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 1/3 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 1/3 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 1/4 cups (135 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) granular sweetener, (erythritol-based)
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, melted
Pecan Pie Filling
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) brown sugar replacement
- 1/4 cup (45.5 tsp) allulose
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 large (2) eggs
- 1 tsp (1.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1 1/2 cup (148.5 g) pecans, chopped
- 1/4 cup (45 g) 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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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.
Thanks for helping. I hope to raise at least a few thousand!
I have sukrin fiber gold. Can I use that in place of the yacoun>
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.
I can’t say what you did wrong but did you use all the same ingredients? What sweetener did you use? What almond flour?
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.
Glad you liked it!
Do you have to use the yacon syrup. Could I make a simple syrup with the swerve?
No, that’s why it clearly states the the Yacon is optional. A simple syrup with Swerve won’t help replace it.
Hey Carolyn! Love the flavor of these but I’m having a bit of trouble. I did not use the yacon syrup but I don’t think that’s it. Or maybe it is. Anyway, I tried an 8×8 pan and mine are much thicker than yours in the picture. So I did a second batch and used an 8×11.5 pan and they’re still a lot thicker. And neither batch ever really set. They were more like brownies than bars. Any suggestions? As I said, the flavor was great and I really want these to work! Thank you!
Does sound like the pan size is an issue, although the 8×11 should be closer. Possibly your oven runs on the colder side, so they need more time? I can’t account for the thickness, it really shouldn’t be that different from mine.
I’m not sure if someone mentioned this, but do you think there would be any substitite here for the heavy cream? I don’t tolerate cream or cheese well at all, but would love to make these for Thanksgiving –
Thank you!
I can’t be sure but you might be able to do it with full fat coconut milk. Try just using the creamy stuff at the top of the can. It’s worth a try. At the very least, you will have delicious pecan goo. 😉
Carolyn, I have a question about two related recipes — the crust for this and your press-in pie crust. They are almost identical, which makes sense. The major difference is the temperature of the butter — the bar recipe calls for the butter to be chilled, and the pie crust recipe calls for the butter to be melted. I am SO curious about that! How does that difference change the result?
Chilled butter is good for a more shortbread crust. Melted butter works for something that is more pliable, like a press in crust.
Just made these. So good! Several members of my family are diabetic so I will take these to an upcoming family birthday celebration. I always follow your recipes exactly as you write them and I haven’t had a failure yet…nor do I expect to!!
Thanks, Judy!
BTW…I do have your new Cookbook—Beautiful! Have already made Cream Cheese Waffles & Wild Blueberry Syrup. I intend to purchase more books as Christmas presents for friends and family!
Thank you, Judy!
Just made these and they are wonderful. Delicious and easy to make. Love all your recipes.
Call me a cheater but I substituted the sweetener with unprocessed sugar and it was great. Although eating it was a guilt pleasure, the pie bars came out really nice, Carolyn. Also, as mentioned by many here, even I couldn’t find a reliable listing for vegetable glycerine. I skipped it altogether. Do you think you can share an Amazon listing here? Thanks. And yes, up next, I;m going to try your Cranberry Cheesecake recipe. Wish me luck!
The new updated recipe doesn’t use glycerin at all so no need for it!
Oh, these look awesome! I want to make them for my family for Thanksgiving. (They does not eat THM or Paleo.) I don’t have Yacon Syrup – had to look it up! Can I substitute Black Strap Molasses or a caramel sauce? Thank you!!
Yes, molasses would be fine too.
Thank you!
I made this delicious recipe and counted the carbs to verify since my son has T1D.
I came up with 14.7carbs per bar.
Almond flour-43c; Swerve Sweetner=144c; Yacon syrup=9c; Lilly’s dark chocolate=26carbs; pecans=13.7c
Total 235.7carbs ÷ 16 = 14.7
Please clarify how you cam up with 4.92 carbs per bar.
Thank you
Hi Cleo. It’s because you are counting the erythritol in the Swerve and in the Lily’s. Since it has little to no impact on blood glucose, it shouldn’t really be counted as a carb – it’s very misleading if you do count it because then you may do too much insulin. That said, the occasional person does spike with it but most people, diabetics AND those with normal sugars, do not. As a type 2 myself, I barely see it move the needle on my glucometer.
They are delicious! As I mentioned above, I had to sub dark agave syrup for the yacon syrup due to lack of availability, and it worked just fine. Used the same measurement. I made a double batch, too. This is a terrific recipe. It was pretty easy, and the result is eye-appealing and yummy!
Glad you like them!
Yes, I do think it would change the consistency but it’s up to you.
They look amazing! Can’t wait to try them out