Expect from this keto apple pie a suuuper flaky pie crust paired up with an unbelievable zucchini filling… that might just give apples a run for their money! Pinky promise.
Low Carb & Keto ‘Apple’ Pie
The Real Deal!
This guy right here is surely top 5 of my favorite recipes on the site. Could also be because apple pie was my favorite dessert pre-keto… but this is honestly an exceptional ‘apple’ pie in whatever light you view it.
More than happy to provide friends and family references for the skeptics amongst you! (Or just go through your comments and raving reviews over the past year!).
The filling is essentially a less spiced-up version of the keto ‘apple’ muffins (from Keto Speedy Comfort Food eCookbook!), where it became clear that zucchini might just give apples a run for their money!
And it turns out that the texture of the zucchini might be even more suitable than apples for pie. You see, the tricky thing about a terrific apple pie is getting the apples to the perfect point: soft, but with a bite.
Meanwhile, zucchini seem to hold on to their bite even after and hour-and-something cooking time (stovetop + oven). So it’s honestly pretty much fool-proof. And imo, it works better than even chayote (which I used in our ‘apple’ crumble).
So I cannot recommend enough that you whip it up (asap!). Enjoy as is, or top with our vanilla ice cream and while you’re at it don’t skip the gooey keto caramel!
The Brown-Butter ‘Apple’ i.e. Zucchini!
As I said in the cookbook, my (keto) life will never be the same guys! I’ve always been a big time apple lover and this is just too ideal. Zucchini just became my favorite veggie! #applepieforlife
The essential trick? The acidity punch! You need to be sure to add enough lemon and give the zucchini ample time to absorb the brown-butter lemony juices.
And yup, zucchini impersonating apples isn’t a new thing… but with a few solid tips and tricks you won’t even need the help of an apple extract!
The Sweetener
You’ve got good options here! Allulose is my favorite for no aftertaste now (you do need to add 30% more though), Lakanto Golden (barely any cooling aftertaste here), xylitol (non-corn though to avoid tummy troubles!).
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys!
The Deets
When rolling out the pie crust, you may want to use parchment or wax paper. Given the lack of gluten, the crust is more fragile and it will break easily if not handled with care. So I suggest rolling it out between two sheets of parchment paper. Easy peasy.
And talking about lack of gluten, this is the reason why the dough will crack slightly when baked. I’ve noticed that the cracking can be lessened by allowing the dough to rest overnight (rather than for an hour), though note that taste and texture will be the same. I also noted that by increasing the xanthan gum you can get a silky smooth crust, but at the cost of losing quite a bit of flakiness. So I most definitely sacrificed some aesthetics for the sake of taste and texture.
Some of you have reported back that it’s difficult to handle, be sure to check that your cream cheese has xanthan gum. And if you still can’t make it work, you’ll have to up the xanthan gum to 1/2 teaspoon.
One last thing. Like with any pastry dough, make sure not to over-process the dough. The mixture ought to resemble coarse breadcrumbs rather than cookie dough.
Just One Rule
Make sure the filling is completely chilled before filling up the pie. Otherwise you will (quite literally) see the pastry melt before your very eyes.
And remember that, like with any pastry dough, you need to work quickly and over a cool surface. Though do note that if the dough becomes too hard to manage, you can always pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes before carrying on!
And… the video story!
Keto Apple Pie (with our super flaky pie crust!)
Ingredients
For the keto pie crust
- 2 batches suuuper flaky keto pie crust
For the 'apple' filling
- 56 g unsalted grass-fed butter
- 2 kg zucchini peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon *
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- pinch kosher salt
- 2/3-1 cup golden erythritol allulose or xylitol, to taste
- 1/2-2/3 cup lemon juice to taste
Serving suggestions
Instructions
For the keto pie crust
- See recipe video for guidance on the pie crust, and whip up a double batch! You can make it three days ahead, or even freeze it for a couple months (simply thaw it out in your fridge overnight and roll it out per usual!).
For the brown-butter 'apple'
- Heat up the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium/low heat. Continue to simmer the butter, stirring once in a while, until fully browned (about 4-6 minutes).
- Add in the zucchini, spices, salt and mix everything together. Add in the lower amounts of sweetener and lemon juice, cover, lower heat to low, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lid and taste for sweetness and acidity; you’ll most likely need to add more of both (don’t be afraid of the lemon juice, as it’s acidity is what will give it that apple kick once it’s thoroughly absorbed).
- Cover once again and cook for 10 more minutes. Remove the lid, taste again, and allow to cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes longer to thicken up the juices. Allow to cool completely before filling up the pie!
To assemble the pie
- Preheat oven to 390°F/200°C. Lightly butter a 9 inch pie pan. Roll out 1 batch of pie crust into a roughly 13-inch circle, between two sheets of parchment paper. Feel free to lightly dust with coconut flour as needed. Transfer to the pie dish, using the parchment paper as an aid. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest.
- Roll out the second pie crust and trim to desired width for lattice (roughly 1 1/2 inch). Take your pie dish out of the fridge, fill up with chilled 'apple-zucchini' and weave the lattice, crimping the edges to seal. You'll have leftover pie crust, which I simply re-roll and turn into crackers!
- Brush with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes. To get a shiny finish, take your pie out of the oven and brush it quickly and lightly again with more egg wash (grain free baking beautifying hack!). Return to oven and bake until fully golden (20-25 minutes longer). Allow to cool completely to allow the filling to set... or honestly try a slice lightly warm after roughly 20 mins (won't be fully set but oh-so-good!)!
Made your apple pie. Was great! Your crust is the Best. One thing make sure to cook the “apples” down to the least amount of liquid as possible and let sit overnight in fridge. Even at that when cooking the pie, more juice appeared and made the bottom crust a bit soggy. May try blind bake bottom crust just a bit before filling on next pie.
I found for a 10 inch pie use 8 cups “apples,” then double spices, lemon juice, sweetener, etc. Also refrigerate crust overnight works way better, easier to handle and work with. I just made a standard whole top crust, 5 sliced holes in top for vents. I made a tasty mistake though. I brushed the top with butter instead of egg wash. OOPS.
Not glossy but very buttery tasting crust. It was good. Also make sure to cover edges of pie when baking so they don’t burn.
Thank you so much for this recipe. Following you and a couple others I have lost 56 lbs. Gone from pre diabetic to not a problem anymore. Thank you again. Brian
Apple pie is one of my favorite pies of all time, a close favorite to pumpkin. I made one of these this Thanksgiving and was blown away- it was excellent. A couple things to note; I “cheated” just a little bit because my meal plan was running behind and I only made 1 batch of this crust (you need X2 if you want to do a slatted or lattice top). Since I was in a hurry I had a pre-made wheat dough crust that I cut the lattice from, but the fillings and bottom crust had no modifications. I’m NOT suggesting that you do this but the experiment brought along some revelations; one is that the “keto” crust was nice and flaky and didn’t fall apart- it came out beautiful and tasted wonderful….but follow the directions to a T! The wheat lattice was also (obviously) delicious but was a bit saltier and offset the sweet pie filling a bit better. Going forward I will add a 1/2 tea. extra salt to the keto dough. Also, make sure your filling is NOT liquidy! If you find you cannot reduce the juices anymore after fully cooking, just strain off the excess and it will still taste marvelous, but you do not want to put runny pie filling in your beautiful crust.
I will make this for the rest of my life. Thank you so much Paola, you’re an absolute triple blackbelt in KETO baking!
Awwww Sean!!! *insert eye heart emojis*
Thank you for making my morning with such a beautiful and detailed comment, triple blackbelt… shucks!! I LOVE to hear how you guys make my recipes yours :)! (and yes yes yes on the filling tip!)
so you do not pre-bake the bottom crust before filling it and topping with the other top crust?
I didn’t Tara, as then I wouldn’t be able to crimp the lattice on top! xo! Paola
Is reg green zucchini is fine? Just peel and take the seeds out? Also can I use butternut squash instead?
I would honestly just do the regular green zucchini Diane, its what I used and works the best out of all the veggies imo… for some inexplicable reason they don’t disintegrate and they hold the flavor incredibly well 😉 xo!
I was stunned how good this pie was!! The crust tasted just like a flaky crispy homemade crust my Momma made LOL! This recipe is mind-blowing and absolutely delicious! I like the “apple filling” plain in the morning or over ice cream, or as a side dish with pork chops 🙂 This recipe is a real winner!! It took me a week to get the nerve to make it. I’m not a baker. I was really scared to make the crust!! Now I know it’s easy peasy, and this will be on the menu for Thanksgiving!! I wanted to post a picture of it here, it was a work of art haha!
Your recipes are the BEST!! Big Fan Here!!
the 5 sugars are they sugar alcohol that gets deducted from the carbs?
This recipe looks wonderful! As a newbie to keto and gluten-free I was hoping to watch your video for this recipe. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be available on your site. Is there another place where I can watch it? Thanks much for your wonderful site!
Well I made your Brown Butter Zucchini today… OMG! I ate the WHOLE THING by myself! I doubled the amount of spice in the recipe and put 2 tablespoons of brown Swerve in it along with one tablespoon of Pyure. The zucchini came off my garden and straight into this recipe. I also used 2 tablespoons of butter. LOVE this recipe!!! Thank you so much. Now I need a nap… LOL!
I’ve been wanting to make this for months and finally did last night…it was AMAZING!!! It was difficult getting the pie crust in the pan, and the edges of my pie burned…but TOTALLY worth it!!!
Your recipes are simply the BEST keto on the net! I made this pie for Thanksgiving today along with your PERFECTION crust and no one could figure out how it wasn’t apple pie or full blown wheat pie crust. Thank you so much for your super recipes!
I would love to make this for Christmas. My daughter has a 2 month old and is nursing I want to know will the sugar substitute you are recommending cause any issues with an infant digestive tract?
Good question Wanda, I would like to know too as my daughter is due in September.
best to ask your pediatrician