Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie
This Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie is everything you want in a holiday pie: luscious, rich, easy to make, and totally irresistible. Tucked into a crisp, buttery gluten-free pie crust and loaded with pecans and dark chocolate chunks, it’s the perfect holiday pie recipe. It’s also grain-free and paleo-friendly.
I love a good pecan pie – but that hasn’t always been the case. Growing up, the pecan pies I had were not good, even for a sugar lover like me. Too much sugary goo, not enough pecans. I always assumed I just wasn’t a pecan pie person…until I tried making one myself.
When the ratio of sweetness to pecans is on point, pecan pie becomes one of my all-time favorites. In this Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe, we use unrefined sugars (maple syrup and coconut sugar) along with a hearty dose of bittersweet chocolate to minimize the sugary goo, maximize the pecan flavors, and make sure the texture is spot on.
The final result is a vegan chocolate pecan pie that is all the things: gooey, crunchy, chocolatey, not-too-sweet, easy-to-make, well-balanced, and of course – absolutely delicious.
What do I need to make this Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie?
- Coconut Sugar: this adds such a lovely depth of flavor here with its caramelly flavor.
- Pure Maple Syrup: the coconut sugar & maple syrup combo provides the perfect level of sweetness and depth of flavor for this pie.
- Coconut Oil: I prefer using refined coconut oil here, which has no coconut flavor.
- Dairy-Free Milk: any dairy-free milk works well here. I used unsweetened cashew – I’d recommend unsweetened so it doesn’t add any extra sugar or flavor to the recipe.
- Ground Flax Seed: this is used to help thicken the pie.
- Tapioca Flour: also a thickener! Between this and the flax seed, we get the perfect gooey texture.
- Vanilla Extract: a must in all baked things!
- Sea Salt: the sea salt helps balance out the sweetness in this pie. Don’t skip it!
- Chopped Pecans: obviously a MUST for a pecan pie! I used chopped because I find it helps the pie cut more easily. I recommend toasting them before using for maximum flavor!
- Dark Chocolate: I like using chopped bittersweet chocolate in this recipe. The chocolatey bites help cut through the sweetness.
How do I make it?
- Cook together the coconut sugar, maple syrup, and refined coconut oil. You’ll make a quick caramel-like mixture with these ingredients to dissolve the coconut sugar. Simmer for 3 minutes, and then let cool slightly.
- Mix together the dairy-free milk, flax meal, tapioca starch, vanilla extract, and salt. The mixture will thicken after a few minutes, and then you’ll mix it into the slightly-cooled sugary mixture. It will thicken as your stir it all together.
- Stir in your pecans. After you stir them in, make sure the mixture isn’t too warm – you don’t want the chocolate to melt. Let cool for a few more minutes or pop into the fridge for a bit if needed.
- Add the chocolate! Once the mixture is cooled, stir in your chocolate.
- Pour into your pie crust and bake. I used this gluten-free vegan pie crust, par-baked, and it works SO well for this recipe!
- Cool completely before cutting and serving. I love serving this with a scoop of coconut whipped cream, ice cream, or coconut yogurt.
Can I make this pie ahead of time?
YES! Pecan pie is perfect for baking the day before you need it because it needs to cool completely before cutting anyways. I wouldn’t recommend making it too far ahead of time, though, because the crust is definitely better fresh.
You can definitely prepare the gluten-free vegan pie crust ahead of time, though. I recommend rolling the dough out, putting in the pan, wrapping it up, and then freezing until you need it. It will make things super easy for your future self!
I hope you love this pie as much as me and my family did! I shared it with family and friends who eat all the things (AKA they’re not gluten-free vegans, like me) and they all loved it. Lots of comments about how it’s super well balanced between the sweetness and the chocolate and the salt, and a lot of love for that buttery crust.
If you decide to try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below! Nothing makes me happier than seeing and hearing about your recreations 🙂 enjoy!!
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Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie is everything you want in a holiday pie: luscious, rich, easy to make, and totally irresistible. Tucked into a crisp, buttery crust and loaded with pecans and dark chocolate chunks, it’s the perfect holiday pie recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 batch of vegan pie crust
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup (111g) pure maple syrup
- 6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) dairy-free milk
- 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or arrowroot starch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups roughly chopped pecans, preferably toasted for the best flavor
- 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Place your pie crust in a 9” pie pan (not deep dish) and crimp the edges. Bake for 10 minutes, until parbaked and but browned yet. Let cool completely while you prepare the filling.
- For the filling, combine the coconut sugar, maple syrup, and coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk to combine. Bring to a low boil and let simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes and then remove from heat. Let cool slightly.
- While it cools, whisk together the non-dairy milk, flax meal, tapioca or arrowroot starch, vanilla extract, and salt in a small bowl.
- Add the milk/flax mixture to the slightly cooled sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Stir in the pecans. Make sure the mixture is relatively cool. If not, refrigerate for a few minutes to cool it down. Stir in the chocolate.
- Pour the pecan mixture over the cooled crust and bake for about 40 minutes. Check after 20 minutes and if the crust is getting too brown, tent with foil. The filling will be slightly puffed and bubbly when it’s ready.
- Let cool completely, at least 2 hours. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired and serve, alone or with ice cream, coconut whipped cream, or coconut yogurt. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Pies are probably my favorite dessert and I’ve always been too nervous to try making one myself. But then this recipe popped up and I knew I had to try it! I had a premade gluten-free pie crust in my freezer so I used that instead of attempting homemade crust (that’s my next baking adventure!). I love Rachel’s recipes because they are simple and easy to follow — and this one was no exception! I followed the directions, poured the filling into the crust, and popped it into the oven. 20 minutes later, I had the most perfect looking pie cooling on the counter. We let it cool completely (so hard to do!) and then happily cut slices for dessert. It was delicious! I love chocolate pecan pie and this was the best I’ve had (and I’ve had a lot). There’s definitely less “goo” but it wasn’t dry at all (this also helped the pie filling to not ooze out of the crust and into the pan), and more importantly, the ratio of pecans to chocolate was perfect. I will definitely be making this pie again – and soon! :)
SO glad you enjoyed the pie, Liz!!! Thank you so much for your kind and thorough feedback. I appreciate it so much, and I’m so happy the pie was a hit with your family.
I made this pie this evening and it turned out great! We had to cool it in the fridge since i had misread the recipe and thought it only needed 20 minutes instead of 2 hours but everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing!
So glad it was a hit. Thanks so much for your feedback, Alison!!
Hello!
Thinking of making this pie for the Thanksgiving holiday and wondering if you think adding in some milk chocolate would work or if that changes the consistency? I’ve always liked the sweetness of milk chocolate over the slight bitterness of dark.
Thank you!
Hi Mary, you can absolutely switch milk chocolate in for the dark! Enjoy :)
Hi – the ingredient list calls for tapioca starch but the instructions say arrowroot. Is one better than the other?
Thanks!
Either is fine – I used tapioca!
Can I use cornstarch instead?
Yes absolutely!
If I leave out the chocolate for a regular pecan pie, will that change the consistency or measurements of the other ingredients?
Hi Gabby, it should be totally fine to just leave it out in this recipe. Enjoy!
This pie was delicious!! The first time I baked it I used only pecans and the second time I used half pecans & half walnuts. Both were sooo yummy This recipe is a keeper!!
Oooh sounds so good with the combo!
I do not see the break down of the nutritional tab
I don’t include nutritional information for most of my desserts! You can calculate it on a website like this if you’re curious.
Can this be made ahead and freeze?
Yes, absoutely!
Also could I use regular egg instead of flax? Trying to minimize the ‘illegal’ ingredients my son can’t have while on a SCDdiet. I’m ‘looking away’ with the coconut sugar and tapioca so he can have a delicious dessert for thanksgiving!
I haven’t tested that way but it should be okay. I have a paleo pecan pie that uses regular eggs and you could add chocolate to that one.
Hello! Making this now. Tapioca flour is In the ingredients list, but arrowroot starch is listed in the step. Are they interchangeable?
Hi Erica, yes they are!! You can use either :)
It’s delicious! I ended up eating at 11pm while watching/streaming Ina Garten with Nora Jones as her guest and she baked a chocolate Burboun pecan pie! It was so meta :) perfect evening! I will make it again!
Sounds like the perfect evening, Jean! Love it :) hope it becomes a staple!
The last recipe I used for a vegan chocolate pecan pie was a disaster! Not sure what happened. But your recipe looks delicious. Can I use regular sugar instead of coconut sugar?
Hi Donna, yes regular sugar instead of coconut sugar will be fine, or a combo of white and brown for extra depth of flavor. Hope this one turns out better than the last! :)
Hiya!
What are your thoughts on using vegan butter in place of the coconut oil? And do you think it would be ok to use all tapioca/arrowroot instead of the flax? Or would that be too gooey?
Thanks! I have your book and use it often :)
Vegan butter should be great! I haven’t tried it without the flax, but generally starches can have a gummier texture so if you increase that amount, it might be a little stickier. The flax adds a little bit more stability without the gooeiness. Is there a dietary restriction that prevents the flax or just a preference? you could replace or leave it out and it would likely be fine, just a little different texture wise.
Thanks Rachel! I didn’t have access to a grinder for the flaxseed, and didn’t have coconut oil, however I was able to borrow both things, so it all worked out in the end! I used unrefined coconut oil and was worried it would be too coconutty, but it was just fine after baking– excellent results, absolutely delicious! Someone suggested to try making just the filling as a kind of brownie-type thing too which I thought was an interesting idea :)