Last updated on April 13th, 2024

Apple Crisp (with less carbs)

Imagine sinking your teeth into a warm and comforting apple crisp, the taste of tart apple tidbits bouncing on your taste buds, with a sweet, nutty crumble topping adding a delightful crunch.

But wait, this isn’t your average baked apple dessert. It’s a low-carb version, just as delicious and satisfying, that contains a root vegetable called jicama (hee-kah-mah) or Mexican turnip mixed in with apples as a tasty filling.

What’s more, the crispy topping is made using almond flour and nuts instead of the usual oats, and it’s a blend that can also be used as a topping for this easy Instant Keto Oatmeal Mix recipe.

What does Apple Crisp with less carbs taste like?

With apple-picking season in full swing, my mind immediately goes to yummy desserts like apple crisp, crumble, or streusel for a potluck dessert.

Even though apples have a high natural sugar content, I prefer to use apples instead of apple extract, which is difficult to find sometimes and can be quite expensive.

Unquestionably, this recipe is an excellent low-carb option if you want to indulge in the delicious flavours of fall without consuming additional carbohydrates. Moreover, it’s the perfect Fall dessert to serve a carb-conscious crowd. Keep reading to discover why.

Flavours of Apple Crisp

This recipe features an exclusive mix of tart apples, lemon, cinnamon, and jicama, a versatile and lightly sweet root vegetable that is native to Mexico. If you enjoy sweet and tangy flavours, then this recipe is perfect for you. Even though some of the apples are replaced with jicama, you can still taste the sugary and tart flavours of apple crisp.

Taste of a traditional Apple Crumble

Use this recipe to savour the rich, buttery taste of a traditional apple crumble made without rolled oats using a blend of pecans, cashews, almond flour, sweetener, and butter.

Reminiscent of Apple Streusel

In this recipe, sweet and sour baked apple and jicama are topped with a crispy layer reminiscent of apple streusel.

Why You Will Love Apple Crisp with Less Carbs

Low Carb Apple Substitute

If you are on a low-carb diet and haven’t yet discovered jicama, this recipe is an excellent way to learn how to cook with it. Jicama is a vegetable low in carbohydrates and can be used as a substitute for potatoes, apples, and pears.

Tastes like Apple Crisp

This recipe is a clever way to reduce carbs without compromising the delicious taste of apples, a quintessential fall flavour. The carb count is lowered significantly by replacing half of the apples in the filling with jicama. Furthermore, this makes the dessert hearty and tricks your mind into thinking it’s ALL apples.

Bakes like Apple Crisp

Jicama has a crisp texture and neutral flavour, making it an ideal canvas for absorbing lemon and cinnamon’s bright and warm flavours once Jicama is cooked and added to the apple crisp filling, bake it just like you would with a regular apple crisp.

Healthy Dessert Alternative

Jicama has many benefits, making it a healthy ingredient to sneak into an apple dessert, which is traditionally high in sugar and carbs. Furthermore, jicama’s high water content helps to keep you hydrated, while its high fibre content aids in lowering cholesterol.

More about this Low Carb Apple Crisp Recipe

You’re still using Apples in this Recipe

• The filling for this low-carb recipe still uses apples, maintaining the apple taste of your favourite apple dessert.

No Oats or Flour in the Crisp Topping

• Leave the oats and flour in the cupboard since they are not needed to make the delicious crunchy yet chewy top layer for this apple crisp.

Adaptable recipe

• If you’re not concerned about consuming too many carbs, replace the Jicama with two Granny Smith apples. Alternatively, double the jicama in the recipe to make this dessert a completely low-carb dessert without apples.

What is Jicama?

• Jicama is a root vegetable with slightly sweet and watery flesh and brown skin. Its texture is similar to that of a radish, potato, apple, or pear. However, it contains much less starch than most root vegetables.
• Jicama is low in carbs and keto-friendly since it contains more fibre and fewer carbohydrates than other root vegetables.
• It can be a versatile substitute for potatoes, with only 5g net carbs per cup, making it a great addition to replace other vegetables higher in carbs.
• Jicama contains inulin, a prebiotic fibre that promotes gut health, relieving constipation since it is also high in water content.
• The neutral flavour of jicama allows it to absorb the taste of other ingredients in any dish. It’s also high in fibre, making it an excellent substitute for root vegetables. You can make fries, latkes, and even grate it raw for salads.
• Its low-calorie content makes it a great choice for those watching their weight.

Why Jicama works in this recipe

Besides its low-carb content, jicama is a great ingredient in this recipe for several reasons.

Imitates Apple texture

Once cooked, it has a texture similar to that of an apple. Additionally, it maintains its shape well, even after being cooked.

Bulks up the filling

Replacing half of the filling in the recipe with jicama further reduces the dessert’s carb content while maintaining a substantial filling.

Blends well with the cooked apples

After the apple and jicama crisp is baked, the jicama blends in perfectly with the cooked apples, taking on the savours of a traditional apple crisp, creating a cohesive and delicious flavour.

Why do I need to Boil or Pressure Cook the Jicama?

While jicama is a fantastic substitute for some of the apples in this recipe, it takes a much longer time for jicama to soften than it does for apples, so adding it straight away to the apple filling will result in what will taste like an uncooked filling even after baking.

The solution? Boil or pressure cook the jicama first before you begin to make the filling. Taking the time to cook the Jicama ahead will undoubtedly result in fork-tender and softly cooked jicama pieces that blend perfectly with the apples. Ultimately, the goal is to cook the jicama to a soft texture resembling cooked apples.

Carbs and Servings in this Recipe

Over time, I’ve made significant changes to my apple crisp recipe. Initially, the topping contained generous oats, flour, and sugar, resulting in around 58g of net carbs per serving.

Comparatively, this recipe makes about five small servings, enough for two to three people. It contains just over 12g of net carbs per serving even though it includes some apples.

Furthermore, I have discovered that choosing low-carb substitutes like jicama doesn’t mean sacrificing deliciousness.

EXPERT TIP: Double the jicama and make a keto-friendly recipe by omitting the apples.

Ingredient Notes to make Apple Crisp (with less carbs)

Crisp Topping

• Almond flour – adds texture to apple crisp topping as a great alternative to all-purpose flour.
• Cashews – are a wholesome and raw addition that creates a delightful texture and a satisfying chewy crunch to the topping.
• Pecans – provide a crisp texture while retaining the flavour of Fall.
• Sweetener – replaces white sugar to balance the tartness of apples. I use a low-carb sweetener by Volupta.
• Salt – enhances the sweetness in recipes, but only a little is needed here.
• Cinnamon is essential for this recipe as it is a common ingredient in traditional apple crisps.
• Butter – For a crisp topping, keep the butter cold.

Jicama and Apple Filling

• Jicama (hee-kah-mah) is an excellent substitute for apples in recipes. It’s a starchy root vegetable with a similar texture to apples when cooked, making it an ideal replacement for half the apples in a recipe. To ensure even cooking and seamless blending with the apples, it’s best to cube the jicama into small pieces.
• Apples – such as Granny Smith and Honeycrisp are great for apple crisp since they are crisp and tart.
• Cinnamon – goes well with lemon juice, enhancing the flavour of Fall
• Lemon Juice – adds tartness to the jicama and helps make it resemble the taste of an apple.
• Arrowroot – helps to thicken the moisture in the filling during baking.

Step by Step: How to make Apple Crisp (with less carbs)

1) Cook the Jicama

To prepare the jicama for this recipe, peel it and dice it into small cubes. Place the jicama in a saucepan and add enough water to cover it. Bring the water to a boil and allow the jicama to simmer over medium heat for about 50 minutes.

Alternatively, use an Instant Pot to pressure cook diced jicama with one cup of water for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for approximately 40 minutes.

EXPERT TIP: Dice the Jicama into 3/4-inch cubes or smaller to soften faster.

Once the jicama has softened, turn off the heat and let it sit in the hot water for another 10 minutes. This will allow the jicama to soak up more water and become even softer.

Meanwhile, make the crisp topping.

2) Make the Crisp Topping

Place the nuts inside a food processor and pulse a few times to chop them into small pieces roughly. Next, add butter and pulse the mixture until it becomes lumpy.

Add the almond flour, sweetener, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in the food processor and pulse the mixture again until it becomes grainy, with a few butter lumps dispersed throughout. Keep this mixture aside, or store it in the fridge until ready to assemble the apple crisp.

3) Peel and cut the Apples

Peel and dice the Granny Smith apples to match the size of the jicama cubes. Place the apples in a 6 x 8-inch baking dish.

4) Prepare the Jicama and Apple Filling

Remove about two tablespoons of the jicama water and set it aside. Drain the remaining water from the pot.

Mix the arrowroot with the jicama water until dissolved, then add it to the jicama cubes. Stir in cinnamon, sweetener, and lemon juice.

Mix the jicama and apples until evenly distributed. The jicama may appear slightly softer than the apples, but that’s okay as the apples will cook during baking.

Sprinkle the jicama and apples with the topping mixture until most of it is covered. It’s okay if a few apple or jicama pieces peek through.

5) Bake the Apple Crisp

Preheat the oven to 325F, and place the baking dish in the middle rack, then bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, cover the apple crisp with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling along the edges. Allow the crisp to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

EXPERT TIP: Allow the apple crisp to cool for 10 minutes before serving to give the nutty layer a chance to become crisp.

Best Tips for making Apple Crisp (with less carbs)

• Dice the Jicama into 3/4-inch cubes or smaller to soften faster.
• Use an Instant Pot to pressure cook diced jicama if you are short on time.
• Cold Butter works best to keep the topping crisp.
• Combine the nut mixture in a food processor to achieve an even, grain-like consistency.
• Cover the baking dish with foil halfway through the baking process to prevent the nutty topping from burning.
• Add cinnamon and lemon juice to the apples for a delicious fall flavour.
• Dice the apples slightly larger than the Jicama, as they will shrink during baking.
• Allow the apple crisp to cool for 10 minutes before serving to give the nutty layer a chance to become crisp.

Serving, Reheating and Storing Tips

How to Serve

This Apple Crisp is a versatile dish that is perfect for dessert or breakfast. Serve it with low-carb ice cream or whipped cream.

Reheating

Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments or oven at 325°F for 10 minutes until warmed.

Storage

Store the apple crisp baking dish and cover it with clingfilm in the refrigerator for up to four days. I recommend eating it within two days before the crispy topping becomes soggy. Warm it up in the microwave for a crisper texture.

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