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!
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
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.
I didn’t have brown rice syrup, so I used the same amount of light corn syrup and it cooked up perfectly! Thanks for a delicious recipe Nora.
Easy and delicious, everyone loved these pecan bars!!! Soft and chewy at room temperature, or hard and crunchy from the fridge, they make a great sweet treat.
I’m thrilled that the pecan bars were a hit, Melissa! One of my favorites! Thanks for sharing your great review and feedback!
We have made this for about 4 years now. My iids have to have this for it to be the holiday season! My kids are allergic and to pecans so we use crushed pretzels instead of pecans. They are a family tradition! Thank you for all your amazing recipes!
Hi Jamie. I am so thrilled this recipe has become part of your family tradition! This sounds amazing with pretzels…great idea! Thank you for taking time to share your fabulous review and feedback! Happy Thanksgiving!
My daughter and myself have both made these yummy bars. Both times we followed exact recipe and the filling was a bit runny and not setting up well. Any ideas?
Would it be possible to sub extra virvin olive oil for the vegan butter?
I don’t think that will work well unfortunately.
hi,
I wanted to know…if I want to half this recipe, what size pan should I use?
Thanks!
8×8 would be best for halving the recipe. Thanks and enjoy!
Help! I forgot to cook the shortbread crust for 10 minutes before putting on the pecan filling. Should I cook the entire thing for longer? Just leave it in for an extra 10 minutes? I’m scared the shortbread won’t cook all the way through now… ahh 🙁
You could probably just bake it a bit longer, hopefully it bakes okay! I think it will be fine.
Hi. We don’t have brown rice syrup here in UK, what would you suggest as a substitute please?
Hi Louise. I have only used brown rice syrup, however, others have commented that maple syrup and corn syrup worked well. I haven’t tested those myself. Let me know how it works for you if you use either of those. Happy cooking!
I made these with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 for 1 Baking Flour and they came out amazing!!!
We found them almost too hard “right out of the fridge”, but just about perfect if we set them out at the beginning of the meal.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Do you think mini vegan chocolate chips could be added?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work, yes. You could probably add some chocolate chips to the crust after it bakes, before adding the pecan topping, or possibly even just mix some chocolate chips into the pecan layer.
Hi! Would you serve serve these warm or should they stay chilled if I make them abased of time? Thanks!
Hi Liz. These are a great make ahead dessert! They are best served chilled, after they set. Enjoy!
What can i use in place of brown rice syrup. Thank you
These look amazing. I’m always grateful for your recipes! Wondering if they set well enough to slice without oozing? After reading comments I plan to use maple syrup and slice ahead of time before serving. Do they hold they shape and filling? Thanks!
These bars do set up well when sliced, however, I have never made them with maple syrup myself. Enjoy!
I doubled recipe, subbed maple syrup, and baked in a 12×18 pan for 35 min. They came out great. Thank you!!!
Fabulous! You are welcome!
Hi Nora.
I think I’d like to make these for Thanksgiving. I’m torn between this and your pecan pie. When your recipes call for brown sugar, should I use light or dark? Also curious what your current preferred vegan butter is? Thank you for your time 🙂
Jules
Hi there! I love both, but these pecan bars are probably my favorite, I’ve been making them for years. You can use light or dark, but most often I use light. For vegan butter, I really do use a mix – Earth Balance, Country Crock, Miyoko’s and Trader Joe’s brand most often. I hope you enjoy whichever recipe you make for Thanksgiving!
Scrumptious and not challenging to make!
Thanks for your wonderful feedback and review!
These are great! Always looking for allergy friendly recipes, this one is so good! I did sub maple syrup because I had it on hand, came out great.
Hi Cari. I’m happy to hear that the pecan bars turned out great for you! Thank you for sharing your terrific feedback and idea!
Thanks for answering my question! I don’t have the rice syrup either.
hello for maple syrup sub how much did you use ?