VEGAN VANILLA PECAN BARS
If vanilla cake and pecan pie had a baby, these would be the product. Imagine a moist, gooey bar that tastes like a vanilla buttery cake, but the texture of a gooey pecan pie and is all topped off with a creamy cashew icing. These are your way to break into Spring.
My daughter repeatedly kept saying “Mommy, these are sooo delicious!” over and over. I knew they were a winner. These bars are raw, gooey, moist, dense and just 8 ingredients. They are full of vanilla flavor, hints of caramel from coconut sugar and a butteriness from pecans. The cashews make them taste super creamy. I also add an odd ingredient, apple juice. It helps to balance out the flavors with a little acidity and aid in the vanilla cake-ish flavor.
They are more firm than they appear in the photos, as these sat out awhile and they soften some at room temperature. Keep them in the freezer for a perfect, firm right-out-of-the-freezer bite full of all your gooey vanilla dreams.
Coconut sugar. How I love you. It is my favorite sweetener that I use. It tastes just like caramel and is not heavily processed like regular sugar and is much lower on the glycemic index than cane sugar and even maple syrup. I love maple syrup and use it a lot in my baking, but I’ve actually started using coconut sugar more. It just makes everything taste better. Obviously, it is still sugar, so I would never call a sugar healthy, unless it is fruit, but it is one of the better ones to use out there.
There is coconut sugar in the bars and then some sprinkled on top of the icing and it’s truly delicious.
VEGAN VANILLA PROTEIN POWDER
I created these bars to feature Sprout Living‘s “Vanilla Lucuma” Epic protein powder. They recently asked me to review some of their new and improved flavors and I couldn’t resist trying them. I have used their products in the past and know them to be top notch among other plant-based proteins/products out there.
Most people think of smoothies when it comes to protein powders, but I wanted to share something a bit more exciting, so these vegan Raw Vanilla Pecan Dream Bars were born.
All of their products are some of the cleanest you can find, which is why I support them. Not to mention, they are the best tasting plant protein powder I have ever tried in my life. The “Vanilla Lucuma” is my absolute favorite and it tastes and smells delicious straight out of the bag, seriously. I’ve mentioned this a few times before on the blog. This is the same flavor I used for my Snickerdoodle Cookie Protein Bites.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Vanilla Pecan Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) certified gluten-free rolled oats, not instant
- 1/2 cup (56g) pecan pieces
- 1/4 cup (40g) coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons Sprout Living "Vanilla Lucuma" Epic protein powder (SEE NOTE below to sub)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup (64g) super smooth cashew butter, slightly warmed to a soft liquid if it is hard or from the fridge
- 2 tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup or agave
- 2 tablespoons (30g) unsweetened apple juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cashew Icing
- 3 tablespoons (48g) raw cashew butter (without added oil or sugar)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (30g) pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon (15g) unsweetened apple juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
NOTE
- I know some of my readers do not use protein powders, so if you still want to make the recipe, you can leave it out and just add 2-3 more tablespoons of oats and an extra tablespoon of coconut sugar (since the protein powder provides sweetness). The flavor will change slightly and be less vanilla-ish, but still delicious.
Instructions
- Add the oats to a food processor and process until a fine flour forms. Add the pecans and coconut sugar and process again until it is finely ground.
- Add the protein powder and salt and process once more until just blended.
- Add the cashew butter, syrup, apple juice and vanilla extract to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over the dry ingredients into the food processor. Process until it all comes together in one large bowl and is chunky. As soon as it does this, stop so it doesn't turn into a butter.
- Line a 9x5 loaf pan with plastic wrap (or use a smaller one for thicker bars) and press the mixture out evenly to the corners. Flatten with a spatula.
- Combine the cashew icing ingredients and spread out over the bars. Place in the freezer until firm and set. Cut into 8 bars. Keep them stored in the freezer or fridge. The icing will be softer in the fridge and I prefer the texture from the freezer. If you leave them out for an extended period of time at room temperature, they will soften more.
Notes
Nutrition
I love chocolate.
I really like vanilla flavored powers. They practically go with everything!
Favorite protein powder flavor??? Well, chocolate, of course! What else is there 🙂 !
sooo creamy and so dreamy!
They look so fabulous and I love the ingredients list and the sound of that protein powder! I’ll give them a go with a vanilla powder I have and perhaps add a pinch of lucuma too!
Thank you so much Poppy! Please let me know how they turn out!
I haven’t been able to find any that don’t have fake ingredients. I’m excited to try this powder though!
Yes, I know…most have them, which is why I love Sprout Living, because they don’t!
I’m usually more into chocolate-y desserts, but these look awesome! That being said, as a chocolate girl, chocolate shakes mixed with a banana and sometimes powdered pb are my favorite!
I have never tried protein powder, mostly because of the expense. This brand looks like it would actually be worth the money. Thanks for the giveaway!
I love a great vanilla protein powder!
Oh, my!!! These look amazing! Besides the protein powder, I’ve got all of these ingredients. Pecans are surprisingly buttery – I love them! Lately I’ve been in the same boat as far as smoothies go, been starting the day with food I have to actually chew. When I do make smoothies I make them extra thick and load them with toppings so I’m forced to chew! Great giveaway, by the way!! I’ve heard wonderful things about this brand, I’ll have to enter!
It really is the best tasting protein powder out there in my opinion, thank you so much Mandy!
These bars look delicious
These bars are making my mouth water.. I’m a huge fan of pecan pie and we eat it for every holiday.
also, I’ve yet to try a protein powder that I like but I’ve also only tried the RAW brand as well and some hemp protein powder. Wasn’t really a fan of either so this is definitely work checking out! Thanks so much for the recipe xoxo
I’m generally not a fan of protein powder so I’m excited to hear that these might be a tastier option!
These look beyond incredible, Brandi. I love the soft, gooey-ness, the color…they are begging to be bitten into!!
i really like both sunwarrior and growing naturals. this sounds delicious, though! love the recipe, too
I love protein powders, I don’t really have a favorite, I like using them for making bars (your recipe looks great! and want to try), smoothies, ice cream, so the flavor depends on what I’m making!!! These two flavors sound wonderful!
Chocolate is my favorite, yum!
My favorite protein powder flavor is chocolate.
I don’t do many protein powders, but with the one I used to do I loved the chocolate.
If I could, I would insert the heart eyed emoji here. YUM!
Oh wow, these bars look amazing and so unique! I love coconut sugar so much too! I’m hit and miss with protein powder; I go in spurts where I’ll have it a lot and then hardly at all! I need to try this Epic Protein though! It looks so good!
Chocolate or Berry flavors
I have always loved how easy and awesome protein powders are and would love to try Epic’s. My favorite flavors always involve chocolate since I love making a chocolate protein “malt” with frozen bananas!
These look beautiful, and I bet they taste even better!
I love protein powders! My favorite is vanilla, any good quality kind will do.