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Healthy Pecan Pie Bars are paleo, vegan, gluten free, and taste exactly like real pecan pie! They’re simple to make, have a delicious pecan filling on top, and only require 15 minutes of prep time.
How to make pecan pie bars
The most delicious pecan dessert
As a kid, I never wanted anything to do with pecan pie. I absolutely loathed it, always preferring chocolate or anything cake related. It wasn’t until I grew older that I realized just how good pecan pie really is!
Now, I never turn down a slice or two.
The great thing about being an adult is that you don’t have to wait for a holiday to roll around in order to eat a certain food. The same goes for birthday cake! Why did it never occur to me to put a birthday cake in my grocery cart just because? Someone doesn’t have to be turning a year older to be “allowed” to enjoy a delicious slice of cake!
Anyway, once this realization hit me, I found myself with a huge craving for pecan pie. Though traditionally a Thanksgiving dessert, this recipe can be enjoyed any time of the year. And, with healthy ingredients, it should be!
These healthy pecan pie bars are extremely easy to make and are like a slice of pie right in the palm of your hand. If you like pecan pie, you’ve got to try these bars.
Since I mentioned I love chocolate, I wanted to share my Paleo Chocolate Pecan Pie too.
Pecan pie bars video
Ingredients used in this easy pecan pie recipe
This recipe has two main parts: the crust and the filling. For each section, you’ll need six different ingredients, tough a few overlap (maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla). All in all, this recipe uses simple, healthier ingredients for a more nutrient-rich dessert option!
Crust:
Filling:
- Coconut oil
- Maple syrup
- Coconut sugar
- Vanilla
- Almond milk
- Chopped pecans
That’s it! I really strive to keep my baked goods as simple as possible with some of the most nutritious ingredients.
What to use to make pecan bars
To make healthy pecan pie bars, be sure to have these items on hand. If you have a different sized pan, it will work! With a larger pan, however, you’ll have thinner bars and may not need as much baking time. Be sure to keep an eye as it cooks!
- 8×8 inch pan
- Parchment paper or cooking spray
- Mixing bowl
- Stirring utensil
- Saucepan
How to make healthy pecan pie bars
Healthy pecan pie bars are easy to whip together and require less than an hour, including baking time! Once finished, keep any extra bars stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.
To start, preheat the oven to 350F and prepare an 8×8 inch pan with grease, cooking spray, or parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix the almond flour, coconut flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt until well combined.
Next, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 15-17 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Once out of the oven, let the crust cool completely.
In a saucepan, heat the coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until boiling (about 3-4 minutes), stirring consistently.
Once boiling, consistently stir and let the mixture bubble for two minutes. Then turn off the heat. Avoid overcooking, as this will burn the sugar.
Next, stir in the almond milk and the pecans.
Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and then bake for 20-22 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the counter for 15 minutes. Allow it to cool in the fridge for at least two hours before eating.
Once cooled, cut and enjoy!
Serve your pecan bars like this
When it comes to serving up pecan bars, I like to eat them like I would a warm brownie! Serve ’em up with coconut whipped cream or with a single scoop of vanilla ice cream.
For extra comfort, you can stick your pecan bar in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm it up a bit.
Ingredient substitution options
If you find yourself with a few different ingredients on hand, they may work in this recipe. Here are some common swaps that you may be interested in trying!
- Maple syrup: I like to use maple syrup to sweeten my recipes, as it’s one of the ingredients that makes my baked goods a bit healthier! However, you can replace it with honey or molasses if necessary.
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil can be replaced with any other similar cooking oil.
- Coconut sugar: Instead of coconut sugar, feel free to use light brown sugar. Note that brown sugar tends to be a bit sweeter, so you may not need as much as far as flavor goes.
- Almond milk: Any plant based milk will work in place of almond milk. Feel free to use coconut, soy, or oat milk!
For the base, you can use any type of shortbread. The coconut flour in this recipe creates a slight coconut flavor, but it’s not extreme. If you’d like to use a full almond-flour base, feel free! Any almond flour shortbread crust recipe should do the trick.
More bar-style desserts from Erin Lives Whole
If you liked this pecan pie bar recipe, get excited. There are so many similar dessert ideas on my blog! Bars are kind of similar to brownies, but they taste totally different and are super customizable. Have you tried my Pumpkin Oat Bars or my Cookie Dough Bars? If not, you’ll want to ASAP!
- Pumpkin Oat Bars
- Healthy Lemon Bars
- Healthy Cookie Dough Bars
- No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- Chocolate Almond Butter Shortbread Bars
Healthy Pecan Pie Bars
These Healthy Pecan Pie Bars are paleo, vegan, gluten free, and taste exactly like real pecan pie! They are simple to make and have a delicious pecan filling on top!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1.5 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp almond milk
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and prepare an 8×8 inch pan with grease or parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix together almond flour, coconut flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Press into bottom of pan.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
- Let crust cool completely.
- In a saucepan, heat coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until boiling (about 3-4 minutes), stirring consistently.
- Once boiling, constantly stir and let bubble for two minutes and then turn off heat. Cooking longer will result in burnt sugar, but sugar should be starting to thicken.
- Stir in almond milk and pecans.
- Pour mixture over cooled crust and bake in oven for 20-22 minutes.
- Let cool on counter for 15 minutes and then in the fridge for at least two hours before serving or cutting.
- Store in fridge
There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂
Marcia says
Hi can you use refined butter flavored coconut oil
Erin says
Hi Marcia, yes that will work!
Alyssa says
I made these for Thanksgiving and absolutely LOVED THEM! I heated them and topped with vegan vanilla ice cream and WOW I couldn’t get enough.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Alyssa, yum that sounds so good! Thanks for sharing!
Paula says
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were SO good! They were also really easy to make. Can’t wait to have an excuse to make them again! 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Paula, thanks for sharing and having them be part of your Thanksgiving! No excuse needed- they’re perfect any day!
Carly T. says
Tks for sharing! Grateful for finding all your recipes https://www.mealgarden.com/recipe/pecan-pie-bars/
★★★★★
Megan says
I made this for Thanksgiving this year but I will definitely be making it year round! It is addictive and so easy to make. I definitely snuck a bar before my in-laws came over.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Megan, I am glad you liked them and your secret is safe with me!
katie says
These are a crowd pleaser! I’ve made these a few times and they always get eaten up quickly! I would definitely recommend making these 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Katie, thank you for sharing!!
Nicole Rizzo says
Everything Erin creates is so amazing!!! These are another example of her mastermind and effort. The time and the amount of care that goes into these well thought, healthier versions of recipes is much appreciated!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Nicole, I am so happy you loved them! 🙂
Andrea says
I made these for thanksgiving with friends and my friends husband deemed them “the best thing of the night!” – what a win!
I cut the leftovers into bite – sized squares and stuck them in the freezer to enjoy as we please.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Andrea, I am so happy you both loved them and great idea!!
Sharon says
Great recipe, easy to follow. The hardest part was not tearing into them while they setup in the fridge! Everyone loved them!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Sharon, it is hard isn’t it? I am so glad everyone liked them!
Taylor says
First time making any type of pecan pie style dessert and these were a big hit on thanksgiving! I would definitely make again 😊
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Taylor, I am so glad you enjoyed them!!
Meaghan says
These were so good! I made them for Thanksgiving and my family devoured them.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Meaghan, I am so glad everyone enjoyed them!!
Paige says
These were seriously one of the best desserts I’ve ever made! Do yourself a favor and make them ASAP…I did sub butter for coconut oil because I ran out but I imagine they are wonderful either way. Thanks Erin!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Paige, I am thrilled you loved them so much! 🙂
Natalie says
Made the bars into a pie for Thanksgiving & it was SUCH a hit. My husband said it was the best part of the meal. I had a 9in pan so I doubled the base to make sure the crust was thick enough. I have a feeling this will be a repeat holiday favorite!
Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Natalie, I love your creativity! Thank you for sharing and happy you both loved the pie!
Sam says
Need y’all to understand… DO NOT SLEEP ON THESE!!!
These are seriously the BEST and even if pecan pie isn’t your thing .. the C R U S T. oh lord. put anything on top of that crust. it’s so tasty. This is my first recipe of Erin’s I’ve tried and I can tell she knows what she’s doing!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Sam, thank you for your kind words! I am so happy you loved them so much!! 🙂
Emily says
These were not only extremely easy to make but they were SO TASTY. I’ve had multiple people ask for the recipe since I made these and many requests to bring them to the next gathering. Instead of almond milk, I used coconut almond milk. Not sure it made much of a difference but it mentally pulled everything together for me since the recipe calls for almond and coconut flour. Definitely will keep all of these ingredients on hand.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Emily, I am so so happy to hear that!! I am so happy you enjoyed them so much!
Tara deangelo says
One of my favorite on her blog!!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Tara, I am so happy you love them!
Tara deangelo says
Made these for thanksgiving and they were a huge hit!!! So yummy and sweet!
Erin says
Hi Tara, I am so glad everyone liked them!!
Lara says
I’ve made this a couple times now and it’s always such a hit! So so good and easy to make.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lara, I am so glad you enjoy them!!
Berta H says
Amazing recipe 🙌🏼 I love Pecan Pie but hate all of the process sugar in it. This was so delicious and taste just like the pie. Will be making this again.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Berta, I am so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Jodi Weston says
This was a win win win. I can’t stop telling my friends about this recipe…it is simply the BEST! Thank you so much for sharing!!! Mine turned out perfect perfect perfect!
jodi says
Ooops…forgot to rate the recipe!
★★★★★
Erin says
Awe thank you!
Erin says
Hi Jodi, thank you for sharing! I am so happy you enjoyed the bars!!