Healthy Pecan Pie Cups are amazing, no-bake, mini desserts that are a great alternative to traditional pecan pie.
Thanksgiving is a time to embrace family, friends, and of course food. There is simply no better meal on earth than a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, so if there was ever a time to indulge this is the day. Throw caution to the wind and delight in all the wonderful food this holiday has to offer. And that includes the pies, because let’s face it – Thanksgiving is all about the pies! Having said that, I think it’s entirely possible to fully indulge while still making some wise food/serving choices.
The trio of pies traditionally served at Thanksgiving includes pumpkin, apple, and pecan – all incredibly delicious. Pecan pie in particular, however, is especially decadent (some might even say dangerous) because it contains an insane about of sugar – over 30% more than a piece of pumpkin pie with almost 200 additional calories. It’s usually made with both corn syrup and granulated sugar – a double whammy – so it’s almost like eating a candy bar that is the size of a piece of pie – that would be a VERY large candy bar. Healthy Pecan Pie Cups are a great alternative to pecan pie. They’re really sweet, just like pecan pie, but they’re made with super healthy ingredients like dates, pecans, peanuts, and ground flaxseed.
I love the ease with which Healthy Pecan Pie Cups come together. Just whir up the ingredients in a high-powered blender and then press the dough into a mini tart pan. Top with some pecan halves and you’re done! You won’t believe how good these taste for so little effort.
Healthy Pecan Pie Cups take about 15 minutes to make, require no baking, and are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. If you’re trying to be really good you can have one of these in lieu of a slice of pecan pie, but please don’t be good on Thanksgiving! Instead enjoy a Healthy Pecan Pie Cup right alongside a piece of pumpkin or apple pie. Their chewy, caramel-like taste complements the flavors of pumpkin and apple perfectly. Trust me, with one of these little babies on your dessert plate you won’t miss that piece of pecan pie one bit! For more Thanksgiving recipes check out 1 Easy Cranberry Sauce and Thanksgiving Cookies Votives. Have a great Thanksgiving!
- 2 cups (220 grams) pitted dates
- ¾ cup (82 grams) pecan halves, unsalted
- ½ cup (60 grams) dry roasted peanuts, unsalted
- ½ cup (60 grams) ground flaxseeed
- 1½ tablespoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Reserve 12 pecan halves for the tops and have a non-stick mini tart pan with twelve (1/4 cup) cavities nearby.
- Place the dates, remaining pecans, peanuts, flaxseed, vanilla, and salt in a Vitamix or other high powered blender and, with the aid of the tamper tool process until smooth.
- Roll the date mixture into 12 balls, approximately 1 ounces each. Press them into the mini tart pan and flatten the tops. Press a pecan halve into the center of each.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before easing the Healthy Pecan Pie cups out of the mini tart pan with the tip of a knife or spoon.

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Looks delicious! I love pecan pie and am always looking for healthier takes on it.
Thanks Katherine! Checked out your blog and love the story about your mom and dad. How sweet – in more ways than one 🙂
These healthier pecan pie cups look so delicious! I love that they get their sweetness from dates!!! So excited to try these for Thanksgiving!
Thanks Meredith!
I love how simple these are! Pecans have SO much flavor, I know these would taste amazing!
They do! And only a few ingredients required.
What a creative idea, love this! They looks so chewy, yum!
Yes, they are very chewy indeed!