Easy Low-sugar Pecan Pie Bars

These are my easy and low-sugar pecan pie bars that were the highlight of our Thanksgiving 2020 🦃

So my hubby/taste tester (Gav, you won’t see him on insta, he’s more of a twitter type of guy) gave me his version of the “Paul Hollywood Handshake” upon tasting these 🤝 His words, not mine:

“You nailed it, it’s not too sweet, this is how pecan pie SHOULD be”.

😱 😱 😱 ⁣

So there it is, ladies and gents, make these and receive your own handshake. This recipe can even be NOBAKE (something I discovered last night recipe testing) if that’s your vibe.⁣

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Low-sugar Pecan Pie Bars

These pecan pie bars are lower in sugar and way easier to make than traditional pecan pie, yet taste just as good.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy recipes, gluten-free, holiday baking, holidays, low sugar, no-bake, oatmeal, pecan pie, pecans, pie bars, plant-based, thanksgiving, vegan

Servings: 16 bars

Calories: 200kcal

Equipment

• 8×8 baking pan.

Ingredients

Crust layer

• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (28 g⁣)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (42 g⁣)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature (120 g)⁣ sub mashed banana
• 1 cup quick oats (80 g⁣)
• 1 cup almond flour (112 g⁣)

Pecan layer

• 2 tbsp coconut oil (28 g⁣)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (84 g⁣)
• 1/4 cup brown/coconut sugar (48 g⁣)
• 2 tbsp flour, gf all purpose if desired (15 g⁣)
• 2 tbsp (nut) milk (30 g⁣) I used unsweetened almond milk
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, or other nuts, chopped (168 g)

Instructions

Optional pre-bake the crust

• Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment.⁣
• Mix all crust ingredients (first liquid, then dry, if your coconut oil hardens microwave gently to melt) press into pan and bake 15 minutes, let it cool.
• If you want to skip baking you can also just set your crust in the freezer, about 30 min – 1 hour. In this case don't turn on your oven 🙂

Make the filling

• On the stove stir together coconut oil, syrup and sugar. ⁣
• Stirring constantly let it boil one minute. ⁣
• Take off the heat, add milk and sift in flour, back on the heat and boil one more minute. Don’t burn this!⁣
• Turn off heat, stir in pecans and top the crust with this. ⁣
• At this point you can bake another 20 min or freeze to set 30 min – 1 hour or so. ⁣
• Cool completely if baked (refrigeration helps), slice and enjoy!

Notes

• If you prefer to make a vegan shortbread crust for these, use the recipe below, stir it all together and proceed the same:
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil (56 g)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (84 g)
  • 2 cups almond flour (224 g)
  • 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg