottom crust)
Roll out pie crust
Place the larger dough ball in between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out, using a rolling pin, in all directions forming a circle a few inches larger in diameter compared to the pie plate. Dough should be around 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat with top crust.
Thicken it up
Make the thicker for the filling by adding sugar free sweetener, ground chia seeds and arrowroot powder to a small bowl. Mix to combine.
Make 'blue' berry mixture
In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, blackberries and 2 1/2 tablespoons of the sweetener thickener mixture. Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Refrigerate while you work on the ‘red’ berry mixture.
Make "red" berry mixture
In a large bowl, combine raspberries, strawberries, remaining sweetener thickener mixture, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and refrigerate while inserting the bottom layer pie crust.
Lay down the bottom crust
Remove the top layer of parchment paper to the bottom pie crust. Place a pie plate upside down on top of the pie crust. Slide your hand underneath the pie crust and flip. Remove the parchment paper and press the dough into the pie pan.
Indivisible
Fold a piece of aluminum foil until it fits the diameter of 1/3 of the pie and is about 2 inches wide. Place at the 1/3 mark. Pour the ‘blue’ berry mixture into the left side (smaller) of the foil. Pour the ‘red’ berry mixture into the right side. Be careful not to pour in any juices as that will make your pie filling too soupy. Remove the foil.
Stars and stripes
Take the top pie crust out of the refrigerator and remove the top layer of parchment paper. Using a cookie cutter and knife, punch out star shapes and cut out wavy flag stripes. Place on top of pie crust. Crimp around the edges with a fork.
Bake
Bake the pie at 350 degrees for around 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool at room temperature for 2-3 hours before transferring to the refrigerator to cool further if not serving right away.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen berries instead of fresh?
I've made this with frozen berries in the middle of winter and it turned out great. The key is thawing them completely, draining off all the liquid, and then giving them a good squeeze in paper towels. Too much moisture and you lose that jammy filling texture. Fresh berries are ideal in summer, but frozen is a solid backup when fresh are expensive or out of season.
How do I prevent the pie crust from getting soggy?
I've dealt with this and figured out two things that matter. First, I don't pour in the extra berry juices when filling the pie. Just the berries and enough liquid to coat them. Second, I make sure the bottom crust is pressed firmly into the pan with no air pockets underneath. Some people blind-bake the bottom crust for 10 minutes first, and I've tried that too. It helps if you're making the pie a day ahead, but for same-day serving I skip it.
Can I make this pie ahead of time and freeze it?
I freeze the crust all the time, wrapped tightly for up to 2 months. I do the same for my chocolate cream pie crust. For the assembled pie, I've frozen it and the crust held up, but the berries release more liquid when thawed. My recommendation: freeze the crust, keep the filling fresh. If you need to freeze the whole thing, add an extra half teaspoon of chia seeds to the thickener mix to absorb the extra moisture.
Can I use a different berry combination?
I've tried several combos. All-raspberry for the red side gives you the lowest carb count and the most intense flavor. Blackberries instead of blueberries work perfectly for the blue side and are slightly lower in sugar. The only mix I'd avoid is all-strawberry for the red, because strawberries release more juice and can make the filling too wet. My favorite combo is blackberries plus raspberries for the lowest carbs, but blueberries give you the best color contrast for the flag design.
What can I substitute for xanthan gum?
I use xanthan gum because it helps the almond flour dough stretch and roll without cracking. If you can't find it, psyllium husk powder works as a replacement. Start with half the amount and add more if the dough feels crumbly. I've also tested ground flaxseed in the crust and it holds together, but the texture is a bit denser. For the filling thickener, the chia seeds do most of the heavy lifting, so xanthan gum in the filling isn't critical.
Is this pie gluten-free?
Yes. I use almond flour and coconut flour instead of wheat flour, so it's naturally gluten-free. The xanthan gum acts as the binder that gluten would normally provide. I've served this to friends with celiac and they had no issues.
Can I make this dairy-free?
I've tested it with coconut oil instead of butter and it works, but you lose some of that flaky quality because coconut oil doesn't create the same air pockets when it melts. For the cream cheese, I've used dairy-free cream cheese and the dough came together fine. If you go fully dairy-free, add an extra tablespoon of coconut flour to compensate for the slightly different moisture content.
Grind your own chia and the filling sets SO much better.
Pie filling on keto is solvable. The crust is what I stopped trying to figure out two years ago. This one holds, and I think the cream cheese in the dough is what's making it bind differently. Heard the snap when I cut into it. Didn't realize I was still missing that.
I've been trying to get my brother on board with keto for months and he's been politely, stubbornly resistant, and then I brought this pie to his place last weekend and he spent a weirdly long time examining the flag design, turning the dish around, pointing at the way the blueberry and blackberry section bleeds into the raspberry section, and he finally said 'you actually made this look like something' which from him is basically a standing ovation, he doesn't compliment food on appearance ever, so I'm still a little stunned, and the almond flour crust held together when I sliced it which I was panicking about the whole drive over, no crumbling, clean cuts, and the filling had this jammy thickness that didn't turn soupy even after sitting out for a bit, so I'm making this again next time I need to prove a point to a skeptic.
I've used almond flour crusts before but xanthan gum was new to me, and I was nervous the flag stripes would fall apart. It rolled out clean and every stripe held, which honestly surprised me. Does it re-roll for scraps or get tough the second time?
Re-rolls fine. Gets a little stiffer but not bad. I usually just chill the scraps for a few minutes first and it loosens right back up.
Made this for a Sunday cookout and my 9-year-old, who never notices what he's eating, stopped midway through his slice to ask if we were 'allowed to have this.' He thought I'd accidentally made a real pie. I think it was the flaky almond flour crust that sold him.
That question from a 9-year-old is the only review this recipe needs. The vinegar in the crust is what does it. Most people see it in the ingredients and skip it, but that's the whole reason the dough flakes instead of crumbles.
Making this for Memorial Day and only have a tart pan with a removable bottom. Will the shallower depth mess up the flag berry layering?
Nope, tart pan works. The flag is all top anyway. Just go a little lighter on the filling so nothing spills over the edge.
Spent a year and a half on keto just accepting berry pie was gone. Made this Sunday and ate a slice standing at the counter. Kind of embarrassed by how emotional I got. The crust actually flakes.
Don't be embarrassed. That's a year and a half of missing something, then having it back. I use the vinegar specifically for that flake - most almond flour recipes skip it and you can tell.
Made this over the weekend and my daughter spent a solid minute just looking at it, asking where I'd bought it from. She's not keto, has very strong opinions about 'health food.' Watching her go quiet while she ate a slice was its own kind of satisfaction. The almond flour crust is genuinely flaky in a way I wasn't fully prepared for (xanthan gum and vinegar really do work together), and the chia-thickened filling set up cleaner than I expected. I didn't tell her it was sugar free until she'd gone back for seconds. Her face in that moment was worth every minute of rolling out that flag design. I've been making traditional berry pies for years and this is more work, but not by much. Being able to eat it without thinking twice makes it worth it.
Seconds first, then the reveal. She'll never doubt it again. The chia setting up that clean still gets me every time I make it.
The filling is the star, but I really wish it mentioned letting the chia mixture sit a full 15 minutes first. Mine went in pretty loose and I was nervous. Once it set though, the crust held up way better than expected.
Good catch. Full 15 minutes and it goes from runny to almost jammy. Worth adding that to the recipe. Glad the crust held up.
I've made this four times now, mostly for spring get-togethers, and I think I finally have the crust figured out. The first two attempts, I didn't chill the dough long enough and it kept cracking when I tried to roll it out between the parchment sheets. Once I gave it the full 30 minutes in the refrigerator, it rolled out in one piece. The flag design is still the part I find fiddly, my stripes never look quite as precise as the photos, but once the berries bake down and the colors deepen it still looks like I put real effort into it. At 6.7 net carbs a slice I'll keep making it. My one note at four stars: I've started pulling back on the sweetener in the red berry mixture because the strawberries carry enough on their own, and it tastes more balanced that way.
Yeah, the chill time is everything on that dough. I've rushed it. Doesn't work. And strawberries carry enough on their own, you don't need to add much.
Brought this to a cookout last weekend, set it on the table, and watched three people stop talking mid-sentence to stare at it. One woman grabbed my arm to ask what bakery it came from. The almond flour crust holding that flag design together without crumbling is some kind of freaking witchcraft.
The bakery comment never gets old. Rice vinegar is doing more than people think in that dough.
My son kept picking at the flag decoration before dinner, the way kids do when you've told them ten times not to touch it, and I was ready to be annoyed. Then he ate a full slice and said the crust tasted 'like butter cookies but for pie.' Kid doesn't give compliments, so I'm taking it. Four stars only because the dough took me two tries to figure out and I'm still wrestling with the xanthan gum texture, but the berry filling is the easy part.
'Butter cookies but for pie' might be the best review that crust has gotten. The xanthan gum is genuinely sensitive, even a quarter teaspoon extra and it gets gummy. I always level the spoon and don't pack it.
My husband kept pulling the lattice strips off to eat the crust by itself, which was so annoying until I tried one and realized he was completely right. That almond flour base has this buttery snap I did not expect from a keto crust. Making a double batch next time so we actually have a full pie left to cut into.
Ha. Your husband figured out something a lot of people miss. Cold cubed butter straight from the fridge is what creates that snap. Double batch is the right call.
Tip for anyone new to almond flour dough: after mixing, put it in the freezer for 10 minutes before rolling and it handles so much better. My first attempt without doing that had cracks everywhere and I almost gave up on the flag design. I also swapped out the blueberries and blackberries for all strawberries and raspberries since that's what I had, and the chia seed filling still set up clean. Genuinely surprised it came together as well as it did.
The freezer step is one I keep meaning to add to the actual recipe. And strawberry-raspberry for the red stripes? Way deeper color than the mixed berry version.
Used frozen berries because fresh ones in April are a gamble, thawed and squeezed them out really well, and the chia thickener actually worked better (all that extra juice gave it something to grab onto). Crust came together cleaner than some of my fresh-berry attempts.
The chia grabbing that extra juice actually makes it set cleaner. April fresh berries are a texture gamble anyway.