Tis the season to start planning for the holidays! Pecan pie is a family favorite for us. Over the past few years, I’ve tried to find a healthier pecan pie recipe that would satisfy my husband and son without putting us all into a sugar comma. This is the recipe I’ve settled on after trying a few.
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My son is much less picky than my husband … he loves all of my pies, and I love that about him ;). While I will likely never create a pecan pie that my husband loves as much as his grandmother’s, this pie still disappears pretty quickly around my house.
Why Bother with a Healthier Pie?
Some people are very much against healthier dessert, ha! I hear comments like “it’s only a few days a year” or “might as well have the real thing if you’re going to have it.” While these comments are fair enough and everyone is totally allowed to do what works for them, my family (and maybe yours since you are here) are in a slightly different boat these days.
We don’t eat very much sugar, so typical southern desserts leave us (especially me) feeling terrible most of the time. I become tired and moody but worst of all my sugar cravings kick in almost instantaneously. What starts out as one innocent slice of pie, often leads to several days of pie along with generally poor eating habits as sugar makes your body crave all. the. things.
Personally, I see these as really good signs. When you feel this way, it means your body has become sensitive to sugar from not having much of it. While my husband tolerates a full sugar dessert slightly better than I do, I think even he’d admit that much more than a slice can send him down the sugar spiral pretty quickly.
On a related note, when you eat a low-sugar diet, your taste buds change and some high-sugar treats that used to taste good are now too much. So, we’ll just say, there are lots of good reasons to make healthier pie this holiday season.
While one slice won’t ruin your health journey, it just might throw you off track for a bit which may put your health journey on pause. A lower sugar pie made without white flour can be a good way to indulge over the holidays without fully derailing your clean eating plan.
Cleaner Ingredient Swaps for this Pecan Pie
Almond and Oat Flour Pie Crust
The flours, almond and oat, are lower glycemic index and more nutrient dense than a typical pie crust flours. If you want to go totally grain free, you can do a full almond flour crust.
Full almond flour crusts tend to crumble a bit more easily, but it’s definitely doable. The crust can easily be gluten free if you opt for gluten-free oat flour, or simply toss some gluten-free oats in the food processor.
This recipe also includes three eggs, a little butter, pure vanilla, sea salt and, of course, pecans. Pecans are heart healthy and have the highest phytochemical concentration of flavonoids of all tree nuts. They are a great source of calcium, magnesium and potassium while offering a little protein too.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is a nutrient dense and delicious sweetener. Karo syrup, which is typically used in pecan pie, is a product of corn syrup. It contains 245 grams of sugar per cup while maple syrup contains 214 so not a huge difference there, but we are also omitting the additional white or brown sugar, which is added by the cup full to southern pecan pie.
If you do some quick math, you can see just how much sugar is in a traditional pecan pie. Yikes! If you cut this pie into 8 slices, each slice will have approximately 27 grams of sugar per slice compared to 60 or more grams in a slice of traditional slice of pecan pie.
I cook my pies in a glass Anchor Hocking pie pan. When using glass, you will want to bump the temperature down about 25 degrees, so the outside of the pie doesn’t cook too quickly. You will need a rolling pin and either a cutting board or cookie sheet to make the crust. A large glass bowl and a spatula will do the job for mixing.
Oat and Almond Flour Pie Crust
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Grease a 9-inch pie pan with butter and set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients (flours, sea salt and sweetener).
- Stir in melted butter and vanilla.
- Fold gently with spatula then knead with hands to form the pie dough.
- Place ball of dough on a chopping board or cookie sheet. Roll it adding flour to the rolling pin to prevent sticking as needed. Try to roll dough into a circle.
- Lay the circle of dough into your pie pan and press it into the sides with your hands. Cut off any extra. Use a fork or your fingers to design the edges if desired.
- Place the uncooked crust in the fridge or on the counter while you prepare the pecan pie filling.
Karo Syrup Free Healthier Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 if using a glass pan).
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract and sea salt.
- Add your pecans then pour into your uncooked pie crust.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until crust is nice and golden and the middle puffs up a bit.
- Let the pie cool for about an hour then slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
If you want to serve this pie with whipped cream, I have a super simple strategy for you. Place your electric mixer attachments and a glass bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Take them out and reattach them to your electric mixer.
Pour two cups of whipping cream into a glass bowl. Add a splash of vanilla and 1-2 TB of maple syrup and blend on high until fluffy. The process takes several minutes so don’t give up!
The whipped cream is best when used immediately, but it can be stored in the freezer. Just like with store bought whipped cream, move it to the refrigerator to thaw a bit before using.
This healthier pecan pie is perfect for any holiday gathering. I encourage you to serve it without disclaimer and see what type of reaction you get. Will they even notice it’s a “healthier” dessert? My husband certainly would but maybe your guests won’t ;).
Cleaning up your holiday routine in more ways than one? Check out my post on consumable and sustainable stocking stuffers.
Can’t wait to try this recipe!