The best keto apple crisp doesn’t use any apples! To keep it keto friendly, this low carb apple crisp recipe using zucchini as the mock apples. Because it tastes like apple, your taste buds will never know the difference!
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Keto Apple Crisp with Zucchini
Sweet and tender pieces of sliced zucchini can have the flavor of apples by adding a sweetened spice blend and some apple extract. You’ll get all the taste you love without the unwanted carbs when you make a keto apple crisp with zucchini.
The Filling
Before using the zucchini, it needs to be peeled and sliced in half lengthwise. Then the seeds need to be removed using a spoon to scrape them out.
The zucchini is then cut into half moon slices. Be sure to keep the slices at least a quarter inch thick. If you cut them too thin, the zucchini will get soft and mushy when cooked.
There are round ball varieties of zucchini that you can grow yourself. The shape and size is more like an apple. So you may want to add them to your garden to use for low carb apple recipes.
Once the zucchini is sliced, it’s mixed with lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweetener and optional apple extract. Then it’s poured into a baking dish.
The topping
I use a nutty topping for the zucchini apple crisp. It’s just a blend of these ingredients:
- Chopped pecans
- Almond flour
- Oat fiber or coconut flour
- Granular sweetener
- Cinnamon
- Melted butter
Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly.
Sprinkle the topping over the filling and baked until the zucchini is tender. It takes about 45 to 50 minutes to cook completely.
Serving Suggestions
This keto zucchini apple crisp is perfect served warm or cooled. When warm, it tastes great with a scoop of keto vanilla ice cream on top. Topping off with some whipped cream is also a great option.
Zucchini Apple Pie
It’s easy to modify this recipe into a keto mock apple pie. Just add my almond flour crust or coconut flour crust and bake in a pie pan. You’ll end up with a low carb Dutch apple pie!
If you’d rather have a traditional apple pie, add a top crust too.
Are apples keto friendly?
Apples are avoided on a keto diet because even a small apple can have over 20 grams of carbs. That’s twice the limit for what’s recommended for each low carb meal and it’s likely to knock you out of ketosis!
What to use for low carb mock apples
I’ve made various keto apple recipes using chayote squash, jicama, and yellow squash in addition to zucchini. I use chayote in my keto apple pie uses chayote and I use jicama in my keto apple pie filling.
Low Sugar Apple Crisp Recipe
This keto apple crisp is a must try low carb dessert for fall! It’s definitely something you’ll want to make over and over again. If you give it a try, be sure to let me know how it worked out in the comments.
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Keto Apple Crisp (i.e. Zucchini Apple Crisp)
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Ingredients
FILLING:
- 6 cups zucchini peeled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2/3 cup low carb sugar substitute or 4 Tbsp 2 tsp Truvia
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon apple extract optional
TOPPING:
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup oat fiber or coconut flour
- 1/4 cup low carb sugar substitute or erythritol
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Instructions
- In medium bowl, combine zucchini, lemon juice, sweetener, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended. For a stronger apple taste, stir in apple extract too. Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 9-in. baking dish.
- For topping, combine pecans, almond flour, oat fiber, sweetener and cinnamon in a bowl then cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over the zucchini mixture.
- Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
Notes
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Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Lisa MarcAurele has been creating keto friendly recipes since 2010. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites!
Cindy O'Sullivan says
This is delicious. The consistency of the zucchini is so much like apples, especially after cooking that you hardly notice you’re not actually eating applies. I tweaked this recipe a bit by adding some Crystal Lite lemonade mix (about a tablespoon) in addition to the lemon juice. I also cooked the zucchini mixture before putting in the baking dish and added a bit of xanthan gum to the liquid as it was cooking. This reduced the filling to about 1/2 but it was thick, not runny. Put the filling in the baking dish and sprinkled topping and baked about 15 minutes til the topping browned. Turned out perfect. Will make many more times in the future I’m certain.
Serena says
I’d love to make this, but is there any way I could use buckwheat and oat flour instead of the two suggested ones? Thanks!
Lisa MarcAurele says
It should work, but it wouldn’t be low carb.
Shelly Presson says
I made this today but it’s so liquidy. Is that normal?
Lisa MarcAurele says
You can offset any thin liquid by adding in some xanthan gum to the filling which will help it gel up and not be an issue if the zucchini releases too much moisture during baking.
Jenn says
Sad- I made it and after baking mine is swimming in liquid. Hoping leaving it out to cool will help.
Lisa MarcAurele says
The zucchini may have had too much liquid. You can add a thickener like xanthan gum or salt the zucchini for about 10 minutes to get the moisture to come out and then use a towel to soak up the liquid before using.
Sharon Strickland says
This recipe sounds interesting. What is the best sweetner that doesn’t leave an after taste?
Lisa MarcAurele says
I find a blend of sweeteners is best and I prefer blending stevia extract with monk fruit extract. However, preference varies for each individual. Many people like BochaSweet which acts a lot like sugar and doesn’t have any aftertaste.
Amy says
Recipe looks yummy! I was wondering how many servings this would yield/approximately how much is a serving? Thank you for sharing!
Lisa MarcAurele says
I got about 9 half cup or so servings.
Vicki Couvee says
Looks delicious!
Stacy says
Made this last night, its real good! I too used part ACV for half the lemon juice .I was out of nutmeg, so just used cinnamon, alittle extra. My whole family liked it, an will make again. A nice treat!
Annette Aeberhard says
I froze zucchini this summer. Can I use the frozen zucchini for this or does it have to be fresh?
Lisa says
I think frozen zucchini would be too mushy but if that doesn’t bother you it’s worth a try.
Wendy says
Can you substitute psyllium husk fiber for the oat fiber? I have a big bag of it to use up.
Lisa says
It isn’t a one-for-one sub but you might be able to get it to work with other changes.
Heather Nohr says
Do you think I could I make this in a crock pot? If so, how long would you think I should cook it for? Low, or high?
Thanks!
Heather
Lisa says
You should be able to do either. But, you may want to cover so the condensation doesn’t drip onto the topping. Standard times of 3 hrs high or 6 hrs low should work.
Linda says
Made this last night and was pleasantly surprised! Tastes exactly like apple crisp. Only difference is that the topping is not hard like crisp. I will def be making this again. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Lisa MarcAurele says
You can place it under the broiler to crisp it up a bit if desired.
Jennifer Schewe says
Could you do this in an Instant Pot? How long would you cook it for at what setting?
Lisa says
I’m thinking only like 6-8 minutes on the high pressure setting.
EA Phelps says
I made this today – excited at the prospect of an “apple crisp” but a bit skeptical too. Picked the zucchini fresh from the garden. Did the 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice, 1.5 tbsp ACV . . . Used Golden Lakanto for the sweetener . . . This turned out SO WELL even my finicky 11 year old Granddaughter exclaimed “this is SO Delicious!”. I’m expecting it to taste even better after it’s been in the fridge overnight. YUM!
Lisa says
The recipe is perfect for those fresh picked zucchini!
Irma says
How thick did you slice the zucchini? Like you would apples?
Lisa MarcAurele says
I sliced the zucchini as thick as I would for apples.
Nancy says
What is ACV?
Lisa MarcAurele says
Apple Cider Vinegar.
Lisa says
I left out the sweetener and added berries (black, blue, and razz). Still Low-carb is those berries do not turn to sugar. Amazing.
Lisa says
Great tip!
Heather says
I just made this and while it is not bad, I don’t know that I would make it again. Not very sweet or juicy. Very dry and sort of boring in flavor. Didn’t taste like zucchini or apples. Oh well. I’m glad o have it a try. Thank you for sharing!
Lisa says
The results do depend on the zucchini used. We always use ones fresh from the garden.
Jeana says
I was making this for my husband, and subbed oats for the pecans, and used Truvia brown sugar for the sweetener. It is SO SO good! Thank you!
Lisa says
You’re welcome Jeana! Glad it worked out for you.
Beth H says
Hi, I was wondering how many servings does it serve? I would assume 6 or is the nutritional info you gave for the whole pan?
Lisa says
The number of servings is at the top of the recipe card which says “9 servings”
Angela says
I was pleasantly surprised.. this is amazing! Tastes almost exactly like apple pie! Mind blown!
Claire Bridges says
I made it with 3 courgettes and its great. I’m type1 diabetic following a low carb way of eating so this is a treat as I do miss apple crumble. I will take some along to our low carb diabetes group this evening and see what everyone else thinks!?
I cooked it at 180 fan for 35mins then covered it up with foil for a further 10mins.
Pat says
Since any time I’ve eaten apple anything, I prefer my apples almost mushed. So knowing that, I sliced the zucchini very thin and then, baked it for an additional 45 minutes, at 300 degrees. I didn’t care for this while it was warm but after putting it in the refrigerator, it certainly improved the taste. If you can taste the zucchini and don’t like it, wait and cool it and give it a chance. It is great and definitely a recipe I’ll repeat over and over. Just think: this is a vegetable!
Lisa says
Thanks for the tip!
Nancy Atkins says
You might try adding caramel extract/ flavoring too.
Lisa says
That’s a great idea!
Mary says
Thank you so much for the recipe. I really enjoyed it. I used 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar. I also upped the cinnamon a bit. I used small regular zucchini and did not remove the seeds as they were soft and not very well formed. I did not think it tasted like zucchini at all!
Lisa says
Thanks for writing in to let us know how it turned out!
Irene says
I was wondering I have oat flour and almond flour. Would that work or is oat flour a Nono?
Lisa says
Oat flour is fairly high carb. Oat fiber has zero net carbs as it’s all fiber.
Lindsay says
What is oat fiber?
Lisa says
It’s fiber from oats. All the carbs are from fiber so if you do net carbs it would be zero net carbs.
Brooke says
Has anyone tried using shredded zucchini??? I have frozen shredded zucchini from the garden that needs to be used up and was wondering if it would taste as good as the sliced version with a little tweaking… I would love to try this recipe if it would work well!
Lisa says
I’m thinking it’s best to use fresh slices. The shredded frozen zucchini is better for breads and cakes.
Mellissa says
It would probably be mushy without it being fresh slices.
Missy says
No it wouldn’t, someone posted a keto zucchini bread recipe that it would be perfect for
Rhonda says
my sisters and nieces eat it that way all the time I will find our what the put in it
Jodi says
I added 1 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar and it tasted like apples. Gave a friend some she thought it was apples couldn’t believe it was zucchini.
Lisa says
Wow! I never would have thought to add a bit of apple cider vinegar.
Harriet says
Was that plus the lemon juice?
Lisa says
Sorry, I’m not sure what you are asking.
Cheryl says
Did you add the apple cider vinegar in addition to the lemon juice? Or did you cut back on the lemon juice?
Sandy says
I will be planting ball zucchini in my garden next spring! Looks so amazing.
Lisa says
They are the perfect shape for mock apples! 🙂
Ashley Hibbert says
My husband is allergic to almonds so I can’t use the flour. Could I use coconut flour instead and how much? Looks delicious especially since we went low carb and can’t have my husbands favorite desert, apple crisp!
Lisa says
You could try a couple tablespoons of coconut flour, but you may need a bit more butter.
Lena Raffa says
Delicious! I made this on a small Scale having only 2 ball zucchini in the fridge.. My husband loved it & has come home with 8 yes 8 ball zucchini.(we live in Thailand opposite the river to a veg market) He wants me to create a Apple slice.. Do you think I can freeze the apple & spice mix once I’ve cooked it? Thanks for sharing another awesome recipe. ?
Lisa says
I’m not sure how it would freeze. You may need to cook a little first and freeze not fully cooked. Then bake after thawed.
Stacey says
What is a ball zucchini? I’ve never heard of or seen one? I have plenty of regular zucchini and summer squash.
Lisa says
It’s a variety of zucchini that is shaped similar to a pumpkin. I had no idea there was such a thing until my husband brought home a plant from a local nursery. I haven’t seen one since that year we grew them in the garden.
Stacey says
Could I use regular zucchini or summer squash instead? I don’t see any seeds in your picture above.
Lisa says
I seeded the zucchini first. You can use any zucchini. Summer squash may work, but I’ve never tried it.
Michelle says
Can this be frozen before baking?
Lisa says
Zucchini should be blanched first before freezing. Other than that, should be fine.
HazelP says
You are the fox, Lisa. This looks scrumptious! And one could use one apple into the mix that would share its flavor with the zucchini… Who doesn’t crave apple crisp?
Lisa says
One apple spread about wouldn’t hurt.
Cassandra says
I made this with extra zucchini we needed to use up, but had to improvise with the topping and use essentially all almond flour – no other nuts no oat fiber etc. It turned out pretty tasty! I only wish I had broiled after it was done so that the topping would firm up, but that may be different with the topping recipe as written.
My husband’s father is a retired master chef who was so skeptical when I told him what I was making that he LAUGHED at me!! He snuck some after and confessed it was good. 🙂
Lisa says
I served this to my family who were also skeptical, but they were also surprised at how good it tasted. Good to know an all almond flour mix works too. I bet broiling the top a bit would have been a nice touch.
Tina says
Just made this recipe and am disappointed. 🙁 I enjoyed the crumb topping and the texture of the zucchini was lovely, but it tasted like zucchini. Nothing like an apple. Maybe some apple extract would help? My boys took a few bites and knew it was zucchini. No one was fooled. I might try this recipe again and play with some apple flavoring.
Lisa says
A small amount of apple cider may give a better flavor or you could use an apple flavoring which may be harder to find.
Katie says
I’ve made mock apple crisp with zucchini even before my low carb days. I always find that using enough lemon juice and plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg is the trick. Really, that’s all I taste in true apple desserts.
Lisa says
I agree! Another thing is to be sure no to overcook the zucchini.
Harriet says
What happens when you over cook the zucchini? Does it get runny? I used big zucchini and I am wondering if there is more water in them. How much more coconut flour would a person use??? Great recipe!! Ready to test put on coworkers tonight.
Lisa says
It can get mushy if you overcook the zucchini so be carful not to do that. I’m pretty sure the big and small zucchini have similar water content.
Kristi says
I found this recipe on pinterest and I have to admit I was skeptical. I should not have been because it is amazing! And as a bonus I have now discovered a new low carb website. Thank you. You’ve made my day!
Lisa says
Hi Kristi! Great to have you here. So glad you gave this recipe a try. I was skeptical at first too when I heard a zucchini could taste like an apple.
Jan says
Thanks so much for the speedy clarification! I’m just about to try making it.
Jan says
You say 2/3 of a cup of sweetener in the zucchini mix, but then 4 tbl + 2 tsp Truvia, which is 1/3 cup. Typo??
Lisa says
Jan,
That is not a typo. The Truvia website gives the equivalent for 1/3 cup sugar as 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp Truvia. So, 2/3 cup sugar equivalent is 4 Tbsp + 2 tsp Truvia.
Jenny says
This was incredibly authentic, I wouldn’t have guessed the zucchini replaced the apples.
Simply delish.
Lucy says
I don’t think this is the exact recipe I tried but I have done a mock apple crisp with zucchini and it was fabulous! I totally tricked my husband – he thought I had used apples.
Very Good.
Lisa says
I served this to my son and he thought it was apples, too.