Pecan Cream Pie (Dairy-Free + Gluten-Free)

This Pecan Cream Pie recipe is easy, requiring only 9 ingredients and incredibly delicious. Made with coconut cream and naturally sweetened with dates, it's vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free (but you'd never know!).

Why this recipe works

I've always been a fan of pecan pie. In fact, I'd probably say it's my favorite. Whether it's Thanksgiving or Christmas, pecan pie has always been my preferred holiday dessert (sorry pumpkin pie lovers).

A classic pecan pie recipe requires eggs and butter, and although there are vegan replacements for these, I wanted to make a healthier version.

I advocate a healthier, whole food plant-based diet so I wanted to see if I could make a pecan pie using mostly whole or minimally processed foods.

Success!

Rather than loading it up with a bunch of sugar and maple syrup, this pecan pie is sweetened naturally with dates and apple sauce. It also doesn't require any oil in case you follow a Nutritarian diet as defined by Dr. Fuhrman.

But don't think this pie lacks any flavor! It's still sweet and delectable. You'll definitely be wanting seconds and guests will be asking for more. It's that good!

Ingredient notes

This pie only require 9 easy to find ingredients (including salt!). Short and sweet! Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements.

• rolled oats or oat flour
• almonds
• dates
• ground flax
• apple sauce
• coconut cream — or full fat coconut milk (canned)
• nut butter — creamy almond butter or peanut butter
• pecan halves
• pinch of salt

Ingredient Substitutions

If you can't find dates to make a date syrup, you can replace with maple syrup, brown rice syrup or blackstrap molasses. Just keep in mind this will change the final texture and flavor.

You are welcome to use any nut for the crust if you can't find almonds and any nut butter for the filling will do. I made this with peanut butter but almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version would work too.

What equipment do you need

One 9-10 inch pie pan or springform pan.

A metal mixing bowl — this is best for whipping the coconut cream

A hand mixer — necessary to make the coconut whipped cream. Alternatively you can buy vegan whipped cream.

A blender or food processor. I've found a food processor to work best but you can make it work in a blender you may just need to scrap down the sides more often.

How to make pecan cream pie

This creamy pecan pie is very easy to make with only 9 ingredients needed. Plus, the only thing you have to cook is the pie crust!

It is almost a no-bake recipe. You are welcome to use a pre-made pie crust if you prefer which will cut down on time in the kitchen even more.

To make the crust, simply blend everything together in a food processor and then pack it down into your pan and bake.

What's nice about this recipe is that the crust is the only thing that needs to bake and you can make it in advance so you can free up your oven for any other holiday cooking the day of.

For the filling, whip the coconut cream until fluffy and peaks form. The key here is making sure the coconut cream, mixing bowl, and whisk from the hand mixer has been properly chilled before whipping the cream.

You can see a more detailed tutorial of how I make coconut whipped cream in this Watermelon Dessert Pizza recipe.

Then blend the remaining filling ingredients together in a food processor or blender and gently fold them into the coconut whipped cream.

To assemble the pie, spoon the filling into the pie crust and top with pecans. Make sure the pie crust is cooked and cooled before adding your coconut cream filling. Then chill for at least 15 minutes to allow it to set up.

Make ahead

You can prep pecan cream pie in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also freeze this pie though it will change the texture.

You can also freeze the pie but it will alter the texture. Still just as tasty, but a more denser texture.

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📖 Recipe

Pecan Cream Pie

This Pecan Cream Pie recipe is easy, requiring only 9 ingredients and incredibly delicious, made with coconut cream and naturally sweetened with dates. It's vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free (but you'd never know!).

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

course: Dessert

cuisine: American

servings: 8

prep time: 30 mins

cook time: 10 mins

Chilled: 15 mins

total time: 55 mins

Author: Rachel

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

For the crust:

• ▢ ⅔ cup rolled oats or oat flour
• ▢ 1 cup almonds
• ▢ ½ cup dates, roughly 8-9 small dates, pitted
• ▢ 2 tablespoon ground flax
• ▢ 2 tablespoon apple sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ pinch of salt

For the filling:

• ▢ 1 can coconut cream, stored in refrigerator overnight
• ▢ 1 cup dates, pitted
• ▢ ¾ cup hot water
• ▢ 2 tablespoon apple sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup nut butter
• ▢ pinch of salt

To decorate:

• ▢ 1 heaping cup pecan halves

Instructions

• The night before, place the can of coconut cream in the refrigerator. An hour before preparing, place your metal mixing bowl and whisk into the refrigerator.
• Place the dates from the filling in a bowl with the hot water to soak for about 30 minutes.

For the crust:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• To make the crust, add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until the mixture comes together.
• Press the mixture flat into a 9 or 10 inch pie pan and bake for 10 minutes in the oven. Remove and let cool.

For the filling:

• Remove the coconut cream, mixing bowl and whisk from the refrigerator. Scoop out the hardened cream from the can into your mixing bowl, leaving behind the water/liquid at the bottom of the can. It isn't needed for this recipe (but you can save it to add to smoothies).
• Using a hand mixer, beat the cream for 3-5 mins until fluffy. Place in the fridge while you complete the next step.
• In your food processor, add the dates with the hot water that they had been soaking in. Blend until it becomes smooth and forms a date paste. Then add in the apple sauce, and nut butter and blend until smooth.
• Remove the coconut cream from the fridge and gently stir in the date mixture, adding a pinch of salt.
• Spoon the filling into the pie crust base, and top with pecans. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to set up.

Notes

Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Can also freeze for longer but this will change the texture.

Serving suggestion: Top with a dollop of dairy-free whipped cream!

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories: 437kcal Carbohydrates: 37g Protein: 10g Fat: 31g Saturated Fat: 16g Sodium: 6mg Potassium: 569mg Fiber: 7g Sugar: 19g Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 100mg Iron: 3mg

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Recipe adapted from Vancouver With Love

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