Healthy Zucchini Pie
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.
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 194kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 4 tbsp erythritol
- ¼ cup cold butter diced
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 egg lightly whisked together
Filling
- 6-8 large zucchini
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½-¾ cup brown sugar substitute
- 2-3 tsp cinnamon ground
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp cardamom
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp arrowroot
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Add almond flour, xanthan gum, coconut flour and erythritol into a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add remaining crust ingredients and mix to form a dough.
- Flatten the dough into a disk shape, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling by peeling and dicing the zucchini.
- Heat a large pot and melt the butter, allowing it to melt and turn slightly brown. Add the diced zucchini, reduce the heat, and stir for 5 minutes.
- Add all remaining filling ingredients except for the arrowroot powder. Stir through and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the zucchini is tender.
- Taste the zucchini and adjust the flavors by adding extra lemon juice, cinnamon or sweetener to suit your taste.
- In a small bowl, mix the arrowroot powder with 1 tablespoon of cold water, stir to form a slurry.
- Gently stir through the arrowroot mixture and cook until the filling mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely in the fridge before filling the pie crust.
- Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F / 160 C. Lightly spray a 9 inch pie dish with spray oil.
- Cut the chilled dough in half. Place one half of the dough, covered, back into the fridge and the other half in between 2 sheets of baking paper.
- Roll the dough out thinly to fit a 9 inch pie dish.
- Remove the top sheet of paper and line the prepared pie dish with dough, trimming the edges and using a fork to pierce the base.
- Cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes, making sure not to overcook and brown the edges.
- Remove and allow it to cool before filling with cold pie filling and coating the edges with either water or egg wash.
- Roll the remaining dough in between 2 sheets of baking paper, removing the top sheet and laying the dough on top to cover the pie filling.
- Trim the edges and pierce the top with a knife. Optional: Brush the top of the pie with egg wash.
- Cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. When cooked through remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this healthy zucchini pie is to use smaller zucchinis because they have fewer seeds and are more tender, which will make for a better texture in this faux apple pie.
- I dice the peeled squash into even bite-sized pieces (approximately 1/2 inch cubes) for even cooking.
- I recommend cooking the zucchini on low heat to allow enough time to absorb all of the flavors of the brown sugar substitute and delicious spices.
- Almond flour burns quickly, so keep an eye on the pie while it’s in the oven to make sure the crust doesn’t burn. When it browns too quickly, I always loosely cover the pie with foil to prevent further burning.
- To avoid a grainy zucchini pie filling, I use powdered sweetener rather than granulated sweetener. If using allulose, you’ll need 30% more, as a 1:1 ratio doesn’t work with this sweetener.
- For best results, I always chill the cooked filling for at least 30 minutes before adding it to the pie so the dough doesn’t melt when it’s added.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 271mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g