Have you ever been in the mood for apple pie but found yourself without apples so you decided to substitute zucchini?
No? I haven’t either.
But apparently, someone may have done something like that at one time or another.
Ok, I’m not really sure how it happened but at some time in history, some people decided to use zucchini in place of apples and make a pie.
It sounds suuuuuper weird, and it is, but I can assure you it is delicious! 🙂
Why Zucchini Pie?
I honestly don’t know who started this crazy pie trend but since my grandma had it in her cookbook I’m guessing it had something to do with using ingredients you had on hand or being able to find different ways to use a bountiful garden harvest.
See, my grandma is in her late 80’s and she grew up in a time when you had to use everything you had wisely, which included food.
If the subject comes up, she will tell about how her mother (my great-grandmother) could make a meal out of what looked like very meager ingredients and feed their large family plus anyone who may be visiting.
So I’m not sure if they made zucchini pie because apples weren’t available to them for a time, or if they just had a few years of a really great garden harvest and needed to find a way to use a lot of zucchini.
Either way, my girls and I thought this zucchini pie was a really fun recipe!
Feeling Brave?
I think you’re going to be really surprised and delighted (which is how my daughter described her first bite of zucchini pie 😀 ) if you decide to try this recipe.
Other than zucchini, the ingredients are really pretty close to my homemade apple pie recipe. And there are only a few minor changes in preparation.
Oh! And I tweaked the recipe so that it is gluten-free and has no refined sugar. I love grandma and her cooking is to die for, but I had to healthify the recipe just a little 😉
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Gluten-Free Zucchini Pie
Ok, so you’ve decided to give it a try. Way to be adventurous!
What You’ll Need
Crust Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1 egg
Filling Ingredients
- 7 cups of zucchini, peeled and sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- dash of salt
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
What To Do
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Start With The Crust
Next, mix the flour and salt together in a bowl.
Then add small pieces of cold butter to the flour and salt mixture. Mix the butter in with your hands until the butter pieces are smaller than pea size
Add ice-cold water by the tablespoon while mixing with a fork. Mix until a ball begins to form.
Divide the dough into two balls and roll out (putting them between wax paper can really help here!)
Peel off the wax paper and lay one of the crusts onto a pie pan
Set aside the second crust for now.
Let’s Make The Filling!
For the filling, begin by peeling the zucchini, then slicing the long way and scooping out the seeds.
Cut the zucchini into small chunks like you would an apple and put it into a pot with honey.
Simmer for 10 minutes or so, or until the zucchini is tender and the amount of liquid has decreased. Let the zucchini sit and cool for a few minutes (about 5-10 mins should be fine).
Next, mix the zucchini and honey with the remaining filling ingredients and mix well.
After the ingredients are well mixed, pour them into your pie pan and put your top crust on.
Pinch the edges together and be sure to cut a few slits in the top.
Finally, mix one egg and 1 Tbsp. of water together and brush onto the top of the crust.
Bake for about 45 minutes.
Be sure to let your pie sit for a few minutes after taking it out of the oven before you serve it.
Enjoy!
Printable Zucchini Pie Recipe
Zucchini Pie
A fun twist on a favorite classic! This pie is made with zucchini but tastes just like apples. Give it a try, you'll be surprised and delighted 🙂
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1 egg
- 7 cups of zucchini, peeled and sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- dash of salt
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Instructions
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Start With The Crust
Next, mix the flour and salt together in a bowl.
Then add small pieces of cold butter to the flour and salt mixture. Mix the butter in with your hands until the butter pieces are smaller than pea size
Add ice-cold water by the tablespoon while mixing with a fork. Mix until a ball begins to form.
Divide the dough into two balls and roll out (putting them between wax paper can really help here!)
Peel off the wax paper and lay one of the crusts onto a pie pan
Set aside the second crust for now.
Let's Make The Filling!
For the filling, begin by peeling the zucchini, then slicing the long way and scooping out the seeds.
Cut the zucchini into small chunks like you would an apple and put it into a pot with the honey.
Simmer for 10 minutes or so, or until the zucchini is tender and the amount of liquid has decreased. Let the zucchini sit and cool for a few minutes (about 5-10 mins should be fine).
Next, mix the zucchini and honey with the remaining filling ingredients and mix well.
After the ingredients are well mixed, pour them into your pie pan and put your top crust on.
Pinch the edges together and be sure to cut a few slits in the top.
Finally, mix one egg and 1 Tbsp. of water together and brush on to the top of the crust.
Bake for about 45 minutes.
Be sure to let your pie sit for a few minutes after taking it out of the oven before you serve it.
Enjoy!
Looking for more dessert options? Check out the options below or find more in the dessert section!
- Gluten-Free Zucchini Crisp
- Gluten-Free Cherry Crisp
- Homemade Apple Pie (Gluten-Free)
- Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bars