This Keto Apple Crisp has a sweet, juicy, and aromatic cinnamon-spiced apple filling, topped with a nutty crumble topping. It’s the stuff your fall dessert dreams are made of! (Spoiler Alert: There are no apples in sight; read on to see my secret ingredient!)
I’m an apple girl through-and-through, and I’m a little picky about my apples. (I blame the fact that New York’s amazing apples spoiled me from the beginning, lol!) I love a sweet/tart crisp apple eaten out-of-hand, sliced into a green salad, added to homemade breakfast sausage, and as the star of the show in a savory chicken dish.
And I’m a sucker for an apple dessert! My mom makes the world’s best apple pie, and I make a pretty mean apple crumble. Baked apples are also one of my specialties, and I make a quick 5-Minute Cinnamon Pecan “Baked” Breakfast Apple for busy mornings!
But as far as fruit goes, apples are unfortunately fairly high in carbohydrates. I’m not saying that apples are unhealthy (I love apples and eat them regularly!), but when you’re trying to keep your carbs down, it’s good to have a few options.
You will be shocked at how much this Keto Apple Crisp recipe using zucchini tastes like a regular apple crisp. Make it for your friends and family and unless you tell them what’s in it, I don’t think they’ll guess.
This is the perfect addition to your holiday dessert table!
The Inspiration for This Keto Apple Crisp Recipe
A few years ago (circa 2012) before I moved away from Buffalo, a friend of mine gave me a recipe for Zucchini Crisp. It wasn’t low carb or keto friendly, it just substituted zucchini for apple because she had a ton of zucchini growing in her garden!
(Side Note: One of the best things about being a food blogger is that people give you food and food-related gifts! Even more than a plate of cookies or a bowl of stew, I love when people share their family’s heirloom recipes with me. What an honor.)
I never got around to making her recipe, and then I moved to Kuwait, and later to DC, and then to Florida and in the shuffle I somehow misplaced her recipe. But it’s been in the back of my mind since then. I’m so happy I finally got around to making a low carb and keto friendly mock apple crisp!
Are Apples Keto?
As far as fruit goes, apples are fairly high in carbohydrates. If you’re trying to maintain a state of nutritional ketosis (keeping your net carbs around 30g per day, or whatever your personal macronutrient requirements are), you can eat a portion of apple and still stay in ketosis. However, just like with anything else, you have to be mindful of portion size.
The portion of apple that you can eat and keep your carbs within your desired range will be relatively small. This is especially true when you compare the portion of an apple with the portion of a lower carb fruit, such as raspberries, which are much lower in carbs.
Check out this article on keto basics on The Keto Queens to read more.
The Takeaway: You can fit any food into a ketogenic lifestyle if you eat a small enough portion of it!
Apple Nutrition Information
According to the USDA Food Database, 1 medium (182g) raw apple has the following nutrition information:
- 94.6kcals
- .473g protein
- .309g fat
- 25.1g carbohydrates
- 4.37g fiber
- 20.73g net carbs
Low Carb Apple Crisp – Keto Apple Crisp Made with Zucchini
How ironic that this version of low carb apple crisp doesn’t have a single apple! It’s a mock apple crisp, and you’ll be surprising at just how close it tastes to the real thing.
Keto Apple Crisp Ingredients
Zucchini Filling:
- Zucchini
- Fresh lemon juice
- Swerve Brown Sugar Replacement
- Liquid stevia
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salt
Crumble Topping:
- Almond flour
- Golden flaxseed meal
- Swerve Brown Sugar Replacement
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Unsalted Butter
- Egg white
- Walnuts
How to Make Apple Crisp – The Keto Way!
To use zucchini to simulate apple in this delicious dessert, we first have to make zucchini look as close to apple as possible. We eat with our eyes first, right?
First peel the zucchini. Then trim off the ends, cut each zucchini in half length-wise, and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds inside. Note that you might not need to scrape out the seeds, it generally depends on the size of the zucchini. Slice each zucchini half cross-wise into half-moons.
Pro Tip: Look for smaller, more narrow zucchini for fewer or no seeds!
Combine the zucchini, lemon juice, sweetener, and a few other flavorings in a saucepan and cook it down on the stovetop.
Then transfer the zucchini filling to a casserole dish.
Make the crumble topping! This couldn’t be easier; cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork.
Sprinkle the crumble topping on top of the filling. And now bake until it’s golden and bubbling!
Serve warm and revel in the fact that low carb is pretty incredibly delicious.
Apple Crisp FAQs
What is the Difference Between Apple Crisp and Apple Crumble?
These two apple-based treats are very similar! They both contain an apple filling with a streusel topping. However, apple crisp topping traditionally contains oats, while apple crumble topping does not.
Read more about the difference between a crumble and a crisp on The Kitchn and Taste of Home.
Can You Freeze an Apple Crumble?
Yes, you can freeze apple crumble and apple crisp either before or after baking.
To freeze apple crumble or apple crisp before baking:
- Complete steps 1 through 6 of this recipe. Make sure the zucchini filling is completely cool before sprinkling on the topping.
- Wrap the dish well (a double layer of aluminum foil works well if the casserole dish doesn’t have a cover, or use this 7 by 11-inch glass casserole dish with lid). Label the dish with the date and contents.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw at room temperature the night before you want to bake this.
- Once thawed, bake at 350F until warm and bubbling, about 25 minutes.
To freeze apple crumble or apple crisp after baking:
- Complete steps 1 through 7 of this recipe (but skip step 1 until you want to bake it!).
- Cool to room temperature, and then wrap the dish well (a double layer of aluminum foil works well if the casserole dish doesn’t have a cover). Label the dish with the date and contents.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw at room temperature the night before you want to bake this.
- Once thawed, bake at 350F until warm and bubbling, about 15 to 20 minutes.
How Long is Apple Crisp Good For?
After the first day, move this to the fridge to extend its shelf life! If stored covered in the fridge, apple crisp stays good for about 3 to 5 days. The same thing for this faux Keto Apple Crisp!
More Low Carb Apple Dessert Recipes:
- Grain Free Low Carb Apple Dump Cake
- Low Carb Apple Bread
- Keto Apple Tart
- Low Carb Apple Upside Down Cake
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic and #healthysweeteats on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Keto Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Zucchini Filling:
- 1 1/2 pounds zucchini about 3 small-medium zucchini; about 4 cups sliced
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup Swerve Brown Sugar Replacement
- 10 drops liquid stevia
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Crumble Topping:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons golden flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons Swerve Brown Sugar Replacement
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter diced
- 1 large egg white
- 4 tablespoons walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- For the zucchini filling, peel the zucchini. Trim off the ends, cut each zucchini in half length-wise, and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds inside. Slice each zucchini half cross-wise into 1/4-inch slices (they will look like half-moons).
- Add all ingredients for the zucchini filling to a large saucepan over medium heat. Cover the saucepan and cook until the zucchini is tender, but not mushy, about 20 to 25 minutes. As soon as it reaches a vigorous boil (this takes about 9 to 10 minutes), uncover the saucepan, turn the heat down slightly, and continue the rest of the cooking time uncovered, stirring occasionally.
- Pour the zucchini mixture (and the liquid) into a 7 by 11-inch casserole dish (or equivalent size).
- For the crumble topping, whisk together the almond flour, golden flaxseed meal, brown sugar replacement, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk in the vanilla. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until it looks like coarse meal (there should be some pieces the size of peas). Mix in the egg white with a fork until crumbly. Stir in the walnuts.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping on the zucchini filling.
- Bake until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden, about 25 minutes at 350F.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Helpful Tips
- Net Carbs: 5g per serving
- For step-by-step photos check out the post above! You can see exactly how to cut the zucchini for this recipe.
- I know this seems like a lot of lemon juice, but it's not! Apples are naturally acidic and in order to mimic their flavor when using zucchini, we need to add acid in the form of lemon juice. The sourness of the lemon juice is balanced by the sweetener in this recipe.
- Reheat this in the microwave (in a microwave-safe dish) or in a 350F oven (in an oven-safe dish) until warm (about 15 minutes at 350F).
- Serve this with a scoop of your favorite low carb ice cream on top.
- This recipe tastes even better the next day once the flavors blend!
Nutrition
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Hello and welcome! I'm Faith and I believe you can have your cake and eat it too. For breakfast.
Hello! This looks amazing and just in time for zucchini season as well! I am new to your site and I’m looking forward to trying your recipes. I am Keto so keep posting those Keto recipes! Thanks!