Baked Rose Zucchini

Blood Sugar-Friendly Zucchini Rose “pie”

I know what you’re thinking – this picture looks exactly like a beautiful rose apple pie. But plot twist: it’s actually zucchini! And before you think I’ve completely lost it talking about zucchini as dessert, hear me out.

This recipe came from my partner’s mother, who has an abundant home garden and more zucchini than she knows what to do with. I was skeptical at first, but after some major tweaks, this became one of my go-to recipes for satisfying that dessert craving without the blood sugar chaos.

Why Zucchini Instead of Apples?

In my twenties, I was unknowingly a slave to my blood sugar. You know the drill—intense mood swings, shaky legs, crushing fatigue, and those random crying episodes that seemed to come out of nowhere. I thought eating every two hours was the solution, but reaching for pretzels or bagels was like putting a band-aid on a broken pipe.

The real wake-up call came during a nutrition lecture when my professor put up two slides side by side: symptoms of depression next to symptoms of low blood sugar. The overlap was staggering. My brain immediately started connecting dots – all those years of unexplained symptoms, unhelpful medications, and feeling like I was losing time to brain fog.

Don’t get me wrong, apples aren’t the enemy. A Granny Smith apple brings 4.7 grams of fiber plus vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, iron, and manganese to the table. But zucchini? It’s the unsung hero of blood sugar stability. One cup delivers 44% of your daily vitamin C needs, plus B vitamins, choline, vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium, copper, manganese, and potassium, all with just 1.5 grams of fiber and significantly less sugar impact.

Adapted: Adapted from Carol Hanba’s baked zucchini and Tasty.co’s Caramel Rose Apple Pie

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 -3 medium Zucchini (enough to fill your pie dish)
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp of fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Grass-fed Butter, melted
• 1/4 cup of Yacon Syrup (I use this or this). You can also maple syrup or a non-caloric sweetener you prefer to taste.
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp of vanilla powder or 2 tsp of liquid vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp Ginger
• 1/4 tsp Allspice
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom
• Pinch of salt
• Coconut sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare the zucchini: Peel your zucchini (save those skins for bone broth—waste not, want not!). Slice into thin rounds, then cut each round in half to create half-circles with a curved top and flat bottom.
3. Season: In a large bowl, mix all the spices with the lemon juice. Add the zucchini half-circles and toss until well coated.
4. Make the glaze: Combine the melted butter and yacon syrup in a small bowl. Set aside.
5. Create the rose: In your pie dish, start arranging the zucchini half-circles around the edge with the flat sides down. Work in overlapping layers, offsetting each new layer so the curved tops don’t line up perfectly—this creates that beautiful rose effect. Don’t stress about perfection; the goal is visual variety, not architectural precision.
6. Finish and bake: Pour the butter-yacon glaze over your zucchini rose. Sprinkle with coconut sugar if using. Bake for 40 minutes until the edges are golden and tender.
7. Cool and enjoy: Let it cool slightly before serving. The flavors meld beautifully as it rests.hole way round in all of the layers – different visual experience, same taste experience:)
8. Once your zucchini rose is completed pour the butter and yacon/maple syrup over the rose. If you are using coconut sugar sprinkle over the top of the rose.
9. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Cool, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• Short on time? Skip the rose arrangement and go rustic. Cut the zucchini into 1/2-inch cubes, toss with all the spices, lemon juice, butter, and sweetener, then bake in a 9×9 dish. Same great flavor, less fuss.
• Sweetness level: I tend to prefer things on the less sweet side (I’m talking 95% dark chocolate territory), so I’ve adjusted the sweetener to what my partner calls “normal taste buds.” If you have a serious sweet tooth, feel free to add more to taste.
• Yacon syrup substitute: Maple syrup works perfectly if you can’t find yacon syrup. The goal is stable sweetness without the blood sugar spike.

All nutrition information calculated using Cronometer. This recipe is about progress, not perfection—giving your body what it needs while still enjoying the sweet moments in life.