Aunt Bonnie’s Pecan Pie is a special holiday recipe that was shared with us from the kitchens at Wholly Wholesome. back in 2011. We originally posted this dairy-free dessert in our news section, but we have updated the post and given it a more permanent home in our recipe section. Many of you will be pleased to see that the recipe includes several egg-free and vegan options and is easily gluten-free.
Aunt Bonnie’s Pecan Pie is a Dairy-Free, Optionally Egg-Free Tradition
Few Americans realize the history behind pies. Originally called a “coffin” (meaning “basket” or “box”), the pie was a savory beginning to meals. For hundreds of years, meat fillings were baked into a crusty shell and served for dinner. Pies weren’t a luxury – they were a necessity. But today, pies are considered a culinary delight, and are often a sweet treat after special meals.
In fact, pies often indicate a celebration. Around the holidays, it’s not uncommon to see several pies on the dessert table, including pumpkin, apple, and pecan. Doon Wintz, the President of Wholly Wholesome shared what makes Aunt Bonnie’s Pecan Pie so special to him.
Pies have been a central part of our family celebrations for generations. My sister, Bonnie, and I have a friendly competition at holiday meals. She makes her famous pecan pies and I make pumpkin or ice cream pies. The winner is the one whose pies are gone. Having a large and supportive family (we usually seat 40+), it always comes out a tie—no pie left. It’s a real treat to pass along our family’s tradition through wholesome, natural and organic baked-goods. We understand the importance of family and how food brings them together in a really special way.
Special Diet Notes: Aunt Bonnie’s Pecan Pie
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally egg-free, optionally gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, optionally vegan, and vegetarian.
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 4 tablespoons dairy-free buttery sticks
- 3 eggs, ½ cup + 1 tablespoon aquafaba, ⅔ cup applesauce (filling will be looser), or the Vegan Egg Replacer below
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 (9-inch) dairy-free pie shell (Wholly Wholesome has regular and gluten-free)
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 60 whole pecan halves, for topping
- Cook the sugar and corn syrup in a fry pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the buttery sticks and whisk to combine. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
- Once cooled, whisk the eggs or egg replacer, vanilla, and salt into the sugar mixture.
- Pour the chopped pecans into the pie shell and even them out. Pour the syrup mixture over the pecans until it’s just below the rim.
- Arrange the pecan halves on top starting with the largest pecans around the outside in a circle and using progressively smaller pecan halves as you circles move towards the center. Be sure to save some nice small ones for the center
- Place the pie on a piece of foil on top of a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF and bake for 50 minutes, or until the pecans are nicely toasted, but not burnt.
More Dairy-Free Pecan Desserts
Maple Pecan Apple Crisp
Flourless Chocolate Pecan Torte
Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
6 Comments
Not sure where I went wrong, but this did not work for me. Oil floated to the top and the middle ended up like hard caramel. I’m guessing maybe because I used Ener-G egg replacer?
Oh geez, it sounds like the egg replacer didn’t emulsify and bind like it should! A little might be due to the brand of buttery sticks. For some reason, it separated. I’m so sorry this happened!
The eggless pecan pie looks Yummy! There’s no question that pie is a staple in American homes during the holidays. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
The eggless pecan pie looks great! I strongly believe that all pecan pie is containing high fat, so it is recommended to consider butter-fat calories instead of egg-fat calories.
I am excited to try this for our Thanksgiving this year… the only thing is that in the instructions it mentions adding applesauce but this ingredient isn’t mentioned in the list of ingredients??
It has been updated!