Rich, gooey, and impossibly fudgy, this secretly healthy chocolate pecan pie is surprisingly delicious and perfect for the holidays!
Of course chocolate.
Would you expect anything less from a chocolate covered blog?
This secretly healthy pecan pie is the perfect balance of gooey, chewy, rich, and sweet.
If you can’t stop eating the raw batter, you know a recipe’s going to be good!
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Above – Watch the video of making the chocolate pecan pie
How do you pronounce “pecan”? I always said it pee-can (like toucan) until I moved to Texas.
There, people told me I had it all wrong, and it was pee-cahn, or even puh-cahn.
They take it very seriously down here… kind of like the “sprinkles or jimmies” debate.
By the way, does anyone say “jimmies”? I’ve never met anyone who does!
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The first time I made this healthy chocolate pecan pie, I used Mori Nu firm silken tofu, which added incredible creaminess and depth, not to mention added protein!
But so many people have asked, over the years, for a soy-free version that I went back to the recipe and discovered you can also use an equal amount of raw cashew butter (or make your own by soaking cashews and then blending until smooth).
So the choice is yours!
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw pecans, plus extras for garnish
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave
- 1 tbsp sweetener of choice, or stevia equivalent
- 12.3 oz silken-firm tofu (Here's a soy free version: Vegan Pecan Pie)
- 2 tbsp molasses, or additional maple syrup
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp melted chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients, except pecans, in a food processor until very smooth. Then add the pecans and pulse a few times until they’re chopped. Pour into a prepared pie crust, and top with additional pecans if desired. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees, for 45 minutes. If you serve the pie immediately, it’ll be very gooey (not necessarily a bad thing). But if you let it chill in the fridge, it firms up quite nicely the longer it sits. The pie fills up a prepared graham-cracker crust. If your crust is bigger, you might want to make 1 and 1/2 servings or even double the recipe. I cut this pie into 9 slices for the party, but that was because people often prefer “taste-size” slices at parties with many desserts. I’d say this recipe could comfortably serve six.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes:
I must be the craziest New Englander, but I’m from Connecticut and my friends and I always said sprinkles. Jimmies was something that, “so-and-so’s uncle, and that one random ice cream shoppe,” called them, so while I’m familiar with the term, it wasn’t something I became aware of til my older kid years.
As far as pecan, that’s just what I feel like. I think pee-can sounds kind of gross, but it comes out sometimes since that’s what most people around me say (in New England and the Midwest). Puh-CAHN sounds too snobby and I’m not Southern so I can’t get away with the drawl in peh-CAWN, so I compromise by saying peh-CAN. Purely my own decision after weighing the options.
On to the pie: 1) How chocolatey is this with only 2 T. cocoa powder? Might I want more to really make it a chocolatey pie? 2) Does the tofu become less noticeable after it’s cooked? My only experience with silken tofu was a mayo recipe, and it was disgustingly chalky. I want to serve this to extended family so it needs to stand up to “regular” desserts!
I wouldn’t add more chocolate or it might get bitter. I didn’t taste the tofu when I made this.
I would only try a recipe containing tofu if it were on THIS blog! Making this pie right now, for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Can’t wait to taste it! I’m definitely thankful for you and your blog, Katie <3
Thank you for this recipe. I made this for Thankgiving dessert and it was a smash hit, one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. The filling tasted like it needed a kick so I added about 1-1.5 tablespoons of maker’s mark whiskey to it. The whiskey added a little something extra, giving the pie some more depth.
The crust I made was the cinnamon cookie crust from comfy belly that someone put in a previous comment. I highly recommend that you use this crust, it’s very good. I used 4tbsp of coconut oil instead of butter.
Thank you so much for making it!
I’m from Vt, we have jimmies on our banana splits & sundaes, puh-cahn pie is always on the Thanksgiving & Christmas dinner table and we drink soda to wash down our grinders (hoagies, subs, etc)
Can the cocoa be left out to make it more of a traditional pecan pie?
“Jimmies” is a word I haven’t heard since I left NJ! In all the places the military has taken me, (Alaska, Texas, Wyoming, Nebraska) I haven’t heard anyone call them “Jimmies” except back home.
Hi Katie,
I was wondering if soft tofu would also work for this recipe or do you think it would make it too flimsy? You are blending everything anyway so would it make a whole lot of difference? Thanks! Love the recipe can’t wait to make it!
I would think it would work but have not tried.
It worked great! Anther question how long does this pie keep for? Thanks!
omg. i think i’m in love. LOVE LOVE LOVE your site and recipes. i think i love you too !! really nice looking recipes. can’t wait to start baking. craving a big glass of milk looking at all of your goodies ! my sister is steering me to more a vegan plant based diet.. but i love, no, i NEED my treats to keep my sanity. so thank you…looking forward to deelish eating ! if you check out my Pinterest profile you’ll see i’m BIG on desserts ! thank you again, Katie !! going to LIKE you also on facebook, natch.
Hi love the look of the pie,i’m in the uk and theres 2 flavours of agave,can i ask which one i should use please,theres light and mild, or rich and dark,or is it possible to use honey instead thanks
jason
Either is fine 🙂
Katie, I saw this link on Facebook and had to check it out. The pie looks great. But I do have to ask, have you ever attempted a vegan, low sugar pecan pie? I saw the photo of a pie you tried a while back, but wonder if you’ve tried again. I’ve been dreaming of a pie that looks and tastes like the classic but is not made with loads of sweetener. I found one recipe that looks promising, but I’m still trying to figure out how to create the filling without some kind of sugar syrup.
Sorry, I don’t yet have a recipe 🙁
Katie I love you. This is my favorite dessert to eat, can’t wait to try your version of the recipe!
I say jimmies!!! And that pie looks awesome. Thank you so much for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it.
This looks great I’ve never used silken tofu before but I think I just might give it a try.
My mother, who grew up in Philidelphia, called them jimmies.
I’ve just made 6 little individual ones (delicious, thank you! ) wondering if they freeze well?
You can always try! And if you do, be sure to report back!
Odd question could this be made without pecans? I love the idea of a thick gooey chocolatey pie.