grandma’s sour cream apple pie with a low carb twist

My grandma made a killer sour cream apple pie. To be honest, she made killer everything. She was an excellent baker. Her sour cream apple pie was definitely the inspiration behind this low carb sour cream apple pie version.

There’s just something special about a grandma’s desserts. It’s like you’re eating love with every bite. That’s what I set out to create with this sour cream apple pie. With each forkful, I can remember my grandma fondly and know that if she were sitting next to me, eating the pie too, she’d be telling me over and over again how “just super” the pie was.

This low-carb apple pie has a sweet, cinnamon, almond flour-based crust. This is filled with juicy, tart apples, coated in a velvety sour cream filling and topped with a buttery, cinnamon sugar crumble. THIS is what autumn baking is all about!

So, why not just make it like grandma did? Why mess with a good thing? Because it really was SUCH a good thing!

Welp, things have changed in the way food is produced and manufactured with pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). What was once natural isn’t so much anymore and I don’t know about you but I feel better when I eat foods in their natural form.

Over-processed, starchy all-purpose flour, with no additional nutrients, turns right to sugar. Add more refined sugar on top of that and all of a sudden I’m doing jumping jacks in the kitchen one minute and crashed out on the couch five minutes later.

Btw, the first part of that is awesome if the crash didn’t follow!

The good news is that we can eat something that tastes like grandma’s, minus the sugar rollercoaster.

Life doesn’t get much better than that.

O wait, it kinda does.

This pie takes a LOT less time to make. In fact, it’s really easy and quick. You can put away your rolling pins—they’re not coming out to play today. You don’t even need a mixer!

The crust can be made in five minutes flat. Less if the kiddos or puppy are pulling at your leg for attention!

Let’s do this, shall we?

how to make low carb apple pie crust

Add almond flour, xanthan gum (see note below), salt, Swerve sweetener, COLD butter (sorry, don’t mean to yell but it’s important ;-), and cinnamon to a small bowl. Mix it through, using your fingers or a fork (you can leave small clumps). Press it into a greased pie plate. Put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes and then bake for 10 minutes. Easy breezy!

What is xantan gum? You can be sure my grandma wasn’t baking with this! She didn’t need to because she used wheat which has gluten. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, acts as a binder. Since we’re not using wheat, we need something to keep the almond flour intact. Enter: xanthan gum. A little bit goes a long way so you don’t need much.

Swerve

Swerve is erythritol which is a sugar alcohol commonly used in low carb baking. It’s a natural, non-GMO, non-glycemic, zero-calorie sweetener. This means that, unlike regular refined sugar, it doesn’t affect blood sugar levels. It tastes, bakes, and measures like sugar.

In this recipe, I use the regular granular version (similar to white sugar) and the brown version (similar to brown sugar). I’ll also add possible subs to the notes.

how to make low carb apple pie filling

This part of the recipe is just as easy! Dump (my eloquent way of re-iterating how easy this is) sliced apples, sour cream (feel free to use dairy free. I’ve used both successfully), egg, Swerve, lemon juice, arrowroot and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Mix to coat all of the apples and then add the filling to the slightly cooled pie crust.

Arrowroot powder (sometimes referred to as starch) is a thickener. You can use this, tapioca or corn starch.

To find out more about arrowroot powder, xanthan gum, Swerve, or any other low carb ingredients, be sure to check out my eBook, find freedom in desserts: a sugar junkie’s guide to baking low carb sweets.

Once you’ve added the filling to the crust, turn up the oven to 400 degrees F, and cook the pie for 20 minutes.

While this is baking, you can make the crumble top. Dump (another easy step) the remaining almond flour, cinnamon, butter and Swerve brown to a small bowl. Combine it with a fork or your fingers so everything’s coated in the butter but you leave small crumbles.

After the pie has baked for 20 minutes, carefully remove it from the oven, spread the crumbles over the top and place it back in the oven for 20 more minutes.

The apples should be soft and the pie should be bubbly. When it comes out of the oven, let it cool before it makes it’s way to the fridge which will become its permanent home. Unlike most pies, sour cream apple pie is served cold.

With that said, don’t let it stop you from adding a little “healthy-ish” whipped cream on top before serving.

any apple works

You can use any combination of apples you like. I enjoy using a variety of apples. You could use apples that are sweeter like Honey crisp or Fuji or those that are more tart like Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Braeburn, McIntosh, Jonathan, Empire, and Cortland.

how to make “healthy-ish” whipped cream

This low carb apple pie is delicious and can totally stand in its own pie plate however if you do want to add some whipped cream, here’s a healthier, sugar-free option.

First, use real full-fat cream from pasture-raised cows. This means the cows are eating grass, not grain which translates into a more natural food source for your body. And our bodies really like natural food sources.

Beat that, with Swerve confectioners (the powdered version of Swerve) and vanilla until stiff peaks form. It depends how much I need to make but I typically will start with 2 cups of cream, 1/4 cup of Swerve, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Taste, and add more Swerve, one tablespoon at a time, until you’ve reached the desired sweetness. I find I don’t need it that sweet (I don’t like to take away from the dreamy, delicious taste of the cream).

make this pie even easier. have the ingredients delivered to your door.