These 4-ingredient vegan pecan cookies are inspired by buttery and rich Pecan Sandies, except these are made without flour, butter, oil or refined sugar! Only 30 minutes to make a batch of these crisp-yet-chewy, totally delicious, healthier 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 was totally the way to go!
Almond flour has a naturally buttery flavor, so I combined it with pecans and tweaked the recipe just a bit to let the pecans shine through.
I think you'll LOVE these 4-ingredient, 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 yet slightly chewy in the 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.
- 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 pre-chopped pecans.
- Maple Syrup - this is important for the overall texture 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.
Instructions
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...
- In a large pot 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 a few larger pieces remain.
- Add the almond flour and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine with the pecans.
- Pour the nut flours into a 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. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies, with a small piece of parchment paper in between to prevent sticking. 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.
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 bits throughout. And the edges are irresistibly crisp.
Related: If you enjoy baking with almond flour, don't miss this popular Healthy Vegan Pie Crust!
Love pecans? Check out these vegan pecan pie recipes:
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 Oil-Free Vegan Cookie Recipes
If you try these 4-ingredient healthy pecan sandies I would love to hear from you. Please rate the recipe and comment below to let us know!
4-Ingredient Healthier Vegan Pecan Sandies
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 silicone mat. Tip: during testing, my Silpat mat produced a slightly more crisp cookie 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 a few larger pieces remain. 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. Allow the cookies to 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. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
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!