Keto Gluten-Free Classic Apple Pie
This is the Gluten-free Keto recipe for apple pie you’ve all been waiting for! An unconventional twist on this classic pastry dish, zucchini (yes zucchini!) is combined with a small amount of apple to form the filling of this Keto-friendly gluten-free recipe. Lemon juice and its rind are added to enhance the tanginess, and the pie is also complimented with the warming spices of cinnamon. The filling is then encased in a buttery almond pastry. It may sound a little strange to use zucchini in a sweet pie, but the texture really does mimic an apple and at only 4 grams net carbs per slice, it tastes like the real thing! Happy days!
How to Make It
Step 1
Grease a non-stick loose bottom tart tin with butter and line the base with baking paper. Set aside. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, ground psyllium husk, 3 tablespoons granulated erythritol, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sea salt to a food processor. Give a quick pulse to loosely combine. Dice the chilled butter into cubes and add to the food processor along with the cream cheese. Pulse until coarse crumbs form with visible specks of butter. Add the egg and apple cider vinegar and gently pulse again to combine.
Use your hands to gather into a dough ball. Divide the dough into 2 balls (⅔ for the base layer and ⅓ for the top layer). Flatten each ball into a disc shape and individually wrap in plastic wrap. Leave to chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Step 2
While the pastry is chilling, peel the zucchini and the apple. Dice into ½ inch cubes. Peel the lemon to yield 3 strips of the rind. Then juice the lemon. Add the rest of the butter to a large saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add the apple cubes and zucchini along with the lemon juice, lemon rinds, water, remaining 1/4 cup erythritol and 3 teaspoons cinnamon. Stir to combine and leave to simmer gently for 25 minutes until the apple and zucchini have softened. Stir periodically with a wooden spoon to ensure the bottom doesn’t catch and burn. Check the filling and adjust the flavor to your preference by adding more lemon juice, cinnamon, erythritol, or vanilla and other spices if you like. If you prefer not to use apple in the recipe, add the apple flavoring in at this point. Remove the lemon rind and leave to cool. To thicken, remove ½ cup of the filling and puree in a blender or food processor then return to the pan and stir through.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350ºF/ 180ºC. Cut 2 pieces of baking paper and place the dough in between, this will help prevent sticking to the counter. Reserve ⅓ of the pastry for the top layer and return it to the fridge. Roll the dough about 1/6-inch thick and transfer it into the pie dish. If it tears just fill in the gaps with more pastry. Use a fork to prick holes into the base to allow the heat to circulate and prevent bubbling. Place the baking paper loosely inside and fill with baking beads or dried pulses, or uncooked rice to weigh the baking paper down. Blind-bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges just start to crisp.
Step 4
Remove the pastry from the oven and take the baking paper and baking beads out. Leave to cool for 15-20 minutes before filling with the apple and zucchini mixture. Thinly roll out the remaining ⅓ pastry dough and cover the top of the filling, tucking in any overlapping pastry. Make 4 slits with a sharp knife on the top pastry layer which will allow the steam to escape. For a nice glossy finish, brush the top with the egg yolk. (This is optional and not accounted for in the ingredients list).
Step 5
Bake in the center of the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the top is crisp and golden. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before removing the sides of the tin. Serve hot or cold with thick pouring cream (optional).
Ingredients
- Almond flour
2.5 cup
- Coconut flour
4 tbsp
- Butter, unsalted
0.5 cup
- Psyllium Husks (Ground / Powder)
1 tbsp
- Cream cheese spread
2 oz
- Cider vinegar
1 tbsp
- Raw egg
1 large
- Erythritol Granulated
3 tbsp
- Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
0.5 tsp
- Cinnamon, ground
4 tsp
- Butter, unsalted
0.5 cup
- Lemon juice
0.25 cup
- Zucchini, cooked from fresh
2.25 cup, diced
- Apple, fresh, without skin
0.5 cup, chopped
- lemon peel ( not eaten)
1 1 lemon
- Water
0.5 cup
- Erythritol Granulated
3 tbsp