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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Vegan Pecan Pie Bars (Gluten-Free)

    Last updated - July 11, 2021; Published - November 13, 2020 By Rhian Williams 11 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    These Vegan Pecan Pie Bars have a crunchy, buttery base and a fudgy, gooey filling and are loaded with toasty pecans. They're also gluten-free and refined sugar free and make a great alternative to Pecan Pie. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

    Three vegan pecan pie bars with a pie crust base, date caramel filling and topped with pecans

    How to make this recipe

    Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.

    • Combine all ingredients for the base in a glass mixing bowl.
    Raw vegan pecan pie bars base dough in a bowl
    • Transfer the mixture to a one-pound loaf tin lined with baking paper.
    • Use your fingers to push the mixture all the way to the edges, then use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
    Raw vegan pecan pie bars base dough in a loaf tin lined with baking paper
    • Bake in oven for 10 minutes - you'll be baking this again so you don't want to over-bake at this stage!
    Vegan pecan pie bars base in a loaf tin lined with baking paper
    • Place the soaked and drained dates, almond butter, plant-based milk, vanilla, salt (and brandy if using) in a food processor or blender.
    Dates and almond butter in a food processor
    • Blend until completely smooth, mixing it around a couple of times if necessary.
    Blended up dates and almond butter in a food processor
    • Spread the filling over the cooked base.
    Vegan pecan pie bars base in a loaf tin topped with raw filling
    • Press the chopped pecan nuts firmly into the filling until you have pressed them all the way to the bottom and the surface is completely covered with pecan nuts.

    Tip: Chopping up the pecan nuts makes it easier to slice through the surface once they're baked.

    Vegan pecan pie bars base and filling topped with pecans in a loaf tin lined with baking paper
    • Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes.
    Baked vegan pecan pie bars in a loaf tin lined with baking paper
    • Leave to cool completely before slicing, keeping in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, to allow the filling to set properly.

    Substitutions you can make

    • 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.

    Substitutions to be careful of

    You can use white rice flour but the texture is much better with brown rice flour.

    Three vegan pecan pie bars with a bite taken out of one

    How long do these Pecan Pie Bars keep for?

    These Pecan Pie Bars do taste best when fresh, but keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    Three square vegan pecan pie bars on a marble background

    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

    Three vegan pecan pie bars with a pie crust base, date caramel filling and topped with pecans

    Vegan Pecan Pie Bars (Gluten-Free)

    These Vegan Pecan Pie Bars have a crunchy, buttery base and a fudgy, gooey filling and are loaded with toasty pecans. They're also gluten-free and refined sugar free and make a great alternative to Pecan Pie!
    4.12 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: gluten-free pecan pie bars, vegan pecan pie bars, vegan thanksgiving dessert
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 8 bars
    Calories: 304kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the base:

    • 15 g (1 tablespoon) coconut oil (or sub coconut butter)
    • 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other similar sweetener)
    • 40 g (⅓ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
    • 40 g (¼ cup) brown rice flour ** (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • Pinch salt

    For the filling:

    • 130 g (¾ cup) pitted dates soaked overnight in cold water or 10 minutes in boiling water
    • 85 g (⅓ cup) smooth almond butter (or sub pecan butter or sunflower seed butter)
    • 2 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)
    • 125 g (1 cup) pecan nuts , roughly chopped

    Instructions

    For the base:

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
    • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
    • Add the maple syrup, ground almonds, brown rice flour and salt and mix well – add a splash of any plant-based milk if it’s looking too dry to combine.
    • Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper – I used a one-pound loaf tin.
    • Use your fingers to push the mixture all the way to the edges, then use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
    • Bake in oven for 10 minutes - you'll be baking this again so you don't want to over-bake at this stage!

    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.
    • Spread the filling over the cooked base.
    • Press the roughly chopped pecan nuts firmly into the filling until you have pressed them all the way to the bottom and the surface is completely covered with pecan nuts.
    • Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, until pecan nuts are golden brown.
    • Leave to cool completely before slicing, 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

    *You can alternatively use almond flour.
    **You can use white rice flour but the texture is much better with brown rice flour.
    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Pecan Pie Bars (Gluten-Free)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 304 Calories from Fat 198
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 22g34%
    Saturated Fat 3g15%
    Sodium 7mg0%
    Potassium 281mg8%
    Carbohydrates 26g9%
    Fiber 5g20%
    Sugar 16g18%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 9IU0%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 77mg8%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    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.

    More Baking & Dessert Recipes

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    • 35 Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes (Gluten-Free)
    • Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Nicola Stack

      November 15, 2020 at 10:30 am

      Hi Rhian I have recently bought date paste how much should I use if you know.
      Thank you Nicola

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 15, 2020 at 3:16 pm

        I don't know, sorry! It's also hard to tell because it really depends too on how much liquid the paste contains. For best results, I'd recommend blending the dates according to the recipe. Hope that helps!

      • Nicola Stack

        November 17, 2020 at 1:49 pm

        Thank you Rhian I'll make them as you're recipe, I'm just trying to save a bit of time plus my blender isn't the greatest. Nicola 🙂

    2. Kally

      November 16, 2020 at 10:05 am

      Hello Rhian,your recipes are so unique and amazing,please could we have more savoury,gluten and lactose free recipes.
      Wish you so much success.

      Lots of love,

      Kally

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 16, 2020 at 2:29 pm

        Hi Kally, thank you so much for your feedback. I do have a lot of savoury recipes on my site, you can find them here: https://www.rhiansrecipes.com/recipes/lunch-dinner/

    3. Tori

      November 17, 2020 at 3:44 am

      5 stars
      These look amazing! I’ll be trying them very soon on my non-vegan family members. Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 17, 2020 at 4:34 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

    4. Sherri

      November 27, 2020 at 11:30 am

      4 stars
      Thank you, Rhian, for a wonderful Pecan Pie alternative!

      My batch came out a little dry. But I suspect that had more to do with my substitutions than the actual recipe. I LOVED the flavor!

      For the base, I used coconut flour instead of brown rice flour (because it is what I had on shelf). Will try again with brown rice flour.

      I also subbed pecan meal for almond meal due to an almond allergy.

      In my oven, I probably should have taken it out after 8 mins. Edges were starting to brown after 10 mins. So either due to coconut flour substitution or due to the bake or both (?) the base was a little too dry. But wonderful flavor!

      For filling I subbed pecan butter for almond butter and bourbon for brandy. Loved the flavor! Not too sweet, with hint of bourbon- oh, so good!

      By accident, I forgot the milk. And It needs the milk. I had planned to use coconut milk, but just forgot to add it. Will make sure to add next time.

      Some people thought it was not sweet enough but I disagree. I loved the flavor and thought it was the perfect amount of sweetness. I will definitely make again, learning a bit from this first round. But those of us learning to live with significant food restrictions are used to that, aren’t we!?!?

      I will say, I love this site, Rhian, and I thank you so much for sharing your recipes! Looking forward to trying others!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 27, 2020 at 5:13 pm

        Thank you so much for sharing! Using coconut flour instead of brown rice flour would be an issue because coconut flour absorbs a lot more moisture than other flours and therefore can't be used in the same quantities! Hope that helps.

    5. Anonymous

      December 27, 2020 at 11:38 pm

      This is seriously delicious!! Would make a cake for afternoon tea, or just a sweet energy treat on the go. Love the texture of the base layer and the you the topping.. Amazing! Xx

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        December 28, 2020 at 12:41 am

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

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    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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