Name: Vegan Pecan Pie Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 175 min
Ingredients: 1¼ cups rolled oats (see Notes); 1¼ cups blanched almond flour (packed); ¼ cup sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; 4 tablespoons water; ⅔ cup rolled oats (see Notes); 1¼ cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (such as oat, almond, or soy); ½ cup sugar; ¼ cup pure maple syrup; 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot); 2 tablespoons smooth almond butter; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; 1¼ cups chopped raw pecans

These vegan pecan pie bars are seriously hard to resist. The filling is sweet, gooey, and topped with a layer of crunchy pecans. The 4-ingredient oat crust is tender yet sturdy enough to hold all of that deliciousness!

To keep prep simple, the crust and filling use several of the same ingredients. No vegan butter, oil, or coconut needed, and only 11 ingredients and 20 minutes of hands-on prep time.

Pecan pie bars resting on a parchment-lined pan with a fork holding a bite.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these pecan pie bars are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and made without added oils. They are rich, decadent, and absolutely irresistible! No matter who you share these with this holiday season, they're sure to be a hit.

I've made vegan pecan pie in about every which way possible over the years, from healthy to decadent, classic to flavored. So I expected these bars to be good, but I was not prepared! 🙌

With just 11 ingredients (plus salt and water), this is very much a "more than the sum of its parts" kind of recipe.

I took the oatmeal trick from my healthy pecan pie recipe and switched up the sweeteners to make these bars extra gooey, decadent, and amazing.

And for the crust, I combined two of my favorites - this vegan gluten-free pie crust made with almond flour and my oatmeal pie crust - for a surprisingly simple, oil-free crust option.

The oats make the crust just tender and chewy enough, while the natural fat in the almond flour gives it structure and serves as a binder.

How to Make Vegan Pecan Bars

This is a quick visual overview so you can see the process. Find the full recipe just below.

First, preheat the oven to 350°F (175C), and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

Processing oats, almond, flour, and sugar for the press-in crust.

To make the crust, combine the oats, almond flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Add the water and pulse again. The mixture should be just moist enough to stick together.

The vegan gluten-free oat crust pressed into an 8-inch square pan lined with parchment.

Spoon the crust mixture into the pan, and press it in as evenly as possible. Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350°F.

Tip: After pressing the crust in with my hands, I like to use a measuring cup or something else with a flat bottom to even out the surface.

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Cooking oats in non-dairy milk for the filling until thick and soft.

For the filling, cook the oats in non-dairy milk until soft and thick, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Blending the filling until smooth and creamy.

In a blender, combine the oatmeal with the remaining filling ingredients (don't include the pecans). Blend until completely smooth.

Ready for the oven, with chopped pecans spread across the filling.

Pour the filling over the par-baked crust, and top with an even layer of chopped pecans. Bake for 36-40 minutes or until the center is set.

Hint: The edges may puff up slightly in the oven but the middle won't. This is normal and doesn't mean the center isn't done. Lightly press on a few pecans in the middle. The bars should feel set, even if a bit jiggly.

Sliced pacan pie bars with one close up to show the gooey filling and crunchy pecans.

Chilling and Serving

The only difficult thing about these vegan pecan bars is waiting for them to cool so you can slice them! After pulling the pan from the oven, let it rest at room temp for 20-30 minutes, then place it in the fridge.

Refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hours, preferably three. Then lift out by the parchment paper, and place on a cutting board. Ugh, finally!

Use a large sharp knife to cut into 9 squares. Since the bars are very sweet, you can even cut them into smaller squares if you like.