The Best Ever Healthy Pecan Pie Bars (paleo + vegan)

The Best Ever Healthy Pecan Pie Bars made with all paleo and vegan ingredients. A delicious shortbread cookie-like base topped with sweetened pecans and this recipe has no refined sugars, gluten or dairy.

Jord is the pecan pie lover in our family. But I am a lover of anything candied pecans so you can imagine how obsessed we both are with this recipe for healthy Pecan Pie Bars.

At first I was going to make a healthy pecan pie recipe, but I personally am a fan of bars more than pie. This recipe though is the ultimate dessert to bring to any Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving get togethers and they are a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Plus it is truly shocking how easy they are to make. And once you see the limited ingredients needed, you will be wondering why the traditional pecan pie ingredients are so decadent and insane.

I love that this recipe has no corn syrup either. You will need maple syrup or honey (either works) with some coconut sugar and that’s the only form of sugar, which makes me the happiest. I don’t love my desserts overly sweet but I still want them to taste delicious and dreamy and satisfy my sweet tooth. Which this recipe 100% does.

If you guys make this recipe at home, please let us know! Comment and rate the recipe below and let us know what you think.

What ingredients you need to make these vegan and gluten-free pecan pie bars:

• Almond flour – I don’t have a sub recommendation for the almond flour besides almond meal. I wanted the crust to be grain-free and the almond flour works so well for that.
• Coconut flour – the coconut flour blend with almond four is perfection – don’t skip this!
• Maple syrup or honey – I prefer maple syrup or honey but use what you have
• Avocado oil – really any liquid oil or melted butter can work for this
• Coconut sugar – I don’t recommend another sugar option – it adds so much flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness
• Non-dairy milk.- any milk works!
• Chopped pecan pieces – I usually buy the organic pecan pieces found in bulk bin at the store or trader joe’s!

How to make gluten-free, paleo and vegan Pecan Pie Bars:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper and grease well
2. In a medium bowl, mix together almond flour, coconut flour, maple syrup, oil and vanilla until well combined
3. Press the mixture into bottom of the pan and bake in oven for 15 minutes
4. Add the crust to the fridge and let it cool completely
5. In a small saucepan, warm the coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until boiling
6. Once boiling, constantly stir and let bubble for one minute and then simmer for 3-5 minutes
7. Remove the pan from heat and stir in milk and pecans
8. Pour mixture over cooled crust and bake in oven for 22 minutes
9. Add the pecan bars to the fridge to set for 2 hours (do not skip this or they will fall apart!)
10. Slice into bars and enjoy!

Tips for success:

• When it comes to serving these pecan pie bars, you can serve them warm or cold! Usually I recommend warm like a brownie with some ice cream or whipped cream. But these are killer frozen and cold too!
• This is a great recipe to prep ahead of time before the holiday. They freeze really well and you can easily defrost them in the fridge overnight and microwave them or reheat in oven before serving
• The shortbread crust is great made with almond flour and coconut flour. I don’t have subs here as this flour blend works really well for the texture and flavor we want in these bars
• Don’t skip letting the bars set in the fridge! This is key so they stick together and don’t fall a part. You want the topping to be sticky and filled with pecans when you press it down on top of the shortbread crust. Kind of like rice krispie treats

A few of my other favorite dessert recipes great for holidays:

Healthy Flourless Brownies (nut-free + gluten-free)

The Best Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Monster Cookies

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars

The BEST Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies (gluten-free)