How to Bake a Healthy Pie for Dessert
Have your pie and eat it, too, with tips for lightening up almost any pie from crust to topping.
Instructions
- Step 1: Use a single crust Use only a single bottom crust, which will save you 120 calories and 8 grams of fat per slice of an eight-slice, 9-inch pie.
- TIP: Ditch the crust altogether and line a pie dish with crumbs over a layer of cooking spray. Try gingersnaps, shortbread cookies, graham crackers, or chocolate cookie crumbs.
- Step 2: Swap white flour Swap half the white flour in your crust recipe with whole wheat pastry flour. You'll gain 1-1/2 grams of fiber per slice.
- Step 3: Use good fat Use a pie crust recipe that calls for oil instead of shortening and use a healthy oil, like canola. Use less than called for and substitute the rest with low-fat buttermilk or fat-free cream cheese.
- Step 4: Reduce sugar Reduce the amount of sugar in your pie filling by half or replace half with sugar substitute.
- Step 5: Cut filling fat Cut the butter in your filling -- which can normally go up to a half a cup -- to about two tablespoons. Use fat-free sweetened condensed milk in recipes that call for sweetened condensed milk and evaporated skimmed milk in recipes that call for evaporated milk. Try low-fat or light cream cheese in place of the full-fat variety.
- TIP: Make your own fruit pie filling to boost fiber and nutrients.
- Step 6: Top it off Top your healthy pie off with low-fat vanilla ice cream or fat-free whipped topping and dig in.
- FACT: The American Pie Council named January 23 National Pie Day, dedicated to celebrating pie.
You Will Need
- Single crust
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- Canola oil
- Low-fat buttermilk or fat-free cream cheese
- Sugar substitute
- Fat-free sweetened condensed milk
- Evaporated skimmed milk
- Low-fat or light cream cheese
- Low-fat vanilla ice cream or low-fat whipped topping
- Cookie crumbs (optional)
- Fruit (optional)