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.
The flavor of this pie was amazing! But we also had the texture of a very thick filling, much like a caramel nut bar that Elephant’s Deli sells here in Portland, which we LOVE so no complaints! But next time I’ll bake it for less time & see if we end up with a softer filling.
Hi there! Glad you enjoyed the flavor. I’m not sure why it ended up super thick, but maybe try a little less time next time in case it over baked. To me, the pie is not super thick necessarily, and a bit gooey even.
I have tried baking a pie and used Bob’s red hill egg substitute….boil over big time….i read the comments and see where the host said the recipe is finnicky i used a deep dish crust problem solved little bit thicker pecan pie but very good…TY
Glad it solved the problem! I haven’t tried it with another egg substitute. Thanks!
I could not find dark corn syrup at my grocery store, so I used 3/8 cup light corn syrup and 1/8 cup maple syrup. I think the bourbon added a lot. Great end to our Christmas Eve meal! (Christmas morning breakfast tomorrow is your coffee cake. 🙂
I used a different egg alternative and my pie overflowed…. but boy does it smell good!
Your recipes are always amazing so I have come here to figure out how to make kind of a fusion desert. I am making a vegan pecan pie layer cake. Do you think this pie filling could be cooked on a stove top and then used as a cake filling? Have you done anything like that before? Thank you!
Thank you! I haven’t tried anything like this, but it sounds incredible. I think it might possibly work if you cooked it on the stovetop, then cooled it completely. But I’m not 100% sure. Hope it works out!
I went ahead with it and the cake was amazing! From the other room I heard people saying “best cake I’ve ever had.”
I used maple syrup, slightly reduced the sugar, and omitted the bourbon because I didn’t have it. I roasted the pecans in the oven at 350 for 7 minutes first. Then I combined all the ingredients and cooked them on the stovetop, simmering for about a minute and a half. I cooled it overnight, stirred it up, and spread it on two layers of a 4 layer 8” cake. It was to die for ❤️
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Amazing! My non-vegan family loved it. The filling overflowed while I was baking, so I would put something under it on the rack below next time, but I will absolutely make again. Super easy too.
Incredible!! Made this pie for my bfs birthday and he loved it ! This was my first attempt at a pecan pie and it was fool proof! Also the crust is so flakey and delicious. Seriously though, every recipe you post is amazing and so helpful! You’re my first and last stop for any vegan treats. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate hearing that! So glad you enjoyed the pecan pie!
Thank you for this amazing recipe Nora!
Can I sub out energy egg replacer if I’m allergic to flax? How much would I use?
Do you think I could also sub out potato starch for cornstarch?
Thanks!
Kathleen
This pie is rather picky and I did a lot of testing, so it’s hard for me to say if another egg replacer would work or not. Perhaps 4 eggs worth, but again I don’t know if it will work or not. Same with the potato starch, it may work but I don’t know that it will thicken up as much, you may end up with a rather runny pie.
So we made this but so much of it bubbled out of the pie crust. Any idea what could have gone wrong? We used the maple syrup
It sounds like maybe you used a smaller pie dish? In a regular 9 inch pie plate, it shouldn’t be too full so it won’t bubble out. I do find the pie works best with corn syrup instead of maple, but the maple syrup version did work for me.
This never quite firmed up for me and was very leaky and a hard to cut pie. I followed the recipe exactly except I did not add bourbon and threw in a tsp of almond extract. What do you think happened?
I’m sorry to hear that, I’m not sure what went wrong! Ovens can vary and I wonder if your pie needed to cook longer, and then it needs quite a bit of time to cool, overnight is best for sure. Did you give it enough time or try to cut it too soon?
I don’t typically like pecan pie, but I made this one and it’s soooo delicious! I even used your pie crust recipe. I’m not good at pie crust, so it didn’t look super great, but it still tasted amazing! Everyone loved this pie!! Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome!
Everyone loved this recipe! Used the maple syrup variation and if came out great. I’ve loved every one of your dessert recipes I’ve tried!
That is great to hear, thanks so much!
Hey Nora,
I followed the recipe including chilling everything, except I used half pecans, half walnuts, added a few dark chocolate chips on top of the nuts and left out the bourbon. The flavor is divine, but the texture didn’t come out as expected. It’s so hard (like a very chewy hardened praline) we can barely chew it. Any thoughts as to why this may have happened?
Thank you,
Anita Bradley
I’m sorry to hear the texture didn’t come out right. Did you use corn syrup or an alternative? It shouldn’t be that hard at all. My guess is it got over baked, oven temperatures can vary so maybe yours runs a little hot? The chocolate chips may have messed with the texture as well, since they tend to get very hard when chilled.
This was absolutely delicious—everyone loved it! Thank you for making it easy to be vegan during the holidays!
Nora, this was amazing. I made it for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Thank you
You’re welcome!
Made this today for my vegan husband. I didn’t want to open our new bottle of maple syrup, and I had some aquafaba left from cooking chickpeas. I mixed 1/2 cup aquafaba with 1/3 cup brown sugar, and used brown sugar for the rest of the sugar, too. It worked fine, and firmed up in less than an hour! Delicious recipe, by the way! Thanks for all the alternatives and pointers!
Any reason why mine boiled over into the bottom of my oven? The only thing different was I use brown sugar instead of white granulated sugar.
I’m not sure, all I can figure is that you have a small pie plate. I use a standard 9 inch pan.
Can you use light corn syrup in place of dark?
It does work, it will just be lighter in color.
Looks delicious, I cant wait to try it. What size pie dish do you recommend for this recipe?
A 9 inch pie dish, not a deep dish.
Have you tested this with coconut sugar in place of granulated sugar? Do you think it will work?
I haven’t tried it, but it would likely be just fine. Thanks!
This looks so great, def making this for thanksgiving!! If I use a store bought pie crust do I need to defrost it first for this?
I would defrost it, yes. But it would probably be okay if you didn’t.
Can I replace the vegan butter with coconut oil?
I haven’t tested it, but I bet it would work fine. Thanks!
Hi! Do you think date syrup would work in this recipe?
It might! I haven’t tested it, but I think there’s a good chance it works well.
Hi. I love your recipes. I think I have made 7 banana breads in that many weeks. I’m excited to make something else.
I have light corn syrup. Do I need dark for this recipe?
Thank you
I haven’t tried it with light, but it would probably work fine, it just won’t be as dark in color. Thanks so much, I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes. 🙂
outstanding!!!!!