Low Carb Dessert Challenge: Blueberry Greek Yogurt Pie
So I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of carbs I’ve been consuming which also means that I can’t indulge in pie like I want to. There’s a diner nearby that makes really good pies, and one of their specialties is the blueberry sour cream pie. It’s absolutely delicious and I happen to love blueberry anything... the problem is really the amount of sugar that’s in the pie which definitely isn’t in line with my healthy eating pledge.
So how can I eat the foods I love without sacrificing my lifestyle change? I started looking up some low-carb pie recipes online and there were many that talked about a coconut flour crust and some sort of sugar substitute. Immediately I thought of stevia. I’ve eaten the leaves from the stevia plant before which was pretty good, and the bonus is that it’s low on carbs.
Funnily enough, I happen to have both on hand which meant that I was on a mission. I was going to make my favorite blueberry pie.
Low Carb Coconut Flour Pie Crust:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (or one stick) of cold butter cut into cubes
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whisk the eggs, extra virgin olive oil and vanilla extract in a food processor.
In another bowl, whisk the stevia, salt and coconut flour together until combined and then add it to the wet mixture in the food processor.
Pulse the mixture until it looks like crumbles.
Pour the mixture into a pie tray and then work quick to press the pie crust with your hands. The first time I made this, I didn’t press hard enough so the bottom crust was a bit thick, but I now know better for next time!
Poke holes into the pie crust with a fork.
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
If you’re going to bake the pie again, cover the crust’s edge with foil when baking again.
While the pie crust is baking, I got started on the filling which I will need to heat up and then cool alongside the pie crust.
2 1/2 to 3 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries. I happen to have frozen on me so I used those.
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp of chia seeds to thicken the mixture. I eyeball this one until the mixture is about the right texture.
Lemon zest and lemon juice from 1 nice-sized lemon.
I basically cooked the blueberries, stevia, lemon zest and lemon juice in a sauce pan until the juices of the blueberries come out. I cooked over medium heat and then raised it slightly until the mixture hit its boiling point and the blueberries popped.
Afterward, I turned off the heat and removed the sauce pan. At that point, I waited for the mixture to cool slightly before adding in the chia seeds. Once added, constantly stir until you can see the blueberry mixture thicken to a nice pie consistency.
Let cool until room temperature alongside the pie crust.
The key is to wait for both the crust and mixture to cool until room temp because that’s when you add the mixture into the pie crust. Stevia has a certain after taste that can be quite strong for those who aren’t used to it. The key is to balance that sweetness with the acidity of the lemon juice/zest and (the kicker) Greek yogurt.
I added a good amount of Greek yogurt on top of the pie before I placed it in the fridge to set. I did add some lemon juice to the Greek yogurt before putting it on the pie, but it’s really up to you. When it sits in the fridge, the yogurt will get some of that nice blueberry flavor.
The end result? Honestly, it’s pretty damn good! I was skeptical at first but I can honestly eat this pie again... and I will!
