This KETO APPLE CRISP is actually made with zero apples – they’re too high in sugar! We’re using zucchini that we’ve sauteed in lemon juice and spices and your family will love it!
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Prepare to have your mind blown when you bite into this easy, tasty, keto dessert that looks like an apple crisp, tastes like an apple crisp, and has exactly ZERO apples involved.
That’s right! We’re making fake apples today, my friends.
Sometimes low carb feels weird…you grow up your whole life thinking that an apple a day keeps the doctor away and that fruit is a healthy snack.
Then you start eating a low carb or keto diet and realize that some of your favorite fruits (apples, watermelon, peaches) are full of sugar and not really the best choices.
So, what’s a person to do?
Grab the zucchini. <— This is not a time for cauliflower. Cauliflower does pretty much everything else, but zucchini is both the noodle and apple replacement in the low carb world. ๐
Zucchini Cobbler Filling:
Yes, you can transform zucchini into something that tastes like apples! Let me show you how easy it is…
Peel it, chop it, and saute it in lemon juice until it’s nice and soft.
The zucchini is going to soak up that lemon juice and take on the tart flavor of an apple.
Next, stir in sweetener, cinnamon, and nutmeg and bam! Apples!
The sweetness and tang plus the cinnamon and nutmeg make this taste super similar to apple pie filling! Cooking is magic, I tell ya.
Crisp Topping:
The crisp topping is beyond easy to whip up.
Just stir together almond flour, melted butter, sweetener, and cinnamon.
Sprinkle that right over the cooked zucchini.
Key Ingredients:
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Almond Flour: Rich, buttery, and easy to find in any grocery store. This is a staple in low carb baking. We like this brand.
Sweetener: We use and recommend Lakanto Monkfruit. It’s an all natural sweetener that bakes and tastes like sugar with a zero on the glycemic index. It has zero net carbs and zero calories. This tastes the most like real sugar to my family.
Lemon Juice: The lemon juice gives the zucchini that tart flavor you’d find in an apple. It’s key.
Cinnamon: Apple crisp should taste warm and cozy, like a little bite of Fall. The cinnamon (and nutmeg!) is necessary.
Serving:
This keto apple crisp is going to bake in just 20 minutes, but you’ll want to let it set on the counter for at least 10 minutes to thicken up a bit after you take it from the oven.
That 10 minute wait gives you the perfect opportunity to grab your favorite keto ice cream and let it soften up.
We love Halo Top and Enlightened ice creams.
Breyer’s Carb Smart also tastes delicious, but it does use malitol as a sweetener, which I personally try to avoid.
We think so! My daughter helped me make this recipe and she says that it tastes like apple crisp with a zucchini aftertaste. She DEVOURED her serving. My husband and son, who weren’t in the kitchen when we made this recipe, had no idea they weren’t eating real apples.
We recommend peeling the zucchini for two reasons – the texture of the zucchini is better without the skin and the dark green color of the skin takes away some of those apple vibes. It’s easier to believe you’re eating apples when it looks like apples.
The zucchini will release a bit of liquid during cooking. You might try draining the liquid off before adding the crumble topping. Alternately, try sprinkling 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum over the zucchini before cooking in the lemon juice.
More keto desserts:
Keto Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 cups chopped seeded, peeled zucchini
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- ½ cup sweetener
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the topping:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 tablespoons monkfruit sweetener
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large oven safe skillet, such as cast iron, cook the zucchini and lemon juice over medium heat until the zucchini has softened, about 20 minutes. Drain excess liquid from the skillet, if needed.
- Stir in the sweetener, cinnamon, and nutmeg to coat the zucchini.
- Add the almond flour, melted butter, sweetener, and cinnamon to a small bowl and stir well to form moist crumbs.
- Sprinkle the topping over the zucchini.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Let set for 10 minutes before serving.
Carolyn V. says
I’ve had this before but, not with artificial sweetener. It was surprisingly good; but, I didn’t plant zuchinni this year.
Sheila s says
Tastes great and so easy to make
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Sheila!
Lorraine says
Hloow many carbs for just zucchini without crumbs to top L/C chaffles
Karly Campbell says
Hi Lorraine! I’m not sure, our recipe calculator does the entire recipe that we input. You can add the parts you want to any online calculator to see what the nutrition info is.
Sharon says
I started Keto 8 weeks ago. I’ve lost 25 lbs so far. This is my first dessert. It’s in the oven. It smells amazing!
Karly Campbell says
Wow, Sharon! Congrats on your success! Hope this dessert was worth the wait. ๐
Sharon says
It was incredible! Leftovers the next day were awesome!!
Cathy D says
WoW! My hubby is a foodie and we’ve both had weight loss surgery so I’m always trying to find new ideas for low carb food, especially desserts. This is perfect! He thought there was no way it was going to taste like apples but you made a believer out of him! Thanks so much for this excellent recipe-gotta go buy more zucchini tomorrow!
Karly Campbell says
Oh, I love to hear that! Thanks, Cathy!
Tracy says
Can you substitute yellow squash for the zucchini?
Karly Campbell says
Yep, I think that would work just fine, but I haven’t tested it myself.
Karly Campbell says
On second thought…you’ll want to be sure you’re using a yellow squash without a ton of seeds or that’s going to throw off the whole apple vibe. ๐
Steph says
Hi! I’m wondering if this could be frozen or use frozen zucchini? There are sooo many zucchini in my garden, I can’t keep up
Karly Campbell says
Hmm, I’ve never actually worked with frozen zucchini. I’m not sure how it would hold up, unfortunately.
Eva says
When I ran the carb and calorie count came up with many more carbs and calories then are listed on the recipe. Be careful folks. Different brands of ingredients can make a big difference.
Sasha says
Hi! I love this recipe! I want to make it for a group that includes a vegan. Do you think using coconut oil in place of butter would work, or something else for the topping? Thanks!
Karly Campbell says
I think coconut oil would work fine, though I haven’t tried it.
Sherri says
if anyone has tried coconut flour would like to know how that worked ๐ I am allergic to Almonds, makes keto/low carb baking very hard!
Susan Virnala says
I’d like to know how the coconut flour worked out. How about pecans?
darcek says
Adding Pecans and or Walnuts adds a lot to this.. highly recommended but it does raise the Caloric intake.
Laura says
Why you can’t use apples?
Karly Campbell says
Because they’re loaded with sugar and carbs.
Dana says
Can I make the topping with coconut flour? I have a child with nut allergies. Thanks!
Karly Campbell says
Hi Dana! I haven’t attempted this with coconut flour. It would probably need a lot more butter, as coconut flour soaks up moisture really quickly.
Alayna Brooks says
This is FREAKING AMAZING!! Thank you!! I love apple desserts and I was really missing them!
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that, Alayna!
Teri says
I love cooking things in individual servings to make it easy to count macros. any suggestions for that? ramekins maybe?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Teri! Yep, I would just portion it out into 5 ramekins.
Stephanie LEBLANC says
Made this yesterday afternoon and told hubby it was an apple crisp. Since I can’t get low-carb ice cream, I used Cool Whip and it was absolutely DELICIOUS! Hubby thought he was eating apples and when I told him it was zucchini, he couldn’t believe it. I’m going to add walnuts next time – thanks for the suggestion! The BEST dessert ever – will make and serve for Thanksgiving.
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Stephanie!
Jeri says
Can I do this in a crock pot? Itโs going to be too hot to fire up the open.
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure how this would work in a crockpot. I don’t think the topping would do great.
Bill says
Air fryer worked like a charm ! 365 degrees for 10 minutes
Karly Campbell says
Thanks for sharing!
Karen Mitchell says
My new favorite recipe! I did tweak it a bit. Used Swerve brown sugar for the 1/2 cup in the main recipe and cooked it in with the zucchini, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Used less almond four in topping about a half cup, and added about a half cup of chopped walnuts. Can’t wait to make it again!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed it. I’m sure it was great with the walnuts! ๐
Kim Foxhall says
Hi Karly,
Question for you. I have food sensitivities, one of which includes zucchini (or any squash). Is there something else I could substitute for the apples in the apple crisp recipe? Thanks!
Karly Campbell says
Hi Kim! Green tomatoes work well as a sub for apples like this, but I’m not sure if they’d work in this exact recipe. You might search for a green tomato crisp and see what you find. ๐
Kim Foxhall says
Thank you, Karly!! I appreciate your prompt response, and will look up that recipe!
Wendy says
You might try using jicama – just cook it longer til it has softened
Brandie says
Chayote works really well but I think it may also be a squashโฆhmmm itโs a great apple sub in recipes though.
mimi says
This is crazy spot on apples. IT IS BEYOND DELICIOUS. Karly, do ypu have a cookbook? I want one. WOW
Karly Campbell says
Oh yay!! I’m so glad that you gave it a try and agree that it’s APPLES! ๐
No hard copy cookbook, but I do have a few ebooks here: https://thatlowcarblife.com/store/ Thank you! <3
Anna Lee c Souders says
This is soooo good. Easy to make and it tastes just like apples
Karly Campbell says
Yay! Love that you made it so quickly and enjoyed it! ๐