These Vegan Pecan Pie Bars are rich, sticky and caramelly just like pecan pie, only hand-held! The perfect treat for picnics, potlucks and as an everyday dessert when you just want a little bite not a whole slice of pie.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No pie dough. It’s a simple press-in base, which means zero rolling, chilling, or second-guessing yourself.
- Classic pecan pie vibe. No sugar overload and the maple-brown sugar filling is rich and gooey but still balanced.
- Perfect for sharing (and transporting). These slice cleanly, travel well, and are easy to eat without plates or forks.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s your shopping list for Vegan Pecan Pie! Or skip ahead to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- All-purpose flour
- Light brown sugar
- Neutral oil
- Water
- Baking powder
- Cornstarch
- Full-fat coconut milk
- Coconut oil
- Maple syrup
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Baking soda
- Chopped pecans
Instructions
Making Vegan Pecan Pie Bars is so easy and less fussy than preparing a full pie base. Here’s photos on how to make it, or jump to the recipe card below for the detailed method.
Step One: Mix the dry ingredients for the base, then add the oil and water until a crumbly dough forms.
Step Two: Press the dough evenly into the pan.
Step Three: Bake the base until lightly golden and just set. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the filling.
Step Four: In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the coconut milk, coconut oil, and maple syrup, and cook while stirring until thickened and smooth then add the pecans.
Step Five: Pour the filling over the warm base and smooth the top.
Step Six: Bake until set, then cool completely before slicing into bars.
Storage
Keep these in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The base will soften a bit over the days. Leave them to sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before eating so the filling softens a little. It will get very chewy when chilled. They also freeze well for up to a month; just thaw in the fridge and bring to room temp before serving.
Expert Tips
Blind baking the crust helps keep it crumbly, not soggy and firm all the way through. The crust does not have to be baked all the way through, just enough to be slightly firm before adding the pecan layer.
FAQ
Yes – these are perfect for that. A lot of people prefer them made a day ahead so the filling has time to fully set. I usually bake them the night before, refrigerate, then slice the next day.
They do. Slice them first, then freeze in an airtight container for up to a month. Let them thaw in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
That’s normal with bar-style pecan pies, especially vegan ones. The filling slowly softens the crust over time. Blind-baking the base and letting the bars cool completely before storing helps a lot.
Yes on both. Walnuts work well if you’re out of pecans, and if you prefer a less-sweet bar, you can slightly reduce the brown sugar without affecting the set too much – just don’t skip the salt, it really balances everything out.
More Bar & Dessert Recipes
If you love a little sweet treat, make sure to try some of my no-bake options like my Vegan Lemon Slice, or my wholefood Date Bark or 3 Ingredient Date Truffles. For another pecan-pie inspired recipe, my Vegan Pecan Pie Cookies are also delicious and perfect for the holidays.
I hope you love these Vegan Pecan Pie Bars! Leave a star rating and review to let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram @glowdiaries___ 🙂
Vegan Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
Base
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 180 g
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar 38 g
- 6 tablespoons neutral oil such as canola or sunflower (90 g)
- 2 tablespoons water 30 g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 g
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 2 g
Filling
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch 24 g
- ⅔ cup full-fat coconut milk 178 g
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil 45 g
- ¾ cup light brown sugar 150 g
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup 90 g
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 2 g
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 15 g
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 g
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 2 g
- 2 cups chopped pecans 230 g
Instructions
- Grease and line an 8” x 8”/20 x 20cm baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350° F/175C.
Make base:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the oil and water. Stir until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Press mixture into pan. Pat into an even layer.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until just firm and golden at the edges.
Make filling:
- In a heavy bottomed pan, combine the brown sugar and cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch is well distributed.
- Add in the coconut oil, coconut milk, and maple syrup. Whisk until smooth.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until translucent and thickened, about 7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in chopped pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Stir until well distributed.
- Pour on top of hot base and level out.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until set on top.
- Cool in pan for at least 20 minutes before removing and allow to cool completely before cutting and eating.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days (though the base will get soft the longer it sits) and bring to room temperature before eating. Can be frozen for up to 1 month.
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