Keto Pecan Pie Bars
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These keto pecan pie bars feature a thick and buttery shortbread base with a gooey, crunchy pecan caramel topping. They’re pure decadence and only 2 grams of net carbs!
Why I love this recipe
Come the holiday season, my family swarms the dessert table for keto pumpkin pie. Meanwhile, I patiently wait for my chance to snag some low carb pecan pie bars!
Inspired by my keto pecan pie, I wanted to make a more convenient bar version. The sweet caramel flavor, buttery shortbread crust, and crunchy pecans remain the same, as does the extremely low carb count. Here’s why I love it:
- Easy to make in advance. You can make these bars up to three days in advance, and they still taste fresh. I just bring them to room temperature before serving.
- Perfect for sharing. Have you ever tried to cut a pie into more than 8 slices? It’s not pretty. Bars, on the other hand, are easy to slice and serve.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“These were the best keto pecan pie bars recipe I’ve ever made!“ – Olga
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Coconut flour. My preferred alternative flour for a thick, crumbly, cakey crust. I tested this recipe with almond flour, and it kind of was a little gritty, so I strongly preferred the coconut version.
- Keto maple syrup. Provides sweetness and binds the shortbread base. I prefer to make my own, but store-bought also works.
- Coconut oil OR butter. This binds the crust, adds a ‘buttery’ flavor, and serves as the base for the caramel sauce. Use refined coconut oil for zero coconut flavor.
- Pecans. I purchased whole pecans (which are cheaper) and roughly chop them myself.
- Granulated sweetener. I used Swerve brown sugar substitute, but you can also make my keto brown sugar or use allulose.
- Vanilla extract. A touch of vanilla elevates the other flavors.
- Salt. Just a pinch to balance the sweet ingredients.
How to make keto pecan pie bars
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
Step 2- Make the crust. Mix the flour, syrup, and coconut oil in a large bowl until crumbly but firm. Transfer to the lined baking pan and press into it. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden.
Step 3- Make the pecan topping. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the syrup, coconut oil, sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Stir until the sweetener dissolves. Once the mixture bubbles, add the pecans and cook for 1 minute.
Step 4- Add the topping. Remove the pan from the oven and pour the caramel mixture on top. Spread into an even layer and bake for 5 minutes or until the topping bubbles.
Step 5- Cool, chill, and slice. Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Once cool, refrigerate for an hour, then slice into bars.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Try not to overbake the bars. If you overbake the pecan bars, the caramel will become chewy, and the crust will be too crumbly. Bake the bars only until the caramel bubbles.
- Be patient. The bars will be pretty gooey when they come out of the oven, and they’ll need that hour in the fridge to firm up, so don’t skip that step!
- Use a sharp, slightly wet knife to cut the bars. I like to run my knife under hot water, dry it quickly, and then slice. Repeat this between each slice for smooth, even cuts.
Storage and make-ahead instructions
To store/make ahead: Place the leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
To freeze: Wrap the leftover bars in parchment paper, then place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to six months. Let the bars thaw in the fridge overnight.
More holiday keto desserts
Keto Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the shortbread crust
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 3 tablespoon keto maple syrup See post for substitutions
- 1/3 cup coconut oil can substitute it for butter
For the gooey pecan topping
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 5 tablespoon keto maple syrup
- 2/3 cup allulose
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your coconut flour, syrup and coconut oil (or butter) and mix well, until crumbly but firm. Transfer to the lined baking pan and press into it. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden.
- While the shortbread is baking, prepare your pecan topping.
- In a small saucepan, on medium heat, heat up the syrup, coconut oil, allulose, and salt. Once the granulated sweetener has become liquid and the mixture begins to bubble, add the pecans and continue cooking for one minute, before removing the from heat.
- Remove the shortbread from the oven and top with the pecan caramel mixture, and spread out to cover the entire shortbread. Bake for an extra 5 minutes, until the topping just begins to bubble- Do not overbake or it will dry out.
- Remove the pecan pie bars from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cool, refrigerate for an hour, to firm up. Slice into bars.
Hi Arman, can you use Becel instead of Butter? Problems with lactose. Thank you. Husband loves pecan pie but is Diabetic. Looking forward to trying.❤️
Hi Simone- I can’t say I’ve tried Becel (or any vegan butter) in this recipe. You could experiment with it and see how it goes?
Is solid or liquid coconut oil best fot this recipe?
Melted is best, or as softened as possible. 🙂
These are great and an easy recipe! A favorite of my friends and family.
I tried an alternative option for Thanksgiving, my family requested pecan” pies. I made the crust with almond flour , press it into nonstick cupcake pan for individual “mini” pecan pies. To the filling I add one egg well beaten, pour it uncooked into the cupcake pan / unbaked almond flour “ cups” . Bake at 350’ 20-30 min. depending on oven temp setting. Done when firm to the touch .
Made perfect Mini pecan pies . Storage same , refrigerate up to 2 weeks and or freeze wrap in parchment paper, put in a sealed freezer container and always a treat.
Can you use something other than the allulose?
Hi Michelle- I did test this recipe with every low carb sweetener available, and only allulose was able to achieve the gooey, sticky topping that traditional pecan pie bars have. While monk fruit will work, it just won’t be gooey and can sometimes be gritty (depending on the brand). Can you tolerate allulose?
I made the pecan bars but the gooey part soaked into the crust what happened
Hi Linda- what sweetener did you use? If it wasn’t allulose, then the gooey part typically does seep into the crust. Let me know and I can troubleshoot for you!
Can you use butter in the pecan topping instead of coconut oil?
Yes, absolutely!
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Didn’t like the base as with just coconut flour it’s a bit dry. I used butter. The filling was amazing. I made two recipes, yours and another. I thought the others filling would be better as it had cream, almond milk, and brown keto sugar plus butter. However, your filling was way better. Going to use their almond meal base and your topping. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the feedback Tanya, I’ll have to do some more testing with almond meal and see if I can improve this one further 🙂
CAN YOU USE WALNUT FLOUR ???
Not instead of the coconut flour. It’s necessary for the crust.
can you substitute monk fruit or another sweetner for allulose
Hi Ashley, yes you can, just try to find a blend that’s designed for baking and make sure it has a similar sweetness to allulose or sugar.
I cant get this recipe to work with coconut oil. The shortbread crumble mix will not bind together. When you say coconut oil 1/2 cup do you mean in its solid state or melted?
Hi Rebecca, the coconut oil should be in its solid state (or you could replace with solid butter). This will be needed to make the crumble mixture support its own shape when pressed into a pan. Hope this helps!
I made these today and the crust was very dry and crumbly when I tried to cut them into bars. I used butter as the fat in the crust. The flavor is good, but they are too dry to eat. Just crumble into dust! Did I do something wrong?
Hi Katie- thanks so much for the feedback, I appreciate it. It sounds like it’s the brand of coconut flour you used- A few brands are significantly more absorbent than others, which can use the crust to be super dry. It’s an easy fix, though. Next time, just add some extra liquid (water or milk) until it’s more on the smooth side. Using butter instead of coconut oil is completely fine.