These vegan maple pecan bars are the ultimate sweet treat for autumn and are ready in just an hour! Perfect for an anytime treat, Thanksgiving dessert, or holiday potluck.
Guys, these maple pecan bars are out of this world good and are the perfect way to kick off your fall baking.
Think of these as a shortbread-y crust topped with a big batch of quick caramel and a healthy dose of pecans folded in. The brown sugar in these bars gives off a caramel taste to both the crust and topping, while coconut cream is mixed into the topping to make everything creamy and dreamy. True fall baking heaven!
How to make pecan bars
These are SUPER easy and come together in a snap! Honestly, the hardest part is waiting for them to cool so you can dig in.
First step is to make the crust! You’re going to stir together the flours, sugar, salt and olive oil. Olive oil is used in this pecan bar recipe because it has a very light and neutral taste, without overpowering the brown sugar and pecans.
Next, you’re going to bake the crust and make the filling. While the crust bakes, melt together olive oil, maple syrup, and brown sugar to make a super quick caramel. The caramel is going to bubble and simmer for a bit to thicken up the mixture before adding the pecans.
To bring the rest of the maple pecan bar filling together after the caramel has simmered, stir in the coconut cream and pecans, to make the mixture thick and creamy. After the filling is done and the crust has partially baked, top the crust with the filling and bake for 20-25 more minutes.
The last step is the hardest and that’s letting them cool! Think of these kind of like a pecan pie, where the bars are best cooled after baking. So good!
PRO TIP: After the pecan bars have finished baking, don’t be tempted to dig into them before cooling! The filling is boiling hot at this point and will burn the crap out of your hand/tongue/all of the above. Not that I’m speaking from experience!
One last note, the first time I made the base for these, I tried out using teff flour instead of all purpose flour because I still had some leftover from making these brownies. It ended up not working out so well and kind of resembled sand, so I’m going to continue to leave the gluten-free baking to my more talented GF friends from now on.
Also, I know it’s tempting to skip the whole lining the pan with parchment paper step, but especially because of the caramel topping, I would highly recommend saving your sanity by going ahead and doing it. I missed one small spot on my batch and I soaked the pan for a couple days before it actually scrubbed off. All that to say, the maple pecan bars are worth it, without a doubt!
How to store pecan bars
I would recommend storing maple pecan bars in a covered, sealed container at room temperature for up to a week. They will hold just fine at room temperature and don’t need to be refrigerated.
Can pecan bars be frozen?
Yes! The beauty of this vegan pecan bar recipe is that it can be made ahead of time and frozen. If you decide to go the frozen route, bake the bars as instructed, let them cool completely, and then cut into squares and freeze in a container or sealed bag.
When you’re ready to thaw the pecan bars, remove from the freezer and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
How to tell when pecan bars are done
Pecan bars are a little more difficult to tell when they’re done! The filling is going to be thickened and won’t move too much when you jiggle the pan. I wouldn’t recommend touching the filling to see if it’s done (because it’s going to be HOT caramel) but shake the pan to see if the filling is still very runny or fairly set.
More vegan dessert recipes:
3-Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Caramel Vegan Apple Crisp with Streusel Topping
Chilled Chocolate Espresso Torte with Toasted Hazelnut Crust
Chocolate Chip Vegan Cheesecake with Chocolate Cookie Crust
PrintVegan Maple Pecan Bars
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
These vegan maple pecan bars are the ultimate sweet treat for autumn and are ready in just an hour! Perfect for an anytime treat, Thanksgiving dessert, or holiday potluck.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
For the filling:
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2/3 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1/3 cup coconut cream or coconut milk
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and then grease the paper lining. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, brown sugar, salt, and olive oil. Stir until everything starts to come together into a dough. Transfer the dough to the lined and greased pan. Press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until crust is firm when touched.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the olive oil, maple syrup and brown sugar. Stir the mixture together until combined and sugar is dissolved. Keep over heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat after boiling and stir in the coconut cream and pecans. Stir together until cream has dissolved and pecans are mixed in. Pour the filling over the crust and spread it evenly and all the way to the edges.
- Bake until filling is bubbling and set, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting (will take about an hour).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 288
- Sugar: 24
- Sodium: 7
- Fat: 30
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Protein: 3
Keywords: maple pecan bars, pecan bars, pecan dessert, vegan pecan dessert, thanksgiving, holiday
Maikki | Maikin mokomin says
This recipe looks so wonderful! Perfect treat for Fall 🙂
Heart of a Baker says
Thank Maikki! It’s so perfect for fall!
Julia says
You must’ve read my mind through the ether, because I’ve been cuh-RAVE-ing all things maple-pecan! These bars look absolutely fabulous – definitely the perfect dessert for fall. I can see how they disappeared so quickly! I’ve never been to a potluck put on by bloggers, but I bet it would be soooo amazing! There are only a couple of us here in Reno, so it’d be pretty intimate, which could be awesome + bigger food portions for us!
Heart of a Baker says
Ohh I so wish we could have a potluck, it would be EPIC! Fall desserts and maple things all over the place!
Traci York says
Oh my, Abby! Did you know pecans are my favorite nut? I’m loving these bars and I can totally see why they’d disappear in no time! What fun… a potluck for bloggers? I’d LOVE that! Delicious work my dear!
Heart of a Baker says
Potlucks with bloggers are the BEST! I would gladly have you at the next one 🙂 Pecans are definitely in my top 3, they are so good!
Kell says
Can I use almond milk instead of coconut milk ?
Heart of a Baker says
Yes, that should sub in just fine!
Sara says
I have lite coconut milk in my pantry. Will that work or should I use the full fat coconut milk?
Heart of a Baker says
Lite should work just fine! 🙂
Barbara Dunkle says
can I use almonds in place of the pecans?
Heart of a Baker says
Hi Barbara, I haven’t replaced them with almonds, but they should turn out just fine!
Gretchen H says
These were awesome!! Best pecan bars I have ever made. I gave them out as holiday gifts and everyone raved at how delicious they were.
Heart of a Baker says
Yay! This makes me so happy to hear!
Gail R says
Hello, hoping to try your recipe. Do you think subbing coconut oil for olive oil would be ok?
thanks
Heart of a Baker says
Yes, that should work just fine!
Kristen says
Hi Abby, I made these for my family last week and they were a big hit! They had the perfect balance of sweet and salty (not too sweet). Thanks so much for the recipe!
Heart of a Baker says
I’m so glad you liked them!
Amaka says
A few suggestions for folks trying this out. Olive oil isn’t great for the filling—strong flavor does not compliment the bars. Use coconut oil or something lighter. I’d also toast the pecans (like you would for a pecan pie) prior to combining. I also added vanilla, and a bit of cinnamon. I used nut milk (almond and cashew) but next time I’ll try the coconut cream!
Melanie says
What do you think about dipping half in chocolate?
Heart of a Baker says
That would be AMAZING!
Sara says
Yestrday I have decided to bake vegan for the first time 🙂 so I made these amazing bars, and they came out super delicious. But, as a beginner I think I’ve used too much oil for the crust. I heard using apple sauce could be good, do you think next time I can use it instead of some of the oil?
Heart of a Baker says
Hi Sara,
That usually works! Sometimes the crust can come out of the oven too oily and then is fine after, I hope this was the case!
Jennifer says
These are absolutely delicious! Hard not to eat the whole tray in one sitting!
The only change I made was using vegan Becel (margarine) for the filling instead of the olive oil.
Awesome recipe!
SHARON LEWIS says
These are incredibly delicious.
I made some substitutes…
I used coconut oil. Coconut sugar. Coconut cream.
I can’t rave about these enough. They took a while to set so after slicing I popped into fridge… Set up perfectly.
Thank you. And Happy Christmas.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi there! Do you think I could use all all-purpose flour? I don’t have whole wheat on hand.
Michelle says
Is coconut cream the same as cream of coconut sold in can? Can I use all all purpose flour instead of the two different flours (whole wheat & All purpose)?
Lilly says
Love these! So excited to take them to my family’s for Christmas, they’ll be a hit.
I substituted a couple things. I made the crust with all all-purpose flour instead of any whole wheat, and that worked perfectly fine. I also used about half of the olive oil it called for, then subbed the rest with vegan margarine (I basically did the same thing to the filling – 4tbsp margarine + 2 tbsp olive oil). I was afraid of it tasting to olive-oily. This mixture works great!
The only thing I felt it was missing was a little saltiness in the filling. I simply sprinkled a very small amount of sea salt on top to fix, but next time I make this I’ll probably add a tiny amount (like 1/8 teaspoon) to the filling before I pour it over the crust.
Thank you for this great recipe! I loved how simple it was.
★★★★★
Heart of a Baker says
Love the idea of adding flaky sea salt!