These Keto Pecan Pie Bars are so gooey and decadent, you won’t believe they’re sugar free! There’s a reason readers love them! And with 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 sweet gooey pecan perfection.
This really is one of my holiday favorites, and they give my Keto Pecan Pie some stiff competition. One bite and you will see why they’ve been so popular for years and years. Because no one should have to go without such deliciousness in their lives.
I’ve long said that the greatest joy for me is taking an old favorite and making it low carb and sugar-free. These Keto Pecan Pie Bars are the perfect example of such joy.
Why this recipe is so amazing
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, low carb 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.
But it was time to give them another update. Because once again, the keto universe is changing. And I’ve learned a lot working with different keto sweeteners and different techniques.
Some of you will notice that this recipe is a little different now. Trust me, this update makes them even better than ever. They’re easier to make and have even more rich pecan pie flavor.
I used my favorite Keto Pie Crust for the shortbread base, and a slightly modified version of my famous Keto Caramel Sauce in the filling. I also added more chopped pecans because you can never have enough pecans.
The chocolate chips are optional but I think it takes these bars over the top!
Reader Reviews
“Very delicious, love the caramelised filling. I live in England and thought it would be a struggle to achieve perfect taste due to difference in ingredients but it’s absolutely delicious. Thank you.” — Silvija
“These were absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Definitely will be making them again and again!!” — Karen L.
“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.” — Raechel
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: I used almond flour for the crust but you could also use pecan flour. It would go very well with these bars! I used it in my Keto Caramel Cheesecake Bars.
- Sweetener: You do need a mix of sweeteners for this recipe. The crust requires an erythritol sweetener, and the filling requires brown sugar substitute and allulose. Please see the Tips for Success section for more information.
- Butter: Butter is an essential ingredient in both the crust and the pecan filling.
- Heavy whipping cream: Heavy cream helps give the caramel sauce the right consistency.
- Eggs: You will need eggs to help set the filling and create a gooey pecan pie filling.
- Pecans: You can’t have pecan pie bars without pecans! I recommend chopping them up a little to make the bars easier to cut.
- Dark chocolate chips: I love the addition of chocolate chips in these bars. But if you prefer to omit them, I recommend adding another ⅓ cup of pecans to take their place.
- Pantry staples: Vanilla extract and salt.
Step-By-Step Directions
1. Prepare the crust: Whisk together almond flour, sweetener, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
2. Par-bake the crust: Press evenly into the bottom of a lightly greased 9-inch square pan and bake at 325ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden. Remove and let cool in the pan.
3. Prepare the caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar replacement, and allulose. Bring to a boil and cook 2 to 3 minutes, keeping a close eye on it so that it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and add the cream. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.
4. Whisk in the eggs: Once the caramel sauce is cool, whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.
5. Bake the bars: 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 but still jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken.
6. Let cool: Remove and let cool for about 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
Tips for Success
I highly recommend a metal baking pan for these bars to bake through properly and for the crust to firm up. Just know that if you use glass or ceramic, they may not turn out quite as well.
You can also use an 8×8-inch baking pan, but 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.
If you would prefer to skip the chocolate chips, I recommend adding another ⅓ cup of chopped pecans to help give the filling the right volume.
Sweetener Options
This recipe uses a combination of erythritol and allulose based sweeteners. Erythritol is required important the crust if you want it to firm up properly. The filling takes a combination of a keto brown sugar (made with erythritol) and allulose, to keep it gooier.
If you can’t get allulose, you can use xylitol instead. You can also use mostly allulose in the filling, but it may have a different consistency and not set for a long time. I also find that there is a slightly sour taste when I make my caramel sauce with just allulose, and I don’t enjoy it.
Read more about how keto sweeteners work.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Many readers have had good luck freezing these bars. I recommend storing them between layers of waxed paper so they don’t stick together. They will be good for 2 or 3 months.
This keto chocolate ricotta cake recipe has 4.9g of carbs and 2.2g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.7g net carbs per bar.
More delicious keto pecan recipes
Keto Pecan Pie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup granular sweetener (erythritol-based)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
Pecan Pie Filling
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar replacement
- ¼ cup allulose
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup pecans chopped
- ¼ cup sugar free chocolate chips
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and lightly grease a 9-inch square metal baking pan.
- Whisk together almond flour, sweetener, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake at 325ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden. Remove and let cool in the pan.
Pecan Pie Filling
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar replacement, and allulose. Bring to a boil and cook 2 to 3 minutes, keeping a close eye on it so that it doesn't burn.
- Remove from heat and add the cream. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.
- Once the caramel sauce is cool, whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.
- 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 but still jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken.
- Remove and let cool for about 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
Deborah says
Ok, I just made these. They are delicious. You are a goddess in the kitchen! Better than many a restaurant-ordered ‘real’ pecan pie. I think mine may be a bit soft, so next time I’ll pop them in for a bit longer but I don’t care, they are divine!
Faye says
First these we’re amazing! Made them today and took them to thanksgiving day party. Needless to say the non low carbers kept them!, I did a little different because I didn’t want the grit from the swerve: Caramel: 1/4 cup swerve, 1/4 cup xylitol honey, 1/4 cup xylitol granule, 1/4 cup tagatose. Boiled like you did and the rest!, The filling stayed custard like…. Much like traditional pecan pie!,, So darn yummy!, Next time I’ll try without the tagatose.
Rachel Bridge says
I made these exactly like the recipe and they were a huge hit at Thanksgiving. People didn’t even know they were low carb!
Kristyl Downey says
The Chocolate Pecan Bars are great! Not too sweet like a pecan pie. I had mine with a little whipped cream. Delicious!
Robin says
Please answer whether I can make these w/o glycerin. What diff would it make? Help please.
Carolyn says
Hi Robin,
Please see the notes above the recipe. Yes, you can, but you may find your filling more gritty after it cools.
Gina says
I was reading through some of the previous comments and noticed the ones about using Swerve or other sweeteners, and specifically about the Swerve possibly being “gritty”. I just wanted to mention that I used Swerve Confectioner’s style sugar in the recipe because I am not fond of the gritty texture of Swerve granular. The recipe turned out awesome. Both my husband and my mom who aren’t huge fans of LC desserts thought it was delish! 🙂
Carolyn says
Great tip, thanks!
Gina says
What is your recommendation for storing these? I just have them in a plastic container on my kitchen counter. Do they need to be refrigerated? Any idea how long they keep? Thanks for such a GREAT recipe!!!
Carolyn says
I kept mine on the counter for 2 days. MOre than that and I think you should probably refrigerate.
Angela says
Thanks for the recipe! I’m an whole foods eater and I don’t have gluten allergies, but I will happily use your filing recipe so thank you very much for that! I have found an awesome caramel sauce using just butter, pure maple syrup and full fat coconut milk, but I’m still searching for the perfect crust, but it’s a start 🙂
miriam says
perfect.. i needed another dessert for Thanksgiving!
Kristen says
These look delicious, I have to admit I’m not familiar with some of these ingredients though. I’ll have to research them a bit 🙂
Dian Bennett says
I don’t ever win anything, so that is not my reason for commenting. However, I think this is a great way to raise money for the food bank.
Katie Jan says
OH MY! Pecan pie is my absolute favorite dessert although I always used to make it less sweet. This looks amazing. Do you know how far ahead you can make these? Do they freeze well without losing anything in the ‘thaw.’
Thank you for your generosity to the Food Bank. I’m very sure it will be greatly appreciated!
Carolyn says
I don’t know about freezing because I didn’t try it. They will probably lose a little bit of their gooeyness.
Tamara says
Katie – did you ever try freezing these? I want to make as many things ahead of time and thought about freezing them too. Just wanted to know if you did freeze them how they turned out. Thanks!
Rebekah says
I LOVE seeing yummy caramel pecan recipes without corn syrup or yucky things like that!! Thank you for posting!
Stacey says
This looks so yummy!! Perfect for Thanksgiving. =)
Sula says
I have been a low carber for many years, and now do “Keto”. I came to you’re blog thru Maria’s mind body health blog. I found this recipe, and read it… and thought hmmmm that’s a lot of ingredients and a lot of work. Swerve is very hard to find here and glycerin… who knows. So, I made it. BUT I doubled everything. I thought what the heck if I’m grinding up all those almonds and making sauce, might as well go BIG… so 9×15. next time I will more than double the crust though. Anyway the non low carb husband is trying to eat it all and I am not far behind. EXCELENT recipe and post. love your blog. Thank you for all the effort you put into it, and the sharing of your great recipes. Sula
Carolyn says
Thanks, Sula. I know this particular recipe takes a lot of different things that are hard to get, but it’s definitely worth it!
Terri says
This will be the desert I bring to the table this Thankgiving. Thank you for this treat! Happy turkey eats 😉
mindy says
I love chocolate, I love pecan pie! I don’t eat sugar soooo, this is a for sure part of my holiday celebrations! Thank you for this recipe!
michelle G says
thanks for the recipe!
Pamela says
Hi there and thanks again for this recipe! I will try the filling to make butter tarts but I am trying to decide what to substitute for raisins. Can you tell me what the difference is between unsulphered molasses and regular molasses/ black strap and the reason for using it? Will it change the taste or texture if you substitute it and is it something you can get all over US/Canada? Thanks and great cause as well!
Marlene says
Thank you so much for this website, switching to gluten free baking can be such a daunting task with so many new ingredients. Your site is so helpful and informative. Thank you for being such a blessing to me. Definitely am going to try those bars, YUM!