Vegan Pecan Pie Bars

A stack of pecan pie bars with more in the background.

Rich, buttery vegan pecan pie bars with a crisp crust and gooey maple-sweet pecan filling. Perfectly plant-based and dessert-worthy.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Resting time 30

Total Time 1 35

Servings slices

Calories 312kcal

Author Marly McMillen

Equipment

Ingredients

Butter Crust

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
¼ cup brown sugar , packed
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegan butter , melted

Pecan Pie Topping

5 tablespoons vegan butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup (see notes)
3 tablespoons cornstarch (see notes)
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup silken tofu (see notes)
2 cups whole pecans toasted*

Cups - Metric

Instructions

For the Brown Butter Crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Grease a 9" square baking dish (or line it with parchment paper with an overhang for easy removal).
Stir together the crust ingredients. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool as you prepare the filling.
¼ cup brown sugar, 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup vegan butter

For the Pecan Pie Topping:

In a saucepan, combine vegan butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and corn starch. Stir and cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another minute. Add the salt and vanilla and stir to combine.
5 tablespoons vegan butter, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup maple syrup, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
In a food processor, add the silken tofu and pulse until smooth. Add the corn syrup mixture and pulse again until everything is combined.
1 cup silken tofu
Add the pecans and pulse a few more times to roughly chop the pecans. Pour the pecan mixture over crust.
2 cups whole pecans
Top with reserved pecans.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the edges of the bars are set. The center might still be a little jiggly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
If the top of your bars starts to brown, add a piece of alumumin foil over the top as a shield.

Notes

Toasting Pecans

Toast pecans on a baking sheet in your heated oven (350°F/175°C) for around 5 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to burn them.

Tofu

You can use any form of silken tofu. You might also be able to use soft regular (non-silken) tofu. To learn more about tofu and the different styles, see my Tofu Buying Guide.

There's no need to press silken tofu.

Cornstarch

You can use between 2 to 4 tablespoons of cornstarch.

For a softer, gooey pecan pie filling — use 2 tablespoons.
For a firm pie filling — use 4 tablespoons.

Corn Syrup

I use a combination of maple syrup and corn syrup. It's great that corn syrup is affordable, accessible, and delivers a nice, gooey texture. You can use maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar.

Nutrition