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You’d never guess that this delicious Mock Apple Crumb Pie is really made with zucchini slices!
We’ve been growing a variety of summer squash in our back yard garden this summer – zucchini, yellow summer squash, and the striped, Italian cocozelle – and we’ve been picking it (and eating it) as fast as it is ripe!
But it never fails. In spite of our daily visits to the garden to pick our squash while it is still young and tender, at least once a week we discover a baseball bat-sized zucchini that has been hiding under some leaves!
But have no fear – we’ve got the perfect dessert to make with all of that zucchini: This Mock Apple Crumb Pie made with Zucchini!
As we mentioned here, slices of zucchini really do resemble the texture of sliced apples in baked goods, and when they are flavored with some apple pie seasonings – I guarantee – your family will never guess that this Mock Apple Crumb Pie was made with slices of zucchini instead apple slices.
The trick to achieving the perfect mock apple filling for this pie is to peel, seed and slice the zucchini, then sauté the slices in a little bit of lemon juice and salt until the texture of the zucchini resembles the texture of a slice of apple.
This Mock Apple Crumb Pie made with Zucchini is topped with a sweet cinnamon crumb topping that bakes up nice and golden brown. Serve warm with some vanilla ice cream (or for a firmer pie, chill before serving if you prefer) – and the fact that this Mock Apple Crumb Pie is really made with zucchini will be our little secret!
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Mock Apple Crumb Pie (Made with Zucchini)
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
Filling
- 2 large zucchini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Line a deep dish pie plate with the pie crust and crimp the edges. Set aside in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling and the topping. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- To prepare the filling, peel the zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. Using the tip of a spoon, remove all seeds. Slice the zucchini into ¼-inch slices crosswise. You should have approximately 6 cups of zucchini slices.
- Place the zucchini slices into a large skillet along with the lemon juice and salt. Cook over medium heat, tossing frequently until tender-crisp, similar to the texture of a slice of apple. (Also avoid browning the zucchini.) Remove from heat to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream of tartar and flour. Add the cooked zucchini to the cinnamon mixture and stir to combine. (It’s fine if there are juices in the bottom of the bowl.)
- To prepare the topping, place flour, both sugars, cinnamon and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse once or twice to combine. Add the chilled butter to the mixture and pulse again repeatedly until the mixture in the bowl resembles wet sand.
- Pour zucchini filling into the prepared pie crust. Pour the topping mixture evenly over the top of the filling.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling thickly at the edges.
- Remove pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack for approximately 1 hour to set.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
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How do you make the crust though errr!!😩
Hi Brenda – We have a pie crust recipe here: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/perfect-pie-crust/
Hello! This is amazing and cannot wait to try it. My husband is so done with zucchini, now I have to hide jt!
I’m trying this out right away. However it says 2 large zucchini, but.. mine are the baseball bat size you speak of, how many cups of slices would you say it works out to?
Hi Rochelle – Great question and since posting this recipe, we’ve gotten better at providing more specific measurements in our ingredients list as “large” can be subjective. This recipe is flexible and I would say that one baseball bat sized zucchini should be more than enough…maybe 4 cups of slices or so? (It’s a bit of a guess until we make the pie again ourselves and can update the recipe.) The zucchini will bake down so for a visual reference, I’d mound the uncooked slices higher than the pie plate (but not overly so). Hope that helps – sorry for the last of a specific volume or weight measurement.
Looks great! Can I make this pie a day ahead of serving it?
Thank you
Yes – and you can reheat in the oven on warm or serve cold
Could yellow squash be substituted in place of the zucchini? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Kel – We haven’t tried it ourselves, but I think it would work.
Excellent!!! First time doing a mock apple pie and we absolutely loved it!!! Made recipe as written, very well done!!!
Thanks Shannon! So glad you enjoyed the pie!
I may have over looked an oven temperature so did it at 350 degrees. Was a big hit and with people who profoundly dislike zucchini.
Hi Dottie – Step 1 had you preheat to 400 degrees – but sounds like it worked fine at 350. Glad the recipe was a hit!
We also have some massively large zuchinis and therefore need some new ways to use them. This looks amazing and fun! We are gluten free so instead of dealing with the hassle of a gluten free crust which is a challenge to make well, I would like to make it like an apple crumble with no crust. I can use gluten free flour for the topping. What changes if any should I make in temperature and bake time?
Thank you,
Delia
Hi Delia – We’ve only made the recipe as written, so without some testing in the kitchen, I’d just be guessing. We have an apple crisp recipe on our site that bakes at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes – hope that helps.
Can you freeze this?
Hi Terry – We’ve never tried doing so – so I’m not sure. If you try it, let us know how it comes out!!
Thank you for this recipe. I made it a few days ago to rave reviews. Except for the coma-inducing amount of sugar, it was almost indistinguishable from pie made with apples.
The next time, I will use about 1/3 cup of sugar instead of the 1-1/4 cup called for which I cut down to 1 cup.
It’s a great way to use up the tons of zucchinis for something other than zucchini bread. Again, thank you.
Thanks Rick! (I think?) 🙂
Thank you for this recipe and idea. I’ve made a mock apple pie before with Ritz crackers which works well, but when I came across this recipe, I was intrigued. I made it last week for a pie bake-off and took 1st place! I didn’t have the heart to tell the group that there were no apples in the pie.
Wow Marty! Congratulations! (It will be our secret!!) 🙂
Hi, can you repost the zucchini crumb bar recipe? Can’ t open the link on this side.
Thanks. 😀
Hi Nona – I’m so sorry! I’ve fixed the link in the post. Here is it as well: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/apple-zucchini-crumb-bars/
Hope you enjoy the recipe!