This family recipe goes back generations. An Old Fashioned Zucchini Cream Pie is similar to a pumpkin pie, but uses peeled, blanched zucchini. It’s a great way to deal with an overabundant zucchini harvest at the end of summer.
Whenever I mention this pie to friends they’re skeptical, but I convert them in the end. Just remember that pumpkin is another squash that makes a lovely custard pie. So this is the summer version of a squash pie, not a silly, gimmicky pie. It’s truly an old family favorite. It was the highlight a few weeks ago when multiple generations came together to watch Hitchcock movies together.
You can experiment with using vegan evaporated milk or coconut milk to replace the regular evaporated milk.
Old Fashioned Zucchini Cream Pie
1 cup cooked zucchini, drained and squeezed (from approximately 3 zucchini)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 heaping tablespoons flour
1 can evaporated milk (or vegan evaporated milk or coconut milk)
optional half cup of milk, oatmilk, or half and half
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
cinnamon & nutmeg for sprinkling
8″ unbaked pie shell (preferably homemade)
method
Peel the zucchini, remove the seeds, then cook in a small saucepan with water until soft. Drain well then squeeze with your hands to remove the excess water. Measure one cup of the zucchini, saving any remaining cooked zucchini for a future pie, or another recipe such as soup or pasta sauce.
In a blender, combine the zucchini, sugar, egg, flour, evaporated milk (or vegan evaporated milk), butter, vanilla, and salt. Blend well, then pour into an 8″ unbaked pie shell. You may add another half cup of milk, oatmilk, or half and half to fill the custard in the pie shell. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Bake at 425F for 20 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 350F and bake about 10-15 additional minutes until done. Remove from oven at the end of the time even though it shakes a bit. Baking further destroys the classic custard texture, and it will settle as it cools. Let the custard cool a bit and settle before serving.