These 4-ingredient vegan pecan sandies are inspired by buttery and rich Pecan Sandies cookies, except these are not only vegan, they're also gluten-free, grain-free, and made without butter, oil or refined sugar! Only 30 minutes to make a batch of these crisp-yet-chewy, totally delicious, healthy pecan sandies.
As a kid I loved Keebler's Pecan Sandies. My mom didn't buy processed stuff like that, but my step-dad often brought them home, along with a container of Cool Whip for dipping.
If you've tasted Pecan Sandies you know how deliciously rich they are - perfectly crisp, buttery, nutty, and just the right amount of crumbly.
I've been meaning to create a healthier vegan pecan cookie for a while, and after recently posting these Easy Almond Flour Cookies, I realized that combining almond flour with homemade pecan flour would be the perfect base!
Almond flour has a naturally buttery flavor, and creates such a nice texture in cookies. So I combined it with toasted and ground pecans and tweaked the recipe just a bit to let the pecans shine through.
I think you'll LOVE these super easy vegan pecan sandies! They're:
- FREE from oil, gluten, soy, coconut, and refined sugar
- made with only 4 ingredients (plus salt)
- ready in 25 minutes
- the perfect mixture of shortbread-like texture with a slightly chewy center
- and rich with pecan flavor!
Ingredients
- Almond Flour - currently I'm using this blanched almond flour by Nature's Eats. I haven't tested the recipe with almond meal and am not sure whether that would work.
- Raw Pecans - if you'd like to decorate the tops of the cookies with nuts, you'll want to buy pecan halves; otherwise chopped or "halves and pieces" is fine. You could even skip the food processor step by buying chopped pecans and pecan flour.
- Maple Syrup - this is important for the overall texture, flavor, and sweetness of the cookies, so I can't recommend any substitutions.
- Vanilla - pure vanilla extract balances the nutty flavor of the almond flour.
- Salt - since original Pecan Sandies are made with butter, a pinch of salt helps bring out the rich, buttery flavor of almond flour. It's also fine to omit the salt, if needed.
See recipe card below for quantities and full recipe.
How to Make Pecan Sandies With Nut Flour
While these cookies aren't as simple as the 3-ingredient almond flour cookies that inspired them, they're still pretty darn easy! Here's how to do it...
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- In a large pan on the stovetop toast the pecans over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Transfer the pecans to a food processor and pulse 10 to 15 times or until finely (mostly) chopped. It's okay if some turn into pecan flour while a few larger pieces remain.
- Add the almond flour and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine with the pecan meal.
- Pour the nut flour mixture into a large mixing bowl, and add the maple syrup and vanilla. Stir to form a moist dough.
- Scoop up approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place on the cookie sheet 2 to 3 inches apart. Cut a small square of parchment paper. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies, with the parchment in between to prevent sticking. If desired, lightly press a pecan half into the top of each cookie.
- Bake in a preheated 350°F (176°C) oven for 10 to 13 minutes or until the edges and bottoms are golden.
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet, then store in an airtight container.
Similar to the other almond flour cookies, these have wonderful texture! But they're even more rustic and nutty thanks to the pecan flour and textural bits throughout. And the edges are irresistibly crisp.
Related: If you enjoy baking with almond flour, don't miss this popular Healthy Pie Crust and the related Gluten-Free Vegan Tart Crust.
Equipment
A food processor makes prep easy, but if you don't have one you can also chop the nuts by hand. Just make sure the pieces are fairly small as big chunks may make the cookies too crumbly. Or purchase pecan pieces and save a step!
A spice grinder or blender can also stand in the for the food processor.
You'll also need a standard-size baking sheet and a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. A small cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoons) comes in handy.
Storage
Once the cookies are cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. They also freeze well.
After a day or two the cookies will be more chewy than crisp, but still delicious!
More Gluten-Free Vegan Cookies
If you try these 4-ingredient healthy vegan pecan sandies I would love to hear from you! Be sure to rate the recipe and comment below to let us know.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Vegan Pecan Sandies Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw pecan halves, plus more for decorating the tops of the cookies if desired - See Notes.
- 1 ¼ cups fine almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, optional
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176°C), and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Tip: during testing, my Silpat mat produced a slightly better texture (crispier) than parchment.
- Place a large pan over medium-low heat. Toast 1 cup pecan halves on the stovetop for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently so they don't burn.
- Let the pecans cool for a few minutes then transfer to a food processor. Pulse 10 to 15 times or until finely chopped. It's okay if some of the nuts turn into pecan flour, while some larger pieces stay chunky. Add the almond flour and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine.
- Pour the nut flours into a mixing bowl, and add the maple syrup and vanilla. Stir to form a moist dough.
- Cut a small, cookie-sized square of parchment paper, and locate a flat-bottomed glass or a ramekin. Scoop up approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place on the cookie sheet 2 to 3 inches apart. Use the glass to flatten the cookies, with the piece of parchment in between to prevent sticking. The cookies should be about ⅓-inch thick and 2 ½ inches in diameter. It's okay for the outer edges of the cookies to be somewhat jagged.
- If desired, lightly press a pecan half into the top of each cookie. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until the edges and bottoms are golden. If you suspect your oven runs hot, you may want to check on them sooner than 10 minutes. Straight from the oven the cookies will be soft but will firm up as they cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Liz Potter
This is one of the best cookie recipes I've ever baked! I'm from Texas and pecan sandies are something I grew up with- this is such a better version than the standard recipe (and vegan- of course!). Thank you!
Cat
Hi,
Do you think I could use ground sunflower seeds (finely ground) instead of almond flour?
Thank you.
Lori Rasmussen
Hi Cat - I definitely think it's worth a try! I've used sunflower seeds in pie crust before (replacing almond flour), and they held together very well. They do have a stronger flavor, though. Let us know if you give it a try! Here's that pie crust for reference: https://myquietkitchen.com/healthy-pie-crust-nut-free/
Cat
Thank you, Lori. I appreciate the quick reply. Have a great day.
Cat
Hi Lori,
This morning, I used 140g of ground sunflower seeds and 100g raw toasted pecan halves that I ground in the food processor. I added the salt and vanilla, but I used 56g of sugar-free maple syrup. I baked it at 350F for 15 mins, turning halfway through. The edges were crisper than the middle even though the cookie was flattened to maybe 1/4" (probably more than). I put them in for another 15 minutes, and they were a little bit too dark, lol! They taste yummy, though!
It made only 11 cookies. Next time I will watch over them and bake them only 25 minutes.
Thank you, Lori, for this simple, but delicious recipe 😋
Leigh Ann
Can you all pecan flour instead of the almond flour?
Lori Rasmussen
Hi Leigh Ann - Great question! I haven't tried that yet, so unfortunately I'm not sure if the pecan flour will hold together as well as almond flour. I'm actually planning to work on a pecan flour recipe and cookie very soon. I'll let you know how that goes!
Dulce
Hi Lori, did you manage to try this?
dory
Thank you Lori! These are my go-to when I need a cookie in my life! I make these for all of the gluten-free folks I know. They are always the perfect texture, with just the right amount of sweetness. This one’s a keeper!
Mary Morris
Is there another liquid I could sub for much of the maple syrup? I don't want that much sugar, if possible to get the same effect. THANK YOU!!
Lori Rasmussen
Hi Mary - Sorry but I'm not really sure. With so few ingredients, each one is pretty important. You could try a little applesauce, but it will make the cookies softer. Molasses is another option. Not sure if you're interested in using non-caloric sweeteners, but I know there are some alternative syrups out there, like the monk fruit one from Lakanto. You could also try creating your own by dissolving coconut sugar or similar in water. If you experiment with it let us know how it goes!
dory
You could try dates, but it would probably change the texture. These cookies are gently sweet, unlike so many that overwhelm one’s senses. Best wishes.
Cat
Hi Mary,
Just wanted to tell you that I used 56ml of sugarfree maple syrup (Wholesome Yum ) and used ground sunflower seeds instead of almond flour. The cookies turned out so so delicious! I think I may try coating them with some keto chocolate next time. Omg yummilicious!
Yorlene
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe! At the store the other day, I nostalgically stared at the Keebler Sandies. Later that day, I came across your recipe!
I made them tonight, and they are absolutely delicious. Definitely hit the spot!😊
David
These are absolutely wonderful! I used date syrup instead of maple syrup and they turned out beautifully; chewy, crunchy, nutty and not too sweet. I made a second batch this morning and my spouse took them to his running group this morning and the sandies were met with rave reviews! (I've already had a few requests for the recipe.). Thank you for publishing such a great website with such well written and descriptive recipes! As Julia Child would say, a triumph!
Virginia
Absolutely fabulous recipe! This recipe is a winner-so quick, so easy and so delicious. Moist, chewy and just the right texture. I added dried cranberries and a chuck of dark chocolate inside before pressing them down so that after baking you got a nice chocolate surprise inside with your bite. These will be a regular in our house!
Jan
Do you think these cookies could be used to make ice cream sandwiches?
Lori
Hi Jan, possibly! Usually softer cookies work best for ice cream sandwiches, so that when you bite into it ice cream doesn't squish out everywhere. 🙂 If you shave a minute or two off of the bake time that would make them a bit softer.
Lisa
These are easy to make and quite delicious!
I reduced the maple syrup to 1/4 cup as I don’t like over sweet.
Still worked just fine.
Jen
These cookies are incredibly delicious!! They might be my favorite cookie ever. Plus they're simple to make. Absolutely a keeper! Thank you for creating such amazing recipes.
Kavita
These cookies disappeared so quickly that I have to complete this review based on my family's response! I made these especially for my mom on Christmas, as pecan sandies are one of the few cookies she enjoys. She loved these so much that she kept them in her special drawer (out of sight of our resident cookie monster); long story short, I'll need to bake another batch. These come together quickly; I didn't use a food processor, and I didn't toast the pecans. Thus, prep and clean up were a breeze. Sometimes a cook has to improvise to make things happen, and I'm glad I went for it. Thanks, Lori!
Donna
I was wondering could I use all purpose flour?
Lori
Hi Donna,
Unfortunately a straight swap won't work since all-purpose and almond flour absorb moisture very differently and have different fat/carb compositions. Without adding fat the cookies would be soft like dough.