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. Unlike some pies that require refrigeration to hold their shape, this Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie is best served at room temperature and can even be made in advance and/or frozen. Pair it with this easy almond flour crust to make it gluten-free. Also soy-free and easily made coconut-free.
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 (Oh, and let's not forget "caramel-like"), then you are DEFINITELY in the right place.
There are so many things to LOVE about this pie!
- It's suitable for your friends and family who avoid dairy, eggs, soy, and/or gluten. Happy holidays! Also, the 2 tablespoons of coconut 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. For real.
- It holds up beautifully at room temperature, which means you can tote it out of state to grandma's house or just down the road to a dinner party.
- Pecan pie filling is usually made with eggs and corn syrup, but we're calling on our good friends oatmeal, maple syrup, and organic cane sugar to bring the ooey, gooey texture to our vegan pie.
- Aside from the abundance of nuts and chocolate in this recipe, the filling itself only calls for a minuscule amount of added fat. No sticks of butter here! (I'm not claiming this is a "healthy" pie, but it's certainly healthier than some.)
- All of the ingredients are easy to find in most grocery stores. The only exceptions might be the almond flour, tapioca, and rice flour called for in this Healthy Vegan Pie Crust. However, gluten-free baking has become so popular that most well-stocked grocery stores carry these ingredients now. If you can't find them you can always substitute a store-bought pie crust.
- 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 all of it.
- And last but not least, this chocolate pecan pie freezes beautifully! So feel free to make it one or two weeks in advance if needed. Then move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before, and from the fridge to room temperature about an hour or two before serving. It's a pretty forgiving pie!
How to Make Vegan Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie
First, decide whether you'll be using my favorite pie crust, a different pie crust recipe, or a store-bought variety. Next...
- Toast the pecans to enhance their flavor. (Don't skip this step, okay? They need to be at their best to stand up against the chocolate.) While the oven is on, give your pie crust a 5 minute pre-bake, then set it aside.
- Make the oatmeal by combining ½ cup rolled oats and 1 cup of almond milk in a small saucepan.
- Roughly chop the dark chocolate. Having a mix of large and small pieces is encouraged. Smaller pieces will melt and swirl with the filling, while larger chunks will stay, well, chunky!
4. Now, you're ready to blend the filling. Put the 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!
5. Put the entire 2 cups of toasted pecans into the pie shell. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate, and sprinkle the rest of it on top of the pecans.
6. Pour the creamy, caramel filling onto the pecans and chocolate, and bake.
Easy as pie, right?
Tips for baking the perfect 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.
Since not all ovens are the same, 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'll probably 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 won't need to worry about the crust getting too brown. It bakes up perfectly in this amount of time.
After 30 minutes the filling should appear 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.
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!
By the way, this southern girl's heart just skipped a beat at the mention of pecan pralines. Anyone else?
Obviously you can't go wrong serving this pie slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of coconut whip. But in all honesty, it doesn't need a thing. This Vegan Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie has SO much game all on its own.
So grab your sharpest knife for cutting through those chunky pecans, place a slice on a plate, and hand it to someone you love. Now, cut yourself a slice, and enjoy!
More vegan dessert recipes:
Healthy Maple Pecan Pie (Oil-free; GF)
Cranberry Cream Pie (GF)
Healthy Pumpkin Pie (Oil-free; GF)
Meyer Lemon Vegan Cheesecake (GF)
Chocolate Haupia Pie (GF)
Bourbon Pecan Pie
Chocolate Layer Cake with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting
If you try this recipe for Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie I would love to hear from you! Be sure to leave a comment and a star rating below to let everyone know how your pie turned out. As always, feel free to ask questions in the comments below, too.
Vegan Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked Vegan Pie Crust (GF)
- 2 cups raw pecan halves (8 oz.)
- 2.8 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped (I like AlterEco 70%) Check labels for allergens, if needed.
- ½ cup rolled oats Ensure certified gluten-free, if needed
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp arrowroot starch OR 4 Tbsp corn starch
- 2 Tbsp coconut butter or coconut oil Sub smooth almond butter or vegan butter, if desired.
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
Instructions
Toast the pecans:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (162 C). Place a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and spread pecans in a single layer. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring at the halfway point. Immediately remove from baking sheet, and set aside.
Make the oatmeal:
- Combine the oats and almond milk in a small sauce pan over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to meadium-low. Stir occasionally and cook until oats are soft and the liquid has been absorbed, about 8 minutes.
Pre-bake the crust:
- Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (176 C). Pre-bake the pie crust for just 5 minutes, then set aside.
Make the filling and assemble the pie:
- Combine the oatmeal, sugar, maple syrup, arrowroot or corn starch, coconut butter/oil, vanilla, and fine sea salt in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Put the toasted pecans in the pie shell. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chopped chocolate, and sprinkle the rest of the chocolate on top of the pecans. Pour the blended filling on top.
- Transfer pie to oven, and set a timer 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. Ensure 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.
- After about 40 minutes total bake time, sprinkle reserved chocolate on top of the pie, and bake 5 to 10 minutes more 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 extended storage tips.
