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These Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars taste like pecan pie, with a rich layer of dark chocolate in the middle. You can assemble them in less than 20 minutes, and then they chill to perfection for an easy holiday dessert. No need to turn on your oven!
Why You’ll Love Them
This recipe comes from my first cookbook, and it’s still one of my favorites because it’s so fast and delicious! The crust and crumble are prepared at the same time, so you don’t have to take the extra time to make 3 separate layers.
The crust and crumble layers are also 100% fruit sweetened (using dates!), and the chocolate layer is naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. The beauty of this no-bake recipe is you can taste everything as you go, too.
If the chocolate layer isn’t sweet enough for you, you can always add an extra splash of maple syrup to help sweeten it up. Or, if you want something darker, you can use less maple syrup to begin with. The crust layer will add sweetness to the overall flavor, so you don’t need too much added sweetener in this recipe.
Looking for a more traditional pie recipe? Try my Vegan Pecan Pie or Vegan Pumpkin Pie. Or for a chocolate dessert, try my Vegan French Silk Pie, which tastes like the real thing!
How to Make Them
To make these Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars, you’ll start by pulsing together 4 simple ingredients for the crust.
It may take up to 60 seconds of processing to get the dough to come together. I like to pulse the ingredients several times, to make sure everything gets processed uniformly.
When the dough sticks together between your fingers, it’s ready to go!
Reserve 1 loosely-packed cup of the mixture to save for the crumble topping. The cup does NOT need to be tightly packed, or you’ll have too much topping.
I like some of the chocolate to peek-through in the final bars, so a scant, loosely-packed cup of topping is more than enough. Press the rest of the mixture into the bottom of a lined 8- or 9-inch square dish lined with parchment paper.
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How to Make the Vegan Chocolate Layer
To make the chocolate layer, we’re using my go-to formula for making a chocolate that will harden when chilled.
All you need is 3 simple ingredients to make a homemade chocolate:
- Coconut oil (this hardens when chilled)
- Cacao powder
- Maple Syrup (at room temperature)
Whisk the ingredients together, and you’ll see a magic chocolate sauce come together!
Important Note: For best results, make sure your maple syrup is NOT cold from the fridge. If it is cold, it will thicken the coconut oil when they touch, making it much harder to spread out later. Measure out the maple syrup you need, then let it sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before getting started.
Spread the chocolate layer evenly over the crust in the pan. Then sprinkle the remaining crumble from the cup you reserved over top of the chocolate.
Lightly press the crumble into the chocolate layer, so it will stay in place.
Transfer the pan to the freezer and let it set for 2 hours, until firm. Slice into 16 bars, and store them in an airtight container in the freezer. These bars are best served chilled, because they will get soft at room temperature.
Top with coconut whipped cream if you want to serve these on a plate with a fork!
Ingredients
CRUST AND CRUMBLE TOPPING
- 3 cups raw pecan halves (307 grams)
- 8 soft Medjool dates , pitted (183 grams)
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (40 grams)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (4 grams)
CHOCOLATE FILLING
- ½ cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder (44 grams)
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil (53 grams)
- ¼ cup maple syrup , at room temperature (79 grams)
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. I like to lightly spray the pan with oil, to help the parchment paper stick in place. To prepare the topping, add the pecans, dates, coconut oil, and salt to a food processor fitted with an "S" blade, and process until sticky.
- Reserve 1 loose cup of this mixture for the crumble topping. Press the rest of the dough evenly into the lined baking dish, then set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, prepare the chocolate filling by whisking together the cacao powder, coconut oil, and syrup until smooth. Pour the chocolate filling over the crust and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of crumble over the top of the chocolate layer and use your hands to gently press the topping into the chocolate filling. Place in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Cut them into 16 small squares, then serve chilled. Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months. For a softer texture, you can also store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Do not let these sit out at room temperature for too long, or they'll become too soft to pick up.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try these Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like them! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite holiday dessert? If you love more traditional pie, be sure to check out
I finally got around to making this recipe tonight and it was absolutely delicious!! It was extremely easy to make and took no time at all. I will definitely be making this one again. Thanks for sharing. I need to pick your cookbook up-I can’t wait to see all the other delicious recipes in it.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I tried to make it but I’m stuck – how much should I process the dates, coconut and pecans? They never turned into a “dough that sticks together when pressed between fingers “. They are quite a lot like almond butter now. Did I process too long? Anything I can do? Thanks.
It sounds like you processed too long– it shouldn’t have the texture of almond butter. However, I think if you press it into a lined pan and freeze it, it should still stick together as a crust and crumble (maybe chill the crumble half in the fridge)
Megan your book arrived yesterday and I started at the beginning reading it like a novel…I am on sweet treats now!
I really enjoyed the first two chapters and plan to follow your simple food combining guidelines to improve digestion. The recipes all look delicious and I have made a long list of the ones I want to try right away.
The banana coconut muffins and buckwheat banana bread are both vegan and do not use nut flour so I would love to try them. I can’t eat bananas so is there another fruit that you think would be a good substitute?
Congratulations on your beautiful book!
Congratulations on your book. I am new to your blog (just came here tonight) and have been perusing your articles and recipes which all look wonderful.
I wish I could believe the whole “fats don’t make you fat” statement that I read by so many Paleos because I love healthy fats and would be on;y too glad to include them in my diet, except for one thing: all those fats, from coconut, to avocados to other nuts all make me very ill-as well as most vegetable oils, but to a lesser extent. Sometimes it’s things made with the unhealthy oils that I can actually digest a little better.
I simply can’t figure it out. I did have by gallbladder out a few years ago, but I actually come down with flu-like symptoms like I’ve been poisoned or something. I have tried all those fat enzymes as well as betaine and I get very bad reflux from them.
It seems like I simply cannot digest fats at all. That includes hemp and flax and those fishes that contain the good omegas. When I tell people this, including doctors and nutritionists that are very fat enthusiastic, they simply don’t know how to respond.
Also, the only time I lost weight was when I went very low fat vegan. (Like Forks Over Knives) It is not what I want, but it worked until I start craving more fattening foods like chocolate and chips. (For some reason, Udi’s chips is something I can eat and not feel sick, but I know that cottonseed oil isn’t very good for you.
Have you heard of this before? My daughter is similar in that fats (all those healthy ones) weigh her down and seem to go right onto her body.
I wouldn’t have written to you except that I am more than a little frustrated by this dilemma, and hope that I come across someone who will finally put together the puzzle pieces for me:)
Thanks for reading! You have a wonderful blog and I am finding things that still work for me here. I am also gluten and dairy free!
Hi Michelle! Glad you found my site, and I hope you’ll enjoy some of the recipes. Having your gallbladder removed would most definitely affect your digestion of fats, and it sounds like your body is letting you know what doesn’t work for you. I’m a big believer in listening to your body, so if you find that you feel better taking in less fat, keep doing what makes you feel your best. It’s interesting that you say you don’t do well with fats like avocado or nuts, because I find those fats from whole foods, rather than extracted ones like oils, are usually digested better. It just goes to show how different each individual can be! I hope you will continue to experiment with which foods work best for you.
Thank you for your response. It is strange how that works, It seems like the less my body recognizes it as being a real fat source, the less I react to it. Maybe that is why the more processed (and unfortunately unhealthy) the fat is, the less I experience a volatile reaction to it. I would love to be able to eat avocados, coconuts and nuts with reckless abandonment because they are just soo good, but you are right in saying that we need to listen to our bodies!
Thanks so much for all you do!
Megan, your cookbook could not have come out at a better time! My husband had a heart attack several weeks ago and we’ve been working really hard on making sure that we are eating cleaner. I’ve followed your blog for a while and several of your recipes are staples in our house. I made one of your juices tonight (the one with the beets) and loved it. Tomorrow we are trying the lettuce wraps and the veggie burger is on our to-try list as well. Thank you!
Hi Megan,
I just ordered the cookbook but have not received the bonus offers. Would they show up in my email. Thanks for your help and I cannot wait for the cookbook.
Hi Liz! Just send you proof of purchase to detoxinista@gmail.com to get the free gifts!
I have been away from your site for a few weeks (first trimester exhaustion + full time work + two kids under four = no energy for the interwebz) but I am SO EXCITED to see your cookbook is here! I plan to order it today to support the life-changing work you do. I have been following a vegan diet for almost three years and your site has been a game-changer for my family since I found it about a year ago, in terms of finding healthy food everyone will enjoy. We even had an entirely-Detoxinista Thanksgiving last year and it was amazing. I have kids with food allergies, so your site has been a great resource (and I really value all the reader comments on each recipe). Please keep up the excellent work!!! You are changing lives. Congrats on your book, I hope it finds all the success it deserves!!!
Aw, thank you so much for the kind words and CONGRATS on your pregnancy! I hope you enjoy the recipes in the new cookbook. I wrote most of them when I had a newborn myself, so they’re very user-friendly! Ha ha. 😉
My cookbook arrived the day it was released, and I was so excited I almost hugged my UPS man. 😉 It is an absolutely beautiful book and everything looks amazing! The first recipe I made was the hemp seed ranch and it was the best vegan ranch I’ve had. Right now I’m sipping the chocolate chia shake for breakfast and later on I am going to make the chocolate pecan crumble bars. I convinced my mom to order the cookbook, too, because my dad just found out he needs to follow the food combining method for some problems he is having. 🙂
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes in the book so far! I hope your mom and dad enjoy it, too. <3
Your cookbook was waiting on my doorstep Tuesday, and the first recipe I made was your Creamy Jalapeno Dressing. Very spicy and delicious over my grilled fish that I had over a green salad! Yum! I am looking forward to making the Hemp Seed Ranch dressing for my husband, as he is a huge ranch dressing fan, and I will be making the banana coconut muffins soon, as well. Your Pumpkin Spice Muffins are almost always in my freezer, so I am anxious to give these muffins a try. I also look forward to beginning and following your jump start menu, so I can make and eat your other dressings and salads. Thanks, Megan!
Yay! That’s great to hear. I hope you enjoy the muffins and ranch, too! The ranch has been a very popular one this week. 😉
Congrats Megan! It’s beautiful! My copy arrived yesterday afternoon and finally got to sit down and enjoy flipping thru it with my morning coffee! Just rearranged my weeks meal plan after drooling over of your recipes! 1st up, eggs benedict! Thank you so much for this book, loved the food combining guide as that is a new concept to me.
Thanks, Anna! Hope you enjoy the eggs benedict!
Delicious! Served it over wilted spinach instead of eggplant. Also have tried out the ranch at lunch today (great!) and my daughter and I made the mint chocolate bars….had to take half the pan to some friends so we wouldn’t eat them all and they got rave reviews!