Pecan Pie Bars are one of the best pecan recipes you’ll try, and they are easier than pie. It’s a cross between a classic Pecan Pie and a cookie. Loaded with pecans in a homemade caramel sauce filling over a buttery shortbread crust, these pecan squares are a crowd-pleasing, easy dessert. Add these to your holiday cookie platter!

Pecan Pie Bars stacked on each other

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Pecan Pie Squares Video

In this video, I’ll show you how easy it is to make Pecan Pie Bars. One bite of the gooey caramel pecan filling and you’ll have found a new favorite treat. Now go forth and bake!

Easy Pecan Pie Bars Recipe

The first time I tried this was at a wedding in Washington. My husband’s cousin’s wife, Tanya, made them for the dessert buffet, and after trying them, I just knew I had to recreate them. These pecan pie bars have an amazing texture—gooey, chewy, and crunchy — with a soft caramel filling that doesn’t stick to your teeth. The recipe also uses high-quality ingredients (no corn syrup) and makes a big batch, which is perfect for holiday parties!

I made a batch of these and sent some home with my sister. Her words exactly – “that’s the best pecan recipe I’ve ever tried!” She was smitten. These pecan bars have that effect on people.

We love dessert casseroles from Strawberry Pretzel Salad to Classic Tiramisu and of course Baklava. If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing party or potluck dessert that fits into a 9×13 casserole, this Pecan Pie Bars recipe is a must-try!

Piece of pecan bar up close showing textures

Ingredients for Pecan Pie Bars (without Corn Syrup!)

These have just the right balance of textures and flavors, and are so satisfying. The ingredients are simple, and because there’s no corn syrup, I think it tastes even better than traditional pecan pie.

  • Crust – All-purpose flour creates the sturdy base, powdered sugar lightly sweetens and salt balances the sweetness. The mixture is coated with cold unsalted butter to create a rich, buttery crust.
  • Light Brown Sugar – has molasses, which adds rich color and flavor to the caramel
  • Honey – creates a soft caramel base
  • Unsalted butter – adds richness to the caramel and buttery flavor
  • Heavy whipping cream – make sure to use HEAVY cream, which has a higher fat content to help the filling thicken up properly
  • Salt – we use a bit of fine sea salt to balance the sweetness
  • Vanilla extract – use homemade vanilla extract or store-bought
  • Pecans – coarsely chopped pecans add great crunch and texture to the filling. You can use pecan halves or coarsely chopped pecans. You can substitute pecans with walnuts or cashews, which have a similar crunchy and chewy texture.
Ingredients for Pecan Bars

How to Make a Shortbread Crust

  • You can use either a food processor or a bowl and pastry cutter to make the crust. Combine flour, powdered sugar and salt. Cut in the butter until it resembles a coarse meal, with some pea-sized crumbs forming.
  • Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of a parchment-lined 13×9 baking pan, then bake at 350˚F until set and lightly golden at the edges. Transfer to a parchment-lined
Step by step how to make shortbread cookie crust

Natasha’s Pro Baking Tip:

Lining the pan will make it much easier to lift the bars out of the pan and serve. Once it has cooled, I transfer it to a cutting board and cut into squares or bars.

How to Make Pecan Pie Bars

  • Prep – preheat the oven to 350˚F and coarsley chop the nuts if they aren’t pre-chopped.
  • Prepare the crust – see instructions above. While crust is baking, I make the filling.
  • Make the Caramel – In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, butter, cream and salt. Bring to a boil then simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans.
  • Spread pecan filling over your warm baked crust.
  • Bake – return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until the top is bubbling and turns caramel color. Once the bars are fully cooled to room temperature, remove from the pan, cut and serve.
Step by step how to make pecan filling for bars

Can I Make This in a Pie Dish?

You will need to cut the recipe in half to fit a traditional pie pan, or use it to fill 2 pie pans. I also suggest lining the pie pans with parchment paper for easier serving and removal from the pan.

Pecan Pie Bars cut into squares on parchment paper

Make-Ahead

  • Storing: Once these pecan bars are cooled completely to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for 3-4 days.
  • Freezing: You can freeze for longer storage. Transfer to a freezer-safe zip bag, remove any excess air, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. 
Baked Pecan Squares stacked on a serving plate

Pecan Pie Bars are such a decadent treat for the holidays and are a dessert everyone loves. Make them once, and they will probably make it to your holiday rotation. They are such a fun addition to a holiday cookie platter along with Gingerbread Cookies, Christmas Sugar Cookies, Angel Wing Cookies, Cranberry Cookies, and Date Snickers. So festive and delicious!

Pecan Pie Bars

4.97 from 547 votes
Pecan Pie Bars cut into squares and stacked
These easy Pecan Pie Bars are loaded with pecans in a homemade caramel over a shortbread crust. Add Pecan Squares to your holiday cookie platter!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 28 people

For the Crust:

For the Filling:

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 12 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, 14 oz

Instructions

To Make the Crust:

  • Make the Dough: Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with foil or parchment paper (leave some paper hanging over the sides of the pan for an easier lift later. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor (or in a bowl with a pastry cutter), pulse together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt and pulse a couple of times to combine. Add diced cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces forming.
  • Bake the Crust: Transfer the mixture to your prepared pan, pressing the crust evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350˚F for 18-20 minutes or until the crust has set and the edges are just lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside while you finish the filling.

Make the Pecan Pie Bars:

  • Make Pecan Filling: In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, butter, cream and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans, mixing until incorporated.
  • Assemble and Bake: Pour hot pecan filling over your warm crust. Return to the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the top is bubbling and turns a caramel color. Set the baking pan on a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature before cutting.
  • Cool and Serve: Once the pecan squares are at room temperature, loosen the edges if needed and use the parchment paper or foil to lift the bars out of the pan. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 2-inch squares. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition Per Serving

261kcal Calories22g Carbs2g Protein19g Fat7g Saturated Fat3g Polyunsaturated Fat8g Monounsaturated Fat0.4g Trans Fat28mg Cholesterol46mg Sodium76mg Potassium1g Fiber13g Sugar338IU Vitamin A0.2mg Vitamin C20mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Pecan Pie Bars
Amount per Serving
Calories
261
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
19
g
29
%
Saturated Fat
 
7
g
44
%
Trans Fat
 
0.4
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
8
g
Cholesterol
 
28
mg
9
%
Sodium
 
46
mg
2
%
Potassium
 
76
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
 
22
g
7
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
13
g
14
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
 
338
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
 
0.2
mg
0
%
Calcium
 
20
mg
2
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pecan pie bars, pecan squares
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 261
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

More Recipes with Pecans to try

If you love these Pecan Pie Bars, then you won’t want to miss these recipes with pecans:

4.97 from 547 votes (376 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  • JIll
    November 20, 2025

    Will this recipe work with non-dairy stick “butter” ?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 20, 2025

      Hi Jill! I haven’t tested that but I think it can work. I’m not sure of any modifications are needed based on the fat or water content of your vegan butter. Based on my research, the best brand to use recommended by other bakers is Miyoko’s European Style, but that Earth Balance sticks also work well. I’m sure there are others that you can explore as well but if you find one of these, it may save you the hassle of trying to find a good one for baking.

      Reply

  • David Pearl
    November 19, 2025

    Hi Natasha. I plan to try this recipe soon for my wife who looks forward to pecan pie for Thanksgiving. I’m a little intimidated by the thought of trying to bake a pie. If I want try to make half the recipe, will an 8 x 8 pan work? Thanks.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 19, 2025

      Hi David, I haven’t tried this in an 8×8 pan, but if you do you will likely need to adjust or like you said, halve the recipe. Here’s what one of my readers mentioned about an 8×8 pan: “I used an 8×8 pan,saved and froze a third of the shortcake mixture,but added all the filling.which resulted in a nicely set bar but way too many pecans,tgis was my fault…the recipe is great..next time im only goibg to add 1.5 cups of pecans and an egg to set the mixture,i think without all the nuts i will need an egg to hold it together.”

      Reply

  • sonny
    November 18, 2025

    hi natasha, can maple syrup be substituted for the honey? ty 😉

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 19, 2025

      Hi Sonny! I’ve had some viewers report good results using maple syrup too.

      Reply

  • NatashasKitchen.com
    November 18, 2025

    Hi Mary! I’m so glad you loved it. See my notes above for recommendation on storing.

    Reply

  • Melissa Smith
    November 18, 2025

    This recipe looks amazing! Do these bars freeze well to use for a later date?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 18, 2025

      Hi Melissa! Yes, they freeze great. See the make ahead section above for instructions.

      Reply

  • Ruth
    November 18, 2025

    What flour would you substitute to make it gluten free free?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 18, 2025

      Hi Ruth, I have not personally tried this recipe using GF flour but one of our readers has and mentioned it worked well!

      Reply

  • Trinity
    November 17, 2025

    This recipe is soooo delicious my family and I loved these but I was just wondering what kinds of utensils you used throughout the recipe if you don’t mind. Thank you so much!!!!

    Reply

  • Sarah
    November 16, 2025

    I have problems with recipes from Facebook pinned to Pinterest. The connection doesnt go through. Looks like a yummy recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      November 17, 2025

      Hi Sarah, I would recommend pinning directly from my site for a direct link.

      Reply

  • Jacinta B.
    November 12, 2025

    My family and I LOVED them! They were easy to make as a teen baker of the family, and didn’t include corn syrup! Thank you Mrs. Natasha, and continue your wonderful work!!😊🥰God bless! P.S. Could you try to make Brown sugar coffee boba tea? If you can’t that’s totally fine, but you should try it!! It sounds hard haha.😊❤

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 12, 2025

      Thank you for the suggestion, Jacinta! And I’m so glad to hear you loved this recipe.

      Reply

      • Jacinta B.
        November 16, 2025

        Oh my gosh thank you for replying Mrs. Natasha! It was my dream to get a reply from you 😊 Have a blessed and wonderful day!

        Reply

  • Susan
    November 12, 2025

    Hello,
    Just wondering if you add any water to the crust? It seems dry and I measured carefully. I just didn’t see any comments noting that. Thank you.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 12, 2025

      Hi Susan! I do not, since it’s a shortbread crust, it will seem kinda or dry. Watch my video tutorial to see the texture of my crust and how it looked once it’s compressed into the pan.

      Reply

  • Victoria
    November 12, 2025

    Hi! I’m planing to make them very soon. How sweet are they? My family doesn’t like super sweet stuff. We typically cut out sugars in half in recipes but don’t want to spoil gooie texture.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 12, 2025

      Hi Victoria! They are sweet but I have had several viewers comment that they are not overly sweet and really enjoyed the sweetness level.

      Reply

  • Angi
    November 9, 2025

    People love these when I make them! (I love them when I make them!) They’re delicious, and I especially enjoy the honey flavor that comes through.

    Reply

  • Lisa
    November 9, 2025

    The recipe states” 3 1/2 cups of pecans, 14 oz.” Which is it, 3 1/2 cups or 14 oz?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 10, 2025

      Hi Lisa! It’s 3 1/2 cups, or 14 ounces by weight.

      Reply

  • Karen
    November 8, 2025

    Can I substitute pure maple syrup for the honey?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 10, 2025

      Hi Karen! I’ve had some viewers report good results using maple syrup too.

      Reply

  • Sheila Grant
    November 7, 2025

    I had made this. But the only problem is that the crust seems dry a bit an falling apart. Should I add more butter?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 10, 2025

      Hi Sheila! Make sure to measure your flour correctly. This is the most common reason it will be too dry. If you’re needing to add more butter, then likely there is too much flour.

      Reply

  • Shelley
    November 7, 2025

    These are the BEST PECAN BARS!!
    I made them this morning to take with me on a girl’s weekend trip and it will be hard not to take little bites all day long. Taste them when they’ve cooled, but still have a hint of warmth. You will think you died and gone to heaven. This recipe is a keeper!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 7, 2025

      That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Shelley!

      Reply

  • Monique P
    November 4, 2025

    These bars are so flipping good. They give you that “gooey” feeling 🥰

    Reply

  • Micah C.
    October 31, 2025

    Hey Natasha! I’m planning on making this recipe soon and I was wondering if you can substitute half-and-half instead of heavy cream. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 31, 2025

      Hi Micah, You can use half and half. Mix 3 Tbsp half‑and‑half + 1 Tbsp melted unsalted butter to bump up the richness.

      Reply

      • Micah C.
        October 31, 2025

        Thanks so much! Also, are these freezer-friendly?

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          October 31, 2025

          You can leave them out at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can store in the refrigerator for about a week. Make sure to store in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out. To keep them for longer, the freezer instructions I included in the post work well. I hope you love the Pecan Pie Bars!

          Reply

  • Erlinda Coligado
    October 28, 2025

    Pecan pie is always my favourite. The only problem is I don’t like the gooey filling. I will try this recipe and hoping it will be crunchy.

    Reply

    • Micah C.
      November 2, 2025

      Thanks so much Natasha! My family absolutely LOVES this recipe. Keep them coming!

      Reply

      • Mrs P
        November 15, 2025

        I’d love to make these but no idea how to measure tablespoons of cold butter… could you share a weight in grams please?

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          November 15, 2025

          Hi Mrs P, our butter packaging has tablespoon markers, that’s how we measure it. A tablespoon of butter is approximately 14 grams of butter.

          Reply

  • Pat
    October 27, 2025

    I just made these today. Oh my gosh, they are delicious! I’ll definitely be making them again! Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!🍴😋

    Reply

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