These are the most delicious Vegan Pecan Bars in the world, with a caramel pecan filling and shortbread crust. Better than pecan pie, with no corn syrup!
Perhaps my most favorite dessert in the world, Pecan Bars. These babies will blow you away! They taste a bit like pecan pie, but BETTER with a caramel-y pecan topping and amazing shortbread crust.
I’ve kept this recipe as simple as possible, and truly easy to make. You can make them in 1 bowl and the prep time is around 15 minutes. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool and set so you can eat them!
How do you make pecan bars
For the full recipe and ingredient list, see the recipe card below. This is simply a visual overview.
- Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl, then cut in the vegan butter using a pastry cutter. You can also use two knives or even your hands!
- It will look like fine crumbs when it’s ready to go into the pan.
- In a parchment lined pan, dump the crust crumbles in and press down evenly with your hands to form the crust. Cook for 10 minutes in the oven.
- Meanwhile, make the pecan filling. It’s so easy; simply mix all ingredients except the pecans in the same bowl you used for the crust (it doesn’t really get dirty), then fold the pecans in.
Spread the pecan topping over the crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly. Let it cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
To serve
Once cooled and set, carefully remove the bars with the parchment paper from the pan, and use a large sharp knife to cut them into squares. I suggest cutting off the edges because they get very hard!
Store leftover bars in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. These are a great make-ahead dessert!
Want more vegan dessert bars?
- Vegan Raspberry Bars
- Vegan Lemon Bars
- Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars
- Vegan Smores Bars
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Vegan Pecan Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup vegan butter, cold
Pecan Topping
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2/3 cup brown rice syrup
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons melted vegan butter
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
- optional: coarse salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the crust: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the vegan butter with a pastry cutter, or two knives. The mixture will look like fine crumbs. Place in the prepared pan and press down evenly with your hands to form the crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside while you make the topping.
- Make the topping: In the same large bowl you made the crust in, stir together the brown sugar, brown rice syrup, non-dairy milk, melted vegan butter, cornstarch and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Fold in the pecans, then pour over the crust. Use a spatula to spread it out as evenly as possible.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the pecan topping is bubbling. Remove from the oven, and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set.
- Carefully lift the parchment paper with the bars out of the pan and slice into bars with a large sharp knife. I like to cut off the edges as well because they get very hard. Store leftover bars in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
Notes
- For Salted Caramel Pecan Bars, sprinkle with coarse salt right after they come out of the oven.
- May sub coconut oil for vegan butter in the crust, if desired.
- For gluten free, use a gluten free all purpose flour instead of regular flour, it should work quite well though I haven't tested it myself.
- The pecan bars freeze well in a covered container.
- This recipe makes 16 large bars, but you can cut them smaller if you'd like. For a party, I might cut them into 32 squares. Nutritional information is for 1 large bar.
This is so easy to make & very popular with my non-vegan friends. I often substitute the pecan nuts with mixed nuts when the supermarket is out of stock. I also use the base to make other things – I sometimes cook the base longer (about 30 mins) & when cool, I top it with a jam (raspberry or blackcurrant) & some tinned vegan custard and some desiccated coconut which is also a great success.
Hi Sara. Thank you for sharing your awesome review and recipe ideas and experience! I’m so glad that you are enjoying the pecan bar recipe! These are so fun and delicious to make! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi, I am not vegan but cook a lot of your recipes for family members , Vegan and non vegan say they are a hit. Not familiar with Brown rice syrup . What could I use in place of. Many thanks for your hard work Audrey
.
Hi there! I haven’t tried it myself, but folks have reported using pure maple syrup instead with success. I’m not sure if corn syrup would work, but probably. Hope that helps!
Do they freeze well? I made this at Thanksgiving and everyone, vegan and non-vegan fought over who got to take the leftovers home. I decided to make them for our granddaughters cookie wedding table, but need to make them ahead, so wondering how they freeze.
Hi Dottie. I’m so glad that the pecan bars were a hit! Every time I make them, they are always a favorite! What a fun item to have on a cookie wedding table! The pecan bars do freeze well in a covered container. I appreciate the fantastic review! Happy celebrating, and happy baking!