Low Carb Apple Crumble (Made with Jicama)

This low carb apple crumble swaps the apples for tender, buttery jicama simmered with cinnamon and a little apple flavoring, then bakes it under a golden almond flour crumble topping. It tastes like the classic, at about 7g net carbs per serving.

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Apples are one of the first things to go when you start eating low carb, and fall is when you miss them most. This recipe came from the same kitchen experiments as our Low Carb Rhubarb Crumble and the jicama-based "apple" dessert in our Low Carb Chocolate Recipes book: cook jicama gently in butter, cinnamon and sweetener, and it soaks up all those cozy flavors. Add a few drops of apple flavoring and a crunchy topping, and you get a warm dessert the whole family will happily dig into, with no sugar, no flour and no apples.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Jicama (the "apple"). Jicama is a crunchy root vegetable with a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a texture a lot like a crisp apple or a pear. A cup of raw jicama has about 11g of carbs, more than half of it fiber, compared with around 25g of carbs in a cup of chopped apple, and it holds its shape when cooked instead of turning to mush. You'll need one large jicama, about 2 pounds; peel it with a sharp knife or sturdy vegetable peeler and cut it into roughly ¾-inch chunks. Find more ways to use it in our roundup of The Best Low Carb Jicama Recipes.
• Chayote (an alternative "apple"). If you can't find jicama, chayote squash is the other classic mock-apple vegetable and is also very low in carbs. It cooks up softer and juicier, more like baked apples than crisp ones, so peel it, remove the soft seed, and check it after about 8 minutes on the stove rather than the full 15.
• Apple flavoring. This is what makes jicama taste like apple pie filling. We use LorAnn apple flavoring, which is super strength, so half of one tiny 1-dram bottle (just under ½ teaspoon) is plenty. Apple extract works too; start with ½ teaspoon and taste the sauce before adding more.
• Sweetener. A granulated monk fruit sweetener such as Lakanto Classic goes into both the sauce and the topping and measures cup-for-cup like sugar. A golden monk fruit blend gives a more brown-sugar flavor, and any granulated stevia blend that measures like sugar works too.
• Butter and cinnamon. Unsalted butter and ground cinnamon make the buttery sauce that coats the jicama. If you only have salted butter, it works fine; you'll just get a slightly salted-caramel edge.
• Almond flour and flaxseed meal. Fine blanched almond flour plus ground flaxseed meal makes a crumble topping with a toasty, almost oaty flavor. You can swap the flaxseed meal for more almond flour, or use unsweetened shredded coconut for a different texture.

Helpful Tips

Cut even chunks. Jicama is dense, so pieces of different sizes cook at different speeds. Aim for chunks about the size of a sugar cube so every bite is tender at the edges with a little bite in the middle, just like baked apple.

Don't expect it to go soft. Jicama stays slightly crisp even after simmering and baking, and that's part of its charm. If you prefer a softer filling, keep the pan covered and simmer it for an extra 5 to 10 minutes before it goes into the baking dish.

Make the sauce before adding the jicama. Melt the butter with the sweetener, cinnamon and apple flavoring over medium heat and stir until the sweetener dissolves into a glossy sauce. Then add the jicama and stir well so every piece is coated before you put the lid on.

Keep the butter cold for the topping. Cold butter rubbed into the almond flour with your fingertips gives you those big, craggy crumbs. If your kitchen is warm and the mixture starts to look greasy, pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes before topping the crumble.

Bake covered, then uncovered. Almond flour browns faster than regular flour. Baking under foil for the first 15 minutes warms everything through, and the last few minutes uncovered turn the topping golden. Keep an eye on it near the end so it doesn't scorch.

Variations

• Mock apple pecan crumble. Stir ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts into the topping for extra crunch.
• Apple pie spice. Replace the cinnamon with 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice, or add a pinch of nutmeg and ginger.
• Caramel apple crumble. Drizzle each serving with warm Low Carb Caramel Sauce.
• Berry and apple. Fold a handful of raspberries or blackberries into the jicama just before baking for a tart, pretty twist.
• Individual crumbles. Divide the filling and topping between six small ramekins and bake for about 15 minutes, uncovering for the last 5.
• Chayote crumble. Use chayote instead of jicama for a softer, juicier filling (see the substitutions above).

Serving Ideas

Serve this crumble warm, straight from the oven, with a scoop of Sugar Free No Carb Ice Cream, a spoonful of whipped cream sweetened with a little monk fruit, or a pour of heavy cream. A drizzle of Low Carb Caramel Sauce makes it feel extra special for guests.

It's a great fall dessert for a Sunday dinner or a holiday table, and it pairs nicely with other apple-flavored treats like our Keto Apple Cinnamon Donut Bites. Leftovers are lovely for a weekend breakfast with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

Storing & Freezing

Let the crumble cool completely, then cover the dish tightly (or move it to an airtight container) and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, or warm the whole dish in a 350F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. The topping softens a little in the fridge, and a few minutes in the oven crisps it back up.

You can freeze it, too. Wrap the cooled crumble well, or freeze single portions in airtight containers, for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the oven until hot. The jicama keeps its texture well, though the topping is never quite as crunchy as it is fresh. To get ahead, you can also make the topping and freeze it on its own, then sprinkle it straight from the freezer over freshly cooked jicama.

More Low Carb Crumbles and Fall Desserts

If you loved this recipe, here are a few more you might enjoy:

• Low Carb Rhubarb Crumble
• Low Carb Blueberry Cream Cheese Crumble
• Keto Apple Cinnamon Donut Bites
• Keto Maple Nut Pralines
• The Best Low Carb Jicama Recipes

📖 Recipe

StepAwayFromTheCarbs.com

Low Carb Apple Crumble (Made with Jicama)

4.78 from 9 votes

A cozy low carb apple crumble made with jicama instead of apples, simmered in cinnamon butter sauce with a touch of apple flavoring and baked under a crunchy almond flour topping.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Makes: 6 servings

Net Carbs: 7

Calories: 247

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• 2 lb jicama peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks (or chayote, see notes)
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ cup low carb sweetener granulated monk fruit, such as Lakanto
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ dram apple extract LorAnn super strength apple flavoring, just under ½ teaspoon

For the topping:

• ½ cup almond flour
• ¼ cup low carb sweetener granulated monk fruit, such as Lakanto
• ¼ cup flaxseed meal
• 2 tbs unsalted butter cold, cut into small pieces

Equipment

• Spectrum Essentials Organic Ground Flaxseed, 24 Ounce (Pack of 1)
• Lorann Oils Candy and Baking Flavoring Bottle (2/ Pack), .125 Ounce, Apple

Step-by-Step Instructions

 

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1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
2. In a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat, melt the ¼ cup of butter with ¼ cup of the sweetener, the cinnamon and the apple flavoring. Stir until the sweetener dissolves and a smooth sauce forms.
3. Add the jicama and stir well to coat every piece. Cover, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the jicama is tender-crisp.
4. Meanwhile, make the topping: in a bowl, mix the almond flour, flaxseed meal and the remaining ¼ cup of sweetener. Add the 2 tablespoons of cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips until large, crumbly pieces form.
5. Transfer the jicama and all of its sauce to a medium baking dish (about 2 quarts), then sprinkle the topping evenly over the top. It doesn't need to cover the filling completely.
6. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 4gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 10mgPotassium: 285mgFiber: 10gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 385IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mgNet Carbs: 7g

Notes

Jicama texture: jicama stays slightly crisp even after cooking, a lot like a firm baked apple. For a softer filling, simmer it covered for an extra 5-10 minutes.

Chayote option: peeled, seeded chayote squash can replace the jicama. It cooks faster and turns softer, so check it after about 8 minutes on the stove.

Storage: keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in a 350F oven until hot so the topping crisps up again.

Nutrition: the monk fruit sweetener and the tiny amount of apple flavoring are not counted in the nutrition facts.

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Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. Net carbs are calculated as the total grams carbs minus the total grams of fiber.