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!).

Jump to:

• Why this recipe works
• Ingredient notes
• Ingredient Substitutions
• What equipment do you need
• How to make pecan cream pie
• Make ahead
• 📖 Recipe

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

Recipe adapted from Vancouver With Love

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