Paleo Pecan Pie Bars that are vegan, grain-free, dairy-free, sweet, gooey, and buttery for the most amazing nutty treat. This caramel-covered dessert recipe is fun to make and perfect for sharing with friends and family during the holiday season.
Have you ever dreamt up a sinfully addictive dessert that is all-things gooey, chewy, soft yet crunchy, caramel-y yet crispy, creamy and nutty with an explosion of flavor and texture?
That is, in a nutshell, these Paleo Pecan Pie Bars.
…Or pecan goo bars as I like to call them.
The only thing that could possibly make them better is if they were dipped in dark chocolate.
First things first: I mentioned this in my recent post for Keto Pecan Pie, but I find some people turn their nose up to pecan desserts because they assume they won’t like them (this was me the first 18 years of my life).
Before you decide you don’t need these bars in your life, let me line out all the reasons you do. Starting with an overly descriptive summary of what a pecan bar actually is.
If you’ve never tried pecan pie or pecan bars, here’s the basic gist: Delectably maple-y gooey pecans engulfed in homemade caramel nestled on top of a buttery shortbread crust with a perfect thin layer of crisp at the top as well as a nice crunch at the bottom.
It’s basically two layers of wild, wild rebellion.
Don’t cancel me.
Aside from being paleo, vegan, dairy-free, grain-free, and sweetened with less processed sugars, these pecan pie bars are a true delight to make.
They’re a great family project to make with kidlets as well as lovely edible gifts for friends and family. I highly encourage you to make them for dessert for Thanksgiving!
Let’s talk ingredients.
Ingredients for Paleo Pecan Pie Bars:
These pecan pie bars don’t require very many ingredients ! Here’s what you need.
For the Crust: almond flour, coconut oil, pure maple syrup, sea salt. These ingredients simply get stirred together to form a thick dough. Press this dough into a baking pan, creating a shortbread crust layer.
Note: I’ve found varying brands of almond flour have varying absorbencies. I use Bob’s Red Mill’s Super Fine Almond Flour, but had drastically different results when I tested the crust using a different brand.
If you don’t use Bob’s Red Mill’s almond flour and the crust mixture seems overly dry, continue adding oil and pure maple syrup, one tablespoon at a time, until a thick, sticky dough forms that can easily be pressed into a cookie layer. If the crust is crumbly, keep adding oil and pure maple syrup until it is no longer crumbly!
For the Filling: Coconut milk, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, sea salt, raw pecans.
The coconut milk acts as a replacement for butter or cream in making a homemade caramel, and the caramel is sweetened with coconut sugar and pure maple syrup.
The end result is a gooey, sticky caramel that you’d never know was dairy-free and made with more natural sugars. This caramel is used to engulf raw pecans, and is the glue that holds it all together.
How to Make Paleo Pecan Pie Bars:
Prepare the Shortbread Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper.
Stir all of the ingredients for the crust together in a bowl until well-combined – it will form a thick, sticky dough.
Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking pan and press into an even layer using your hands. Poke many holes in the crust with a fork to ensure it bakes evenly and does not bow up while baking.
Bake for 12 to 18 minutes on the center rack of the preheated oven, until the sides of the crust are golden-brown.
Remove crust from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
Prepare the Caramel Pecan Filling:
Heat the coconut milk and coconut sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a full boil. Whisk until all of the coconut sugar has been dissolved. Continue cooking at a controlled boil, whisking occasionally, until a thick, sticky caramel-like substance forms and the liquid has been reduced to about ⅓ or ½ its original volume, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Remove the caramel from the heat. Stir in the pure maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt and whisk until well-combined. Add in the chopped pecans and stir until everything is well-coated.
Transfer the filling mixture to the baking pan with the shortbread crust and smooth into an even layer.
Bake on the center rack of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until the pecan mixture is bubble and appears to have a thin crust on top.
Remove the pecan bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely before slicing and serving. Note: after the bars cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature, you can transfer them to the refrigerator to speed up the process.
Pecan Pie Bars should be served chilled, so store them covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator until you’re ready to share them. They can be stored at room temperature, but I find they set up better and serve better when chilled. Leftovers can be frozen!
Keto Pecan Pie Bars:
Looking for a low-carb version of these pecan bars? No sweat! Simply hop on over to my Keto Pecan Pie recipe, and follow it using a 9-inch baking pan instead of a pie pan. The concept is very similar to what you see in this recipe, but is made using sugar-free sweetener.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes:
- Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake (No-Bake, Vegan)
- Vegan Bourbon Orange Sweet Potato Pie
- No-Bake Vegan Banana Cream Pie
- Grain-Free Vegan Pumpkin Snack Cake
- Gluten-Free Apple Bundt Cake
- Instant Pot Rice Pudding
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!
Enjoy these pecan bliss bars!
Paleo Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups super fine almond flour
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil melted
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
For the Pecan Filling:
- 1 15-oz can full-fat coconut milk
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp sea salt to taste
- 2 cups raw pecans chopped
Instructions
Make the Shortbread Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper.
- Stir all of the ingredients for the crust together in a bowl until well-combined – it will form a thick, sticky dough. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking pan and press into an even layer using your hands. Poke many holes in the crust with a fork to ensure it bakes evenly and does not bow up while baking.
- Bake for 12 to 18 minutes on the center rack of the preheated oven, until the sides of the crust are golden-brown. Remove crust from the oven and set it aside to cool for a few minutes.
Make the Pecan Caramel Filling:
- Heat the coconut milk and coconut sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a full boil. Whisk until all of the coconut sugar has been dissolved. Continue cooking at a controlled boil, whisking occasionally, until a thick, sticky caramel-like substance forms and the liquid has been reduced to about ⅓ or ½ its original volume, about 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove the caramel from the heat. Stir in the pure maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt and whisk until well-combined. Add in the chopped pecans and stir until everything is well-coated.
- Transfer the filling mixture to the baking pan with the shortbread crust and smooth into an even layer.
- Bake on the center rack of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until the pecan mixture is bubble and appears to have a thin crust on top.
- Remove the pecan bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely before slicing and serving. Note: after the bars cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature, you can transfer them to the refrigerator to speed up the process.
Notes
Nutrition
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I made these yesterday with the intention of contributing them to my department’s holiday treat swap. Oh my…they are SO DELICIOUS!! I have no doubt that they are going to be VERY popular!! I swapped the coconut oil in the crust & used plant butter (Country Crock, Avocado variety) instead. I also used dark brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. I work with a couple of people who hate coconut, so I was attempting to make sure these didn’t even remotely taste like coconut. I am pleased to say that those 2 swaps did the trick. The coconut milk no longer tastes like coconut once it is combined with brown sugar & cooked down to a caramel-like consistency – it just tastes like heaven! Thanks for such a wonderful gluten free, dairy free recipe!
My pleasure, Cyndi! I’m so happy you enjoy them! I’ve found the same thing with the recipe as with a lot of recipes containing coconut milk – as long as there are other ingredients there, it’s almost impossible to detect the coconut flavor 🙂 I hope your department enjoys them too! xoxoxo
@Julia, I’m so excited to try these! Can I substitute the coconut sugar for monk fruit sweetener? It doesn’t seem to be getting think?
Hi Emily! You can use monk fruit sweetener instead of coconut sugar for sure! I’d stick with the same amount 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Hello,
Do you think I could sub honey for the maple syrup?
Hi Susan!
Typically honey works great as a 1:1 replacement for pure maple syrup. My only cautionary note is honey does have a lower burn temperature than most sweeteners, so you’ll want to keep a close eye on the bars while they’re baking. They may need slightly less time. Let me know how they turn out! xoxox
I am wondering if you think this would double well for a 9×13 pan?
Hi Jeannie! I think doubling the recipe will work great for 13″ x 9″! I haven’t tested it myself, but I believe it will work! Hope you enjoy! xo
Hi! I made this last weekend and it was delicious 🙂 I did notice a few things in the recipe I wanted to check…
For step 1 – “Stir all of the ingredients for the crust and topping together in a bowl until well-combined – it will form a thick, sticky dough.”
What are the topping ingredients? I just stuck with those listed under the crust – I hope that was right!
Also for the amount of flour vs syrup & coconut oil, I definitely didn’t get a thick sticky dough. It felt much more like a shortbread. I ended up adding more of each wet ingredient to try to get that consistency. It helped a bit, but still felt very dry when I baked it.
Everything tasted delicious in the end, but I just wanted to make sure I did it right for when I inevitably make these again 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Sheila!
Thanks so much for the feedback! Using the word “topping” was an error on my end, so I went ahead and fixed it 😀 Do you remember what brand of almond flour you used? xoxo
I think it was from Bulk Barn but it very well may have been quite old – which would be a mistake on my part! Like I said, it still tasted delicious, just looked different going in than I expected. But that’s not important when the end result is tasty!
Can I swap out tigernut flour for the almond flour? Also, can I use brown sugar instead of coconut sugar? I can’t do almonds or coconut sugar 🙄. I would love to find a way to make these though, they look delicious!!!
Hi Francis!
I think both substitutions should work great! Just make those swaps 1:1 and they should turn out marvelously! Let me know what you think! xoxo
I swapped out the almond flour for tigernut flour and brown sugar for the coconut sugar and O.M.GOODNESS!! These things are so good! I’m so excited I can make something sweet like this that’s safe for the whole family! These will definitely be a staple in our house…probably year round. 😄
This is so great to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know, Francis! Hope you’re enjoying the holiday season! xoxo
Awe….heaven on a shortbread crust! I can’t wait to try these!