Sugar Free & Keto Italian Milk Pie. 4.8g carbs per serving and just 112 calories.
This dessert is in memory of my grandma. Milk Pie was a treat that all Italian nonnas baked during and after the second world war, and some still do today. Ingredients were scarce back then, and no-one could afford to buy ‘luxuries’.
But everyone had hens and knew someone nearby who had cows. Every town, however small, had a public grain mill, where one would take his/her own wheat to obtain flour. Plenty of land owners grew what, and they shared their crops with those who didn’t own fields. Sugar and butter were expensive, therefore very little was used or even omitted.
Hence the original recipe consisted of 3 simple ingredients: eggs, milk and flour. The sweetness came from a light dusting of sugar over the top – for those who could afford to buy it – or seasonal fruit from the garden.
My keto version is very close. The only additions being sweeteners and vanilla. And of course, wheat flour is nowhere to be seen.
How to Make Sugar Free & Keto Italian Milk Pie
You’re probably wondering why I substituted sugar with erythritol and wheat with lupin, yet milk is still in the recipe. You’re thinking that cream would be a better keto choice, right? Well, for starters, cream has tons of calories. Secondly, and most importantly, lactose-free milk has the same carbohydrate content as whipping cream (U.K.).
500ml Lactose-Free Semi-Skimmed Milk (Arla): 190 Kcal and 13g carbs / 500ml Whipping Cream (Tesco): 1870 Kcal and 13g carbs. That’s a massive difference in calories. 1680 extra calories, in fact. So why on earth would I swap?
If you can’t eat lupin flour, for whatever reason, swaps aren’t a problem. You can exchange it for almond flour (probably double the lupin quantity) or coconut flour (probably the same quantity as lupin). I have not tested either.
Making this dessert is a walk in the park. It literally takes minutes of prepping. The oven does the rest. Follow the instructions and you won’t go wrong.
Just remember that this ‘pie’ is a humble Italian war recipe, not a modern pie. In my opinion, it’s almost a pudding. Milk is the over-riding flavour. There is no crust and the texture is quite wet, hence why it’s best left to chill on a rack over a tray, to let the liquid drain out.
It may not have bells and whistles, but if you’re concerned about calories, yet need to appease a sweet craving, you’ll have a hard time finding a keto option that can beat this Sugar Free & Keto Italian Milk Pie.
Enjoy!
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Low Carb Italian Milk Pie
Ingredients
- 6 eggs - 325g weighed without shell
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract (U.S. option HERE)
- 120 g erythritol (U.S. option HERE)
- 2 tsp pure stevia powder (U.S. option HERE)
- 50 g lupin flour (U.S. option HERE, or world-wide delivery HERE)
- 20 g arrowroot powder (U.S. option HERE)
- 500 g semi-skimmed milk - Arla Lactose-Free Milk has the same carbs as whipping cream
Instructions
- heat milk until just warm to the touch.
- pre-heat oven to 150°C static.
- crack whole eggs into a very large mixing bowl, then whip them until foamy and voluminous.
- carry on whipping while you add vanilla extract and sweeteners, followed by the sifted lupin flour mixed with arrowroot.
- when you have a smooth, totally lump-free batter, add the warm milk and continue to whisk once again.
- pour the liquid into a 22cm/8.5" silicone mould (best if you use one that has metal supports, such as THIS - it will be easier to move to the oven without spillages).
- bake for 60 minutes, turn oven off, leave the pie in situ with the oven door ajar for 20 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- when the pie has deflated and sufficiently cooled, transfer it to the fridge, in its mould/tin and leave to chill and firm up overnight.
- unmould and dust with icing 'sugar' (U.S. option HERE) or berries just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Delicious, tastes like egg custard. Warning: I SUBSTITUTED cornstarch 1:1 for the arrowroot, and Coconut flour for the Lupin. It is light and delicious, and so easy! I will make this again.
I would like the ingredients by cups or spoonfuls I have to keep looking up the grams Thank you
I discourage weight-to-volume conversions in every recipe I publish. Weight is the only accurate measurement, and it is especially crucial to be accurate when non-standard ingredients are used, as in keto/low carb recipes. Metric scales are sold online at ridiculously cheap prices. They last years and, compared to cups and spoons, reduce washing up and storage space.
Hi there. Erythrol upsets my tummy. Could I use maple syrup and then add two tsps of Xylitol to the warmed milk instead? I realize the maple syrup may up the carbs a bit. Thanks. Sounds like a lovely, light dessert.
Hello Laila, erythritol has a drying property, so if you use a different sweetener, the ‘pie’ will likely turn out more wet. Perhaps you could add a little extra arrowroot to compensate, but yes, I’d guess that your substitutions would work.
Thanks for the recipe! I tried it with Silk’s cashew milk vanilla milk, and it turned out really tasty. I’ve been eating this as a pre-workout snack to get some protein before lifting!
I’ll try the alternative posted above (50g almond flour and 25g coconut) and maybe with freekeh flour to see what happens 🙂
That sound lovely, Mari. Thank you for your feedback!
Looks yummy! Do you think this will work with cashew milk?
Hi Mari, I’ve not tried it with cashew milk, because it’s too high carb for keto. Perhaps you can post back with the results if you give it a go. Thank you!
I love a good “flan” as we call this sort of pie in France. I normally make them without flour, so this recipe made a welcome change. I didn’t use the lupin flour, I find the after tase to strong, so I used a mix of almond and coconut. Too much coconut gives to much of a coconut taste and in a “flan” that isn’t the taste you want. I used 50 gr of almond flour and 25 gr of coconut flour, and it turned out perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
Amazing! Great tip on how to modify it with correct measurements. Thank you!