Try these easy keto pecan pie bars with a French twist! They have an almond flour shortbread crust and a soft pecan filling. Even better, they are only 2.5g net carbs per bar.
As soon as autumn begins, I start craving the buttery, mellow flavours of pecan pie. And this is exactly where this recipe comes in. With only 10 minutes prep and 30 minutes of oven time, it is a quicker and simpler version of my Keto Pecan Pie!
I served these gluten-free keto pecan bars to American friends recently who absolutely loved them. There was not a single crumb left at the end of the afternoon!
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Why This Recipe Works
I lived in the United States for a while, so I have first-hand expertise in baking authentic Thanksgiving cakes, pies and bars. However, this recipe is not only buttery, nutty, sweet and delicious... it is exciting because it has a French twist!
Well, instead of simply topping the pie crust with pecan halves and caramel as you would for classic pecan pie, I made a pecan frangipane. Frangipane is a traditional French pastry cream containing ground nuts, butter, egg and sugar (in our case, sweetener).
It really makes the bars taste so delicious. Let's take a look at the ingredients:
Ingredients
- Pecans - I bought pecan halves. I grind some into a flour and use the rest for topping the bars.
- Almond flour or ground almonds - for the crust
- Egg - should be room temperature
- Butter - very soft for the crust and melted for the filling
- Sweetener - I used allulose, but a golden monk fruit sweetener would also be delicious.
- Salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract and almond extract - For autumn flavour!
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
It is really easy to make keto pecan pie bars.
First, you'll want to preheat the oven and line a rectangular baking pan (mine measured 25 x 15 cm) with parchment paper.
Step 1: Place the almond flour, sweetener and salt in the food processor and pulse briefly.
Step 2: Add the soft butter and egg and blend until the mixture forms a ball. Alternatively, stir together with a fork in a bowl, then knead until a smooth dough.
Step 3: Press the dough into the cake pan with your hands. Option to roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper and have it thinner, reaching up the sides of the pan like a pie.
Step 4: Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden, stirring continuously. Let it cool to lukewarm.
Step 5: Next, blend the pecans in a food processor to a flour. Add the cooled browned butter, sweetener, egg and egg yolk, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.
Step 6: Add the filling on top of the crust and smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
Step 7: Last, top with pecan halves and bake for 30 minutes or until browned. You want the top to be firm, but the inside to be still jiggly.
Expert Tip
The bars are very fragile straight out of the oven. Let them cool completely before cutting!
Recipe FAQs
It's possible to pre-bake the crust for 12 minutes if you want it extra crisp. I've omitted this step because I wanted to keep the recipe as simple as possible.
I made a test without browning the butter. It works as well. However, I really liked the additional flavor from the browned butter.
No, this would change the recipe too much.
Variations
Get it ready for Christmas: On top of the cinnamon, also add ½ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice and a pinch of cloves.
More pecan flavor: Sub half the almond flour in the base for pecan flour.
Make it dairy-free: For a dairy free version, swap out the butter for coconut oil.
Add a streusel topping: Hold back ⅓ of the base mix. Make a thinner crust with ⅔ of the mix (it'll still be plenty) and crumble the rest on top of the frangipane filling.
Add a caramel sauce: Make a batch of my Keto Caramel Sauce. Add the pecan halves for the topping and stir, then add on top of the bars.
Or, top the bars with keto candied pecans!
Storage
Refrigerator: Keto Pecan Pie bars are fine at room temperature for a day or two. I always prefer to store them in an airtight container in the fridge - for up to 6 days.
Freezer: Alternatively, freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight.
More Keto Desserts For Fall
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Recipe
Keto Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups almond flour 200g
- 2 tbsp allulose or a brown sugar substitute
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg large, room temperature
- 3 tablespoon butter room temperature
- 1 tsp almond extract optional
Pecan Filling
- ½ cup butter 114g
- 1.5 cups pecan halves 150g
- ⅔ cup allulose 130g, or ½ cup-⅔ cup golden erythritol
- 1 egg large, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin spice mix
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- ½ cup pecan halves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Line a 25x15 cm rectangular pan with parchment paper.
Crust
- Place the flour, sweetener, cinnamon and salt in the food processor and pulse briefly. Add the butter, almond extract and egg and blend until the mixture forms a ball. Alternatively, stir together with a fork, then knead until a smooth dough.
- Press the dough into the cake pan with your hands. (Option to roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and have it thinner, reaching up the sides of the pan like when making a pie.)
Pecan Filling
- Optional step: Brown the butter in a saucepan until golden, stirring continuously. About 5 minutes. Take care that it does not burn! Let it cool to lukewarm.
- Blend the pecans in a food processor to a flour. Add the cooled butter, sweetener, 1 egg and 1 additional egg yolk, vanilla extract and cinnamon and mix until well-combined. Add the filling on top of the crust and smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
- Top with pecan halves and bake for 30 minutes or until browned. You want the top to be set and the inside to be still jiggly. Let cool before cutting.
HP
I have a 4.5"x8.5" loaf pan and an 8x8 square baking dish. One is a little smaller than the pan you use here, one a little larger. Which would you suggest I use? Or should I decrease/increase the recipe to fit? Thank you.
Katrin Nürnberger
What you could do is use the larger pan and then build a barrier with crunched aluminium foil to reduce it down to the same size as mine. Hope that helps!