Healthy Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Bars

These healthy pecan pie bars with a creamy sweet potato twist combine two thanksgiving dessert favorites into one delicious easy treat! With a gluten-free shortbread crust made with almond flour and a rich dairy-free sweet potato caramel pecan filling sweetened with maple syrup, this healthier recipe is the perfect holiday dessert!

SPONSORED BY BAKO SWEET

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Squeezed between halloween candy and Christmas cookies is the month of all things PIE. Pumpkin pie, apple pie, sweet potato pie, and pecan pie are the classics, although I always like to have an unconventional chocolate pie of some sort on the table too. So in the spirit of cozy pie making season, we are combining two of those aforementioned classics into a new, gooey, nutty, deliciously buttery pie bar: sweet potato pecan pie bars!

How To Make Healthy Pecan Pie Bars With Sweet Potatoes

The addition of sweet potato to pecan pie not only adds extra coziness and naturally sweet flavor, it also adds an ultra creamy rich texture and extra fiber and nutrition too. And the flavors all meld together so well, you won’t want to make pecan pie without sweet potato after you try this recipe. There are three main steps to making these pecan pie bars:

1. baking the sweet potato
2. making the shortbread crust
3. making the caramel sweet potato pecan filling

All are quite simple, but let’s break it down one-by-one…

Baking The Sweet Potato

Sure you could boil or microwave too, but if you want the BEST flavor you have to bake the sweet potato. And if you really want the best flavor, you have to use Bako Sweet’s beautiful California-grown orange sweet potatoes. They are so vibrant and incredibly flavorful, plus they come already triple washed and ready for baking. I recommend roasting for 45-55 minutes at 425°F, they should be nice and soft at that point. You only need one sweet potato for this recipe, but while the oven is on I always like to throw in a couple extra for meal prep or dinner too. And yes, you can do this step the day before to save time on the day of baking your pecan pie bars.

The Grain-Free Shortbread Crust

When it comes to creating a buttery shortbread crust without dairy or gluten, almond flour is the secret! It’s incredibly moist and perfectly crumbly, the texture is ideal for a shortbread cookie crust that no one will guess is healthy and vegan-friendly. I like to add in a little bit of coconut flour too for even better texture, plus coconut oil instead of butter and maple syrup to sweeten. A good pinch of salt rounds out the shortbread flavor. I recommend a fork or pastry blender to mix this mixture together, or you could even pulse it in the food processor like a traditional pie crust recipe. You want a crumbly wet texture with small chunks that sticks together when pressed. The crust does need to par-bake for about 15 minutes before adding the filling on top.

The Sweet Potato Caramel Pecan Pie Filling

Now comes the part where we break pecan pie tradition, blending sweet potato into the caramel mixture that is usually made with eggs, sugar, and butter for a healthier version you and your holiday guests will love. For this yummy filling you will need:

• Sweet potato. The Bako Sweet potato we already baked and cooled—it’s time to scoop out the filling and create a creamy sweet potato puree with…
• Almond milk. Or whatever kind of milk you prefer, just a couple of tablespoons to blend the sweet potato.
• Maple syrup. It adds even more fall flavor, and a less refined form of sweetness than most recipes.
• Coconut sugar. Again a less refined sugar option, but you can use brown sugar instead of that’s what you have.
• Coconut oil. Instead of butter to keep these healthy pecan pie bars dairy-free. You could swap in a dairy-free butter, but I do not recommend using any other types of oil.
• Tapioca starch. Since this recipe is egg free, a little bit of tapioca starch helps them set and slice easily after cooling. You can substitute corn starch or arrowroot starch 1-for-1 for the tapioca.
• Vanilla and salt. Essentials in any caramel-y recipe.
• Pecans. Of course, I like to use raw unsalted organic pecan halves.

Now where this is similar to a classic caramel is that it does require boiling on the stovetop to dissolve and caramelize the sugars. Just a few minutes of boiling and whisking before adding in the sweet potato and pecans off the heat.

Serving and Storage Suggestions

The bars do need to cool completely to room temperature before slicing, they will be too gooey when warm. You can also pop the whole pan in the fridge for a couple of hours to speed up this process. Classically pecan pie is served at room temperature, but I think these bars are really delicious chilled straight from the fridge as well. You can add a pinch of flaky salt on top, or they would be delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream too. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container, they will be fine for up to a week that way.

Recipe FAQs

More Thanksgiving Pie Recipes You’ll Love

• Beet Sweet Potato Pie
• No-Bake Chocolate Cream Pie
• Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie
• Medjool Date Pecan Pie Bars

If you try these Healthy Pecan Pie Bars, let me know what you think by leaving a comment or rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for even more yummy recipes!

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