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Keto Apple Pie Filling with Jicama

Jicama makes the perfect replacement for a low carb apple pie filling. Chayote squash is also a great choice for replacing the apples in a keto apple pie filling. The reason that I prefer jicama over chayote comes down to prep time. Peeling, deseeding, and chopping chayote is a labor-intensive task. Not to mention they are a very slippery fruit, making chopping slightly more difficult. On top of that prep work, chayote squash must be boiled to soften enough to be an apple replacement. For this reason alone I prefer to use Jicama over Chayote squash.

To prepare jicama you only need to peel and chop, and then steam. Much less work, for significantly more keto-friendly “apple” volume. I can easily have twice the amount of Jicama in half the time that it would take me to prepare the chayote squash.

There are many keto-friendly apple recipes using chayote that do not mention peeling and deseeding the fruit. However, when I am looking to learn how to properly prepare food I like to reference reputable sources like Cook Illustrates.

One more reason that I prefer Jicama over Chaoyte comes down to availability. When we lived in California I could find Chayote squash at my local grocery store year-round. When posting about the squash on my Instagram page, I always had friends respond that it was not available in their area. Now that we have moved to North Carolina I have not seen a Chayote Squash in any of my local grocery stores. I can however easily find Jicama. Because the availability of ingredients is crucial, I will choose Jicama for this recipe again and again.

Remember this is just my personal preference. You can also prepare this recipe with cooked chayote squash, just make sure that boil the squash to soften the vegetables before making an apple pie filling. Even cooked chayote will have slightly more crunch, then cooked apples.

How to make Jicama an “apple”

The secret to achieving the apple-like texture from Jicama is to steam it beforehand. I like to use my Instant Pot to steam the Jicama. You can also steam the Jicama on the stove, but it may take longer to soften the naturally crunchy root vegetable.

Use the steaming time to your advantage, and start to infuse the veggie to be more apple-like. I add one lemon, and one cinnamon stick into the Instant Pot with the raw diced Jicama. In place of water in the Instant Pot, you may consider using a steeped lemon or apple tea. Taking the time to flavor the Jicma during this step will make all the difference.

The softer the Jicama, the more it will be reminiscent of a cooked apple when you finish this recipe.

Follow these flavor-enhancing steps for steaming on the stovetop as well. Steam the Jicama in the Instant Pot for 40 minutes, or one the stovetop for 60+ minutes. After steaming the Jicama should be softened, and it should have the perfect flavor to build on for the most delicious keto-friendly apple pie filling.

For this recipe you will need:

• Jicama prepared as we discussed above
• Butter
• Keto-friendly sweetener
• Cinnamon Extract
• Cinnamon
• One on One Apple Flavor Concentrates
• Heavy Cream

To achieve a true apple pie flavor, but also keep this recipe keto-friendly I used One on One’s flavor concentrates. These flavors are my secret weapon, and you will see I use them in the majority of my recipes. I love being able to flavor my keto foods and spare myself the carbs that it would otherwise take to develop that flavor profile. For a link to their site, you can follow my affiliate link below. For 25 percent off your order use my code Brilliantly-25.

How to prepare the Jicama into apple pie filling:

Once the jicama is steamed and infused with flavor is will already begin to remind you of a delicious cooked apple. To elevate this apple pie filling, we will be making a quick caramel sauce to coat the Jicama. The caramel elevates this recipe. Nothing goes with apples more than a gooey caramel sauce.

Traditionally the sugars in apples caramelize as they bake. Since we are using a vegetable we need to imitate that caramelization, in order to truly achieve a keto-friendly apple pie filling using Jicama. Taking the extra step to make a quick caramel is what achieves a true apple-like filling out of the Jicama.

The caramel sauce for this recipe is a quick and easy emulsion of butter, sweetener, heavy cream and flavorings.

If you would like to pair this recipe with a true keto-friendly caramel sauce for topping, then I have the recipe for you!

Now that we have made this apple pie filling, what should you use it in?

I love using this recipe in my Low Carb Apple Cream Cheese Danish. This danish is light and flakey, and the apple pie filling pairs perfectly with a cream cheese filling.

Enjoy this Jicama apple pie al la mode with some keto-approved vanilla ice cream. Take this one step further with my caramel sauce for the perfect caramel drizzle. This combination would make the most delicious keto apple pie ice cream sundae.

Yield: 10

Keto Apple Pie Filling

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Are you ready to enjoy your favorite fall treat? This keto-friendly apple filling is the perfect substitute for apples.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 stick or 4 oz. of butter
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite low carb sweetener.
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla or cinnamon extract
• 1 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. of heavy cream
• 20 drops apple pie cinnamon and 20 drops baked apple One on One Flavor concentrates.
• 1/4 lemon juice only (optional)
• 1 medium diced and steamed jicama or approximately 400 grams.
• 1/8-1/4 tsp gelatin (optional)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a pan on medium to medium-low heat depending on your burner. You do not want the butter to start to simmer or get too hot.
2. Melt the butter completely.
3. Once the butter is melted add in the sweetener and salt. Begin whisking the ingredients together to incorporate.
4. Keep an eye on the butter and sweetener mixture. Be sure to whisk the ingredients periodically until you remove the caramel sauce from the heat. No need to stand over the pan whisking, just be mindful to stir the caramel sauce. This allows the sauce to thicken and reduce, without burning.
5. You will start to notice the sauce beginning to thicken. When the caramel sauce thickens enough that it is no longer a thin liquid consistency -- add in cinnamon, vanilla, and one on one flavor concentrates. (or extract of your choosing)
6. Now, It is time to add the heavy cream, and it is very important that you add the cream slowly and whisk--whisk--whisk!
7. Continue to whisk the caramel sauce slowly. Once the sauce has reached a nice thick caramel consistency it is time to remove it from the heat.
8. Let the caramel sauce cool slightly before adding the jicama. This helps the sauce to coat the jicama easier.
9. If you will be adding the lemon juice, add the lemon juice to the jicama before coating it with the caramel sauce. The lemon juice really elevates this mock apple pie filling. I find that without lemon juice the flavor falls slightly flat.
10. Add the jicama to the caramel sauce. As the sauce cools it will crystallize because of the erythritol. This is perfectly fine and does not affect the sauce once everything is combined.
11. If the sauce is not thick enough add gelatin 1/8 of a tsp at a time. Lightly sprinkle the entire pan with gelatin.

Notes

I recommend not letting the caramel sauce cool to room temperature before adding the jicama, but you also do not want it hot off the stove. If the sauce is too hot it will not coat the jicama properly.

FYI: Sugar-free caramel sauces made with erythritol will crystallize once they cool. The exception would be a caramel sauce made with Allulose. I do not notice this effect once mixed with jicama., so I personally like to reserve Allulose for other recipes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

10
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173Total Fat: 16gCarbohydrates: 7gNet Carbohydrates: 3gFiber: 4gProtein: 1g

brilliantlyketo.com offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from multiple online calculators. Although all attempts to provide accurate nutritional information have been made, these figures are only estimates as products and ingredients macros vary.

Adding Gelatin to this recipe:

On occasion, I like to add powdered gelatin to this apple pie filling after mixing the jicama into the caramel. If I want the caramel sauce to stick to the jicama really well, a 1/4 tsp of gelatin usually does the trick. I just lightly sprinkle the entire pan with gelatin and then stir well.

There are many theories as to the health benefits of adding gelatin into your diet. If that is not enough to make you want to add gelatin to your pantry, I find gelatin to single handily be the best ingredient in gluten-free baking, and it is our family’s preferred method of thicking sauces. This apple pie filling is a perfect example, a small amount of gelatin really transforms this recipe.

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