A delicious low carb chayote squash mock apple pie that tastes very close to the real thing! Enjoy this fantastic pie without guilt. It’s gluten-free too!
I’m usually in such a rush while grocery shopping that I hardly ever browse around. Instead, I keep strict to a grocery list and only grab additional items that are on sale.
However, while getting food for our Christmas dinner, I left the difficult three year old at home and was able to spend more time in the produce aisle. That’s when I realized that the store carried chayote squash.
Chayote squash must be getting popular because I’ve seen it in two local grocery stores. I’ve never noticed it before, but I really hadn’t looked for it.
I still haven’t found jicama in the store, but my sister-in-law said she does buy it locally. Apparently, if it isn’t out, you need to ask for it because they often keep in the stock room.
I’ve been told that chayote is much better low carb replacement for apples than zucchini. So, I figured I’d give it a try.
I bought 5 medium sized squash to make a chayote squash mock apple pie for Christmas. I used this recipe as a guide as I wasn’t sure how to go about using these squash in a sweet pie.
The grooves in chayote make is somewhat difficult to peel, but I figured it would be well worth it if I got a decent apple pie from them. It was definitely much harder than peeling the smooth surface on apples and zucchini.
I was expecting to see standard squash seeds in the center, but the chayote has one large seed in the middle similar to an avocado. Apparently, this seed can be eaten, but it doesn’t taste very good. I removed the seed before slicing.
Once the chayote was peeled, things moved along much faster. I boiled the slices until fork tender which took about 10-15 minutes. I figured they would cook more while baking and I didn’t want to end up with a mushy pie filling.
I mixed in sweetener, spices, lemon juice, apple extract, and some xanthan gum into the cooked squash slices. The mixture was pretty thick due to the xanthan gum, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t end up with a watery filling.
I used an unsweetened version of my coconut flour pie crust. I modified it slightly by adding in a little psyllium husk as I thought that might kelp prevent cracking. It did seem to help, but I still got a little bit of cracking when putting on the top crust. It was easy to fix, though.
To get a nice brown pie crust on top, I brushed a little bit of beaten egg over the assembled pie. Since I didn’t add any sweetener to the pie crust, I sprinkled a little bit of granular sweetener over the top crust.
I was pleasantly surprised with how this low carb chayote squash mock apple pie came out. The addition of apple extract gave just the right amount of flavor to make the squash taste like real apples.
I was also happy with the low carb gluten free pie crust. The texture of the savory pie crust was similar to homemade pie crusts that I have made with wheat flour. This is certainly a versatile crust that can also be used for savory dishes like quiche.
If you are unable to chayote, I bet this pie would work with zucchini. There is plenty of xanthan gum added to gel up any water from the cooked squash. jicama would also work if you have access to some. I’m still on the hunt for jicama and I already know one local store that has carried it.
I’d like to try and make an apple berry pie next time using either chayote or jicama for the apples. After making this low carb gluten free chayote squash mock apple pie, I’m ready to try some other recipes with this new squash I’ve discovered.
Low-Carb & Gluten-Free Chayote Squash Mock Apple Pie
Chayote Squash Mock Apple Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon whole psyllium husks
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 5 medium chayote squash
- 3/4 cup low carb sweetener
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon xanthan gum
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons apple extract optional
- 1/3 cup butter cut in small pieces
Topping
- 1 egg
- additional sweetener
Instructions
Crust
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Mix crust ingredients to form dough.
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Separate into two dough balls.
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Roll each crust ball out into pie crust.
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Transfer one crust to 9 inch pie dish. Smooth out any cracks.
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Reserve remaining crust for pie top.
Filling
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Peel chayote and cut into slices.
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Boil sliced chayote until fork tender. Drain. Return to pot.
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Add sweetener, xanthan gum, lemon juice, and apple extract to cooked chayote squash.
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Pour chayote mixture into prepared pie crust. Dot filling with butter.
Topping
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Cover filling with reserved pie crust.
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Flute edges of pie crust together and cut slits on pie top.
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Brush egg on top crust and sprinkle with additional sweetener, if desired.
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Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes (I took mine out after 30 minutes).
Recipe Notes
Erythritol blended sweetener adds about 11.7g erythritol per slice which is negligible. Therefore, it has not been added to the total carb count.
Net carb per slice: 3.7 grams
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Emma says
This is a great starting point. I love the whole idea! I have a few suggestions or alternatives. First if you cook the chayote whole for about twenty/thirty minutes they are easier to cut and peel. You have to let them cool enough to touch, but don’t worry when you bake it it won’t be cold. Also try adding 1teaspoon tartaric acid or 2 teaspoons cream of tarter and you will have a better apple taste and you don’t have to use the apple flavoring. Though I cannot say how well it works with all sweeteners so you might have to experiment. For both the crust and the filling thickener I used tapioca flour. For the crust I cut 1/4 c of almond and 1/4 c coconut and added 1/3c tapioca flour I know its less in quantity but the tapioca flour can be heavy if that makes sense. For the filling I used two table spoons tapioca flour instead of xanthan. This worked well for me but again you may want to experamint. Another thing that might help the crust is potato flour but I didn’t try it
Lisa says
Thanks so much for all those great tips Emma!
Lisa says
Great base recipe, but I tweeked it just a bit, and the “apples” turned out great. The crust was another story. A nice buttery, flakey, crust is such a huge part of any pie that you wanna make sure it’s tasty, too. This crust turned out to be a bland type of bread. So, If crust is important to you, I would suggest using a different crust recipe.
Lisa says
There are some different low carb crust recipes that can be used instead.
Deb says
I am not a lover of pie crust. So if I skip that part how much carb difference? I want to make the apple filling. By the way love your recipes very much !!!!
Lisa says
It’s about 3g carbs with 1g fiber if you divide it into 16 servings.
Savita says
I made this today. It looks wonderful! Will try it tomorrow with friends. How do I store it? How long can I store it for?
Lisa says
I always keep mine in the fridge.
Liz says
Is Splenda a good sweetener?
Lisa says
I prefer the liquid version as the granular has unnecessary carbs.
Lynnea says
Has anyone tried this without the Xanthan gum or used a different thickener. i followed the recipe to a T and the chayote was perfect and the taste was that of apple pie. However, the xanthan made the filling have a slimy texture. Yuck! I have to discard the pie, sadly. Bummed because everything else was great. I used a mandolin slicer for the chayote and the texture was perfect. I think I could use a sweeter crust but that’s an easy remedy.
Lisa says
You could try glucomannan or guar gum.
Donna says
I saw a different recipe that called for 1/2 teaspoon of Xanthan.
I also used the filling for a crumble instead of the pie. It was really good.
Luanne says
I am a latecomer here, but I use chayote a lot in soups as a replacement for potatoes. A note here, jicama will not get soft! I have tried to use them in place of potatoes, as well as radishes (a little better), and they stay very firm, so they would not work in your pie. 🙂
Lisa says
Jicama needs to be boiled first to get soft. It just takes a little more work.
Carole D. says
I find chayote and jicima at Walmarts. You might have to ask for them as they move them around sometimes..
Lisa says
Thanks for the tip!
DonnaM says
I used psyllium husk in bread and it felt like eating sand. Can the psyllium powder be used instead?
I love your recipes and have made mock apple sauce using the chayote. Here in Phoenix Walmart usually carries both jicama and chayote, but I think the chayote is better.
Lisa says
I never have that issue with the Now brand of psyllium whole husk. You can powder the psyllium in a coffee grinder, but note that the volume will lessen so you use less psyllium powder than whole husks. I see chayote squash occasionally in a local market. The jicama is becoming more common in stores here.
diana says
This is very similar to the chayote “apple” pie I’ve been making for several years. My filling is chayotes, lemon juice, apple extract, sweetener (I now use Swerve), cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. One very different thing I do, though, is to cook the very thinly sliced chayote for about 40 minutes. I’ve found that they won’t soften enough to be like apples in a pie filling otherwise. Did yours cook enough to soften with the 10-15 minutes stove-top and the time in the oven?
Lisa says
Diana, that’s a great tip! My slices were still a bit firm so I will certainly do that when I make this pie for Christmas dinner.
Janet says
Hi Lisa, I was very pleased to see this recipe using chayote squash. I grew up in New Orleans. We lived in a house that had a very large mirliton (chayote) vine on an arbor. The mirlitons ( we pronounced that word mel-e-tons) hung heavily on the vines overhead. I loved them fried, and stuffed with shrimp. My mother never cooked them often enough to suit me, so one night I woke up and sneaked out to the mirliton vine area, built a small fire and cooked some for me and my cousins. Unfortunately, I had one cousin who was a ‘bad apple’ to the rest of us – biting and telling – and he told on me. I got a bad whipping, but it never spoiled my desire for mirlitons. I found that apple extract is expensive, so I’m planning to add more lemon juice and some lemon peel zest sprinkled on top of the filling with the dabs of butter. Can’t wait to try it.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/08/stuffed-mirliton-from-treme-cookbook.html
Lisa says
The apple extract isn’t necessary, but it does help give a more convincing taste. Lemon is a good flavor enhancer too! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Jodi says
I used one of those single packs of apple flavored water enhancer and it really worked! It’s the kind that come in granular form in a single tube.
Lisa says
Nice idea!
Rebecca says
If you ever made mock apple pie in chemistry class (with ritz crackers!), you might remember using cream of tartar – that gives it something of a fruity taste though not specifically Apple…
Lisa says
I’ve never heard of that. I’ll need to see if it gives a more fruity taste.
Theresa says
This cuts like apple pie, looks like apple pie and best of all tastes like apple pie!! Thank you!
Lisa says
My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed this yummy mock apple pie.
Donna says
Hi Lisa,
Does the whole psyllium make the pie crust crunchy? I used it whole in bread one time and it felt like eating sand.
I love chayote squash for making mock apples. Here in Arizona some of the stores have them for 20 cents each. What a buy!
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes
Lisa says
The psyllium is not an essential ingredient in the crust. I probably should list it as optional. I only added to try and make the crust more pliable, but it still cracked. It didn’t do much for the crust and the crust wasn’t crunchy except for the edges. 20 cents is pretty cheap! I believe I paid like 60 cents each for mine here in Connecticut.
Jodi says
I paid .99 each for mine but well worth it!
Lisa says
Great price!
Lisa Miller says
I actually just made this and was pleasantly surprised at how much it tasted like apples! I did not have the apple extract so I used some apple pie spice. I think I would add a touch more sweetener next time. Also I had issues with the top crust breaking apart as I tried to put it on. I think next time I will turn it into a crumble and add some chopped nuts and a little sweetener and put that on top! Thanks for a great recipe!
Lisa says
I should have mentioned that I’m trying to cut back on sweeteners so others may want to add more. My top crust had a couple cracks too, but they were easy to fix. I’ve always wanted to try a double crust pie, but I’m with you that a crumb topping will happen next time! Thanks for the feedback!
Lisa Miller says
I actually froze the leftovers and am enjoying a piece right now! l just sprinkled some sweetener and cinnamon on top! I will try the crumb topping next time : )
Kathy Hester says
I love these little squashes, but never thought of making a dessert with them. Great idea!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I have such little experience using chayote squash – what a creative way to use it!
Sherry Peyton says
There is no oven temp or time for this recipe.
Lisa says
Thanks for catching that. I baked mine at 375°F in a convection oven for 30 minutes.
Marye says
This looks delicious! I am going to need to remember this!
Lisa says
It was a last minute Christmas dessert after discovering Chayote in the grocery store. I’ll be making it again.
Christie says
I’ve seen chayote in my grocery store but did not know what to do with it. Using it as a replacement for apples has totally opened my eyes. Now I can think of so many ways to enjoy it. What a great pie!
Lisa says
They can be boiled and served with a little butter and grated cheese too!
Ali @ Home & Plate says
I will have to keep an eye out at my local grocer to see if they sell chayote squash. It’s an interesting relative to the zucchini. Your pie looks great and just like apple pie.
Lisa says
Thanks Ali! They seem to be sold in most stores. I was looking for jicama when I found these instead. Both great mock apples.