Guilt-Free Reduced Sugar Caramel Pie

Reduced Sugar Recipe

Looking for a guilt-free dessert option that satisfies your sweet tooth without extra sugar? This homemade caramel pie uses Swerve sugar substitute…and well, just a little bit of sugar to caramelize.

I don’t want to mislead you, but this is still not a “low-calorie” dessert….it has significant calories at around 400 but a regular piece of caramel pie would be around 500, so it’s a little less)))

There is even Swerve Confectioners sugar substitute in the meringue to make it sugar-free. Any time we can reduce carbs in desserts is a plus if there is no trade-off in using sweeteners. Now I know using artificial sweeteners of any kind isn’t a great thing to do…but we all have to compromise sometime))

My husband is a diabetic so I’m always trying to find alternatives for desserts. Here’s his favorite cheesecake recipe that is also reduced sugar.

Pie Crust

Bake a deep dish pie crust and let it cool. You can make your own pie crust if you like but I go for the frozen)))

Caramel Pie Filling

Start the filling by mixing the Swerve Granular Sugar and the flour together in a large saucepan. Add the milk and heavy whipping cream and cook over a low heat stirring with a whisk to remove any lumps. Cook until thickened. Times will vary but you can tell when it thickens up. Remove from heat and set aside.

Caramelized Sugar

This is always the tough part for me! But I like this recipe because you only caramelize 1/2 cup of sugar that is separate from the filling…..so if you mess it up, it’s only a half-cup and you can try again without losing the whole pie.

Take a small cast iron skillet and add the sugar. This is the “real” sugar, not a substitute. I haven’t tried caramelizing sugar substitute but it’s on my list to do)))

Start the heat low and stir the sugar slowly. It will soon begin to lump together as it starts to melt. Keep the heat low to medium because once it melts, it can burn quickly.

The caramelized sugar should be about the color of a Kraft caramel. Pour the caramelized sugar into the filling mixture stirring constantly with a whisk. Add the butter and vanilla flavoring. Place on low to medium heat and cook until pudding consistency.

Remove from heat and pour into your baked pie crust.

I like to place my pies on a cookie sheet if they have to go back into the oven or anything. It makes handling so much safer, especially when using tin foil pie pans.

Meringue

Now your caramel pie is ready for its topping. Make a simple meringue with the egg whites using a hand or stand mixer. Whip them into nice peaks. Add the Swerve Confectioners Sugar Substitute a little at a time, then the Cream of Tartar and the cornstarch. You could mix the sugar, Cream of Tartar, and cornstarch together before you add them to the whipped egg whites, but it’s just another dish to wash! I don’t think it makes any difference)) Scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times to make sure it’s all mixing well. You can always add more of the sugar substitute if you like.

Spread the meringue over the caramel pie and return to the oven at around 325° to 350° until the meringue is nicely browned. Watch it closely! Remove and cool on a rack until you can place it in the refrigerator. It needs a couple of hours in the frig to cool completely.

Serve

I prefer to eat caramel pie right from the frig, but you can hit it with just a few seconds in the microwave if you prefer)) This pie has a light caramel taste and no after-taste from the artificial sweeteners. Try it and see what you think!