Healthy Zucchini Pie

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You will be surprised that my healthy zucchini pie tastes just like a traditional apple pie, but I make it with zucchini instead of apples. I use an almond flour crust and natural sweeteners for a lighter dessert everyone can enjoy guilt-free during the festive season.

As a health-conscious mom, I always think of ways to make a meal lower in calories to fit our healthy lifestyle, and zucchini is one of my best friends for turning traditional recipes into something healthy. Take my vegetarian zucchini lasagna, for example, that I make with zucchini noodles instead of traditional lasagna noodles.

It’s the perfect vegetable substitute that can even make this healthy zucchini pie taste like apple pie and a courgette frittata taste like a Spanish omelet. Zucchini is perfect for absorbing flavors and has a similar mouthfeel to apple when cooked, which is why I created this healthy zucchini pie recipe using this versatile vegetable.

🥘 Ingredients

While many low-carb pie crusts are crumbly, like a graham cracker crust, this one holds up to rolling and spreading across a pie pan perfectly. I make it with simple ingredients that can be easily found at the grocery store.

Pie Crust Ingredients

Almond Flour: Blanched almond flour is my preferred choice since it’s finer than almond meal and makes a smoother pie crust.

Xanthan Gum: This is the key ingredient that helps my healthy zucchini pie crust hold together. I highly recommend using xanthan gum in this recipe; otherwise, the pie crust will be crumbly like a graham cracker crust and won’t roll out like a traditional crust.

Coconut Flour: I add a bit of coconut flour to help give the pie crust a better texture.

Erythritol: This is the sweetener I use, but monk fruit sweetener is a great alternative.

Unsalted Butter: Cold butter is a must for flaky pie crust. I stick mine in the fridge to harden before rubbing it into the flour mixture. Dairy-free butter can be used, if desired.

Lemon Zest: I add a little lemon zest to brighten up the flavors of this almond flour crust!

Apple Cider Vinegar: This is one of my secret pie crust ingredients that creates a tender pie crust.

Egg: I use egg mixed with a little cold water to make an egg wash to brush around the edges of the crust and top to give it a beautiful golden color.

Filling Ingredients

Zucchini: Zucchini is my apple substitute in this pie recipe, which has a neutral flavor that readily takes on spices. Yellow summer squash is another apple replacement option.

Butter: I cook the zucchini in butter to make it tender and to add richness to the pie mixture.

Brown Sugar Substitute: This is what I use to add sweetness to the filling.

Warm Spices: I flavor the zucchini with ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom. You won’t taste a bit of difference between real apples and the squash. 2 or 3 teaspoons of apple pie spice mix is another option if you don’t have the spices listed above on hand.

Lemon Juice: I use lemon juice here to remove the tartness of zucchini and make it taste like a sweet fruit with the help of a brown sugar substitute. If you don’t have lemon juice, lime juice will work in its place.

Arrowroot + Water: Arrowroot powder is what I use to thicken the zucchini pie mixture and make it glossy. I combine a tablespoon of cold water with the arrowroot powder to make a slurry.

🔪 How To Make

With my easy-to-follow instructions, you’ll have the most beautiful and delicious apple-less healthy zucchini pie ready in no time.

Cut Butter Into Dry Ingredients: I start by whisking almond flour, xanthan gum, coconut flour, and erythritol together in a mixing bowl until well combined before adding the cold butter. Then I use my hand to rub it into the dry ingredients until it resembles bread crumbs.

Add Remaining Ingredients: Next, I add the lemon zest, apple cider vinegar, and egg to the crust ingredients and mix to form a dough. Then, I flatten the pastry dough into a disk shape, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Prep Zucchini: While the dough is chilling, I peel and dice the zucchini.

Cook Zucchini: In a large pot, I heat and melt the butter, allowing it to melt and turn slightly brown. I add the diced zucchini, reduce the heat to low, and stir for 5 minutes until softened slightly.

Sweeten the Squash: Next, I add the brown sugar substitute, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and lemon juice, stirring occasionally and cooking on low heat for 10 minutes until the zucchini is fork tender. I always taste the zucchini and adjust the flavors by adding extra lemon juice, cinnamon, or sweetener to achieve the perfect apple pie texture and flavor.

Make a Slurry, Thicken The Filling: In a small bowl, I mix the arrowroot powder with 1 tablespoon of cold water and stir to form a slurry. Then, I gently pour the slurry into the filling and stir until it thickens. Once thickened, I remove it from the heat and allow the healthy zucchini pie filling to cool completely in the fridge before adding it to the pie crust.

Half the Dough: Once the dough has chilled, I cut it in half, placing half of the dough, covered, back into the refrigerator, and placing the other half between two sheets of parchment paper. I roll out the dough between the sheets of baking paper with a rolling pin to fit a 9-inch pie dish.

Line Pie Plate: I remove the top piece of parchment paper and line the greased pie dish with dough, trimming the edges of the bottom crust and using a fork to pierce the base to prevent it from puffing during baking.

Bake Pie Crust: Now, I bake the crust in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, making sure not to overcook and brown the edges. Remove and allow to cool.

Fill The Crust: Once cooled, I fill the pie crust with the cold pie filling and coat the edges with water or egg wash.

Make Top Crust: I roll the remaining dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper just like the bottom layer, removing the top sheet and laying the dough on top to cover the pie filling.

Finish Top Crust: To make it neat and tidy, I trim the edges and cut two small slits in the top with a knife, and brush the top of the pie with egg wash.

Bake Pie: Lastly, I bake the zucchini pie in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. When cooked through, I remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool for one hour before cutting and serving.

📖 Variations

I’ve tested this healthy zucchini pie recipe with a few different variations since I first made it to add extra flavors and textures. Here are the variations that worked best:

Nutty pie: For crunch and a sweet, nutty flavor, I add a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts to the filling.

Lattice pie: Instead of a crust that covers the entire top of the pie, I make a lattice top by cutting the other half of the dough into strips and weaving them on top of the pie.

Zucchini crumble: Instead of the top crust, I make a crumble topping using the directions in my vegan apple crisp recipe, but using a brown-sugar substitute. It has a crunchy nut and oat topping that crisps up in the oven to give the healthy zucchini pie variation a wonderful crunch on top.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Whether it’s summer or winter, we enjoy this irresistible zucchini pie topped with something healthy and sweet. Here are some healthy recipe suggestions for you to try at home to serve with your pie.

Ice cream: Hot pie and ice cream are just the best combination, aren’t they? My favorite is chocolate banana ice cream! The combo of both flavors, paired with sweet apple filling and a flaky pastry crust, is simply too yummy. And for an even healthier ice recipe, try this vegan Matcha ice cream. It’s strikingly delicious, and the color looks great for a spooky Halloween treat.

Toppings: Just one slice of this healthy pie with zucchini is rather filling, and even a scoop or two of ice cream can overdo it after a hearty dinner. Which is why a simple drizzle of vegan caramel sauce is my go-to pairing or a dollop of light vegan whipped cream, which I make with just 4 ingredients in 5 minutes flat!

🧊 Storage Directions

Refrigeration: When I have leftover slices, I store them in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap for about 4 days.

Freezing: When I don’t plan to eat this pie within 3-4 days, I put it in the freezer to enjoy later. I cover the whole pie with plastic wrap or cut it into slices, wrapping each individual pie slice tightly with plastic wrap and storing them in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature before reheating.

Reheating: This pie can be served cold or hot. To reheat it, place a single slice in the microwave and heat it in 30-second increments until warmed through. Alternatively, you can place it whole in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes until warm. You may want to cover it loosely with aluminum foil to protect the crust from over-browning if reheating in the oven.

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