These gluten-free and vegan Pecan Pie Bars are simply amazing! They have a crunchy toffee-caramel-pecan topping and on the bottom is a delicious layer of almond shortbread. The bars are also soy-free and there is no corn syrup in this recipe. Instead we use rich, delicious maple syrup and natural sugars. Make these bars, sit back, and watch them disappear–but don’t forget to eat one first!
Why you will love these vegan pecan pie bars
- They are so, so delicious, with the toffee caramel top and the almond cookie layer underneath. These bars have the perfect texture — the caramel is gooey, the pecans are crunchy, and the almond shortbread crust is melt-in-your-mouth delicious
- They are incredibly easy to make. The bars take barely minutes to put together, and the food processor does most of the work for you! This is a great recipe for a new baker. Just make sure you follow instructions.
- They are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and turbinado, and there’s barely any added fat, so they’re kinda sorta healthy-ish? In fact, each pecan pie bar has only 101 calories!
- They are so kid-friendly and adult-friendly. Everyone you offer one of these bars to will love you for the rest of their lives. 🙂
- They are free of gluten and soy, and they are vegan, of course. There’s no all purpose flour or unhealthy corn syrup in these.
Ingredients for vegan pecan bars
- 1 ½ cups superfine almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 cup turbinado sugar or any sugar. Half for the almond crust and half for the pecan topping. You can substitute all of the sugar with 1 cup maple syrup if you like. Or use 1 cup brown sugar.
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegan butter. Melted vegan butter or cold vegan butter are both fine.
- 3 tablespoons nondairy milk. I used almond but any dairy free milk will work.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans
How to make vegan pecan pie bars
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8 X 8 baking pan by lining the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- Place all of the ingredients for the cookie base or crust in a food processor and pulse a few times until the dough comes together. Press the dough into the prepared baking pan using your fingers, until you have an even layer.
- Place the baking pan in the oven and bake the crust for 15 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, make the topping by placing all ingredients except the pecans in a saucepan. Stir to help the sugar melt. Let the mixture reach a boil, continue to let it boil for a minute, then turn off the heat and add the pecans.
- Pour the pecan topping evenly over the baked crust and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.
- Remove the baking pan and cool it thoroughly on a rack. You can cut the bars at this point, or transfer the baking pan to a refrigerator and let it cool for at least a couple of hours before cutting.
Pro tips for making perfect vegan pecan pie bars
- Make these bars at least a few hours in advance of whatever time you’re planning to serve them, to give the topping some time to firm up and cool in the refrigerator before you cut into it.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper. Any time there’s caramel involved, it’s just a good idea to add some insurance in the form of parchment paper to make sure you — or your cookies — won’t get stuck. Use two pieces, criss-crossed, so you cover the entire pan, bottom and sides.
- The shortbread layer has to formed in the pan, like a pat-in-pan pie crust. Make sure you form an even layer for the best results and don’t forget to prebake it, according to instructions!
- If you don’t have maple syrup, or don’t want to use it, use more sugar instead. The reverse works too–if you don’t want to use sugar, sub with maple syrup.
- You can vary your nutty topping. If you want to use cashews or sliced almonds or walnuts instead of pecans– what’s stopping you? You could even use peanuts.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can make the crust oil free. It will be a little more brittle but it will still be extremely tasty!
You absolutely can, or you can also use other nuts like sliced almonds for delicious almond bars.
You can keep these in a container at room temperature for three days and store in the fridge for up to a week.
You can also freeze the pecan bars for up to three months. Wrap the bars individually in aluminum foil or freezer safe cling wrap before freezing.
Looking for more vegan desserts?
Vegan Pecan Pie Bars
Gluten-free and vegan Pecan Pie Bars with a crunchy toffee-caramel-pecan topping. On the bottom is a delicious layer of almond shortbread.
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Review Recipe
Servings: 16 pecan bars
Calories: 206kcal
Ingredients
For the caramel pecan topping:
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8 X 8 baking pan by lining the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
-
Place all of the ingredients for the cookie base or crust in a food processor and pulse a few times until the dough comes together. Press the dough into the prepared baking pan using your fingers, until you have an even layer.
-
Place the baking pan in the oven and bake the crust for 15 minutes.
-
While the crust is baking, make the topping by placing all ingredients except the pecans in a saucepan. Stir to help the sugar melt. Let the mixture reach a boil, continue to let it boil for a minute, then turn off the heat and add the pecans.
-
Pour the pecan topping evenly over the baked crust and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.
-
Remove the baking pan and cool it thoroughly on a rack. You can cut the bars at this point, or transfer the baking pan to a refrigerator and let it cool for at least a couple of hours before cutting.
Recipe notes
- You can make the almond shortbread crust without any oil. It will be a little more brittle but it will still be extremely tasty!
- Try using other nuts, like walnuts or sliced almonds, for differently delicious bars!
- You can keep these vegan pecan pie squares in a container at room temperature for three days and store in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze the pecan bars for up to three months. Wrap the bars individually in aluminum foil or freezer safe cling wrap before freezing.
Nutrition
Serving: 1vegan pecan bar | Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
About Vaishali
Reader Interactions
