Vegan Pecan Pie

Jump to Recipe

With a simple 9-ingredient filling (including the basics like water and salt), this Vegan Pecan Pie recipe is just about as easy as it gets!

It’s sweet, rich, buttery, and almost caramel-like with crunchy bites of pecan nuts. No one would ever guess it’s dairy-, egg-, and gluten-free.

Plus, unlike many pecan pies, this one does not include highly processed ingredients, like corn syrup. To sweeten this pie, we used a combination of good old fashioned maple syrup and molasses.

Heads up: This post contains affiliate links! If you buy something through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission, which helps keep the lights on. Thank you! 🙂

What is pecan pie?

Pecan pie is a pie made of pecan nuts usually served at holiday meals in the United States, and is traditionally mixed with a filling of eggs, butter, and sugar.

It’s considered a Southern delicacy in the U.S.

Is pecan pie vegan?

Traditionally, pecan pie contains eggs and butter, so no, classic pecan pie recipes are not vegan!

Thankfully, eggs and butter are easy to replace in vegan baking.

Is this vegan pecan pie gluten-free?

Yes, this recipe is gluten-free! The crust is made with a combination of almond flour and gluten-free baking flour.

If you’re not gluten-free, don’t worry. You can use regular, all-purpose flour instead.

Is vegan pecan pie easy to make?

Yes, this pecan pie is easy to make. This recipe consists of two parts – the crust and the filling.

For the crust, it’s basically just adding the crust ingredients to a food processor, and pulsing them until incorporated, then, transferring the crust into a tart pan and partly baking it.

For the filling, it’s just mixing the filling ingredients, refrigerating it, then pouring it onto the crust, and baking it all the way. That’s it!

How to make a vegan pecan pie

To make this vegan pecan pie, we replaced…

• Eggs with flax eggs. Flax eggs yield a gelatinous, gluey texture, which helps bind ingredients together in vegan baking. They also contain some fat, like egg yolks do.
• Butter with cashew butter. Nuts in general, like peanut, almond, and cashew, will add a unique flavor to many recipes. In our experience, this only works when a little is used, and when the nut butter is the right texture – it should be similar softened butter. When substituting, a 1:1 replacement ratio can be used! While we didn’t do it in this recipe, a lot of people recommend combining equal parts nut butter with oil before adding it to a recipe, because butter is higher in fat than nut butter, and the oil helps increase the fat percentage. 

For pecan pie recipes, eggs usually go a long way at holding the filling together, so this recipe was a little intimidating to play with! But, the combination of using flax eggs and the right amount of other liquids was the key to creating a filling that not only thickened, but also held together.

What is vegan pecan pie made of?

The crust layer is made of:

• Almond flour
• Gluten-free all purpose flour
• Coconut oil
• Coconut sugar (or monk fruit for sugar-free)
• Water
• Maple syrup

The filling layer is made of:

• Pecans
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Cashew butter
• Flax meal
• Water
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Nutmeg

Tips for the best vegan pecan pie

Be sure to let your pie cool at room temperature after baking. This cool down time helps your pie set, and make slicing easier.

Make sure the pie is completely cooled down to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.

Feel free to add a little Bourbon to the filling for a boozy flavor.

Use plain, raw pecans with no added oil, sugar or salt.

FAQ

How to store vegan pecan pie

This pie stores very well in the refrigerator for 3 days. Once it has fully cooled, wrap it or transfer it to an airtight container to store it in the fridge.

Can you freeze vegan pecan pie? 

Yes. If you want to make it more than a couple of days in advance, you can wrap it very well, and freeze it.

The day before you’re ready to serve it, transfer the pie to the refrigerator to thaw, and serve cold or at room temperature.

You can freeze leftovers of this pecan pie for up to 2 months.

Can you make this pecan pie ahead of time?

Yes! You can bake it one day in advance. This will provide lots of time for your pie to completely set.

Although it keeps refrigerated for 3 days, we feel it tastes best on days one and two.

How long does this pecan pie last?

This pie stores very well in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Can you make pecan pie without corn syrup?  

Yes, maple syrup works very well!

Can pecan pie be left out?

No, this pie is best left in the fridge.

Craving more festive dessert recipes? Try these:

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Spice Donuts

Apple Pie

Apple Crisp

Cinnamon Rolls

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photos with @healthiir on Instagram!