Healthy, easy no-bake pecan pie bars! Made with just a few simple ingredients: pecans, dates, oats, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Vegan, gluten-free, paleo and come together in minutes.
If you’ve been following along for a while, you probably know that baking isn’t my strong suit (this pumpkin pie is one notable exception). But just because I don’t bake often doesn’t mean that I don’t love desserts. Healthy-ish ones (that can sneakily pass as a snack) are my thing.
These no-bake pecan pie bars are made with just a few simple pantry ingredients and come together in minutes. They’re the perfect easy holiday dessert, especially if you’re keeping Thanksgiving extra small this year.
All you need to make these pecan pie bars are pecans, dates, old-fashioned oats, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Simply process everything together in a food processor until the mixture begins to stick together and voilà: your pecan pie bars are almost ready (seriously so easy).
Once set in the freezer, I like to cut these into small squares (they’re sweet!), but choose a size and shape that speaks to you. You could even roll them into balls for some energy bite action.
To make them look more festive, I like to sprinkle with shredded coconut and garnish each square with pecan halves, but this step is totally optional.
If you’re into no-bake desserts as much as I am, here are a few other recipes you might like!
Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites
Gingerbread Bliss Balls
Peppermint Brownie Bars
No-Bake Apple Crisp
Apple Pie Energy Bites
Pecan Pie Bars
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: About 20 Small Squares 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Process
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Healthy, easy no-bake pecan pie bars! Made with just a few simple ingredients: pecans, dates, oats, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Vegan, gluten-free, paleo and come together in minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw, unsalted pecans, plus extra for garnish if desired
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1–3 teaspoons coconut oil (see notes)
- shredded coconut, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Arrange the pecans on a rimmed baking tray. Once the oven is preheated, roast the pecans for 6-9 minutes until just browned and fragrant. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Add the toasted pecans and all remaining ingredients (except for the coconut oil and shredded coconut) to a food processor and process until the mixture begins to stick together. This should take a couple of minutes and you may need to scrape the sides with a spatula occasionally. If the dough seems too dry, add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and process again. If still too dry, add 1-2 teaspoons more coconut oil.
- Spread the mixture in a container (I used an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish) and press the dough down evenly and firmly. Garnish with shredded coconut, if desired. Place the container in the freezer until set, about 1 hour.
- Remove from the freezer and cut into squares. Garnish with pecan halves, if desired. Store squares in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
Coconut oil. Some pecans naturally have more oil than others. If your pecans are oily, you may not need the coconut oil at all to get the mixture to stick together. If your pecans are very dry, you may need a full tablespoon of coconut oil.
Keywords: pecan pie bars, gluten-free pecan pie, healthy pecan pie, pecan pie larabars
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