Name: Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 180 min
Ingredients: 1 unbaked Vegan Pie Crust (GF) (tap for recipe); 2 cups raw pecan halves (8 oz.); 2.8 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I like AlterEco 70%) (check labels for allergens as needed); ½ cup rolled oats (see Notes) (certified GF, if needed); 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice; scant ⅔ cup organic sugar; ½ cup maple syrup; 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch; 2 tablespoons coconut butter or coconut oil (or smooth almond butter or vegan butter, if desired); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes, optional

This Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie has everything you want in a holiday dessert! It's rich, decadent, impressive, and yet so easy. With a sweet, caramel-like filling, chunky pecans, gooey chocolate, and a sprinkle of Maldon salt, everyone will love it!

And unlike pies that require refrigeration, vegan pecan pie is best served at room temperature and perfect for making in advance. Pair it with our popular almond flour pie crust for an amazing vegan and gluten-free chocolate pecan pie.

slices have been removed from the pie in the dish showing the interior texture with pecans and melted chocolate.

Why You'll Love It

Vegan. Salted. Chocolate. Pecan. Is there a more magical combination of words in the English language?

If you're also a fan of these words, you are DEFINITELY in the right place.

There are so many things to LOVE about this chocolate pecan pie!

Other than nuts, it's allergy-friendly. Also, the 2 tablespoon of coconut butter are easily replaced for a coconut-free dessert.
Serving picky eaters? Don't tell anyone this pie is vegan and gluten-free and they'll never know.
It holds up beautifully at room temperature, which means you can carry it out of state to grandma's house or just down the road to a dinner party.
Eggs and corn syrup are replaced by oatmeal and maple syrup for the ooey, gooey texture in this vegan pie.
And there's no butter either! I'm not claiming this is a "healthy" pie, but it's certainly healthier than the classic version.
Difficulty level: EASY
Texture! If you love an intermingling of crunchy, chunky, and creamy in desserts, prepare to fall in love because this pie has it all.
And this chocolate pecan pie freezes beautifully. So feel free to make it a week or two in advance if needed.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love It
Ingredients
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie
Tips for the Best Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie
How to Store
Serving Tips
Video
More Vegan Holiday Desserts:
Recipe
💬 Comments

a slice of salted chocolate pecan pie on a plate with the whole pie in background.

Ingredients

pie crust - save time with a store-bought pie crust that fits your dietary needs or use the vegan, gluten-free pie crust recipe linked below.
oats - look for regular, old fashioned rolled oats. I haven't tested the recipe with any other type of oats.
raw pecans
dark chocolate - I like to use a dark chocolate in the range of 70% cacao to offset the sweetness of the filling.
milk - any non-dairy milk you enjoy should be fine for cooking the oatmeal. I used almond.
maple syrup - adds lovely flavor and contributes to the classic pecan pie texture.
sugar - in the U.S. buying organic sugar is the easiest way to make sure it's vegan and hasn't been processed with bone char. I used organic cane sugar. Other varieties like brown sugar, coconut sugar, or date sugar, may be fine, but I haven't tested it.
starch - the filling is liquid straight from the blender, so we use some arrowroot or corn starch to help it set.

See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.

How to Make Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie

First, decide whether you'll be using my favorite V/GF pie crust, a different pie crust recipe, or a store-bought variety. Next...

toasting pecans, cooking oats, and chopping chocolate.

Toast the pecans. Don't skip this step, okay? This enhances the pecan flavor so they can stand up next to the chocolate. While the oven is on, give your pie crust a 5 minute pre-bake, then set it aside.
Cook the oatmeal by combining ½ cup rolled oats and 1 cup of almond milk in a small saucepan.
Chop the dark chocolate. Having a mix of large and small pieces is encouraged. Smaller pieces melt and swirl with the filling, while larger pieces stay chunky!

a collage of 3 photos showing how to make the pie filling.

Blend the filling. Combine oatmeal, sweeteners, vanilla, fat of choice (options are listed in the recipe card below), and starch, in a blender. A high speed blender is great here but not necessary. Any old blender will do!
Place the toasted pecans in the pie shell. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate, and add the rest of it on top of the pecans.
Pour the filling over the pecans and chocolate, and bake.

photo showing how the vegan pecan pie looks before baking.

Tips for the Best Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie

Total bake time will be around 45 minutes, give or take a few. I like to set a timer for 30 minutes and then take a peek to make sure everything looks okay.

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Ovens may vary, so I recommend keeping an eye on the pie during the last 10 to 15 minutes just in case the filling is getting too bubbly or the crust too brown.

If you use a traditional flour-based pie crust you'll need to cover the edges of the pie with foil or a pie shield. If you use my almond flour pie crust recipe you shouldn't need to worry about the crust getting too brown.

After 30 minutes the filling will be slightly bubbly and puffy. At this point I usually set the timer for another 10 minutes. When the timer goes off (40 minute mark), remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle on the reserved chocolate. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until you see signs that the center is hot.

If you lightly tap a few of the pecans they should indicate that the filling underneath is somewhat firm. Now you're ready to sprinkle this beauty with flaked sea salt and let it cool.

vegan chocolate pecan pie in a glass pie plate.

As the pecans rise during baking, they end up with a crispy, sugary, maple, crackly candy coating on top! Can you see that in the photo above?

The end result is like having pecan pralines built into a pie but without the hassle of thermometers and finicky candy making tricks!

a slice of pie topped with vegan So Delicious Coco Whip.

How to Store

Once completely cool, cover the pie and refrigerate for up to 4 days. The gluten-free pie crust holds up better overnight than traditional flour pastry, if you'd like to bake the pie in advance. But the texture of the crust is still best on days 1 and 2.

To freeze chocolate pecan pie, wrap it completely so it's protected from air. The day before serving, transfer the pie from the freezer to the refrigerator. Then transfer the pie to room temperature 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Serving Tips

A sturdy, sharp knife comes in handy for cutting through the chunky pecans.

Obviously you can't go wrong serving this pie slightly warm with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or a dollop of coconut whipped cream on top.

Keep in mind that if the pie is slightly cool, the chocolate will be chunky and more solid. So either room temperature or slightly warmed are best for serving.

Video

More Vegan Holiday Desserts:

Fudgy Vegan Chocolate Pie (GF)
Healthier Pecan Pie (oil-free; GF)
Cranberry Cream Pie (GF)
Healthier Pumpkin Pie (oil-free; GF)
Meyer Lemon Vegan Cheesecake (GF)
Vegan Strawberry Cake (GF)
Bourbon Pecan Pie
Silky Sweet Potato Pie (oil-free; GF)

If you try this Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie I would love to hear from you! Be sure to leave a comment and a star rating below to let us know. Enjoy!

Recipe

overhead view of chocolate pecan pie with one slice removed.

Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

With a sweet, caramel-like filling, toasted pecans, and chunks of dark chocolate, this Vegan Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie is everything you want in a holiday dessert! It also travels well and is easy to make in advance. FREE from eggs, dairy, gluten, corn syrup, and soy; easily made coconut free.

Yield: makes one 9-inch deep dish pie.

5 from 30 votes

Servings: servings

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Cooling time: 2

Total Time: 3

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Equipment

Ingredients

1 unbaked Vegan Pie Crust (GF) - tap for recipe
2 cups raw pecan halves (8 oz.)
2.8 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I like AlterEco 70%) - check labels for allergens as needed
½ cup rolled oats (see Notes) - certified GF, if needed
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
scant ⅔ cup organic sugar
½ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
2 tablespoons coconut butter or coconut oil - or smooth almond butter or vegan butter, if desired
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (162 C). Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, stirring at the halfway point. Immediately transfer to a plate to cool. Pre-bake the pie crust for 5 minutes, then set aside.
Combine the oats and almond milk in a small sauce pan over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low. Stirring occasionally, simmer until the oats are soft, about 8 minutes.
Increase oven temp to 350 degrees F (176 C). Combine the oatmeal, sugar, maple syrup, starch, coconut butter/oil, vanilla, and salt in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Place the pecans in the pie shell. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped chocolate, and sprinkle the rest of the chocolate over the pecans. Pour the blended filling on top. Gently stir so you can see some nuts and chocolate near top.
Bake for 30 minutes. *See Notes for tips. After 30 minutes the edges of the filling should be bubbly, but the center will look like it needs more time. Make sure the edges of the crust aren't getting too brown (cover with foil or a pie shield if needed), and bake for another 10 minutes.
At the 40-minute mark, sprinkle the reserved chocolate on top of the pie, and bake for another 5 minutes or until the center of the pie is bubbly, hot, and appears mostly set.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. **Allow pie to cool at room temperature for 2 hours before slicing.** Alternatively, let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes then refrigerate for 1 hour. See Notes for storage tips.
The pie may be served cool, room temperature, or slightly warm. Keep in mind that the chunks of chocolate will be hard when the pie is cold.

Notes

Pie Crust - If you plan to make the pie in advance, I highly recommend using my Healthy Vegan Pie Crust. I'm not just saying this because it's my recipe 🙂 (head over to that post to see the reviews from others). The base of almond and rice flour means that it stays crisp much longer than a traditional flour-based pie crust.

Type of Oats - Different brands of rolled oats can vary in thickness. If you use thicker cut oats, it will create a thicker filling (I just discovered this while testing a new walnut pie recipe). So, if your rolled oats are on the thick side, you'll want to reduce the amount of dry oats to ⅓ cup. Or if you've already blended the filling and notice it to be thicker than in the photos above, it's fine to add a splash of milk and maple syrup to the blender to offset the extra starchiness of the thick oats.

Baking and Slicing Tips -

Ovens vary, so I recommend keeping an eye on the pie during the last 10 to 15 minutes just in case the filling is getting too bubbly or the crust too brown. If you use a traditional flour-based crust you will need to cover the edges of the pie with foil or a pie shield to prevent over-browning. If you use my Almond Flour Pie Crust recipe you shouldn't need to worry about the crust.

Because of the chunky nuts and chocolate, a sharp chef's knife is the easiest way to neatly slice the pie.

Storage - Once completely cool, cover and refrigerate the pie for up to 5 days.

To freeze, wrap well to protect from air. The day before serving, transfer the pie from the freezer to the refrigerator. Then transfer the pie to room temperature 1 to 2 hours before serving.