Vegan dark chocolate pecan pie with a grain-free crust, a Medjool date-sweetened filling, and plenty of dark chocolate chunks. A decadent holiday pie!
Today on Instagram I stumbled across a quiz with deep questions, like…
Coffee or tea? (Matcha, obviously.)
Breakfast or Brunch? (Breakfast is the best meal of the day!)
Cake or Pie? (Hmmm…)
Now this is a tough one, guys, but, when pressed by the bold letters of the quiz screenshot, I had to say pie.
There’s just something about warm filling inside a crispy triangle crust that just GETS ME.
Particularly if it’s this Vegan Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie.
This decadent pie needs to make an appearance on your holiday dessert table this year!
It’s made with just seven ingredients while being oil-free, gluten and grain-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free.
The Perfect Plant-Based Pie for Thanksgiving
Do you know what you’re bringing to Thanksgiving dinner yet?
Or maybe you’re hosting.
What’s on the spread?
I honestly still haven’t decided what I’m bringing to my parents’ this year, but it will most likely be something sweet.
Have you had any pie requests?
Well, if anyone happens to ask, “Chocolate or Pecan?” this holiday season you can grin and whip out this recipe.
It’s combines two of my favorite holiday flavors into one rich pie made with real food ingredients.
What You Need to Make Grain-Free Pie Crust
You only need three ingredients to make this vegan, gluten, and grain-free pie crust.
Pecans, dates, and unsweetened shredded coconut.
For the best texture, process the pecans and coconuts separately from the dates, then add in the dates to form a sticky dough.
Press the crust texture into a parchment lined pie pan and push up on the sides with your fingers to create a crust.
It doesn’t need to be perfect– a rustic look is OK here!
Ensure that the crust isn’t too crumbly and thin at the edges or the pie crust will burn.
How to Make the Pecan Pie Filling
The pecan pie filling is as simple as the crust, sweetened with Medjool dates and dark chocolate chunks.
Rinse out the same blender you used to create the pie crust and add in dates, unsweetened almond milk, and arrowroot starch.
If you’re never worked with arrowroot starch, it’s an excellent vegan and gluten-free thickener to help our pecan pie achieve a thicker texture.
You can also use corn starch as a thickener if you don’t have arrowroot starch on hand.
Blend the filling until you have a thick smooth paste, then add in half of the pecans.
Pulse them several times to roughly chop, but don’t pulverize!
Some pecans chunks are necessary for the right pecan pie texture.
Stir in the chocolate chips and your pie filling is ready to pour over the crust.
Add Chocolate Chips
Smooth the filling over the pie crust in an even layer with a spatula.
Now it’s time to get fancy.
Use the remaining whole pecan halves and dark chocolate chunks to create a design on your pie top.
You can also dump them on freestyle if you’re more of a free spirit, but I like to use mine as excuse to get artsy.
You’re going to love the way Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Baking Gems accent the pecans halves for the geometric pie art pattern!
Press them into the pie filling gently and then you’re ready to bake.
How to Bake Vegan Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie
You’ll want to watch the pie closely while baking.
I found that the 30 minute mark was about the perfect time for the pie to bake in my gas oven.
You want the pie edges to be crispy and golden browned but not burnt.
The pecan pie filling center should be slightly firm to the touch, but will continue to firm up and set as the pie cools.
While you can serve the pie warm, I recommend placing it in the fridge overnight for easier slicing and serving the following day.
If you want the gooey chocolate just-baked vibe, try reheating your slices in the microwave before serving.
How to Serve Vegan Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie
Enjoy this Vegan Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie as a fun nutty chocolatey dessert to share.
It’s a great pie to make ahead and share on the day of an event!
Make one for your family holiday party, corporate Secret Santa, or Friendsgiving.
The pie keeps well in the fridge for several days and frozen for a few weeks.
You can serve it chilled or reheat in the oven or microwave to re-melt the chocolate chips!
For the ultimate treat, try pairing a slice warm with a scoop of dairy-free icecream or coconut whipped cream.
Enjoy!
More Vegan Pie Recipes
-
Vegan Chocolate Pie
-
Pumpkin Pie with Coconola Crust
-
Pecan Pie Bars
-
Butternut Squash Pie with Almond Flour Crust
-
Pumpkin Pie “Cheesecake” Bars
I Want to Hear From You
If you make this Vegan Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe, let me know!
Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.
Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.
Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipes like this one to make later.
Love this post and want more? Go to my homepage and subscribe to get updates delivered right to your inbox!
XO Lauren
Vegan Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8-12 slices
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan dark chocolate pecan pie with a grain-free crust, a Medjool date-sweetened filling, and plenty of dark chocolate chunks. A decadent holiday pie!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 8–10 pitted Medjool dates
Pecan Pie Filling
- 12 pitted Medjool dates (~1 cup)
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3 TBSP arrowroot powder
- 2 cups pecan halves, divided
- 1 cup Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Baking Gems+ more on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a pie pan with parchment paper or lightly grease with coconut oil.
- Combine all crust ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until you have a sticky ball.
- Press the crust mixture firmly into the pie pan, pressing up on the sides with your fingers to create the crust.
- Rinse out the blender and add the Medjool dates, almond milk, and arrowroot powder to the bucket. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed to create.
- Add 1 cup of the pecan halves and pulse several times to roughly chop them. Fold in Dark Chocolate Baking Gems.
- Spread the filling into the crust in an even layer and place the remaining pecans and extra dark chocolate gems on top and press them in lightly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pecans on top are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing. For the best results, transfer pie to the fridge to cool overnight and slice and serve the following day.
- Store leftover pie covered in the refrigerator for up to one week and reheat before serving, if desired.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven-Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Oil-Free
This post is brought to you by Hu Kitchen, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!
I was so excited to finally have pecan pie again. When I saw this post I knew I had to make it!
I was hesitant in mixing pecan pie and dark chocolate so I tweaked the recipe a bit. I also made it into “personal” size pies as I couldn’t wait till Thanksgiving to dig in!!
For the crust I just used a cupcake pan and pressed the crust into the greased rounds. I did make about 1.5 times the amount that the recipe called for.
For the filling I just did the same thing- making about 1.5 times the amount.
I cooked for about 20 minutes. Probably a bit too long. And had to freeze the pies after they cooked to get them out of the cupcake pan without making a crumbly mess!
I did not use any chocolate- I was just going for the traditional pecan pie taste.
AND IT TURNED OUT PERFECT!
Lauren truly nailed the flavor.
I can not wait to make these again.
Hi Jaclyn,
I love that you made these into personal pecan pies! So inventive! Thanks so much for the review and for including your measurements! 🙂
XOXO Lauren
I made this pie yesterday to take with me to my friend’s place as I was invited for dinner. I did not expect the filling of the pie to be so soft, smooth, caramelly & moist! I made cashew whipped cream to go with it but it was not needed. And the crust, OMG softish & crunchy at the same time. Everyone loved it & wanted the recipe. What a real vegan treat! Refined sugar free too. I found it very easy to make & will certainly make it again.
Hi Diane,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and were pleasantly surprised with how delicious it is! I’m so glad to hear that you’ll be making it again. The addition of cashew whipped cream sounds glorious!!!
XOXO Lauren
I made this pie for my husband’s birthday, and he ABSOLUTELY LOVES it! When he ate a piece today, he said, “Honey, when you found this recipe and made this pie, you hit it out of the ball park.”
Lauren, thank you so much for creating this recipe!
(We’d like to ask you a question- We often use coconut milk for other recipes, so we have it on hand. Could I use coconut milk instead of almond milk in this recipe, and would the pie still be wonderful?)
Hi Delores,
Oh my goodness, I’m so excited that you and your husband enjoyed the pie! It really is a good mixture. 🙂 In regards to your question about coconut milk– yes, but the consistency might be different depending on whether you use canned coconut milk or carton coconut milk. I recommend using a carton OR coconut milk lite from a can to achieve a similar consistency. Hope you can make it again soon!
XOXO Lauren
This is making my mouth water just looking at the pictures! I really want to make this, but was wondering if I could substitute dark chocolate chips for the baking gems and if so what would be the measurement? There is a stevia sweetened brand of chocolate chips I would like to use instead, as the baking gems have coconut sugar, and my husband can’t have that.
Hi Ann!
Yes, you can sub the dark chocolate chips in for Gems. I would use the same amount as listed in the recipe. Let me know how it turns out!
XOXO Lauren