Vegan Pecan Pie Bars are the Thanksgiving Dessert that’s technically not a pie. You’ll love this Pecan Pie Bar Recipe made without corn syrup….they’re naturally sweetened with dates and a touch of maple syrup for a super decadent, but not over the top, perfectly sweetened amazing dessert. They’re the easy version of a classic Thanksgiving dessert…and I’m here to spread the love.
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I’ve always loved pecan pie…but it’s so sickenly sweet, I can only tolerate a couple of bites…and nobody else in my family actually likes pecan pie….so it’s generally a no-go for Thanksgiving at our house. But, I’ve found the most delicious solution to that dilemma. This Pecan Pie Bar Recipe is perfectly sweetened, incredibly delish, easy to slice into reasonable sized portions and guess what? The whole family loves them!
When you need a Thanksgiving dessert that’s not pie….make pecan pie BARS….they’re super familiar (ie: pecan pie vibes) and have an unexpected brownie type vibe at the same time…but if you’re looking for an easy chocolate situation for Thanksgiving, definitely make these Pomegranate Chocolate Cups.
I’m talking a vegan pie crust, chewy caramel-like center and fresh toasted pecans on top….I mean, what’s not to love? Not only is this a fabulous Thanksgiving Dessert, but these bars will also steal the show for your annual cookie swap and are a must make regularly, all year round!
Need more Thanksgiving inspo? Check out my Holiday Recipe Roundup Post.
Why you’ll love them
- No corn syrup, processed sugar or processed vegetable oils.
- No butter, margarine or fake butter.
- Pecan pie can be overly sweet….not this one! The dates and maple syrup offer a natural sweetness that’s just right.
- Make ahead….totally freezer friendly!
- Easy to make, including the crust!
- Perfectly gooey center with crunchy and salty pecans….a match made in heaven!
- Works well with gluten-free flour so this is the ultimate gluten-free pecan pie dessert.
- I prefer pecan pie bars to an actual pie…because they’re easier to cut into the sizes people want….so you have enough room for the apple galette, chewy ginger cookies and the pumpkin pie.
- You can use this same recipe and make it in a pie plate….no problem!
- You’ll get everyone to love them…without even trying!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pecans: they’re oily and, quite frankly, the star of the show! Use walnuts if you need a substitute.
- Dates: Without corn syrup, dates add the perfect sweetness, while also adding some fiber, trace minerals and help thicken the caramel sauce and form the glue that holds it all together! Buy medjool dates with the pits still in, they’ll be more moist, and remove them yourself just before using.
- Tahini: Some sort of fat is needed to hold the vegan pie dough together and the combination of ground sesame and almond flour gets it just right!
- Almond flour: The fat content of the almond flour helps since this is a no oil pie crust.
- Flour: use gluten-free all purpose flour if needed, it will work well. Otherwise any all purpose flour like whole wheat or white flour is fine, I have even used spelt flour with great results.
- Almond milk: use any plant milk that meets your dietary needs. Soy milk, oat milk, cashew milk are also good options.
- Olive oil: If you want a completely oil-free recipe, replace the oil with the same amount of almond milk.
- Maple syrup: for a bit of a sweeter crust, and great flavor in the filling.
- Salt: gives this more a salted caramel pecan pie vibe…which I absolutely adore.
How to make it
First, let’s get that vegan pie crust going! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour and salt. Use a pyrex measuring cup to mix up the almond milk and maple syrup and then pour half the mixture into the dry ingredients.
Use a wooden spoon (not a whisk) to get the dough going. Then add remaining wet ingredients and continue to mix, pulling any flour up from the bottom, until combined. Do not overmix.
Crumble a piece of unbleached parchment, then lay it flat. Turn dough onto parchment, sprinkled with flour, and use a rolling pin to roll into a large rectangle, slightly larger than the 9 x 13″ pan you will bake this in.
Gently fold dough plus parchment over rolling pin to help transfer to baking pan. Crumpled parchment will help you move the entire dough to the center of the pan.
Use your hands to stretch the dough into the corners and up the sides of the pan ½″. It’s totally fine to patch things together and move some dough from one spot to another. Use a fork to randomly poke a few air holes into the pie dough.
Spread pecans onto heavy duty baking tray to toast in the oven while the vegan pie crust par bakes.
Bake for 15 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven. If air pockets pop up, that’s ok. Gently push back down with your fingers.
Toast nuts for 15 minutes. They’ll be a rich, golden color brown. Set aside 1 cup to decorate top of pecan bars and then roughly chop remaining pecans.
While pie crust and pecans bake, made the filling.
Remove pits from dates and add to the bowl of a food processor along with tahini, milk, olive oil, vanilla.
Process. Scrape down sides. Process again until smooth.
Add chopped pecans (still reserve 1 cup of whole pecan halves) to the caramel mixture.
Stir by hand to incorporate pecans to the mixture. If you’ve decided on decadence, then add ½ cup chocolate chips or chunks now.
Transfer caramel pecan mixture to the partially cooked pie dough.
Use an offset spatula to smooth mixture evenly, into the corners and edges.
Sprinkle with flakey sea salt if desired (yes, please for me!) and then use the cup of pecans set aside to decorate the top.
Bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven. Let cool in pan a few minutes before gently lifting on parchment to transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Let them come to room temperature and then cut into pieces. You can easily get 24 bars out of this recipe, and if smaller pieces are desired, go for 30!
They will be easier to cut into even smaller pieces straight from the fridge or freezer.
Storage Tips
- Let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
- Use a piece of parchment paper in between layers to they don’t stick together.
- Vegan Pecan Pie Bars will stay good at room temperature for 5 days, 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
- You can enjoy them straight from the fridge or freezer, or allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- This vegan pie dough is easy to work with….and don’t get flustered if yours springs a leak….just press it back together…no big deal!
- The pecan pie bars will continue to set as they cool. When you take it out of the oven a bit of jiggle is fine, but it should be somewhat firm to the touch.
- It will be MUCH EASIER to cut them once they’ve cooled. Resist the urge to cut too soon.
- Prefer a Chocolate Pecan Pie? Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks when you mix in the chopped pecans….OMG…next level good!
- I listed flakey sea salt as optional….if you’re a fan of salted caramel, then this is a no brainer…just do it, and thank me later!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Pecan Pie Bars (no corn syrup)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups pecans, toasted
- ¼ teaspoon flakey sea salt OPTIONAL: to sprinkle onto the top
Pie Crust
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
Caramel Sauce Filling
- ½ cup tahini
- 8 medjool dates, pitted
- ½ cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Whisk dry ingredients (almond flour, all purpose flour and salt) together until well combined.
- Stir together almond milk and maple syrup, then add ½ of that mixture to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon, not the whisk to stir. Slowly add remaining milk mixture, mixing and pulling up the flour from the bottom of the bowl, until a dough forms that you can pinch together between two fingers.
- Roll out on a floured surface or a piece of crumpled up and then straightened out unbleached parchment paper. Transfer to 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper or a 9" pie plate. Press the dough firmly into the entire pan and about ½" up the sides and crimp the edges. Poke holes in the dough with a fork. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Toast pecans by laying flat on a baking sheet and putting in the oven while the pie crust pre-bakes. 15 minutes.
- Set aside 1 cup pecans for decorating the top and roughly chop the remaining toasted pecans.
Make the caramel filling
- Place tahini, pitted dates, olive oil, almond milk, vanilla and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the "S" blade.
- Process. Scrape down the sides. Process again.
- Stir in the chopped portion of the pecans, mixing by hand.
Make the pie
- Pour the caramel sauce with chopped pecans into the crust that's been par-baked. Use an offset spatula to smooth towards the edges so it's evenly spread out.
- OPTIONAL: sprinkle with flakey sea salt
- Use the pecans that you set aside to decorate the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, at 350 degrees, until set.
- Pie will continue to gel as it sets. Cool completely and then cut into 18 pieces to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Lori Wells
I want to make these for Thanksgiving. They look deliscious! my questions is:
can I use Almond butter in place of oil? I know you suggest almond milk but
that seems like it might make the filling too runny or not set up? Thank you!
Debra Klein
That’s a fair question…although I haven’t tried replacing the oil with almond butter, I’m thinking it would be too thick. I have replaced the oil with almond milk and it worked well, so that’s what I suggest. If you’re concerned about the fat content, then I would go for replacing one of the tablespoons of oil with additional tahini and the other with almond milk instead of adding in the almond butter.
Lori
I’ll just use the almond milk. Thanks
Aidel
Easy to make and delicious to eat. Freezes well.
Debra Klein
Thanks so much…totally agree on all fronts, they come out perfect from the freezer.