Pecan Pie Bars

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, Updated Nov 22, 2025

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Pecan Pie Bars – all the gooey, nutty goodness of pecan pie but easier and no rolling pin in sight! These pecan pie bars are rich, buttery, and perfect for sharing. Ideal for the holidays… or Tuesday. You decide.

Three pecan pie bars stacked on a plate, with additional bars and pecan pieces around them. A knife lies nearby on the plate, showing the gooey filling and crumbly crust layers of the dessert bars.

Traditional pecan pie is a classic, but let’s be honest – sometimes we want all that sticky, gooey filling without the faff of making pie crust and all that jazz. Getting that pie crust and filling just right, avoiding a soggy crust – it’s a lot!

That’s where these pecan pie bars come in. They’ve got a buttery shortbread crust a gooey brown sugar filling, and a generous layer of crunchy pecans on top. Basically, they’re the lazy girl’s pecan pie… easier to make and even easier to eat with your hands.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Holiday hero – a must-bake for Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert trays.
No pie crust, no drama – just an easy shortbread base.
Portable and ideal gifting and sharing.
The essence of fall baking – sweet, nutty, chewy, crunchy deliciousness!

A hand reaches for a pecan pie bar on a white plate with five bars. A knife with a yellow handle, pecans, and more bars on brown paper are nearby on a light-colored surface.

What You’ll Need

All-purpose flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt and unsalted butter for our shortbread base.
Pecans are the stars of this easy bar recipe. Get bags of ready-chopped pecans, not only are they cheaper than pecan halves but you will also cut down on prep.
Large eggs, at room temperature, help filling set as it bakes so it slices beautifully.
Brown sugar adds caramel notes and chewiness to the filling.
Dark corn syrup (or a combination of light and dark) or golden syrup for that gooey, glossy filling.
Vanilla extract, ground cinnamon or a little bourbon are optional additions for a flavor boost!

Bowl of flour, bowl of brown sugar, bowl of pecans, cubed butter, granulated sugar, eggs, syrup, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla extract arranged on a light surface.

How to Make Pecan Pie Bars

Make the shortcrust crust

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Mist an 8-inch square baking pan with cake release and line with parchment paper, letting the edges overhang slightly.
Make the shortbread base – Place flour, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse a couple of times, until you have a crumbly, sandy texture.
Tip the crust mixture into the prepared pan and press down to an even layer. Dock with a fork to prevent the base from puffing up during baking. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and set aside.

Four-panel image showing hands pressing dough into a square baking pan, smoothing it out, poking holes with a fork, and then the finished baked golden crust. One hand has a floral tattoo.

Prepare the filling

Place the eggs, brown sugar, syrup, cinnamon or vanilla extract and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in chopped pecans.
Pour the filling over the warm base and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is set and feels mostly firm to the touch with a very small give.
Cool in the tin and chill in the fridge to firm up the filling (don’t cut them while hot, they’ll fall apart). Lift out of the pan using the paper and slice into squares. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you’re feeling extra 😉

Four-panel image: Top left, batter being mixed with a hand mixer; top right, pecan filling being stirred; bottom left, pecan filling poured onto baked crust in a pan; bottom right, baked pecan bars cut into squares.

Lucy’s Pro Tip

Baking Know-How

The name “shortbread” comes from the term short, which used to mean crumbly or tender. The butter coats the flour which prevents gluten formation – this is what gives shortbread its melt-in-your-mouth texture.

To make the bars shortbread crust you can pulse the ingredients in a food processor as I have done or cut the butter into the flour using a knife or pastry cutter.

Recipe Notes and Tips

Corn syrup or golden syrup are the perfect ingredients for the filling. Some bakers recommend maple syrup or honey as substitutions but I can’t say whether these are suitable as I haven’t tested the recipe using them.
For a variation, use chopped walnuts instead of pecans. Other nuts, such as cashews or macadamias are worth a try but you won’t get that iconic pecan pie flavor!
Love air fryer baking? You can totally bake these in an air fryer – preheat to 320°F (160°C) and bake following the oven method.

A hand with teal-painted nails picks up a pecan bar from a plate stacked with several gooey, nut-topped bars. A butter knife and scattered pecans are also visible on the plate.

Leftovers & Storage

Got leftovers? First of all, well done on your self-control—these bars are dangerously moreish! The good news is they store really well. Just pop them into an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Want to make a batch ahead of time? These bars freeze beautifully – layer them with parchment paper in a freezer-safe container and stash them away for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and enjoy like they were freshly baked.

Squares of pecan pie bars arranged on a piece of brown parchment paper printed with text, showing a top view of the rich, nutty dessert with a golden crust and pecan topping.

I hope you love my pecan pie bars recipe – if you give it a try, please leave a comment and rating to let me know how they turned out. And don’t forget to tag @supergolden88 and TikTok so I can drool over your dessert tray!