Dairy-Free Keto Pecan Pie (With a Paleo Option)

Dairy-Free Keto Pecan Pie is a sugar-free version of classic Pecan Pie. Made with grain-free almond flour pie crust and delicious sugar-free caramel filling with the most delectable crunch from the pecans, this healthier dessert recipe is a wonderful treat to share with friends and family.

Truth: I didn’t try pecan pie until I was in college because I was convinced I wouldn’t like it.

Boy oh boy, was I incorrect!

Pecan pie is one of my favorites, thought I don’t eat it often, because it contains ingredients with which I don’t mix well (lots of dairy and sugar).

Traditional pecan pie is made primarily of butter, cream, and sugar. And pecans. DELICIOUS! 

It is packed with nutty flavor and texture while boasting a gooey caramel-like appeal on top of a buttery crust. If you haven’t tried it, I highly encourage it!

Imagine caramel and a maple tree had a baby that exploded in your mouth with sultry bits of shortbread and softened nuts. That’s pretty much the experience you get with pecan pie. It goos so well.

In order to take a dairy-free and sugar-free approach, I swap all dairy with coconut oil and coconut milk (don’t worry, the pie does not taste like coconut), and a sugar-free sweetener. 

The end result is a pecan pie that tastes buttery, is nice and sweet, yet is grain-free, sugar-free and keto friendly. 

For those of you who don’t use sugar-free sweeteners (I didn’t for a long time while I was experiencing gut issues, because they aggravated my IBS), I have included an paleo option, which uses coconut sugar.

There are plenty of ways you can swap ingredients in this recipe to make it work for your diet. Just check out my Recipe Adaptations section to see all of the options!

Let’s investigate!

Ingredients for Dairy-Free Sugar-Free Pecan Pie:

Almond Flour Pie Crust: You can make my Almond Flour Pie Crust recipe in advance, or use your favorite low-carb pie dough. For my version, you’ll need almond flour, coconut oil, sugar-free sweetener, egg, sea salt, vanilla extract. This combination of ingredients yields an amazing grain-free, dairy-free pie crust that closely resembles the real deal!

Pecan Pie Filling:

Coconut Oil: The caramel filling of traditional pecan pie is made using butter and cream, but we swap the butter for coconut oil. Coconut oil still has that naturally sweet and nutty flavor to it, which makes it an excellent candidate for replacement. 

Sugar-Free Sweetener: To keep the pie ultra sweet without sending our blood sugar through the roof, we use sugar-free granulated sweetener. My preference is Swerve, but you can also use Monk Fruit Sweetener, Truvia, or any of your favorites. 

Coconut Milk: Replacing the cream in the caramel filling, we use canned full-fat coconut milk. It results in a nice creamy caramel that still tastes buttery and maple-y. You’ll just have to try it to believe it!

Sea salt, Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract: bringing warm, rich flavors to the pie, sea salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract go a long way! Traditional pecan pie is not made with cinnamon, but I really love the addition of it for added fall flavor!

Optional Add ins:

• 2 tablespoons of molasses (if you’re okay with a little bit of sugar)
• 1 tsp maple extract if you have it on hand. 

How to Make Dairy-Free Keto Pecan Pie:

Make the Almond Flour Pie Crust. Set aside while you’re preparing the rest of the recipe. Note: You can bake the pie crust in advance if you’re making this pie in steps!

Prepare the filling. Add the coconut oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Add the sugar-free sweetener and stir well to combine. Note that the sweetener will pull away from the oil and won’t combine easily. Just keep heating and stirring until the sweetener begins to dissolve and incorporate…this will take about 10 minutes.

Once the sweetener has dissolved (or has come close), add the coconut milk. Increase the heat and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Continuously whisk the mixture so that the ingredients incorporate into a creamy substance – avoid burning it. Note that if you allow the caramel mixture to sit for too long without whisking, the sweetener will begin to stick to the bottom of the skillet. This is one of the reasons you want to continuously whisk.

Continue cooking the caramel at a gentle boil until it has thickened substantially and pulls away from the skillet when stirred, about 30 to 40 minutes total.

Remove from heat and whisk in the sea salt, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. If adding molasses, do so now! Allow the caramel to cool until it is only slightly warm, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk an egg in a bowl very well, then add it to the slightly warm caramel. Whisk until well-combined. Note that if the caramel is too hot, the egg will scramble and cook.

Make the Pie:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop 2 cups of raw pecans into small pieces. 

Transfer the chopped pecans to the prepared pie crust.

Pour the caramel mixture over the pecans evenly.

Arrange the remaining ½ cup of raw pecans on top.

Use foil to cover any exposed pie crust edges to ensure it doesn’t burn while baking.

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until pie has set up.

Allow pie to cool completely on the counter, then transfer it to the refrigerator and chill for at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving. 

Paleo Pecan Pie:

For a paleo version of this recipe, swap the sugar-free sweetener with coconut sugar and add 2 tablespoons of molasses to the caramel mixture. You can also swap the coconut oil for ghee in both the pie crust and the caramel filling if you aren’t dairy-free.

Recipe Adaptations:

• Replace the coconut oil in the pie crust with melted butter or ghee.
• Replace the coconut oil in the caramel pie filling with melted butter or ghee.
• Use coconut sugar in either or both the pie crust and filling instead of sugar-free sweetener.
• Add 2 tablespoons of molasses to the caramel mixture if you aren’t entirely sugar-free. It adds rich flavor! Pure maple syrup will work too but won’t add as much flavor.

Recipe Notes:

Making the caramel filling requires a lot of elbow grease, time and attention. This is a great recipe to prepare in steps if you don’t have a lot of time set aside for pie prep.

The entire time you’re making the caramel (if making the dairy-free version), constantly whisk.

The caramel will not look right for the first 10 or so minutes you’re making it. Once the coconut milk is in and the mixture comes to a rolling boil, it will begin looking cohesive (no separation between oil and milk).

More Healthy Pie Recipes:

• Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Vegan Bourbon Orange Sweet Potato Pie 
• No-Bake Vegan Banana Cream Pie
• Avocado Chocolate Silk Pie

I hope you love this pecan pie as much as we do!

My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!

If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!

Keto Pecan Pie

4.60 from 5 votes

Keto Pecan Pie made dairy-free, sugar-free, and grain-free. A healthier low-carb pecan pie recipe

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Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 (9-inch) pie

Ingredients

For the Pie:

• 1 Almond Flour Pie Crust or prepared pie crust of choice
• 2 1/2 cups raw pecan halves divided

Keto Caramel Filling:

• 3/4 cup coconut oil or butter or ghee
• 2/3 cup sugar-free sweetener or 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 15-oz can full-fat coconut milk, or 1 2/3 cups heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp molasses optional (not low-carb)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon optional
• 1 egg whisked

Instructions

• Prepare the Almond Flour Pie Crust or your favorite pie crust recipe. Set aside while you make the filling.
• Add the coconut oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Add the sugar-free sweetener and stir well to combine.
• Once the sweetener has dissolved (or has come close), add the coconut milk. Increase the heat and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Continuously whisk the mixture so that the ingredients incorporate into a creamy substance – avoid burning it. Cook until substance is very thick and pulls away from the skillet when stirred, about 30 to 40 minutes total.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the sea salt, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. If adding molasses, do so now. Allow the caramel to cool until it is only slightly warm, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Whisk an egg in a bowl very well, then add it to the slightly warm caramel. Whisk until well-combined. Note that if the caramel is too hot, the egg will scramble and cook.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Chop 2 cups of raw pecans into small pieces and transfer them to the prepared pie crust.
• Pour the caramel mixture over the pecans evenly. Arrange the remaining 1/2 cup of pecans on top of the filling.
• Cover any exposed crust with foil so that it doesn’t burn during the baking process.
• Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until pie has set up. Allow pie to cool completely on the counter, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1of 12 · Calories: 471kcal · Carbohydrates: 12g · Protein: 10g · Fat: 43g · Sodium: 10mg · Fiber: 4g · Sugar: 3g

Author: Julia

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dairy free, dessert, grain free, keto, low-carb, paleo, pecan pie, refined sugar free

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