Who doesn’t love a twist on a classic? Of course, one must be careful when tinkering with everyone’s favorite recipes, but when done right, you end with a modern classic, and that’s just what these vegan pecan pie bars are. A new seasonal treat that tastes as if they’ve been around forever.

The thing with regular pecan pies is that they rely too much on butter, especially for the flaky crust, and although there’s nothing wrong with that, if you’re staying clear from animal products, that means ‘no pie for you.’

So, the real secret behind these vegan pecan pie bars is in the crust. I use canned chickpeas — drained and blitzed with almond butter, maple syrup and coconut oil, then pressed into the baking pan! And no, it doesn’t taste like chickpeas at all; all the flavor is in the pie bar’s sticky pecan topping.

The result is a seasonal treat with a heartwarming personality and all the flavors of fall. All without gluten and completely vegan.

Really, you’ll love these vegan pecan pie bars. I promise, the treats’ seasonal spirit is still there; they’re just a bit better now. I hope you all agree!

Ingredients Used to Vegan Chickpea Mooncakes

_{**I’ve linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂}

• Chickpeas – Rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals such as folate, iron, phosphorous, chickpeas have a satisfying nutty flavor and great additions to a healthy diet. Research shows that chickpeas have been linked to preventing the development of diabetes and heart diseases. It also has a beneficial effect on your gut flora due to its soluble fiber raffinose! In my recipes, you can use either canned chickpeas or chickpeas you’ve cooked yourself.
• Almond Butter – like this one. You can also use other natural nut butters like pecan butter, walnut butter, cashew butter, mixed nut butter, or even seed butter like sunflower. So many choices!
• Oil of choice – this can be olive oil or melted coconut oil

• Coconut flour – Coconut flour does not substitute well, and I can’t recommend swapping coconut flour with other ingredients in this recipe.
• Maple Syrup – I used maple syrup for this recipe but you can use other liquid sweeteners of choice like honey, agave syrup, or liquid stevia

For the Pecan Pie Topping You’ll Need

• Whole or halved pecans – raw
• Brown Rice Syrup – I found that brown rice syrup and dark corn syrup yielded the best results for this vegan pecan pie topping. You can use maple syrup, but because it’s not as viscous as the brown rice syrup and corn syrup, I found that it needs to be baked longer for the maple syrup to completely evaporate – which might also cause the pecans to burn. You can also use honey, but honey is not be suitable for a vegan diet.
• Molasses– a fall favorite ingredient with the richest warmth and depth of flavor. You can usually find this ingredient in the baking section near the honeys and maple syrups.
• Pecan Butter – this stuff is creamy, dense and full of the toasted pecan flavor that reminds me of fall. I do love pecan butter for this one but use any nut butter you have in hand — almond butter, cashew butter, even peanut butter; they’ll all work nicely

More Chickpea Recipes

How to Make

Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:

• You can use any nut butter of choice to replace the pecan butter.
• For Chocolate hazelnut pecan pie bars – add 2 Tbsp of chocolate hazelnut spread into the chickpea batter before blending. Sprinkle chocolate chips onto the pecan bars before baking.
• You don’t have to use pecans for this recipe. Try using cashews, walnuts or maybe even seeds like pumpkin seeds to replace the pecans.

• Instead of chickpeas, you can also use white beans such as Cannellini beans, Navy Beans or White Lima Beans

How to Store Vegan Pecan Pie Bars

• You can store these vegan pecan pie bars covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can place them in a plastic freezer bag or airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 7 days, or freeze up to 4 months.

More Fall Recipes