Vegan Pecan Pie (No Corn Syrup)

If you only make one pie this holiday season, let it be this eggless pecan pie. It's bursting with flavor from maple syrup, brown sugar, and a hint of bourbon.

Just like my pecan cheesecake and pecan pie cupcakes, it makes the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving and the holidays.

two slices of pecan pie on a ceramic plate.

Jump to:

📖 Recipe Overview
📝 Ingredients Needed
🥣 How To Make Vegan Pecan Pie
📝 Recipe Tips
💬 FAQs
🥧 More Vegan Pies
Vegan Pecan Pie (No Corn Syrup)

📖 Recipe Overview

Sweet and Buttery Flavor. The maple caramel filling is sticky and sweet, which pairs so well with the flaky buttery crust.
Crunchy and Sticky Texture. With a delicious crunch from caramelized pecans, it reminds me of maple pecan danishes or sticky buns, in pie form!
Great for Special Occasions. It can be made in advance, ideal for gatherings around the holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and just fall in general.

📝 Ingredients Needed

Here's everything you need to make this vegan pecan pie recipe from scratch:

ingredients for pecan pie measured out in bowls on a peach marble surface.

Ingredient Notes

Soft brown sugar. This is more acidic than regular granulated sugar, which gives a delicious caramelized flavor.
Pure maple syrup. Maple and pecans are a match made in heaven, and the maple flavor in the caramel pie filling really shines through.
Cornstarch. Also known as cornflour, this thickens the filling. You can also use arrowroot powder in its place.
Vegan butter. This forms the base of the caramel filling. It also gives a delicious butter pecan flavor to the pie.
You'll also need a batch of homemade pie crust, which you can prep in advance if you want to save time on the day of baking the pie!

🥣 How To Make Vegan Pecan Pie

Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Prepare the pie crust

The base of this pecan pie is made with my vegan pie crust recipe. Just like for my sweet potato pie you need to blind-bake it before you add the filling.

an unbaked vegan pastry crust in a tart tin with baking weights.

Step 1: Blind-bake the pie crust using pastry weights until lightly golden brown.

Step 2: Toast the pecans in a skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted, for 3-4 minutes. Chop half of the pecans into small chunks, and leave the rest of the pecans whole for the topping.

whisking pecan pie caramel filling in a saucepan.

Step 3: Whisk together the maple syrup and cornstarch in a saucepan until it's completely smooth without lumps. Stir in the vegan butter and brown sugar and keep over medium heat until the butter has melted.

caramel sauce for pecan pie filling in a saucepan.

Step 4: Simmer for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened, then remove it from the heat. Whisk in the coconut cream, Bourbon (or non-dairy milk), vanilla extract, and sea salt, and set aside to cool.

pouring caramel sauce into a pie crust with chopped pecans before going into the oven to bake.

Step 5: Add the chopped pecans to the base of the pie dish, then pour the caramel mixture on top, ensure not to overfill the crust, and leave at least a centimeter for the topping. Arrange the whole pecans on top of the pie, and drizzle any remaining caramel on top of them.

a partially baked pecan pie with a tin foil shield around the edges of the crust to prevent over-browning.

Step 6: Make a pie crust shield (aka. foil tent). Take a sheet of foil that's as long as the circumference of the dish and fold it in half. Carefully place it around the pie dish so that you can turn it in to cover the visible pastry.

📝 Recipe Tips

Blind-bake your crust! I would not recommend trying this recipe without par-baking the pie crust. This is the best way to avoid soggy pie crust, which no one wants!

Don't skip the foil tent. This will prevent the pastry from browning too quickly. Otherwise, it will cook before the pie filling is ready.

Take your pecan pie to the next level by adding a big scoop of homemade non-dairy ice cream, or a dollop of whipped coconut cream before serving.

💬 FAQs

Does pecan pie need to be refrigerated?

Yes and no! Once at room temperature, you should store pecan pie in the fridge if you're not serving it the same day. Preferably in an airtight container or covered with foil, but a cake dome also works.

Because this particular pecan pie is made without eggs or dairy, it's fine to leave it out at room temperature for 4 hours or so.

Can I replace the coconut milk or vegan butter?

I'm often asked whether vegan block butter or coconut milk can be replaced in recipes and the answer is, sometimes!

When it comes to this non-dairy pecan pie though, it's important to stick to the exact ingredients.

As you can see from the image below:
Test 1 used vegan butter only which caused the filling to separate. Test 2 used coconut milk only which looked good, but tasted a little too acidic. Test 3 used a combination of both butter and coconut milk and with a little tweaking turned into the perfect pecan pie filling.