Made with seasonal fruit and simple ingredients, this French classic is a must-try for any occasion. Try this gluten-free clafoutis for dessert, brunch, or breakfast.

This past weekend I had a sudden yearning for clafoutis, the classic dessert that every French grandmother has in her repertoire.
Clafoutis is one of those rustic desserts that defies classification. Imagine a cross between, a Dutch baby pancake, and a flan, studded with seasonal fruit. The combination of warm juicy fruit in a silky baked custard base is a pretty irresistible one. It’s a simple, unpretentious dessert, but one that’s guaranteed to please.

Clafoutis
A classic throughout France, originally hailing from the Limousin region, clafoutis is thankfully also delightfully easy to make. Like making pancakes, all you need are a few basic ingredients for the batter and some ripe fruit.
I’m using pears because they’re in season now and their delicate flavor pairs so nicely with the almond and vanilla flavored custard but you could also use the more traditional cherries (even frozen work fine, just thaw and drain them first.)
Now traditionally, versions made with anything other than cherries were referred to as flognarde instead of clafoutis (so you might still see that from time to time), but nowadays the term clafoutis has come to encompass all versions sweet and even savory so that’s what I’m calling mine. Whatever you choose to call it, the real joy of this charmingly rustic dessert is how simple it is to make, quickly whisk or blend together your batter, pour over a pile of thinly sliced pears and into the oven it all goes. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Fruit – I’m using 3 medium pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced.
- Lemon – You’ll need about 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.
- Milk – For a dairy-free version I’m using coconut milk but you can also use regular milk.
- Eggs – You’ll need 3 large eggs.
- Honey – Use a light flavored honey.
- Flour – I’m using a combination of almond and arrowroot for a gluten-free clafoutis.
- Vanilla – Use a good quality pure vanilla extract.
- Optional – For extra flavor add a Tablespoon of Poire Williams pear brandy.

How to Make a Gluten-Free Clafoutis:
- Gently toss the sliced pears with the lemon juice and layer evenly on the bottom of an oven-proof dish.
- Blend the milk, eggs, vanilla, pear brandy (if using), honey, almond flour, arrowroot and salt in a blender until smooth.
- Pour the batter evenly over pears and bake until golden and set.
As it bakes the clafoutis will puff and brown around the edges but remain soft and creamy on the inside. You can serve it warm from the oven for dessert, at room temperature for brunch or even cold from the fridge the next day for breakfast.
It’s a sweet, cozy and comforting treat.
More French Desserts:

Gluten-Free Clafoutis
This gluten-free clafoutis is a simple, rustic French dessert filled with fresh pears baked in a tender custard.
Ingredients
- Coconut oil for baking dish
- 3 medium pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup/240g coconut milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon Poire Williams pear brandy (optional)
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons/90ml light colored honey
- ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon/63g almond flour
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons /48g arrowroot flour
- Pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 35o degrees F. Grease a 9-inch ceramic tart dish or pie plate with coconut oil; set aside.
- Gently toss sliced pears with lemon juice and layer evenly on the bottom of prepared dish.
- Blend coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, pear brandy, honey, almond flour, arrowroot and salt in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. The mixture will be thin, like crêpe batter.
- Pour batter evenly over pears. Bake until golden and set, about 35-40 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 269Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 49mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 20gProtein: 5g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Rawan says
Hello Sylvie! Love your blog and recipes! I made the clafoutis this morning and try as I may, it just wouldn't set. I kept it up to an hour and a half in the oven and it still was very loose and soggy... I might have put a little more coconut milk than required, I also used a "lite" coconut milk can, could that be the reason? I also used a food processor to mix the ingredients instead of a blender, could that have an impact too? It tasted incredibly yummy it's just the consistency that was off. Thanks in advance for your help!
Sylvie says
Yes extra moisture from the coconut would make the batter soggy but it could also be the almond flour. What kind of almond flour did you use? I recommend the Honeyville brand which is finer and drier than other brands and has a better consistency in baked goods. Now keep in mind the clafoutis is custard-like in texture and will always be very moist when finished but shouldn't be soggy. Using the blender vs food processor shouldn't make a difference at all in the final result. Hope that helps!
Cara says
Could this be made ahead of time and frozen for a few days?
Sylvie says
You'd be better off making it fresh as it will get soggy if frozen and thawed due to the fresh pears, not to mention that it tastes best fresh. You can however whip up just the batter ahead of time and keep that in the fridge and then pour it over the sliced pears when you are ready to bake it.
Liz says
Just made this and it came out great! I've never had or made clafoutis before but it reminded me of dutch babies. I didn't have pear brandy so I used what I had on hand - apple cognac. My husband thought I should have put more than 1 Tbls in. Maybe next time I'll try 2. I definitely will be making again. What I loved about this recipe is that it is not too sweet. I don't eat refined sugar and generally don't like overly sweet foods. This satisfied my sweet tooth. Because it's not too sweet, I think it would be good for breakfast too. Loved it! Thank you for sharing it!
Sylvie says
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
Elle says
I just made this one today with apples.
Used rum instead of pear brandy and only 35g sugar. Was sweet enough for both of us.
Instead of unbleached almond flour I milled unbleached almonds. Worked out great!
Thanks for sharing. Great recipe for both lactose intolerant and celiac.
Elle
Sylvie says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Melinda Tripp says
I made it for tonight's dessert at our lake home, looks perfect!
I want to make it next with the almond meal for my gluten
Free son in law!
Thanks so much!
Melinda Tripp says
Used my own pears....so yummy looking!
Sylvie says
I'm so glad you liked it Melinda!
Anu says
I tried this today and it was delicious!!! I used Pink Lady apples instead of pears and heavy cream instead of coconut milk. Wonderful!
Anu says
Oh and I also used Lairds Applejack instead of the pear brandy.
Sylvie says
Fantastic! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Your apple version sounds delicious!
Jen Laceda says
hmmm...interesting use of coconut oil for the pan...i love coconut oil! and i also love pears and clafoutis in general!!! i always make this for my family...with a bit of pear eau-de-vie or Poire Williams! Yumm-o!
Soumya says
Hi,
I just made this dessert yesterday after seein your recipe!! It did turn out good. Quick question though.. how is it suposed to taste?? Mine was not soo sweet... I have never had a clafouti before so i dont know what its supposed to be like.Thanks for the great recipe and photos..
Sylvie says
Hi Soumya, the dessert relies heavily on the sweetness of the fruit so the ripeness of your fruit may change the sweetness of the final result. I created the recipe to be very lightly sweet, if you want it a little sweeter feel free to increase the amount of unrefined sugar in the recipe to your personal taste.