This Gluten-Free Vegan Pecan Pie has a crispy, buttery crust and a fudgy, gooey filling and is loaded with toasty pecans. The pastry crust can be pressed in with your fingers, so there's no need for a rolling pin or floured surface, and there's no pre-baking required. It's also refined sugar free and naturally sweetened with dates. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
I tested this Pecan Pie recipe so many times using different combinations of ingredients for the filling. I settled on blending together dates with almond butter, which creates the best filling: a rich caramel-like flavour and a fudgy, gooey texture. It's so similar to traditional pecan pie but without all the sugar and corn syrup!
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Combine all ingredients for the pastry dough in a glass mixing bowl.
Tip: Add the water a few tablespoons at a time so that you don’t add too much!
- Place the pastry dough into a greased pie dish and use your fingers to carefully press it across the bottom and up the sides of the dish.
- You can use a fork or your fingers to create a pretty pattern around the edge if you like.
- Place the soaked and drained dates, almond butter, plant-based milk, vanilla, salt (and brandy if using) in a food processor or blender.
- Blend until completely smooth, mixing it around a couple of times if necessary.
- Transfer the filling into the pie crust.
- Press the chopped pecan nuts firmly into the filling until you have pressed them all the way to the bottom and the surface of the filling is completely covered with pecan nuts.
Tip: Chopping up the pecan nuts makes it easier to slice through the surface of the baked pie.
- Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, until the pastry crust is firm to the touch and golden brown.
- Leave to cool completely before cutting, keeping in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, to allow the filling to set properly.
Substitutions you can make
- You can replace the gluten-free flour in the pastry crust with rice flour.
- You can replace the gluten-free flour with plain flour if you’re not gluten-free.
- You can add the brandy (or any other alcohol of choice) to taste, or omit it entirely.
- You can add some cinnamon to the filling.
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: I used cashew milk, but almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, rice milk etc all work well.
- You can replace the almond butter with pecan butter or sunflower seed butter.
How long does this Pecan Pie keep for?
This pie does taste best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
More gluten-free vegan pie recipes
- Cherry Pie
- Apple Pie
- Pumpkin Pie
- Blueberry Pie
- Apple Galette
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Apple Pie Bars
- Lemon Tart
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make this recipe
Gluten-Free Vegan Pecan Pie
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 30 g (â…› cup) coconut oil
- 75 g (â…” cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub rice flour, or plain all-purpose flour if not gluten-free)
- 75 g (â…” cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 7 tablespoons water
For the filling:
- 260 g (1 ½ cup) pitted dates soaked overnight in cold water or 10 minutes in boiling water
- 170 g (â…” cup) smooth almond butter (or sub pecan butter or sunflower seed butter)
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- Splash brandy (optional - ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)
- 250 g (2 cups) pecan nuts , roughly chopped
Instructions
For the pastry:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl along with about 7 tablespoons of water, until it forms a firm dough - add the water a few tablespoons at a time so that you don’t add too much!
- You can keep this pastry dough in the fridge for up to a day if you like, but there is no need to chill it before using.
- Place the pastry dough into a greased pie dish and use your fingers to carefully press it across the bottom and up the sides of the dish (I used a 9inch/22.5cm pie dish).
- You can use a fork or your fingers to create a pretty pattern around the edge if you like.
For the filling:
- Drain the dates and place in a food processor or blender with the almond butter, almond milk, vanilla, salt (and brandy if using).
- Blend until completely smooth, mixing it around a couple of times if necessary.
- Transfer the filling into the pie crust.
- Press the roughly chopped pecan nuts firmly into the filling until you have pressed them all the way to the bottom and the surface of the filling is completely covered with pecan nuts.
- Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, until the pastry crust is firm to the touch and golden brown.
- Leave to cool completely before cutting, keeping in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, to allow the filling to set properly.
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Rishi Ghetia
Hi Rhian, does the coconut oil need to be melted or hard? please help!
Rhian Williams
Hard coconut oil is fine!