One of my favorite holiday pies, made super simple and delicious – a must have plant-based dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
This is the best Vegan Pecan Pie! And I’m here to tell you that it is the perfect way to top off your holiday plant-based feast! As a matter of fact, I highly recommend serving it with a nice slice of Pumpkin Pie.
Do you have a favorite holiday pie? Which do you prefer? Pumpkin or Pecan? I’ve always enjoyed both, but I especially love this Vegan Pecan Pie!!
Why do I love this pie? For one thing, it tastes incredible! It isn’t too sweet and it doesn’t contain any eggs, butter, oil, or corn syrup. Plus, it contains mostly healthy ingredients like dates, flaxseed, oats, and pecans! So while it does contain a bit of natural sugar, I won’t go into a sugar coma after consuming this delectable treat. And bonus, it looks scrumptious!!
I’m sure you’ll agree. Dates are Mother Nature’s candy – pure and simple. And I adore them. These sweet little morsels contain so many healthful nutrients. I like using dates in recipes like this Vegan Pecan Pie because they contain fiber, minerals, and a healthier sugar. Though it is still sugar, it is absorbed better by our bodies. Any kind of date works great in this recipe. You’ll just need half of a cup of pitted dates – I use twelve halawi dates or seven medjool dates.
Just one serving of dates contains 7 grams of fiber, which improves digestive health and promotes regular bowel movements. It also contains 2 grams of protein, and several vitamins and minerals, including potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron, and Vitamin B6. Dates also contain three powerful antioxidants, namely flavonoids that reduce inflammation, carotenoids that promote heart and eye health, and phenolic acid which reduces the risk cancer and heart disease. (Healthline)
In addition to dates, ground flaxseed and rolled oats are combined with the dates to create a scrumptious filling. And in case you didn’t know, flaxseeds are tiny nutritional powerhouses! Just one tablespoon contains 1.3 grams of protein, 1.9 grams of gut-friendly fiber, and 3 grams of healthy fats, including 1,597 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids. They’re also rich in Vitamins B1 and B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. (Healthline)
And oats are pretty healthy, too! In fact, oats are considered one of the healthiest grains we can consume. Just one half cup of oats contains 13 grams of protein, 8 grams of gut-friendly fiber, and 5 grams of fat. They’re packed full of manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, folate, and Vitamins B1 and B5. (Healthline)
To prepare these healthful ingredients, I add piping hot water and allow them to soak for ten minutes. Wait, what exactly is piping hot water? It’s what I call almost boiling water. I heat water in my electric tea kettle until it boils and shuts off. I then pour one cup of this water into my bowl of dates, flaxseed, and oats. The soaking softens the dates and oats so that they blend nice and smooth, while thickening the ground flaxseed.
Next up are the pecans. This Vegan Pecan Pie uses pecans in three deliberate ways. First, half of a cup of pecans is blended with the soaked dates, flaxseed, and oats. This thickens and flavors the filling. Then, one cup of pecans is tossed into the blended filling mixture. And finally, half of a cup (or more if you so choose) is tossed into the filling remnants to lightly coat the pecans, which are then placed atop the filling mixture.
And this is an important note that I gleaned through trial and error. In a traditional pecan pie, pecans tend to float to the top. But this plant-based filling behaves differently and the pecans don’t rise to the top at all. For this reason, it’s important to place your pecans precisely where you want them. I’ll reiterate this point – the pecans will not float or sink. Instead, they remain wherever you place them before the pie is baked in the oven.
This photo shows you what I mean. While this pie tastes incredible and looks pretty good, you can’t see any gorgeous pecans on the surface like you do with a traditional pecan pie. This is why I recommend tossing a handful of pecans into some pie filling remnants to lightly coat them and then strategically placing them where you want them on top of the pie before baking.
I love that pecans are healthy, too. One ounce contains 2.5 grams of protein, 2.7 grams of gut-friendly fiber, and 20.5 grams of healthy fats. They also contain several minerals and vitamins, including copper, thiamin, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. (Healthline)
The traditional pecan pie flavors are achieved by combining maple syrup, molasses, and a combination of vanilla and rum extracts. Maple syrup adds some additional sticky sweetness, while the molasses and flavorings are used to achieve the quintessential pecan pie flavor. I like using equal amounts of vanilla extract and rum flavoring, though you can use bourbon or rum, if you prefer.
Just like any good pie, you can use your favorite pie crust, including a gluten-free pie crust or pre-cooked pie crust. While you can use a variety of crusts, I recommend using a traditional pie crust. And while you can par-bake the pie crust, I have found this to be wholly unnecessary. After several tests, I recommend using an unbaked pie crust in this Vegan Pecan Pie.
I also think this Vegan Pecan Pie is best stored and served at room temperature. As with most desserts, condensation sometimes forms on the surface of the pie when stored in the refrigerator. And no one wants to eat wet pecan pie… that’s just unsettling.
I enjoy serving this Vegan Pecan Pie with coconut whipped cream or almond whipped cream. Our local grocer carries both Reddi Whip non-dairy whipped creams. It just adds so much to this delicious pecan pie. You can also whip the solid part of canned coconut milk if you prefer.
I hope you enjoy this Vegan Pecan Pie as much as I do.
I’m just starting out and would love to see your results. Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup piping hot water
- 7 medjool dates, pitted and halved (1/2 cup packed)*
- 2 Tbsp rolled oats
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup pecan halves
- 1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rum extract (or bourbon or vanilla)
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt (optional)
- 1½ cups pecans, divided
- 1 9-inch unbaked vegan pie crust**
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a heat-safe bowl, pour the piping hot water over the dates, oats, and ground flaxseed; allow to soak for at least 10 minutes.
- In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine the date-oat-flax mixture, maple syrup, ½ cup pecan halves, molasses, vanilla, and rum extract.
- Blend on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Taste the filling, adjust the vanilla, maple syrup, and add salt, if desired. Stir in 1 cup pecans to coat.
- Pour the pecan filling into the pie crust, leaving 1-2 tablespoons in the blender.
- Pour the remaining half cup of pecans into the blender and stir to coat the pecans with reserved filling. Remove the coated pecans and arrange on top of the pie filling, using a few more pecans to garnish, if desired.
- Place the pie on the center rack in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. You’ll know the pie is ready when the center of the pie is soft and puffy but the edges look somewhat dry and have tiny air cracks in it.
- Cool the pie at room temperature for at least three hours, or overnight. It will darken as it cools.
Serve plain or with non-dairy whipped topping.
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or for 1 week in the refrigerator.***
If refrigerated, take the pecan pie out at least 30 minutes before serving – the texture is best served at room temperature.
Notes
* I use 7 pitted medjool dates or 12 halawi dates. You can use any kind of dates you have on hand, you’ll just want about half of a cup packed dates. Be sure to remove the pits!!
** Use your favorite unbaked pie shell or pie crust, including gluten-free pie crust.
*** You can make this pie in advance and freeze this pie. Thaw fully for in the refrigerator.
Vegan Pecan Pie
Equipment
- oven
- high speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup piping hot water
- ½ cup dates pitted and halved
- 2 Tbsp rolled oats
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup pecan halves
- 1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rum extract or vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt optional
- 1½ cups pecans divided
- 1 9- inch unbaked vegan pie crust*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a heat-safe bowl, pour the piping hot water over the dates, oats, and ground flaxseed; allow to soak for 10 minutes.
- In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine the date-oat-flax mixture, maple syrup, ½ cup pecan halves, molasses, vanilla, and rum extract. Blend on high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Taste the filling, adjust the vanilla, maple syrup, and add salt, if desired. Stir in 1 cup pecans.
- Pour the pecan filling into the pie crust, leaving 1-2 tablespoons in the blender.
- Pour the remaining half cup of pecans into the blender and stir to coat the pecans with remaining filling. Remove the coated pecans and place on top of the pie filling.
- Place the pie on the center rack in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. You'll know the pie is ready when the center of the pie is soft and puffy but the edges look somewhat dry and have tiny air cracks in it.
- Cool the pie at room temperature for at least two hours.
- Store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days or up to 1 week in the refrigerator.** If refrigerated, take the pecan pie out at least 30 minutes before serving – the texture is best served at room temperature.
- Serve plain or with non-dairy whipped topping.
Notes
- I used 12 halawi dates or 7 medjool dates