My ORIGINAL Gluten-Free Vegan Pecan Pie Bars are made with clean, real food ingredients and taste just like traditional pecan pie. You'll love them because they're plant-based, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, flourless, paleo-friendly, contain no refined sugar and are Medical Medium® Compliant.
Here's Why This Recipe Works
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- A Healthy No-Bake Dessert Recipe
- 100% Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Dairy-Free
- Made with Clean, Real Food Ingredients
My flourless, grain-free Gluten-Free Vegan Pecan Bars are a healthy makeover of traditional pecan pie bars and are so simple to make!
If you're looking for a healthy vegan pecan pie dessert, then I've got the perfect recipe for you!
My vegan pecan pie bars have 4 layers of delicious goodness:
- Shortbread-type crust
- A thick layer of gooey pecan pie inspired filling
- Chopped pecans
- Homemade cacao drizzle
If you've even had a traditional version of these bars, you know the ingredients are not good.
Here's a list of some S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Ingredients found in a homemade recipe, followed by a store-bought version that's even worse:
- S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Pecan Pie Bars Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose white flour, ¾ cup butter, ⅓ cup white sugar, 2 cups pecans, 1 ½ cups dark corn syrup, ⅔ cup brown sugar, 4 eggs, etc.
- S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Russell Stover Pecan Delights Bar Ingredients: Milk Chocolate, Sugar, Milk Whole, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Soy Lecithin, An Emulsifier, Emulsifiers, Vanillin, An Artificial Flavor), Pecans, Corn Syrup, Cream Dairy, Milk Concentrated, Sugar Invert, Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil Partially Hydrogenated, Sugar Brown, Salt, Flavors Natural & Artificial, Soy Lecithin, An Emulsifier
It has even more GMO ingredients (soy lecithin, corn syrup), white sugar, milk, and artificial flavors.
My healthier version is made with clean, real food ingredients and it's plant-based, raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, no-bake, paleo-friendly, contains no refined sugar and is Medical Medium® Compliant.
Karielyn's Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions for Gluten-Free Vegan Pecan Pie Bars
Here are some of my expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Tip #1: I like mine straight out the freezer, without letting them slightly thaw. You can leave them out for about 5 minutes or so to thaw a little but the longer you leave them out, the softer they will get.
Tip #2: I know the recipe looks complicated and has a lot of ingredients, but it really isn't. Some of the ingredients are repeated and there are only three main steps to making it. Don't be intimidated by how long it is...try it and you won't regret it! 🙂
Gluten-Free Vegan Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup organic maple syrup
- ¼ cup organic coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon organic coconut flour
- ⅛ teaspoon organic vanilla bean powder
- 1 pinch Himalayan pink salt
For the pecan layer:
- 14 organic medjool dates
- ½ cup filtered/purified water
- ½ cup organic pecans
- 1 tablespoon organic coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon organic coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon organic vanilla bean powder
- ⅛ teaspoon organic ground cinnamon
For pecan layer:
- ½ cup organic pecans chopped
For the cacao drizzle:
- 1 tablespoon organic coconut oil melted/liquid
- 1 tablespoon organic raw cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
Instructions
Prepare the crust:
- Add all ingredients for the crust to medium sized bowl and stir together until well combined. The mixture will be very moist, but will firm up in the freezer.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 5 bread pan lined with parchment paper, spread it evenly and press it down firmly.
- Put the pan in the freezer while you prepare the pecan pie layer.
Prepare the pecan pie layer:
- Add all the ingredients for the pecan pie layer to a food processor and process until it is well combined. The mixture will have a sticky texture.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and transfer the pecan mixture into the pan, on top of the crust.
- Spread it evenly and press it down firmly.
Add the pecan layer:
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top of the mixture and press them down into the mixture so they are slightly embedded into the pecan pie layer and so they don't fall off.
Prepare the cacao drizzle:
- Add all the ingredients for the cacao drizzle to a small bowl and stir until it's well combined and smooth.
- Using a spoon, drizzle the mixture over the top of the pecans.
- Return the pan to the freezer for approximately 60 minutes, or until it becomes firm and hardens.
- Remove the parchment paper from the pan to cut them into bars or squares.
- Store them in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to serve because they will get soft and lose their shape if left out at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The instructions, notes, and photographs for this recipe by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are copyrighted material. This copyrighted work is protected and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) and cannot be legally used without my written permission.
Want More Healthy No-Bake Dessert Recipes?
Check out these:
- Gluten-Free Vegan No-Bake Caramel Apple Bars
- Chocolate Crunch Bars
- Gluten-Free Vegan Raw No-Bake Black Forest Bars
- or my CLEAN DESSERTS Cookbook with 72 plant-based vegan + gluten-free no-bake desserts made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Did You Make This Recipe?
I'd love to hear about it! Please give it a rating and leave a comment below...it would make my day! 🙂
Annelie says
Thank you so much for the recipe, Karielyn. I made these today for the first time and they are heavenly!
Karielyn says
Hi there Annelie! You're very welcome and I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe and for taking the time to let me know you liked it…I really appreciate it 🙂