This is the most amazing vegan pecan pie! Sugary, rich and almost caramelly, no one would ever guess it’s dairy and egg free. Gluten free option.
Developing a pecan pie recipe that is vegan is no small task, and it took me SEVERAL tries to get it right. I almost gave up after a few liquidy pies that would just not firm up, but I persisted and finally came up with the perfect vegan pecan pie!
Eggs usually go a long way at holding the filling together, so that was my biggest hurdle. A combination of flax eggs (don’t worry, you can’t detect this at all) and cornstarch, not to mention the right amount of other liquids, is the key to a filling that thickens and holds together.
The flavor and texture of this pie are out of this world incredible. It tastes almost like caramel, with a slight hint of bourbon (optional but so good). It’s a pretty sweet pie for sure, and a small slice will totally satisfy.
I have seen many recipes for vegan pecan pie but none look like the traditional one I remember. My recipe is sure to please any pecan pie lover, vegan or otherwise! I hope you love it as much as I do. Serve with a dollop of coconut whipped cream.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- One pie crust – Use my recipe for vegan pie crust for the best results. It’s super flaky and doesn’t burn easily in the oven, plus it’s easy to make! You may also use a gluten free crust or store bought.
- Flax eggs – Simply ground flaxseeds with water.
- Melted vegan butter – You only need a few tablespoons, I would not skip this.
- Dark corn syrup – I know some people are not comfortable using corn syrup, so if that’s you, feel free to use brown rice syrup or pure maple syrup. They both work fairly well, but not as well as corn syrup. I rarely use corn syrup, but this is a once in a year pie, so I feel comfortable doing so. You do you!
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch – You probably could use arrowroot or tapioca starch, but I’m not positive as I haven’t tested it.
- Vanilla extract
- Bourbon – We are only using 2 tablespoons for an amazing flavor, but you can skip it if needed.
- Pecans, of course!
How to make vegan pecan pie
- In a small bowl, mix the ground flaxseeds and water. In a large bowl, add the melted vegan butter, corn syrup, flax eggs, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and bourbon and whisk until well combined.
- Coarsely chop the pecans, leaving some intact for decoration, if desired.
- Spread the pecans evenly in the pie crust.
- Pour the liquid mixture over the pecans, then top with some pecan halves like I did, around the edges.
Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for about 55 minutes until thick, golden and bubbly. If the crust starts to burn, add a pie shield or foil over the pie after 15-20 minutes. When you take it out of the oven, sprinkle with coarse salt. Not required, but a nice touch.
Let it cool for 30 minutes at room temperature then place in the refrigerator. At least 4 hours in the refrigerator is best so it can settle and firm up. Serve with coconut whipped cream or vegan whipped cream.
Make ahead & freezing
You can make the pie 1-2 days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If you want to make it more than 2 days ahead, bake the pie, let it cool completely, then wrap well and freeze.
When ready to serve, move the pie to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Make sure it is unfrozen before you slice and serve.
More vegan holiday pies you’ll love
The Most Amazing Vegan Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Vegan Pie Crust *see Notes for other options
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 4 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- 3/4 cup dark corn syrup *or maple syrup/brown rice syrup
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons bourbon, optional
- 2 cups coarse chopped pecans (10 oz), + 1/2 cup pecan halves for decorating the top
Instructions
- Prepare a vegan pie crust (there is no need to pre-bake it) and line a 9 inch pie plate with it. Stick the pie plate with the crust in the refrigerator until ready to fill it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare the flax eggs: In a small bowl, stir together the ground flaxseeds and water, then set aside to let thicken. This is your egg substitute.
- In a large bowl, add the melted vegan butter, corn syrup, flax eggs, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and optional bourbon and whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Roughly chop the 10 oz pecans and have another 1/2 cup halves ready for decorating the top. I like to use my food processor to quickly chop them.
- Carefully spread the pecans evenly into the unbaked pie crust. Pour the sugar mixture into the pie crust over the pecans, evenly. Alternatively, stir the chopped pecans into the sugar mixture, then pour into the crust.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake the pie for 50-55 minutes, until thick and bubbly and golden brown. It will still be quite liquidity until it cools so don’t cut into it right away. Use a pie crust shield after 15-20 minutes of baking if the crust starts to burn.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired, and let cool on a wire rack at room temperature for 30 minutes, then move to the refrigerator. At least 4 hours in the refrigerator is best to let it settle and firm up. Overnight is even better!
- Slice and serve the pie with coconut whipped cream, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten free: Use a gluten free crust to make the pie gluten free. You can also use a store-bought crust to make it easier, just check the ingredients to make sure it's vegan.
- Make ahead: You can make the pie up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Freeze it: If you want to make it more than a couple of days in advance, you can make it, wrap it very well and freeze it. The day before serving, transfer the pie to the refrigerator to thaw before serving.
- Alternative to corn syrup: I tried the pie several ways, and using corn syrup resulted in the best pie, but maple syrup works quite well. Brown rice syrup works pretty well, too.
- Cornstarch alternative: Tapioca starch or arrowroot will probably work here, but I haven't tested it to know for sure.
Made this pie and your crust recipe for Thanksgiving this year and it was a hit! Thanks so much for the recipe ❤️
You are welcome! I’m thrilled your pie was a hit! Thanks for your wonderful feedback!
Amazing! I forgot to buy pecans and have been thinking about making a walnut pie for ages. I used half pecans and and half walnuts ….. this is the BEST nut pie ever!!!
That does sound amazing! Thanks for sharing your ideas and wonderful review! I’m thrilled you love the pie!
Delicious Pie!
I’ve made this recipe twice and both times it boiled over, even though used 9” deep dish pans. Is your oven actually at 350? Is there something I am missing? I didn’t add the bourbon. I’m guessing that may change the boiling point or percentage of sugar in the mixture?
Hi Jillian. I’ve never had it boil over but another commenter who also did not use the bourbon had the same thing happen. That could be the problem but it’s hard to say for sure.
Hi! I’m wondering if I can use Just Egg in place of the flaxseeds. I just happen to have that on hand. Excited to try this recipe!
Hi Morgan. I’m not sure how an egg substitute will work. This pie is rather picky! If you use Just Egg let me know how it works for you. Happy cooking!
I tried and and it was just too sweet for me. I did use maple syrup. I may try it again and use corn syrup. My pie just didn’t turn out right. I used just egg, maybe I’ll just do the flax egg next time.
Hi! I have an egg substitute already. How many “eggs” is the flax seed eggs replacing? Thanks
Hi Victoria. I would say about 4 eggs worth. I’m not sure how an egg substitute will work. This pie is rather picky!
Hi Nora! I’m about to try this recipe for thanksgiving this year and I can’t find dark corn syrup anywhere. Would light corn syrup work? Or should I stick with maple syrup?
Thanks!
Hi Andrea! I think light corn syrup would be better than maple syrup or brown rice syrup, however, it will yield slightly different taste results and a lighter colored pie.
Any idea how long this may need to cook if I used the mini premade pie crusts? Not everyone in our family loves Pecan so I was planning to make 4-6 pecan minis + 4-6 apple
Hi Katie. I’ve never made mini pecan pies, however, I would say about 25 minutes.
What would the measurements be if you were to use chia seeds instead of flax? Thanks! Looking forward to trying this.
The measurements would stay the same, so 2 tablespoons. Happy baking!
Thank you!
What would the measurements be if you were to substitute chia seeds for the flax? Thanks!
You can use the same amount, 2 tablespoons. Happy baking!
Too much filling in the recipe! Boiled over. Glad I cooked it on a foil lined baking sheet!
Sorry to hear that, I’ve never had it boil over. I wonder if your pie pan was shallow or you used a smaller pan than I did? I just use a standard 9 inch pie plate. Hope you were still able to enjoy the pie!
Mine boiled over as well — now I have a kind of high tide mark where the filling had been! I used a Wholly Wholesome crust, and maple syrup instead of corn syrup. Still looks like it will be great!
The same thing just happened to me. My husband and I wanted to try this recipe for Thanksgiving. We used a Keebler pre-made pie crust (9″) and followed the recipe. We used maple syrup and did not add the bourbon. Put it in the oven for 60mins and pulled it out after 40mins because it was boiling over the sides onto the sheet pan. We’ll let it cool and still put it in the fridge to see how it turns out after dinner. Fingers crossed it will still taste good! The part that boiled over totally turned into a flat piece of caramelized candy that we both picked off the pan and promptly ate. Can’t let any of that deliciousness go to waste. 🙂
Hi. How far ahead can I make this?
Hi Diane. This info is in the recipe notes: You can make the pie 1-2 days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If you want to make it more than 2 days ahead, bake the pie, let it cool completely, then wrap well and freeze. When ready to serve, move the pie to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Make sure it is unfrozen before you slice and serve.
I’m hoping to try this recipe soon. Is it important to chop the pecans? My mom always used all halves, and I like it that way, but I’m wondering if the pecans need to cover the filling more completely for this recipe. Thanks!
It isn’t crucial to the recipe. Go ahead and use halved pecans if you want! 🙂
I’m excited to try this and had the same question. Thank you for the answer.
Can I use ground chia instead of ground flax?
Most definitely! It will not affect the flavor!
Made this for a friend for their birthday and of course, I had a slice for quality control purposes. I only used 1/2 a cup of cane sugar and it was still too sweet for my liking, but I think my friend will really enjoy it! The flavor/ texture came out very nice as well.
Hi Berlin, thank you for your feedback and review!
Omg! This is such an amazing recipe! I swapped toasted black walnuts for pecans and it came out absolutely divine!
I don’t usually cook vegan recipies, but this turned out really nice. I used chia seeds that I had on hand, and added some molasses to my corn syrup (combined 3/4 cup total). I also was making mini pies for a small group of people and this filled 12 cupcake sized pies, and I cooked them for 30 minutes. 2 pie crusts with shortening only from the Joy of cooking.
Oh no! I read wrong and pre baked pie crust lol ??♀️
Hi!
Will chia eggs work just as well or do you think the chia texture come through too much? Have you tried with chia? 🙂
thanks
You can definitely replace the flax with chia! It won’t affect the flavor.
This pie is so good! My non-vegan family members have decided they like this better than their usual recipe.
Absolutely delicious- even our non- vegans loved it! My daughter is allergic to corn so I replaced the corn syrup with brown rice syrup, and used 5 Tbsp white rice flour instead of cornstarch – and it was still perfectly set.
I’m so glad everyone loved the pie! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and comments!
This pie was really delicious. However mine never thickened up. My fault because I just decided to make it at the last minute and didn’t quite have everything that I needed.
I made this for Christmas, and it was a hit with my boyfriend’s family here in Italy! It was my first time making pecan pie as well. The recipe was easy to follow and I’ve discovered a new appreciation for corn syrup! (I searched and found a small Italian company that makes it, so was able to get it quickly, which was a great surprise as I think I wouldn’t have been able to find it otherwise). I will definitely be making this again, thanks for publishing it!
Hello in Italy! I’m thrilled the pecan pie was a hit! Thank you for taking time to share your fantastic review and comments! Happy cooking!
Thank you for creating a vegan pecan pie that actually sets! The whole family loved it. The non-vegan store-bought pie that my skeptical family members brought into my home wasn’t even touched.
I’m glad the pecan pie was a hit! Thank you for sharing your great review!
This is amazing – just like Mom’s recipe! For those reading the comments: We used applesauce instead of oil, used maple syrup and cut the sugar to 1/2 cup and it was still fabulous.
Thank you, so much, for all you do for us, Nora. We know – if you made it, it’s got to be delicious!!
I forgot to leave a rating!
Thank you!
Ahhhh! My pie is boiling all over the cookie sheet I have it baking on! I followed directions to the T…. Is that normal?
I’ve never had that happen, are you using a smaller pan? I use a classic 9 inch pie pan, it’s not deep dish. I’m sorry you’re having trouble, I hope it turns out!
Pecan pie perfection! I used maple syrup and added some chocolate chunks for a little extra something. Absolutely divine. Will make again.
What is the size of the pie dish we should use? I cant find it anywhere 🙁
You just need a standard 9 inch pie plate. Nothing special, just the usual size.