Vegan peanut butter chocolate chip pecan bars – irresistibly moreish snack bars loaded with chocolate chips and crunchy pecans.
These vegan peanut butter chocolate chip pecan bars are seriously addictive. Their texture sits somewhere between a cake and a blondie: tender and slightly chewy with a gentle peanut butter flavour, a touch of cinnamon and plenty of dairy‑free chocolate chips and toasted pecans for crunch.
They make a perfect anytime snack when you need a sweet pick‑me‑up and are also excellent served warm with a scoop of vegan ice cream for dessert. Take care not to overbake: peanut butter bakes can dry out if left in the oven too long. Like brownies, the centre should have a few moist crumbs on a skewer when done; if the skewer comes out completely clean they’re likely overcooked.
To keep this recipe vegan I use a flax “egg” (ground flaxseed or chia mixed with water and left to thicken) as a binder. Instead of butter I use a solid dairy‑free margarine stick — the block style works best for baking. In the UK I used Stork, but other solid vegan baking margarines will be fine. Coconut oil should also work as an alternative though I haven’t tested it here.
More Vegan Snack Bar Recipes:
- Vegan fruit and nut flapjacks
- Berry crumble bars
- Pumpkin chocolate chip cake bars
- No‑bake superfood granola bars
- Ginger and coconut flapjacks
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Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Bars
Dessert, Snack
10 minutes
40 minutes
50 minutes
16 people
Domestic Gothess
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed/linseed/chia
- 3 Tbsp water
- 160 g (⅔ cup) vegan margarine (block rather than tub is best); softened
- 120 g (½ cup) smooth peanut butter
- 180 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar
- 120 g (½ cup + 2 Tbsp) caster sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 260 g (2 ¼ cups) plain (all‑purpose) flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 120 ml (½ cup) unsweetened plant milk (soy works well)
- 200 g (7 oz) dairy‑free chocolate chunks or chips
- 150 g (5 ½ oz) pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas mark 4. Grease a 23 cm square cake tin and line with baking parchment.
- Mix the ground flax/linseed/chia with the 3 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Set aside for about 10 minutes until thick and gloopy.
- In a large bowl whisk together the vegan margarine, peanut butter, light brown sugar and caster sugar until smooth. Whisk in the flax egg and the vanilla extract.
- Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a separate bowl. Fold half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then add half the plant milk. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining milk until just combined.
- Reserve a handful of chocolate chips and pecans, then fold the remainder into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread it level. Scatter the reserved chocolate chips and pecans over the top.
- Bake for about 40 minutes until the top is just firm and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil halfway through baking.
- Allow the bars to cool in the tin, then lift out carefully and slice into squares. Store in an airtight container for up to a couple of days.
