Apples are forbidden fruit on low carb, but this low sugar mock apple zucchini crisp recipe is a clever way to trick your taste buds when you crave apples.
I have been staring at a large ball zucchini on our kitchen island for about two weeks. It was picked from our garden in the backyard and continued to sit while I cooked all the other summer vegetables.
This week, we have been busy preparing for hurricane Irene which is forecast to hit Connecticut this weekend. Although we live a little inland, we aren’t far from the shore and they are predicting some heavy rain and storm surge.
Anyway, I took a break from the storm preps this morning to bake this low sugar mock apple zucchini crisp recipe. The round shape of the ball zucchini was perfect for the crisp.
This particular round zucchini looked like a small dark green pumpkin. It yielded about 6 cups of peeled and sliced zucchini; which was enough to fill the bottom of my 9 x 9-in. baking pan.
I’m glad I saved that lone ball zucchini from our garden. It was well suited to make this zucchini crisp recipe.
Since I have a jar of powdered xylitol that is getting close to the expiration date, I used that as the sweetener in the topping. However, Swerve, Natvia, or another bulk low carb sweetener would work fine as well.
I have to tell you that this warm low sugar apple crisp really hit the spot. There was a container of CarbSmart ice cream in my freezer, so I added a little scoop of that as well.
If you don’t have any ball zucchini, simply use a regular long zucchini. The taste is the same. It’s just a difference in shape.
You could also make this zucchini crisp recipe with another low carb mock apple. I’ve had success using both jicama and chayote squash.
My low carb apple pie filling recipe using jicama is a wonderful side dish for breakfast. And, I have a wonderful low carb mock apple pie made with chayote squash.
Overall, this low sugar apple crisp turned out to be a delicious low carb dessert. It’s definitely something that I will make again.
Recipe Video
Low Sugar Mock Apple Zucchini Crisp Recipe
Mock Apple Crisp from Zucchini
Ingredients
FILLING:
- 6 cups zucchini peeled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2/3 cup low carb sweetener or 4 Tbsp 2 tsp Truvia
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
TOPPING:
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup oat fiber or coconut flour
- 1/4 cup low carb sweetener or erythritol
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
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In medium bowl, combine zucchini, lemon juice, sweetener, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended. Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 9-in. baking dish.
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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.
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Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
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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
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. The conversion chart for Truvia is available here: http://www.truvia.com/recipes/conversion-chart/
Lisa
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.