Guilt-Free Pecan Pie that Tastes Better Than Big Mama’s

Better than Big Mama’s? That sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? However, nothing makes your pecan pie taste better than tweaking it to meet your needs while keeping its great flavor. Once you get used to the suggested recipe, you can play around with other ingredients that accomplish the same thing. Isn’t it good to know that you can have a great dessert without throwing your diet out the window?

Why Does Your Pecan Pie Recipe Need A Makeover?

Pecans may be healthy but the other ingredients that go into a traditional pecan pie usually aren’t. That recipe calls for quite a bit of corn syrup, butter, and sugar. As a result, one slice of regular pecan pie can have up to 600 calories. The healthy alternative below has only 400 calories per slice with ingredients that are better for you. 

Your Healthy Pecan Pie Recipe

Servings: 8 slices

Homemade Crust

Ingredients:

½ cup coconut oil, softened but not liquid

1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp coconut sugar

6-8 tbsp ice water, plus more if needed

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Method

1. To get the coconut oil solid so we can break it into pieces, spread out the coconut oil into an even layer over a sheet of parchment paper and then place it into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes to fully harden.
2. In a food processor, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, sea salt, and coconut sugar. 
3. Pulse the food processor a few times to mix.
4. Break the hardened coconut oil into small chunks.
5. Add the pieces of hardened coconut oil, pulsing just as much as necessary to break the pieces into even pea-size lumps.
6. Add ice-cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between, until the dough sticks to itself when pinched. 
7. Remove the flour mixture from the food processor and place it onto a clean, dry, flat surface, then gently shape it into a disk.
8. If the dough is too crumbly and refuses to cooperate, you can add more water, tablespoon by tablespoon, as needed.
9. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap. Place in fridge for at least 10 minutes.
10. Remove the chilled disk from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes to make it easier to roll out.
11. Flour your surface with more of the whole wheat pastry flour.
12. Using a rolling pin on your well-floured surface, roll out dough to form an approximately 12-inch circle. Be sure to continue to flip the dough over and generously flour each side so as not to have the rolled-out dough stick to the surface. If it doesn’t cooperate, despite heavy flouring, roll it back up into a ball and start again.
13. Place the rolled-out dough onto a 9-inch pie plate.
14. Gently press the pie dough down so that it meets the bottom and sides of the pie dish.
15. Using a knife, carefully trim the dough around the top edge of the pie dish, leaving about a 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch overlap.
16. Fold the edge of the over and under the edge of itself, pressing together.
17. You could leave the edge as is, or to style it more, you can either crimp the edges using your thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.
18. Pour pie filling into the crust.

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

½ cup raw honey

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

3 eggs

½ tsp fresh orange zest

⅛ tsp sea salt

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1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp ground ground cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour

2 cups raw pecans

1 pie crust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine raw honey, coconut oil, eggs, fresh orange zest, sea salt, unsweetened almond milk, ground cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, and whole wheat pastry flour. Stir to combine.
3. Arrange the raw pecans into the prepared 9-inch pie crust.
4. Pour the liquid filling mixture over the pecans, spreading some with a spoon if necessary.
5. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes.
6. The pie will rise in the oven. You’ll know it’s done when it has small cracks in the top and is no longer jiggly.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool, preferably overnight.

The Healthy Side Of Pecan Pie

Pecans are a great source of protein and fiber. They also have healthy fats – including omega-3 fatty acids that help to reduce inflammation in the body. Studies also show that pecans can help with diabetes management, arthritis pain, and immune system support. Using the recipe above will add the health benefits of honey and coconut oil as well. These include a reduced risk of heart disease and better gut health.