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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.Â
- Store in fridge
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Angela says
New staple for us!! I made these for a Christmas party and everyone was raving. They were super easy to make! Making another batch this week!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Angela, so happy you loved them so much! 🙂
Mary says
I made these for two Thanksgivings and they were a hit! Very easy recipe and made with ingredients I already have on hand.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Mary, so happy you loved them so much!
Lilly says
These were amazing! As usual- you’re the best erin!
Erin says
Hi Lilly, so happy you loved them! 🙂
Katie says
So good and easy- would definitely make again!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Katie, so glad you loved them!!
lauren says
Absolutely divine! These were a hit at Thanksgiving this year. They definitely have a little bit of a coconut-y taste in the crust, but it’s subtle and delicious!
Erin says
Hi Lauren, so happy you enjoyed them!
Angela says
I made these for Thanksgiving, and they were delicious; I also made one and added paleo dark chocolate chips; So good!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Angela, so happy you loved them and made them your own!!
Donna says
Can’t wait to try these but I was wondering about the coconut oil do you soften it a little bit in the microwave?
Erin says
Hi Donna, yes, I melt mine before using! Let me know how your bars come out!!
Cynthia says
Made a batch during Thanksgiving break and they were a hit. Had to use brown sugar AND they were STILL delightful. Making them again for X-mas but now I have coconut sugar!! (woot woot) Thanks for sharing your recipes, can’t wait to try out some of your cookie recipes.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Cynthia, so happy you loved them and thanks for your support!!
Elizabeth says
My family loves these so much! If you love pecan pie these are a perfect little bite that tastes just like the pie. Super easy to make!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Elizabeth, so happy everyone enjoyed them!!
Jen Walker says
Delicious! Our entire family loves them and raves about them for weeks after I make them. Thank you!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jen, so happy they were a hit!
Chelsea says
Sooo delicious!! A huge hit at thanksgiving!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Chelsea, so happy you loved them!
Lisa R says
These were super easy to make and the fam loved them!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lisa, so glad they were a hit!
Meghan says
These were pretty yummy but I really missed the butter taste. Can I substitute butter for the coconut oil?
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Meghan, of course! That’ll work. Let me know how the bars come out!
Stepheney says
I’m here to say these are amazing. Perfection, simple to make. I made them with my 3 and 5 year old boys. Just found out I have a gluten allergy this year and was so sad about not being able to eat dessert on Thanksgiving. These totally saved the day. My non gluten free people and kids loved them. I didn’t have coconut flour so I just used more almond flour. Turned out banging. Don’t sleep on these bars I’m telling you better than the pie.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Stepheney, so happy everyone loved them and you made them your own! 🙂
Kirsten says
These bars were a huge hit at Thanksgiving! So glad I made two pans of them! I will be making them for Christmas as well!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kirsten, so glad everyone loved them!
Natalie says
Made these for thanksgiving this year and they were 10/10. So easy and so delicious! taste exactly like pecan pie but less glutinous 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Natalie, so glad you loved them!
Kate says
SO yummy and so easy to make! Hardest part was finding a store that wasn’t sold out of pecans haha. Will def be a thanksgiving staple moving forward!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kate, so glad you loved them!
Marcella says
Everyone loved these!!
Erin says
Hi Marcella, so happy you loved them!!
Jillian says
Such a delicious dessert option. Great flavor, easy to make, and gluten free! So yummy.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jillian, so glad you loved them!
Morgan says
The most heavily requested item for thanksgiving year after year!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Morgan, so happy they’re a huge hit!
Brittany says
These are SO GOOD. Family favorite!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Brittany, so happy they were a hit!