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.
eva says
Thank you Carolyn for this delicious recipe! I made this with a different crust and more pecans as a whole pie for Christmas and all my carb loving guests just loved loved loved this!
Kim sharkey says
Are you able to get Amazon in Panama? You can order the swerve that way if you do…
Carolyn says
Sorry, for Panama I really can’t tell you. I honestly don’t know. And this recipe will not work with anything but erythritol based sweeteners.
Cathy says
If you can get Swerve granulated erythritol, I make it powdered in my Bullet smoothie blender or regular blender. Creates dust that will settle. Hope that helps.
Can take wait to try this. Love your recipes! Thank you for sharing your gift.
Carolyn says
You can… but honestly it’s never as fine as the confectioners. It’s okay in some applications like this one, but you will feel some grit under your teeth if you try to make frosting with it!
Carolyn says
It might be fine for something like this but it’s not great for frosting, etc. It still has grit… trust me, I’ve tried!
Keith says
First of all: this recipe is fantastic. I used to make a very similar dessert before I went keto and I thought I’d never be able to enjoy it again, but his came out amazing. The texture of the topping is reminiscent of a pecan pie. I might try a little less cream and/or a bit of xantham gum to aim for more of a caramel texture, but that’s just me having fun, the recipe is fantastic.
I added an egg to the base just to give it a bit more cohesion, not sure if that was necessary, but it didn’t hurt (though you’ll need to bake it a bit longer 14-20min total). I didn’t have the Yacon Syrup but I *did* have Tarani sugar free salted caramel sweetener on hand, which added an excellent caramel note and a bit of color.
marie ledford says
Can you freeze them once done?
Carolyn says
You should be able to.
Kari says
Yacon syrup – I can’t seem to be able to buy it except online which will take forever to receive. It see it says optional. Does it make a huge difference? Is there something I could use in it’s place?
Thanks so much!
Carolyn says
It gives it more of a brown sugar flavor. You can use molasses instead or skip it.
Kari says
what about a sugar free brown sugar syrup?
Kari says
these are in the oven right now, I can’t wait, they smell so good! Thanks for the recipe
Kari says
OK – you are a Goddess! (No, I’m not flirting with you….well, maybe, if everything you make tastes like this, I might consider it!). These are amazing! I never thought I would have such a dessert again! I used agave syrup as someone else has mentioned in the comments, hershey’s 71% chocolate chips, swerve sweeteners – WOW! Amazing. My husband and daughter love them too! So good when still warm!
Carolyn says
Glad you like it!
Grace Cooper says
I just made this. we do Thanksgiving on Fridays. My question is that when it came out of the oven it was sorta bubbling with an oil layer. now it has settled but then i touch it it is very oily. Is that normal? BTW I am also making your pumpkin chocolate sex in a pan. Thanks for all your recipes!
Carolyn says
I am not sure what you mean but I think as they cool, it will be good in the end.
Amanda says
I found my answer. A friend said you don’t count the carbs for erithytol, sorry, I’m new to this! And My fitnesspal isnt helping?. The recipe was so good! I think that’s why I just new Something was wrong!
Carolyn says
Glad you got it figured out. Yes, erythritol has “carbs” but they don’t affect blood sugar. I say they have “zero carb impact”…and I know this to be true because I test my blood sugar and they don’t raise it even a little.
Amanda says
I made these for Thanksgiving dinner for me, as an alternative to all of the other Thanksgiving treats. They were delicious! I put your recipe into my fitness pal, and I’m getting much different carb numbers. 16 grams for 1 bar. I used the swerve confectioners Sugar for both the crust, and the filling. Can you help me figure out where I went wrong?
Renee says
So, I goofed for the filling, I doubled the recipe, but forgot to double the butter. Right now it’s still a gooey blob in my oven. Thoughts? Suggestions? Help!?!?!
Carolyn says
I don’t know how to rescue it but I think it will probably end up okay.
Carolyn says
I might but I am not sure. I will have to dig it up.
Kathi Saage says
Thank you! For your generosity. For taking the time to go searching this and then posting it. You’re the best! Seeing the ingredients you’ve listed here, I can certainly say that the revised version sure is simpler. -Kathi
Lisa says
Holy moly!!!! I baked these today to take to our Thanksgiving feast (along with your low carb skillet bread to make my dressing) and I am in heaven!!! I snuck one piece to make sure my family wouldn’t say “ewwww, you brought something without sugar???” I won’t tell them there’s no sugar and they’re low carb. They will never know. Now, I can have a “sweet” without feeling like crap. These are superb and I can’t thank you enough for all of the work you have done to bring such simple, delicious recipes to the low carb, high fat way of eating. Your recipes are my absolute favorite.
Carolyn says
So glad you like them!
Julie Andrews says
OMG these are amazing! I don’t even like pecan pie and they are so delicious. I used an 8×12 pan because of the reviews saying they were too thick and as a result mine are a tad thin but it’s ok. I think 9×9 would be best.
Erin says
Hi, Carolyn, I’m getting as much done today as I can to be prepared for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I made these pecan pie bars, and they look and smell delicious! I can’t wait to try them! I have a question though. Will they be okay covered and left on the counter overnight, or do I need to refrigerate them? Thanks!
Carolyn says
They will be okay for one day on the counter.
Erin says
Great! Thank you!
Beth Green says
I want to make these for Thanksgiving tomorrow and have all ingredients except almond flour as my grocery store was out. Have you tried substituting coconut flour in the crust and, if so, the same amount?
Carolyn says
No! Sorry, not yelling but coconut flour does not work the same at all. You can maybe find another crust recipe online made with coconut flour and sub that.
Larissa says
That was so good and satisfied my sugar craving during the holidays. Thank you for the recipe!
Barb Campbell says
I just made the chocolate pecan pie bars- delish! I also just bought your book after reading that you’re donating a portion of your proceeds to support kids with type 1. As a parent of a type 1 child, that means so much—thank you.
Carolyn says
Thanks for helping. I hope to raise at least a few thousand!
Kate says
I have sukrin fiber gold. Can I use that in place of the yacoun>
Brenda says
I just made these and baked for a little longer than 25 minutes because they were still pretty light in color and didn’t look very set.. My oven temperature is correct, btw.. I let them cool for over an hour and then tried cutting them. They did not stay together like your picture and are a crumbly mess.. What did I do wrong? I was so looking forward to making these for Thanksgiving.
Carolyn says
I can’t say what you did wrong but did you use all the same ingredients? What sweetener did you use? What almond flour?
miranda says
I made these last weerk and I absolutely love them. I never naked a bottom like this one so I didn;t know if it should be crumbly after baking, baked it longer till it was pretty brown but firm. I used another sweetener because we don’t have swerve here, it tasted very very sweet (but that was before baking) but it was too die for after baking. Because the bottom was still too crumbley to cut in pieces, I had to scoop it out of the tray so It al fell apart an d crumbled too pieces, but I save it anyway, put it in th fridge and now I eat a tablespoon of tis every day and it’s SOOO GOOOD!!!!!!!!! I am not telling anyone that this is in the fridge because i don’t want it all too be gone when I come home after work. I’ll make another one for the rest, but this one is definately a keeper!!
I did’nt use glycerine as we don’t have that here, also didn’t use molasses but some thick sugar free maple syrup, also worked fine.
Carolyn says
Glad you liked it!