Healthy Mini Pecan Pies
These Healthy Mini Pecan Pies are the perfect treat for the holidays. These mini pies are naturally vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free!
How to make pecan pie healthy
With Thanksgiving coming up soon I thought it would be the perfect time to share a healthy pecan pie recipe, in miniature form!
Pecan Pie is one of those delicious Fall desserts we all love. But pecan pie can also be PACKED with sugar and not so good for you ingredients.
So if you’re looking for an alternative and want pecan pie that is not only healthy but also easy to make, vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free, this is it! Also be sure to check out these healthy pecan pie bars!
The trick to making these pecan pies healthy, is using an oat-based crust and creating a “caramel” from medjool dates.
This also takes out all the stress from having to make actual pie crust. For this recipe, the crust is just made by blending a few ingredients together in a food processor.
How to make this recipe
Start by blending the crust ingredients together in a food processor. You want the mixture to still have a bit of texture to it, but stick together between your fingers.
Next spoon some of the mixture into mini tart pans and press down to fill the bottom of the pan. Then pop them in the oven.
While the crusts bake, make the date caramel by blending the ingredients together in a food processor. Then scoop a spoonful of the caramel onto each tart. Top with a pecan.
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
- You can make the crust and filling for these healthy mini pecan pies in advance and then put them together right before serving. This can help you save time in your preparation.
- You can use mini tart pans like these or these.
- If you don’t have tart pans, you can also use a muffin pan with muffin liners and just press the batter into the bottoms of each mold.
- Make sure to use Medjool dates in this recipe for best results. Regular dates won’t blend as well and turn into caramel.
- If you’d like to make this recipe entirely grain-free, you can substitute almonds in place of the oats. Simply grind up the almonds into an almond meal and use them in place of the oats. You can also substitute any sticky sweetener for maple syrup. (Though maple syrup and pecans are a match made in heaven if you ask me!)
More healthy desserts to try
If you tried these Healthy Mini Pecan Pies or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
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Healthy Mini Pecan Pies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 16 mini pies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Healthy Mini Pecan Pies are easy to make, vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free!
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 cups oats (gluten-free)
- 1 cup pecans
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- pinch of salt
Caramel Filling
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
- 6 tbsp almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- pecans to top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a food processor, pulse the oats, pecans, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt together until combined.
- Scoop a spoon of the mixture into a mini tart pan (2-3 inches diameter) and press down firmly with your hands.
- Bake in the oven for 7-9 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and let cool.
- In a food processor or high-speed blender, mix together the dates, almond milk, vanilla and salt until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed.
- Use a knife to spread some of the caramel filling onto each pie and top each pie with a pecan.
Notes
You can make the crust and filling for these healthy mini pecan pies in advance and then put them together right before serving. This can help you save time in your preparation.
You can use mini tart pans like these or these.
If you don’t have tart pans, you can also use a muffin pan with muffin liners and just press the batter into the bottoms of each mold.
Make sure to use Medjool dates in this recipe for best results. Regular dates won’t blend as well and turn into caramel.
If you’d like to make this recipe entirely grain-free, you can substitute almonds in place of the oats. Simply grind up the almonds into an almond meal and use them in place of the oats. You can also substitute any sticky sweetener for maple syrup. (Though maple syrup and pecans are a match made in heaven if you ask me!)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/16th recipe
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 12g
- Fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 4g
Find it online: https://choosingchia.com/healthy-mini-pecan-pies/
Leave a comment and rating!
25 comments on “Healthy Mini Pecan Pies”
Welcome! Hi, I’m Jess!
Choosing Chia is a blog all about healthy vegetarian recipes that are easy to follow, taste delicious and focus on wholesome ingredients. I started the blog after a spontaneous trip to India where I studied the practice of yoga and wellness.
So delicious. I made these for thanksgiving and again for Christmas. I had to add more almond milk to the topping and more coconut oil and maple syrup to the crust so they would come together each time. They have a perfect amount of sweetness. They are so good, they really don’t make you miss the original pecan pie.
So happy you enjoyed them!
How can the crust be made oil free?
Hi Annie, I haven’t tested out an oil free version so i can’t say if it’ll work for sure, you could try applesauce though.
Love this recipe so much! Have made it several times. My husband loves Pecan pie, and he loves these little pies! We use a mini cupcake pan, and then use a bottle lid to press the crust into the bottom. The lid is the perfect size to allow the crust to squish up along the sides of the mini cupcake pan, making a perfect mini crust all around.
Thanks Liz! So happy to hear you like it 🙂
can you freeze the tart base crust?
These sound so so good! I just wonder if they freeze well? I am just making them as we speak. Can’t wait to taste them..
happy holiday season!
Hi Martine, these don’t freeze well, I wouldn’t recommend it as they will likely fall apart after freezing
Made these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit! SO delicious 🙂
So happy you liked the recipe Lindsay!
Love this recipe! If I made it as a whole pie and pressed the crust into a 10inch spring form would it hold up? Looking forward to sharing it with my family!
Hi Frederica, it should work as a whole pie, I would recommend adding the date spread at the last minute though so it doesn’t become soggy
Such a good recipe! So simple and delicious. These are also perfect because they can be made ahead and are the perfect size (I’ve always found pecan pie too sweet to eat an entire slice, and never popular enough to justify getting a whole pie.). My family agreed that this was a great addition to our dessert table. P
Thank you!
Pecan pie is my FAVOURITE! But I usually see it as a special indulgence, and so the fact that a healthy version now exists (Thank-you, Jess!) I mean, #GIMME ?
One of my favourites too! And yes, these ones are even healthy enough for breakfast 🙂
Hey Jess! The crust reminds me of granola and the filling looks so good!!! They must be awesome!
Thank you so much! They’re similar to a granola in a crust form! Very healthy and also delicious 🙂
Wow, these look so tasty and really simple to make. I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually had a pecan pie, I’m pretty sure I’d like it and that filling looks way too good to resist.
Thanks, Rosie! They’re really easy to make and the caramel filling is so yummy! I usually make some extra and put it on oatmeal or chia pudding as a topping
This caramelly filling looks delicious! I’m actually not a pecan pie fan but I think I would be a fan of these! They look delicious!
Thanks Maria! You can make the crust with almonds instead of pecans if you prefer too!
The cuteness. It’s almost too much for me to handle. But so delicious that I can’t help but handle it. Need to try these!
thanks Karly, thank you! They’re the perfect little bite-sized dessert when you don’t want too much 🙂