These keto pecan pie bars are so gooey and decadent, you won’t believe they’re sugar free! There’s a reason these bars are one of my most popular keto dessert recipes. And at less than 5g of carbs, you can afford to indulge.
Looking for a truly special dessert for the holidays that won’t give you a sugar high? Look no further than these amazing keto pecan pie bars. They are over the top good and they give my sugar free pecan pie some stiff competition.
You really can’t go wrong with either version, but the bars feature the added attraction of chocolate. They’re also a little easier to serve to a crowd.
One bite and you will see why they’ve been so popular for years and years. Because no one should have to go without pecan pie in their lives. No one!
Updated recipe
I created keto pecan pie bars early on in my blogging career, which is approximately a bajillion years ago. Or November 2013, which amounts to the same thing.
Back then, however, keto friendly ingredients were more limited. The wide range of sweeteners we have now, as well as the brands of good quality sugar free chocolate simply didn’t exist.
So I had to use some work arounds to give the bars the correct gooey consistency, and I had to use Lindt 90% chocolate. They were good but I knew I could do better.
I simplified the crust by adapting my Easy Keto Pie Crust. And then I borrowed the caramel glaze from my Keto Pumpkin Caramel Bundt Cake for the filling. I swapped in some ChocZero chips and voila! Easier pecan pie bars that had 3g fewer carbs per serving!
The right sweeteners for maximum gooeyness
If you take a look at the recipe, you will see that I use mostly powdered Swerve with a little bit of Yacon syrup. Yacon syrup is a low glycemic sweetener that is similar to molasses in color and flavor, and it helps improve the filling. You can use blackstrap molasses if you prefer.
However, you do have some options. I wrote this recipe before Swerve Brown, allulose, and BochaSweet were widely available. If you prefer to use those, I suggest following my recipe for keto caramel sauce.
Once you have that made, you can simply let it cool for about 10 minutes and proceed by whisking the eggs in.
What I don’t suggest is using only erythritol based sweeteners like Swerve or Lakanto. Without the addition of some Yacon or some allulose/BochaSweet, your bars will tend to re-crystallize as they cool.
Read more about how these keto sweeteners work.
How to make keto pecan pie bars
- Prepare the crust. I like to blend the crust ingredients in a food processor to give the crust a shortbread like consistency. You can also use a pastry cutter to blend them in together.
- Par-bake the crust. You don’t want to bake it all the way through yet. It should be just turning golden around the edges.
- Make the “syrup”. By melting butter and sweetener together, you create a caramel-like mixture that replaces corn syrup. It’s easy and works really well!
- Whisk in the cream and eggs. Be sure to add these off heat so your eggs don’t curdle.
- Add the pecans and chocolate chips. I like to sprinkle these over the cooled crust so I can make sure to get good distribution.
- Pour the filling overtop.
- Bake until barely set. Jiggle the pan a bit to see if it still wobbles in the center. A tiny bit of wobble means they will be gooey!
- Let cool. They need to cool for at least 30 minutes before you can dig in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unless your pan is not non-stick, you shouldn’t need to grease it at all. The butter and almond flour have enough fats in them to keep the crust from sticking. However, I do not recommend using glass or ceramic pans here, as they don’t conduct heat very well and the bars won’t cook through properly.
Yes, just keep in mind that your bars will be thicker and thus will take longer to cook through. You may need to bake the crust a bit longer as well.
Please see the section entitled “The right sweeteners” to understand what will work best for this recipe and what substitutes you can use.
Sure thing! I recommend adding another ½ cup of pecans to take their place.
No, I am afraid not. This recipe is tested and works with almond flour and the two are not interchangeable.
Storage information
I like these keto pecan pie bars gooey and room temperature so I store them in a covered container on the counter They are good for up to 4 days.
They can also be kept in the fridge for a week. Several readers indicate that they’ve had success freezing them as well. I would suggest layering them with waxed paper if you do, so that they don’t stick together. Also let them come to room temperature before serving.
More delicious keto pecan recipes
- Low Carb Butter Pecan Cookies
- Keto Pecan Turtles
- Keto Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- Easy Keto Pecan Pie Truffles
- Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler
- Pecan Lace Cookies
Keto Pecan Pie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup granular Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter chilled, cut into small pieces
Pecan Pie Filling
- ½ cup butter
- ⅔ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 teaspoon Yacon syrup (optional, helps color and flavor)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pecans lightly toasted
- 2 ounces dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- In a food processor, combine the almond flour, sweetener, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Press into the bottom of a 9×9 inch pan and bake 12 minutes or until the edges are just turning golden.
Pecan Pie Filling:
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the powdered sweetener and Yacon syrup and whisk until well combined. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract and cream. Add the eggs and salt and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Scatter the pecans and chocolate chips over the crust and pour the filling overtop. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is mostly set (if you want them gooey, make sure the middle still has a little jiggle to it when the pan is shaken).
- Remove and let cool at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
Raechel says
So yummy! Probably own of my favorite treats to date! Thank you for making my life a little bit easier by having good treats to feed my family.
HM says
This recipe is awesome!!! I was getting a dough as well with the amount of ingredients listed so I added 2 cups more of almond flour and it came out perfectly. The was a little thicker but everyone prefers it that way so that’s how I make it now. If you don’t want a thicker crust then eliminating some butter will help. I tried it this time with some Lilly’s chocolate salted caramel chips and it really good too!! Thank you for sharing your recipe ????
Beth says
It says serving is 1 bar. How big are the bars? What measurements for the bar?
Carolyn says
9 inches, divided by 4 (since you cut four in each direction) is 2.25 inches across both ways. But I am not sure why you are getting so specific… the recipe states 16 bars so simply cut them as evenly as possible.
Amy Cronin says
I just bought a bag of Allulose brown. In your opinion, would that be a good one to one substitution for the powdered Swerve and Yacon syrup?
Carolyn says
I would not use only that… it must be mixed with some Swerve or it will be too soft.
Danell Benedict says
I am replacing Yukon , swerve & vanilla with 1 tsp liquid stevia & 2-3 tablespoons Choc zero maple vanilla syrup
And I replaced swerve in piecrust with Monk fruit.
Looks great haven’t tried yet
Ali says
Loved these! Only problem was they was very crumbly and didn’t stay together. Any suggestions?
Carolyn says
Hmmmm, what sweetener did you use?
JT says
I tried making this, but when I pulsed the ingredients for the crust with the chilled butter pieces, the whole thing came together like dough- it didn’t resemble “course crumbs”.
I prebaked the crust then baked with filling as instructed, but the crust was very “mushy” and greasy even after letting the bars cool for an hour. I have no idea what went wrong. The filling was very good though.
Carolyn says
Sounds like too much butter, not enough flour. You may have mismeasured the flour a bit? I use this crust in many applications so it definitely works. Next time, don’t proceed until you’re sure it’s like coarse crumbs.
Dee says
I had the same problem with the crust. I don’t own a food processor (super limited in kitchen space) so I used a pastry cutter. Ended up with a mushy mess with a great topping. .
Cindy says
I hate to ask but do you know if there is a substitute for yacon syrup?
Carolyn says
Molasses.
Kim says
Wonder if you could use sugar free pancake syrup?
Carolyn says
I can’t advise on that, as it may bake up very differently depending on which brand you use.
Nikki says
These were delicious! Even my keto-wary daughter liked them 🙂 She loves pecan pie, so I was glad she enjoyed it.
Shar says
The bars were very good..next time I make them just a bit less butter maybe 1/3 cup.
Marilyn O says
This is great recipe. Husband loved it. I could not find yacon syrup so used Molasses instead.
Kars says
Love em! My go to for pecan pie on holidays
Lois says
I made these yesterday to take to church today–we were having communion and the love feast dessert was cookies–so I took these for myself and my keto friend. They were GREAT and she loved them too. So did our other friend who isn’t doing keto. Thanks Carolyn for another great recipe. I think I’m going to make them for our Thanksgiving gathering too!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Brian says
Carolyn, If I use your Keto Caramel Sauce recipe for this, do I make the default 8 servings? I just noticed there is 1/4 cup of butter in that recipe vs. 1/2 cup in this recipe for the filling.
Carolyn says
I would follow this recipe, although you can use Swerve Brown and allulose or BochaSweet to get a gooey consistency.
Carrie says
My bars are delicious, but not pecan pie bars. I did not have or could find Yukon syrup so they turned out very yellow. Was I suppose to whisk the butter and swerve until it turns a caramel color? Does that even happen? If I added some coconut they would be perfect magic bars. I froze them because they fell apart when cutting them. Any suggestions?
Carolyn says
That’s what the Yacon/molasses is for… it provides the darker color and richer flavor.
Barbara Mayfield says
I have made these bars several times and we love them! But I need help with one thing. The Yacon syrup seems to add a green tint to the sauce. I am using EcoChacras Organic Syrup which I found on-line. Is this unusual? Or do all Yacon syrups do the same thing?
Carolyn says
Um no, definitely not! I’ve never had them contribute any greenish tinge. I think that sounds a little off.
Jessica Burgess says
These were a life-saver!! We needed a sweet treat and these hit the spot, thank you!
Kathy Swigart says
I didn’t have a 9″ square pan so I used a 9″ Springfield pan. I didn’t have yakon so I used maple syrup. It looks great but can’t upload a pic. I hope hubby likes.
Sara says
Is it possible to substitute evaporated skim milk for the cream? I do that in other recipes and it works well but I’m very new to baking and not sure if that’s okay or not. Thanks – love your website!
Carolyn says
I haven’t tried so I really can’t say. But it’s also higher carb than cream, with 2g per tablespoon, so a total of 16g of carbs. Heavy cream has 3g of carb for half a cup.
Jana Gallagher says
All I have is glass dishes. Any suggestions for using them?
Carolyn says
You can use them, you just need to adjust your oven to make up for it. I know there are tutorials on how to adjust for glass and ceramic. I want to say that you lower the temp by 25F and bake longer. Maybe google that?
Shy says
Same, mushy crust. The next time I try a recipe I will read everyone’s notes first. This recipe should either call for more almond flour or less butter.
Thanks for the recipe. I’m sure it will still be yummy.
Carolyn says
If the crust was mushy, then it wasn’t firm enough before you added the topping. Did you bake and let it cool properly? The recipe works as is, I and many other readers have made it many times without issue.