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My keto pecan pie will make your holiday table complete! This one is so much like the real thing that no one will know the difference. I worked on this recipe for weeks, and I have to say this version is my favorite yet. It’s sweet and nutty, with a perfectly caramelized filling. A few years ago, I updated it with Besti powdered sweetener to make the texture even better — and it makes all the difference. Make this sugar free pecan pie with me and you’ll see what I mean!
Why You Need My Keto Pecan Pie Recipe
- Smooth, gooey filling with crunchy pecans – This is the biggest thing that makes my recipe stand out from other sugar free pecan pie recipes. Many of them are dry due to the sweetener they use or just lack the flavor of the traditional kind. The filling in mine has just the right texture, plus a caramel flavor you’ll love (based on a variation of my sugar-free caramel sauce) and lots of crunchy pecans.
- Buttery shortbread almond crust – I use my almond flour pie crust for most of my pies, including this one. It’s just so good… sweet, buttery, and easy. But if you prefer a different crust, I’ve got crust options here.
- Clean ingredients – And not too many of them. Aside from the crust, it’s just seven. And no corn syrup or sugar in sight!
- Keto friendly, sugar free, and gluten free – My keto pecan pie has just 4 grams of net carbs per slice, and of course it’s got no white flour.
- Make it ahead – Like most of my keto pie recipes (including my reader-fave keto pumpkin pie, low carb apple pie, and coconut cream pie), this one stores very well. You can easily make it in advance for your holiday celebrations, from Thanksgiving to Christmas!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my sugar free pecan pie recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Keto Pie Crust:
Choose from one of these options:
- Almond Flour Crust – This is my favorite keto pecan pie crust, so it’s what I’ve got on the recipe card below. It’s easy to make and has only 5 ingredients! I highly recommend making this with Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour, because it has a finer texture than other brands.
- Coconut Flour Crust – You can consider this if you have an almond allergy, but tolerate pecans just fine. Of course you’d need the pecans for the filling.
- Pecan Crust – If you really love pecans, you can use them for the crust itself in addition to the filling! Just grind the nuts to a fine meal in a food processor, then replace half of the almonds in my almond crust (above) with the pecan meal. You could try replacing all of the almond flour with pecan meal, but I’d recommend a blend because it will stay together better, since almond flour has a finer consistency.
Sugar Free Pecan Pie Filling:
- Pecans – Obviously the main ingredient! You’ll need some chopped for inside the pie, plus halves for topping.
- Butter & Cream – These combine together to form the gooey filling. I use unsalted butter and regular heavy cream, but you can substitute butter-flavored coconut oil and coconut cream (or full-fat coconut milk) for a dairy-free option.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – This sweetener is key for a smooth texture in your sugar free pecan pie filling. That’s because unlike other sugar substitutes, it dissolves completely, won’t crystallize, and most importantly, caramelizes beautifully, giving your pie that lovely gooey filling. It also tastes like sugar without any aftertaste, and has 0 net carbs. Most other sweeteners, including erythritol and most brands of monk fruit or stevia, don’t dissolve well and can crystallize, leaving behind a gritty texture. No, thanks!
- Egg – This sets the filling. Make sure it’s at room temperature before using. One of my egg alternatives might work, but it will probably fall apart more easily.
- Extracts – Maple extract and vanilla extract give the filling the right flavor. Note that different brands vary in potency. If you don’t have maple extract, you can replace 1/4 cup of the powdered Besti above with Besti brown sweetener for a similar flavor.
- Sea Salt – This balances the flavors, but I actually add enough to taste a little (think salted caramel vibes!). If you don’t want to taste it at all, reduce the amount to 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon.
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How To Make Keto Pecan Pie
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Make the crust. Use my almond flour pie crust recipe, or choose one of the other crust options above. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes after baking.
- Make the caramel sauce. In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the butter and Besti, until golden. Add the cream and salt, then simmer until bubbly, dark golden, and thick.
- Add the extracts. Remove from heat, then stir in vanilla and maple extracts. Let the caramel sauce cool until it’s no longer hot, but still warm.
- Add the chopped pecans to the crust. I usually do this while the caramel cools. It should be about half full.
- Add the egg. Whisk it in a bowl first, then stir into the caramel.
- Finish the filling. Pour the caramel filling mixture over the pecans. Top with pecan halves. Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil, leaving the center open.
- Bake until golden and bubbly. It’s done when it no longer jiggles, but will still look a little wet.
- Cool completely at room temperature to set. For cleaner slices, I recommend chilling your keto pecan pie for at least an hour before slicing. Feel free to gently warm up the slices if you prefer it warm. It’s delicious all by itself, or top with a scoop of my keto ice cream or sugar-free whipped cream for a decadent finish!
My Recipe Tips
- Don’t let your crust get too dark. I do recommend pre-baking it because it prevents it from getting soggy from the filling, but if the edges are already golden before filling, they can burn after baking the pie, even with the edges covered. It’s actually a little too dark in my picture above — I usually aim for less golden than that! You might need to adjust the time depending on your oven.
- The time to make the caramel sauce can vary widely. It will depend largely on the size of your pan, so grab the biggest one you’ve got! A skillet or saute pan will be much faster than a saucepan, but still takes a while. Trust me, it’s worth it for the amazing texture you’ll get in your keto pecan pie filling!
- Be careful not to overheat the sauce. If it gets too hot, it may curdle or split. Sometimes you can bring it back together in a blender, but not always. It’s best to avoid the issue altogether by keeping heat very low.
- Get the caramel dark enough. It should be golden brown and thick, and coat the back of a spoon in a thick layer. See my pictures above, or my video below!
- Let the caramel cool before adding the egg. If you add the egg while it’s very hot, it will scramble the egg. Don’t let the sauce cool completely either, because it will start to solidify. Alternatively, you can very slowly pour the sauce into a bowl with the egg while whisking constantly (this is called tempering). I prefer to just do it in the pan, though, so there isn’t another bowl to wash!
- Tips to cut your sugar free pecan pie: First of all, make sure it’s completely firm and cooled, preferably chilled in the fridge. (You can either cut it cold or let it soften a bit at room temperature.) Second, use a large chef’s knife (avoid serrated ones) and use a straight-down motion. Don’t see-saw your knife, or the filling can crumble!
- Want a quicker and easier version? Try my pecan pie bars recipe instead.
Make Ahead Options
Yes, you can make this in advance! In fact, I almost always make my keto pecan pie ahead. There are several ways you can do it:
- Make the pie crust ahead. You can keep it on the counter for a day, or store it in the fridge for a few days before filling and baking. After baking is fine, too.
- Make the caramel sauce ahead. You can store it in the fridge in a glass container. It will solidify, so just reheat it on the stove over very low heat to make it pourable again. Be very careful not to overheat, because the filling can separate and clump if it gets to hot. If this happens, sometimes you can bring it back together in a blender.
- Make my entire keto pecan pie recipe ahead. This is my favorite option! Plus, doing the whole thing at once avoids any risk with the filling separating during reheating. You can store the prepared pie in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freeze. Wrap the pie in plastic wrap or foil, and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge at least overnight.
More Keto Thanksgiving Recipes
My keto pecan pie recipe is perfect to end your holiday meal! Before you serve it, start with:
- Turkey – Make my foolproof Thanksgiving turkey and all your guests will be amazed at how juicy it turns out! For a smaller gathering, try my Crock Pot turkey breast or roasted turkey wings. Don’t forget the sugar free cranberry sauce and keto gravy!
- Sides – I’ve got you covered with low carb versions of the classics: keto green bean casserole, cauliflower stuffing, and keto sweet potato casserole.
- Biscuits – My simple 5-ingredient keto biscuits are the most popular around here, but you can also try my keto Cheddar Bay biscuits for more flavor.
My Tools For This Recipe
- Pie Pan – I love how easy it is to clean! Also, my filling amount and baking time is based on this one, and may vary if you use a different pan.
- Large Nonstick Skillet – This one is hard anodized, which means the surface has lasted me for 6 years and counting. And it’s large enough to make the caramel sauce relatively quickly.
- Pie Crust Shield – Avoids burning the crust without having to fuss with foil. You can also try a silicone shield like this.
Keto Pecan Pie (Best Sugar Free Recipe)
By
You'll love my keto pecan pie recipe! The sugar free pecan pie filling is sweet, gooey, and caramelized, and each slice is just 4g net carbs.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
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Make the almond flour pie crust here, using a glass pie pan like this.
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Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large skillet or saute pan (not a saucepan!) over medium-low heat, heat the butter and Besti for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until dark golden brown.
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Add the cream and sea salt. Bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbly, dark golden and thick. The caramel sauce should coat the back of a spoon in a thick layer.
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Remove the sauce from heat. Stir in the vanilla and maple extracts.
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Let pie crust and caramel sauce cool separately for 15 to 20 minutes, until warm but not hot. While they are cooling, you can either leave the oven on (you will need it again) or preheat it to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) again when the cooling time is almost up.
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Once caramel sauce has cooled enough not to cook an egg being added to it (warm is fine), whisk in the egg.
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Place chopped pecans evenly into the crust. Pour the caramel/egg mixture over the pecans. Top with pecan halves.
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Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil or a pie shield, leaving the center open.
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Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is dark brown and the filling is bubbly, thick, and almost set (it should no longer jiggle but will still look a little wet).
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Cool completely to set. For best results, chill for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/12 of entire pie
- Tips: See my recipe tips above to help you get the right gooey, caramelized texture in your keto pecan pie filling! If done incorrectly, it can separate or burn. I’ve also got tips for slicing the pie cleanly.
- Make ahead: There are several ways to prep this recipe in advance, including just certain components or baking the whole pie. You can store it in the fridge or freeze it. See my meal prep details above!
- Note on serving size: 1/12 of the pie might not seem very big for a serving, but this sugar free pecan pie is very filling! After a whole meal, it’s plenty.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Low Carb Holiday Cookbook, Keto Ebook Bundle, and Fall Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Keto Pecan Pie
407 Comments
sonia
0For anyone who wonders about pan size, heat setting, and other blunders that I definitely made every one of … here are my tips:
o I first used a 10 inch sauté pan (aka a skillet), but the butter/monk fruit erythritol mixture wasn’t browning. After the stipulated 15 minutes, I added heavy whipping cream. Still not browning …
o So I switched the mixture to cook in my behemoth 12 inch sauté pan, increased the heat to medium, and stirred continuously.
o The mixture browned beautifully on the medium heat.
o Then I let it cool for a bit before adding the vanilla and maple syrup in dribbles. No separation.
Maya created a divine caramel sauce— that even with all of my mistakes turned into a wonderful sugar free sauce. Excellent recipe, and thank you Maya!
P.S. I will make the pecan pie tomorrow. My husband passed through the kitchen and said, “Wow, that smells delicious!” I concur.
Vince
0Follow the recipe exactly crust came out very dark almost burn
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Vince, Did you cover the crust while baking? (see step 9 of the instructions) That should prevent the crust from getting too dark. Also, make sure you’re not baking it too long before adding the filling – you don’t want it golden yet at that step.
Marvette
0Thanksgiving is now complete. I personally love brown sugar and can’t wait to use your new Besti sub. Can it be used in this recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marvette, Yes! Besti Brown Sweetener Blend will work great in this pie. I’d recommend a combination of the brown and powdered sweeteners, as the brown by itself might be overpowering in this recipe.
Judy the Baker
0I agree. While I loved the pie, I tasted it with some brown sugar on top (I am ordering the Besti one very soon). Maya, would we use the same amount of the brown sugar as in the recipe? Will that be grainy, as it isn’t powdered?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Judy, No, the Besti Brown sweetener won’t be grainy because it’s made from allulose, so it will dissolve nicely into the pie filling. Regular brown sugar should dissolve as well, but will no longer be keto. I do recommend using a blend of brown and powdered sweetener rather than brown alone, as the brown by itself might be too intense.
Kristen Miller
0I have swerve confectioners sugar I want to substitute in this pie how much should I use?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kristen, The amount is the same in terms of sweetness, but using Swerve will make your filling more dry and hard.
Jeanette
0What an amazing recipe! Your sugar is equally amazing. I can’t wait to make more recipes!
Nell
0Could I use powdered swerve for this recipe? Some of the other comments seem to be referring to regular (granulated) monkfruit and allulose.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Nell, You can, but the filling will be more dry and hard, and can crystallize. I recommend powdered Besti for the best texture.
Austin
0the link you gave for the saute pan in the “tools to make..” is different from the one in the video. I love the one in the video, can you send me the link to that
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Austin, I believe this was the cookware used for the video.
Rob
0What do I use to make the filling if I don’t have a saute pan?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Rob, You want a shallow pan with a large surface area. A big skillet will work well for this.
Ivy Fritsche
0If subbing with Swerve should I use powdered, granulated, brown or a mixture?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ivy, Powdered would be the closest, but all types of Swerve are primarily erythritol, which means they are prone to crystallizing, resist dissolving, and will make your filling more dry.
Kelly
0Hello! Looking forward to making this. The sweeteners I found are Swerve Brown, Allulose, and Lakanto Monkfruit Classic with Eryithritol. Could you advise me on which of the three, or which combo of the three would yield the gooey-est pie?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kelly, Allulose will give you the gooey consistency you are looking for. You will want to increase the amount of pure allulose in the recipe, as it’s not as sweet as my Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend. Use this handy sweetener calculator to figure out how much you need for your pie!
Karin Reznicek
0HI, I don’t have monk fruit erythritol blend in my country. My only sugar substitute options in hand are erythritol, xylitol, or stevia. Which should I use to get a gooey texture? I find erythritol crystalizes all the time. how can I avoid that? I do have sugar free maple syrup.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karin, Unfortunately erythritol and xylitol both crystallize, and most brands of stevia contain erythritol. You can still use them, but yes, they will crystallize.
Belinda
0This is so good you want to just drink the sauce before it’s out in the oven… I was like OH MY WORD!! This is awesome!
Dani
0Can I use pure Allulose for this? If so, how much should I use?
Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dani, You can, but you’ll need 1/3 more. Use my sweetener conversion calculator to calculate the amount for you.
Daphne
0Excellent recipe! The pecan pie turned out perfect. I baked a lot pre-keto and after switching to Keto, have really struggled with keto bakes having aftertaste/texture that is not ideal but did not face the issue with this recipe. The ratio of ingredients is perfect. I used Lakanto Monkfruit for sweetener and did cut down on the sweetener but otherwise followed the recipe to a T.
Grace
0Your recipe sounds delicious. Saving it for Thanksgiving because pecan pie is a must have.
Barbara H.
0This was awesome! I loved it, my husband loved it, my guests loved it. Did I mention that I loved it? It was not super sweet like regular pecan pie recipes, but it was just right! I could only find the powdered monk fruit erythritol (not the monk fruit allulose blend), so I was a little worried about the texture, because I like gooey pecan pies. But it came out just fine. I would not hesitate to do it again. I followed the recipe exactly as is. I was considering cutting the monk fruit erythritol, because I am not a fan of really sweet things, but I decided to go ahead and give it a try. Perfect! Thank you for this treasure. I was looking for something that I could serve my now-diabetic husband, but I like this even better than my old recipe.
Jacqueline
0I would love to try this, but I can’t buy maple extract without a lots of carbs in the country where I live. What can I use as replacement or can I just leave it out?
Josie Borgia
0I made this today and everything going in was perfect. However when eating it the filling was like crystallized sugar and not at all gooey like a traditional pecan pie. Is this normal?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Josie, This can happen when using a sweetener that contains erythritol – it can crystallize. I had a note in the recipe card to use Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend to make it gooey, but just clarified it a bit more on the card. For a gooey pie, make sure you use that next time!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jacqueline, If a maple extract isn’t available in our area, you can just leave it out.
Caroline
0PERFECTION!!! Everyone loves it – even more than my traditional pecan pie. And I make a great one! Have made this several times. Always PERFECT! Thank you for a delicious alternative to a too-much-sugar favourite!!
Sb
0This was really good! I used a pecan crust instead of an almond flour crust.
Veneise Samuels
0This recipe looks amazing and am wondering if it can be made as individual/mini pecan pies? I live on my own and love pecan pie but not sure I want to make a whole pie. Thanks in advance.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Veneise, Yes, this recipe can be halved. The baking time will be less. Hope you enjoy!