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
Oh my gosh, Brandi. These look SO good! What a great idea to top them with ice cream, too. A perfect summery treat.
Thank you so much Becky!
Ha I totally thought that was ice cream on top, not whipped cream with the perfect round scoop look, but fluffy cocowhip sounds even better! And more practical, ice cream would be really hard to eat that way. I actually love the texture of frozen cocowhip too, but that’s besides the point. They are like little personal pies given a totally healthier ingredient makeover and taking a presentation lesson from ice cream sundaes! You should have lazy pie cravings more often 😀 I’ve actually never made a pecan pie because it seems like a lot of work and a lot of high fat ingredients, so this is the perfect cinnamon-filled solution. Oh my gosh, I totally feel you on the photo insanity with frozen things! I have been shooting so many ice creams lately and it’s like ahh do I video first or photo first?? I literally am running all over the place and sweating by the end of it lol. But you nailed it, seriously. The scoops look perfect! And you can’t beat a little hand shot 🙂 I know you said the cookies are not as exciting on their own, but the texture of them looks wonderful. Maple syrup + a nutty-ness is always a marvelous combo. Okay seriously craving this pecan-pie-turned-summery treat now with heaps of cinnamon and don’t mind if I add some strawberries on the side (unconventional, but it just feels right here). LOVE them <3
It totally looks like ice cream and everybody else thought the same thing, LOL! And yes, the cocowhip is much softer, so it works so perfectly on top of the cookie. I nearly died, haha. Yes, you totally feel me on the video thing….especially with all of your ice cream and frozen concoctions you got going on over there 😉
Thank you so much Natalie!!
These cookies look so decadent! I love that Cocowhip on top!
Thank you Sue!
Happy birthday!! I love pecans, too! These look wonderful. Can’t wait to make them. Hope I can find the So Delicious CocoWhip.
Thank you so much Sue! You can find the CocoWhip at Sprouts or Whole Foods!
Welcome back! Thanks for taking the time to create and post these scrumpdiddlyumptious cookies. A pecan pie in cookie format topped with a generous scoop of whipped cream, sprinkled with more pecans and cinnamon?! Seriously salivating here! And happy birthday a little early! It’s my husband’s birthday on Sunday so we’ll be celebrating this weekend too. 🙂
Aww, thank you so much Victoria! You are way too kind. These really are so good! I hope you try them and happy birthday to your hubby!
These look so good. Thank you for the inspiration to make these for my daughter-in-laws birthday treat. Please tell me where I would find the recipe for CocoWhip.
Hi Emila! I bought the CocoWhip from the store, it is a brand by So Delicious. I buy the “light” one since is much less fat, but still creamy and delicious! You can find it at Sprouts and Whole foods!
These look amazing!
Hi Brandi! I’m making these right now but there’s no baking temperature listed? I assume 350? Hurry and let me know or I’ll have to eat all the dough raw!
So sorry I missed this! Just saw your comment below and also on Facebook. I’ve updated the recipe now 🙂
Will steel cut oats work for this? If so, I will make these tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Mary! I am not sure since I’ve only tried it with regular oats, but I would think as long as you use the same gram amount of oats and blend them first BEFORE adding the pecans, so that they are a fine flour, then it should work ok. Let me know!
Sorry, too many emails, I couldn’t find this to get back to. Well, I used my steel cut oats and brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. They were great. My husband loved them and these are his new favorite. I had to immediately make another batch. The steel cut oats I think work better than regular as well. Thanks for the recipe!
That is so wonderful to hear Mary! So glad these are your hubby’s new favorite cookie. Thank you very much for the feedback!
OK so I baked them at 350 and they are AMAZING! I don’t have any cocowhip (and I’m too lazy to make my own) but lemme tell ya eating the cookie by itself is awesome. The flavor of the cookie is buttery and so pecan-pie-y, rich and absolutely delicious. My non-chocolate husband is deliriously happy with these! We were so anxious to eat them that I forgot to take a pretty picture for instagram but I will tomorrow when there is better lighting.
Diana, I’m SO sorry I forgot to put the 350 degrees on the actual listed instructions! Total brain fart moment, lol. But, I’m doing a big happy dance right now that you already made them and loved them so much and described them exactly to a T! Can you see me doing my happy dance?! Hahaha! Thank you so much for making them and leaving a review Diana! xx
Can’t wait to see your pic!
First sight I thought it was ice cream… These cookies are looking amazing.
For warm days I would eat them with ice cream instead whipped cream… Thanks for this recipe 🙂
Happy birthday Brandi! (Will be making the cookies later—they are exactly what I have been wanting—no regular flour/oil/refined sugar).
I’ve been worried about you—noticed you weren’t blogging. You’ve been missed! I only fairly recently discovered your blog, but I love it! (The photos, writing, and of course the healthy AND delicious recipes). Just got done with lunch (your smoky potato and broccoli soup). Love the zucchini brownies. Love your approach—-cutting out the major unhealthy stuff while still leaving a little wiggle room for fun and enjoyable food. Your efforts are much appreciated!
Aww, thank you so much Ellen! So very kind of you to say that, it is very nice to hear! Your kind words mean to much. So glad you are loving my recipes and approach!
Sugar is not a whole food.
Am I a buzz kill? Yeah. My sweet tooth is killing me.
When I’m referring to whole foods, I’m stating that these cookies are made from whole foods like oats, pecans, flax instead of oils, butters and highly refined or processed ingredients. These are made MUCH healthier and the coconut sugar is unrefined, so I feel great about eating these cookies! So no, no buzz kill here! 🙂
These were easy and so, so yummy! Thank you🙂
SO happy to hear that Hope, thank you so much for the review!!
Made them! They are fabulous. Perfection. I used to enjoy commercial pecan sandies years ago and now thanks to you, they are back—just made in my own kitchen and with much better ingredients. And yes, they do have sugar in them—coconut and maple syrup–less than a tablespoon per cookie. I still consider them whole foods and a healthy treat. I really don’t think I will be guaranteed perfect health if I avoid a T of sugar a day. But I’ll be guaranteed a taste sensation that makes life enjoyable if I have one of these a day.
Thanks so much for yet another terrific recipe.
Yay!! So happy you made and loved them so much Ellen! Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I agree totally with you, too. These cookies are infinitely healthier than most recipes and commercial ones. These are unrefined and made from whole foods instead of butter, oil and refined white sugar. So, I’m happily going to enjoy them and not worry about perfection. Enjoy life, like you said!
YUM! I love pecan pie, these could be very dangerous for me, haha! They look amazing, Brandi.
Yes, so dangerous, haha! I still have several in my freezer and then when I get a craving, I just grab a couple of bites, it’s perfect that way!
I thought this was ice cream too! 😉 great video, even greater recipe – these sound SO YUM.
Thank you so much Kristina!! It totally does look like ice cream, haha 🙂
These look and sound delicious! Seriously I’m with you pecans are my favourite, too… And that coconut whip on top makes everything better, I’m drooling! I can imagine, putting some cherries on top, would be absolutely amazing with the coconut whip! 😊
These look SO good.
Thank you so much!
Everything about the how-to video made me hungry! Pecans are my favourite too, so I’ll have to try these.
Do you have recommendations for a homemade alternative to Cocowhip? It’s not widely available in UK yet!
Thank you so much Andy! I hope try them and love them 🙂
Made these this afternoon and they were delicious. I also grated some lemon rind in as I love lemon. Thanks for your recipes. I will have to try out a few more.
Ooooh, the lemon addition sounds wonderful! Thank you so much for making them and leaving feedback Sandi!
Brandi these look absolutely DIVINE! First of all, I love that you’re showing pecan pie some love outside of the month of September. I love pecans, too, but I feel like they’re often forgotten about until the fall! I love that the ingredients here are so simple but all complement each other so well. And that coconut whip on top…to die for! Great job persevering through the battle of photographing though – I totally feel you there! I always end up with whip alllllll over my hands, the camera, etc. But it was definitely worth it in your case, these look amazing!
Thank you so much Sara! You are too kind! Yes, I love, love pecans so much and they don’t come out enough during summer, so these are the perfect treat when pecan pie doesn’t make sense right now, haha!
Another enticing, beautiful video that encouraged me to make these cookies today.
They are now one of my top 3 favorite cookies. Deliciious!
You are so sweet Lucy, thank you so much! So very happy to hear you loved the video and the cookies so much. Thank you very much for taking the time to leave feedback!
Happy belated birthday, Brandi!
My daughter adored these so much, she requested they be her birthday treat this upcoming weekend. 🙂 Thankfully they are SO sumple to make, I can whip up a few of your other favored goodies as well!
One of the things I appreciate most about vegan baking is being able to test the batter beforehand. I decided I’d like to add another tablespoon or two of maple syrup and threw in some pumpkin pie spice. YUM!! I made them regular size so it made almost 3 dozen, and then I covered the top with a GFV vanilla icing called Dollop and finished them off with another sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
Thank you for this wonderfully easy and totally delicious recipe, Brandi!
Oooh, pumpkin spice is a great idea Colleen! So very happy to hear you and your daughter loved these so much! That icing sounds amazing too, omg! I’m salivating!
Swoon. These look SO good- obsessing with the alamode business too. Need to try these!
Aww, thank you Karly!! These are a great way to enjoy pecan “pie” during the summer, haha!
Great ! innovative recipe ! children will surely enjoy it !
That is so sweet, thank you so much!! My daughter sure does!
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!!
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!
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!
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 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.
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!).
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!
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 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!
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/
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!
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!