This keto pecan pie is the gooey sugar-free dessert of your dreams! It’s easy to make and has fewer carbs, so it fits perfectly into your keto diet.
I am so excited to bring you this updated sugar free keto pecan pie recipe! I’ve been working away at this one for a while because it’s one of my favorite holiday desserts. And I accept no less than perfection.
Words cannot express how much I love pecan pie. Ever since I was a little girl, it was one of my favourite desserts and I would order it any chance I got. We didn’t have it at home very often but if I was out to dinner, my eyes would always scan that dessert menu, searching out the beloved treat, almost before I ordered my main course.
If it was on the menu, I would happily tailor the rest of my meal so that I’d have room for some. I loved the richness, the gooey-ness and the buttery-ness. There was good pecan pie and there was bad pecan pie, but I really loved all of it. As a kid, sweet was sweet and even bad pecan pie was better than no pecan pie, in my young brain.
With such a pecan pie aficionado, you know you are in good hands when I develop a sugar free version.
What makes a good keto pecan pie?
- Rich pecan flavor with caramel undertones
- A gooey filling that holds together but oozes a bit as you cut into it
- A balanced sweetness. Sweet but not so sweet you want to jump up and brush your teeth after the first bite.
- A good sturdy pie crust that compliments the flavor without competing with it.
My original sugar-free pecan pie met all of the above requirements but it was quite a bit higher in carbs than I would like, to be honest. At that time, I was doing the best I could with the knowledge and ingredients that I had, but it was definitely a special occasion treat. A holiday indulgence, you might say.
But a great deal has changed for me since 2014. I’ve grown and expanded my skills in keto baking and I’ve explored new and improved keto products.
And I decided it was time to take a stab at improving my sugar free version of this classic holiday dessert. I can’t even express how thrilled I am with the results. What did I do differently?
Updated Sugar Free Keto Pecan Pie
- This recipe is now entirely sugar free. The original recipe used my old sugar free caramel which had a little bit of coconut sugar in it to give a caramel flavor and color. But now with Swerve Brown, I don’t find the need for it and it reduces the carb count significantly.
- I’ve significantly simplified the filling. Instead having to make the caramel sauce ahead, you simply melt butter with some Swerve Brown and some Bocha Sweet. If you can’t access these two sweeteners, I’ve provided an option for using all Swerve Granular with a bit of Yacon syrup and that still has a lower carb count than the original.
- My discovery that using a combination of Swerve and BochaSweet helps keep things softer and gooier has made an amazing difference to some of my dessert recipes. If you can get your hands on some BochaSweet, I definitely recommend it. But I don’t use it just on its own as I find it can actually make things TOO gooey. If there is such a thing!
- I have also simplified the pie crust. My easy Keto Pie Crust is so simple and so popular, I only wish I’d come up with it earlier! I can’t believe I spent so much time futzing around with more difficult versions of this. This is the best almond flour pie crust around.
- The original recipe was maple flavored. Which was very good of course and you can still swap out the vanilla extract for maple extract. But this version is a classic and I decided to go with vanilla this time. The choice is yours!
So that’s it, kids. That’s the whole dang story of this delicious ketopecan pie. Now stop reading, head to your kitchen, and make the darn thing. You can thank me later with your mouth full!
More delicious keto pecan pie recipes
- Keto Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- Keto Pecan Pie Truffles
- Easy Keto Pecan Pie for Two
- Keto Pecan Pie Biscotti
- Keto Pecan Pie Brownies
- Keto Pecan Pie Bars
Sugar Free Keto Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 recipe keto pie crust
- ¾ cup butter
- ½ cup Swerve Brown
- ½ cup Bocha Sweet (or allulose)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or maple extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust according to the directions and bake at 325F for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool while preparing the filling.
- In a large saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter with the two sweeteners, stirring until the sweeteners have dissolved. Bring to a simmer and cook about 3 minutes, until it darkens in color and thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Once the syrup is cool, whisk in the vanilla and the salt, then whisk in the eggs until smooth and well combined.
- Place the pecans in the cooled crust and pour the filling overtop. Return to the oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is mostly set but the middle still jiggles slightly when shaken. Let cool completely before serving.
- Note: If the crust is browning too quickly, cover the pie with aluminum foil, shiny side up, about halfway through the baking time. Let cool completely before serving.
Video
Notes
Substitutions:
If you don't have access to BochaSweet or allulose, try using 1 cup Swerve plus 2 teaspoons molasses or Yacon syrup. Each serving will have an extra gram of carbs and the filling may recrystallize a bit upon refrigeration. You can also try replacing the BochaSweet with regular xylitol. It should give the same gooeyness to the filling. Please be careful if you have dogs because it is highly toxic to canines.Storage Information:
Cover the keto pecan pie and store on the counter for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The pie can also be frozen after baking for several months.
Jessica says
I’m looking at my new package of Bochasweet and it says it is Kabocha Extract (Xylitol). It used to just say Kabocha extract. Has the formulation changed or has it always been xylitol and they are now labeling it correctly? And if it is xylitol, that means it’s toxic to dogs too. Do you have any insight?
Carolyn says
No idea since I don’t seem to have any new bags of it. Interesting… you should probably reach out directly to them!
Carolyn says
Yup, just double checked, I have bags that all simply say Kabocha Extract. And there isn’t any clear info on their site, although they do say that they have no studies of it on pets and to avoid giving it to them. I certainly would be careful!
Jessica says
That is interesting! I will reach out to them about the pet issue. Looking at their brown sugar sweetener, it is now labeled as erythritol and monkfruit. I guess I don’t need to spend so much on these anymore since I can get erythritol and xylitol for much less elsewhere. I’m a little disappointed because I thought Bochasweet was a completely unique sweetener and not just another sugar alcohol.
Carolyn says
I KNOW, I saw that too. Which is… weird. They’ve always been a bit cryptic about their product. I still like it and it’s useful but I tend to use Swerve and allulose more now.
Erica says
I found the video on YouTube and I guess I let it cool too long before I added the vanilla and eggs. I saw to cool the crust completely and was thinking I had to cool the caramel completely, too! :/ I guess I’ll do that over.
Erica says
When cooking the butter and sugars I had it on the stove longer than three minutes because it took me a while to see simmering bubbles. Eventually it got bubbly (foamy?) and looked thicker. Then I stirred it when it was half cool and it separated into oil and sugar. I’ll let it cool completely and see if I can get it to come back together but wondered if anyone else had this happen?! I used swerve brown and Allulose. Thanks!
Cara says
Erica I’m making this now and the same thing happened. I see there wasn’t an answer…what did you do? I’m thinking of reheating and hoping it incorporates again?
Carolyn says
If it separated, it got over-cooked, but you may be able to rescue it with some xanthan gum whisked in.
Dilek says
Same thing happened to mine but when i added the eggs, it became normal again. After I cooked, it is basically a normal pecan pie. I don’t think it mattered that it got seperated.
Kristal Stygler says
Hi Erica,
I let mine cool a little too long also. It was still together, but was clumping at the bottom of the pan. I went ahead and added the eggs and vanilla extract, then took a whisk to it and beat it until it came back together. I think I could have saved my arm muscles and used an immersion blender and it would have smoothed the filling out. If the whisk had not worked, I would have put the pan back on the stove under low heat and added water, one tablespoon at a time, until it thinned back out. The water trick is what I have used in the past to correct over cooked caramel sauce.
I hope you found a solution and had delicious pecan pie!
Kelley Doby says
I don’t have Bocha Sweet but I do have swerve brown and granular. Could I use both of those instead? Or should I just go with your Swerve brown and molasses suggestion?
Carolyn says
Since both Brown and Granular Swerve are mostly erythritol, your pie will recrystallize. It will be tasty but I just want to be clear on that score. The molasses may help a bit but not entirely.
Peggy says
I have purchased a crushed pecan pie crust. Will this work for this pie?
Carolyn says
It should… but I do worry that it will get quite dark and possibly burned before the pie bakes through. Those foil pans are pretty flimsy! You may want to set it on a cookie sheet for an added layer of protection on the bottom, and cover the edges with foil strips.
Kristen says
Great recipe! The first try the filling came out rock hard so I added some water to it for the second try and it worked beautifully for a softer middle. For me this was about 1/4 cup (8000 ft) so lower altitudes may want to start at half that.
Teresa says
Mine was very hard and inedible. I tossed it
Carolyn says
I am going to take a guess and say that you used different sweeteners. Because if you followed my recipe as written, there is no way it would turn out hard. What ingredients did you use?
Carolyn says
hi Carolyn,can I substitute Monk fruit/erythritol blend for the swerve
Carolyn says
Yes, it should be fine.
Marsha says
Hi Carolyn,
I would like to make this for Thanksgiving this year. Is there a way to substitute the eggs? Unfortunately, my husband developed an egg allergy later in life which sometimes makes our keto journey quite difficult.
Carolyn says
No, you really need eggs for pecan pie. It’s a custard based pie.
Elizabeth says
Carolyn, I am thinking of making this for Turkey day. Traditionally we would make a Mystery pecan pie. Which had a layer of cream cheese, you may have tried it. I am looking over the directions and it looks like I may be able to pull it off. In theory, it should work. The only difference is with the Mystery pecan the prepared cream cheese goes on the bottom, then like your recipe the layer of Pee-cans then pour the mix over that. Somehow with the sugar version the cream cheese and filling switch.
I am very excited to try your recipe with cream cheese. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Yes, even bad Pecan pie is better than none!
Melissa says
Will texture be the same if frozen then thawed? I am wanting to get an early start on baking.
Carolyn says
I honestly can’t say. It’s never hung around my house for me to try freezing it.
Ryan James says
When I let the sweeteners cool to room temp, they started crystalizing. I had to really scrape the bottom on of the pan to add the eggs and rest. I did put it on low heat for about a minute to break up the sweeteners, but not cook the egg.
In retrospect, I should have used a larger pie pan. All I had was an 8 inch metal one, so my filling overflowed during baking. That said, it looks phenomenal and I cannot wait to taste it after dinner. Thank you Carolyn.
Rhonda Webb says
Carolyn, there are two different pictures of the pecan pie slices on plates. One looks very loose and the other looks more thick and solid. Which is your revised recipe? I like to know what mine “should” look like if I’m successful lol.
Thanks for all your recipes and the effort you put forth to provide them.
Carolyn says
Nope! One is the day I made it, the other is the day after, when it had set more and I could cut it into proper slices! 🙂 Easily made gooey again if you warm it up.
Elizabeth Godfrey Ford says
There is NO other that can compare! This is, dare I say, BETTER… than sugar-filled pecan pie. This is my favorite thing at Thanksgiving, and now that I have this version, it’s what I bring for myself! Sooo gooey yet firm. And SOOO good with your no-churn ice cream, as well!!!!!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Lorelei says
Been making this recipe for the last 3 years. Quick question if I replace the bocha sweet with allulose will I have the SAME EXACT OUTCOME? Just curious because I don’t have any bocha sweet on hand and have to order, but don’t want it to affect the way I’m used to making it.
Carolyn says
So yes, it will BUT… it will take longer to firm up. It will be super gooey and soft for quite a while so I’d suggest making it the day before. Makes it much easier to cut when it firms up a bit! 🙂
Lori says
Can you use agave syrup in place of molasses?
Carolyn says
I don’t use agave, and it’s not as dark as molasses so I am not sure it will have the desired affect. But you’re welcome to experiment.
Dawn Thompson says
I love pecan pie. I excited to have a keto recipe. This is delicious!!
Thank you
Danielle says
Hello Carolyn,
We travelling in the country in France and i would love to prepare your delicious pecan pie for our French friends. I brought some brown Swerve with me but forgot my BochaSweet and I can’t find it here. Could I replace it with xylitol (no pets around)… would the pie have the same delicious goodness ? If not, what would be the best option ?
Thank you so much for such great recipes, our friends are always so impressed how good everything taste.
Danielle says
And do I replace it 1 : 1 ?
Terry S says
The answer is in the Notes at the bottom of the recipe.
Julie Cannon says
I love pecan pie. My go to sweetener is monk fruit from Lakanto.
If I use that with molasses, will the pie be a success?.
Carolyn says
If you don’t use BochaSweet or allulose, it will recrystallize at least a little bit.
Kim says
Absolutely LOVE this recipe! Have a friend who has very specific dietary restrictions, Can I substitute Country Crock for butter?
Carolyn says
I am sorry, but Country Crock is awful fake chemicals and I cannot advise its use. You’d be better with the butter style palm oil from Nutiva.
Mary M says
Hello Carolyn,
Happy New Year, 2022! I’ve watched you more on YouTube in 2021 and really appreciate how thorough you are. Loved the focused info…like baking pans, etc.
I have BochaSweet confectioner’s sugar but no granulated on hand.
Do you happen to know how to measure confectioner’s sugar when wanting to use it as a sub for granulated? Often, I hear people say: “If you don’t have confectioner’s, you can whiz the granulated up in the blender.” But I never hear anyone say that it measures differently.
Thank you!
Kathryn Diane Moore says
I’ve made this recipe a few times but follow the baking recommendations of family pecan pie, which is only 30-40 minutes at 300°F. So for those who have overbaked this (as I also did at Thanksgiving 2021 baking at 325 for 45 minutes), I would start checking this pie in the oven at 30 minutes of baking at 325°F. I may try baking it at 300 for 30-40 minutes next time like my family’s recipe, too. I just remade this today for New Years (pecan pie is my husband’s favorite and I feel bad it overcooked at Thanksgiving) and it was pretty done at 38 minutes 325°F. Hopefully it turns out good like it has in the past!