Vegan Pecan Pie Cookies that are just 6 ingredients, dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free and yet, delicious and buttery. Made with just oats, pecans, coconut sugar and maple syrup for the most natural sweetness that will remind you of the flavors from a homemade pecan pie, but with much simpler steps and whole foods.
VEGAN PECAN PIE COOKIES
These 6 Ingredient Vegan Pecan Pie Cookies are unbelievably delicious, shockingly so since the recipe is so simple! This idea popped into my head when I had a sudden craving for pecan pie, but lacked the enthusiasm to do a whole pie. Enter, Pecan Pie COOKIES. So, basically the flavor of the pecan pie in an incredibly, ridiculous easy cookie recipe that is topped with whipped cream, just like a traditional pie!
So, we are celebrating my “return” to blogging today, lol, with these yummy little pie cookies. Also, it’s my birthday tomorrow! I’m turning 25 ;). LOL.
HOW TO MAKE PECAN PIE COOKIES
You only need 6 ingredients for the cookies and the optional, but recommended whipped cream:
- Rolled Oats
- Pecans
- Ground Flaxseed
- Maple Syrup
- Coconut Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
Do you know what the hardest thing to photograph and video is? Anything whipped cream, icy or ice cream. Oh my gosh, it is literally a race against time and since I use different lens and tripods for photos and filming, I had to keep switching while rushing to take pics and filming a video simultaneously…it was one of the hardest shoots I’ve done yet.
But, melted whipped cream or not, it still tastes equally as delicious. Oh my, it was quite yummy “cleaning up” this set, hahaha.
The vegan pecan cookies are topped with the whipped cream and voila, I swear, it’s like eating a pie in your hand, but much easier.
No fork needed! You could leave off the whip cream if you like, as the cookies themselves are really delicious and so buttery. However, the cookies are basic and you won’t get the total insane experience without the whipped cream. I added some extra pecans and freshly ground cinnamon on top…you know, for aesthetics.
Pecans are my favorite nut, so these were certainly a treat. I don’t eat them very often since they are so fattening, so these were thoroughly enjoyed. And before I get any questions on lower fat options or subbing the pecans, just skip the recipe if you don’t want the fat. The cookies require the nuts in this recipe and there is no way around it. I am not fat-free and don’t mind treats every now and then, but if you avoid them, I understand. And when a traditional pecan pie is full of eggs, corn syrup and loads of butter with typically 22g of fat per slice, I feel much better about this treat made from whole foods.
This recipe yields 7 large cookies. It doesn’t seem like much, but they are pretty rich and with the whipped cream on top, it is like a complete dessert, so that is why I didn’t write this as a large batch. Feel free to double the recipe if you like.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
6 Ingredient Vegan Pecan Pie Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (114g) old-fashioned gluten-free rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- 1 cup (120g) raw pecans
- 1 tablespoon (7g) ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons (20g) coconut sugar
- pinch sea salt
- 3 tablespoons (60g) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional topping, but recommended
- So Delicious "Light" CocoWhip
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat and oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Add the oats and pecans to a food processor and process for 15-30 seconds until it is a fine flour and no more whole oats remain. Be careful not to process it into butter though! Pecans have a natural high oil content and will turn moist rather quick.
- Add the flaxseed, coconut sugar and salt and pulse just a few seconds more. Add the syrup and vanilla and process until it forms into thick chunks and then stop. It should stick and hold together when pressed with your fingers. See video for reference.
- Form large balls, using about 3 tablespoons worth of dough, and roll in between your hands until smooth and round. You should make 7 large balls. Place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Press down each cookie to about 1/4 inch thickness and they should be 2 to 2 1/2 inches wide. Piece any cracked edges together.
- Bake for exactly 10 minutes. This will yield a crispy, buttery cookie while still keeping them moist. Let them cool for 10 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack with a papertowel underneath them to drain excess oil. Pecans release their natural oils during baking, so I find cooling them additionally on a papertowel solves this.
- For serving, add the cocowhip right beforehand, as it melts fairly quickly.
Notes
These cookies were too easy to make to turn out so amazingly delicious. Truly, I love how quickly they come together and are relatively low in sugar. I’m not sure if I love the baked cookies as much as the raw cookie dough–both are fantastic. I was glad I had some CocoWhip on hand, so was able to make the cookies as described, and they’re so cute and a perfect holiday cookie, and my new holiday tradition. Thanks so much!
This thrills me to hear Margaret, thank you so much!!
Looks amazing. Wonder if you can use a matshmellow on top?
Probably yes!!
What binds the cookies together?
Just enough sweetness to satisfy my craving. Love the simplicity of this recipe!
Wonderful to hear Jenny!
Hi, Any other flours that you recommend other than oat?
It doesn’t always agree with me.
Thanks! 🙂
Spelt is the closest to oat flour!
Hi Brandi, would you happen to know how long these can be kept for? Either in the refrigerator or airtight at room temp. I would like to make them for a friend who intends to have one for breakfast everyday. Perhaps on the 5th day onwards they would need some additional toasting? Thanks!
Is there something else I can use instead of ground flaxseed?
Sorry just seeing this! You can try ground chia seed, but I’ve not tried it, so not sure how it compares!
These cookies have become my family’s favorite! I always have the ingredients on hand, and to just use a food processor and not have to mix dough by hand makes it soooo easy. Because I’m not very good at measuring seven equal portions, I use a 1/8 cup measure, which makes 9 cookies and a little leftover to put right into my mouth (before baking). I’m sorry if I’ve already posted a previous five star review for these… I just get so excited every time I bake them, I want to post a new review!
Laurel, never apologize for posting more reviews, I LOVE reading them, I promise! This is why I blog, to share my creations, so to read feedbacks from you lovely readers, always makes my day! I’m so happy these are you family’s favorite, thank you so much for sharing!
I made these a few nights ago. My husband and I don’t eat sweets very much, but we’d been craving cookies. I studied your cookie recipes over a few days, made a list of all the ingredients for ALL your cookies, and went shopping at four different grocery stores to gather everything. Each of your recipes that I’ve tried have been delicious, and I’ve learned a lot from you, so I was trusting that all your cookie recipes would also be great. This was my first vegan cookie, and it was a smashing success! My husband and I loved them! Tonight I’m going to make the lemon cookies. Good thing it’s hiking season, so we won’t gain weight, because i’m going to make all your cookie recipes, one by one! I didn’t notice one on your blog, but I am going to be searching for a giant cookie recipe, along with icing for decorating. Thanks so much for all the effort you put into creating simple vegan recipes. I’m a huge fan of yours.
You are so very kind Laurel! Thank you! I’m so honored you want to make every single cookie recipe and that you and your hubby loved these! Yes, I do have a giant cookie recipe here: https://thevegan8.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookiecakes/
I used regular sugar with these and they were so amazing. I love how FAST these came together. This is a cookie if you need a dessert in a hurry. And if you don’t have a topping – just eat them without. They are amazing with my tea today!
So happy to hear you loved these Dee! Sounds amazing served with tea!
All a sistah can say, is, these are super dope! I just made these with a couple of changes. I used organic cane sugar, local Wisconsin honey and no vanilla extract. The reason is because I didn’t have anymore coconut sugar, maple syrup or vanilla. However, like I stated above these are super dope! They taste so delicious. Oh yeah, I made some cream cheese frosting to put on top. My husband and children were super elated. Again, super dope and super delicious. I can’t wait to try them with the original ingredients.
I was looking for a simple, no nuts no nut butters etc choc chip cookie for five year old grand son. I modified this:
No pecans
1.5 cup cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dark choc chips
1/4 cup brown rice flour
(and 1/4 cup soy milk – not sure about this though)
HE LOVED THEM and he stole 3 of them and they were all over his face! Too many choc chips!
So next I am going to reduce the choc chips, increase the rice flour and increase total ingredients by 1/3 as it only made 6 and we need way more!
Thank you Brandi 🙂
Haha, that’s a totally different recipe, but glad he loved them!
Excited to try these. Curious if subbing dates for the coconut sugar + maple syrup might give similar results. If no one has tried it or has an educated guess, I’ll try it and report back! 🙂
Hi Danielle! Dates are a much different texture, much thicker, stickier and chewier. They wouldn’t yield the same result as the maple syrup and sugar in the science of baking. The sugar and syrup gives a nice crispy texture to the cookies, whereas dates would make them much softer/chewier and since I never use dates and they aren’t a liquid, I wouldn’t know how to tell you how much you would need since they are so different. Of course you can always experiment but I just can’t say what kind of result they would give.
Thanks so much for the response, Brandi! I love learning bits about baking science from your recipes. I did try them, subbing 1 date for 1 tbsp coconut sugar or maple syrup as a benchmark (erring on the less sweet side). They would probably not have been sweet enough for most folks, but the less-sweetness worked for me, and they did retain enough of the crumbly, “pecan sandy” texture to hit the spot (for me). 🙂 As I have not tried your recipe as written I can’t compare them (yet!).
Hi there,
I can’t wait to try making these this weekend! I was wondering, do you think I could toast the pecans first in a dry skillet before adding them to the food processor, in order to bring out the flavor?
Most cookie recipes I use tell me to roast the nuts first, so I just wanted to see your thoughts on whether that would be a good idea for this recipe.
Thank you!
Hi! No need to do that for these cookies since they are ground into a flour base. Usually if that is mentioned it is because the nuts are remaining whole. You don’t want to roast these first because that will release a lot more oil and make the “flour” too wet. These cookies are absolutely delicious and full of a buttery pecan flavor (since they have so much pecans) so you don’t need to do it here.
Made these for a WFPB cookie-swap and almost half of us showed up with Vegan 8 cookies to share!! <3 It was a fun and unexpected way to get to enjoy so many Vegan 8 treats—all delicious, and have already made some more for ourselves!
Haha, no way, that is too funny! That is awesome!
Hi , I’m 11 and love to cook, made these cookies , and instead of maple syrup i used macadamia milk and a little oat flour ( did not do the pulsing ) sticks in nice little cookies!
Yum!
—Dev
Hi Dev! Aww, so glad you enjoyed these cookies! Thank you for making them!
Just made these cookies for the first time and they are amazing! No need to ever make pecan pie again! I decided to ice them with your icing recipe from the oatmeal cookies recipe and then sprinkled with pecan pieces.
I’m so very happy you loved these Nina, thank you so much for making them and sharing your pic on FB, they looked amazing!
These were really really good! I am not sure we have the cococream here in the great white north but I happened to have a bit of light cool whip which worked and then I switched to almond ice cream. Yumm! I confess I also ate a couple as is and they were good too!
So happy to hear they were such a hit!!
Great ! innovative recipe ! children will surely enjoy it !
That is so sweet, thank you so much!! My daughter sure does!