Raw Pecan Pie
A no-bake pecan pie with a date-and-pecan crust and a deeply spiced, caramel-like filling
Serves 8–10 · 30 min active · 4 hr total (plus 1 hr soaking) · Pecans are harvested in the U.S. South (Georgia, Texas, and New Mexico) from October into December · Best eaten: afternoon, perfect for a Thanksgiving dessert before dark
Ingredients
Crust
¾ cup raw pecans
¾ cup raw walnuts
¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup pitted Medjool dates, packed
Filling
1 ¼ cups Medjool dates, tightly packed, pitted, and soaked in warm water at least 1 hour
½ cup raw pecans
¼ cup melted coconut oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Big pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
¼ cup of the date-soaking liquid (reserved)
Decoration
¾ cup raw pecan halves
Method
Make the crust. Pulse the walnuts, pecans, salt, and shredded coconut in a food processor until roughly ground.
Add the dates and process until the mixture breaks down and sticks together when squeezed in your palm.
Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate (or springform pan).
Make the filling. Drain the dates, reserving the soaking liquid.
Blend. Transfer the dates to a high-speed blender or powerful food processor. Add the ½ cup pecans, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and ¼ cup of the soaking liquid, and blend until completely smooth.
Fill. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
Decorate. Arrange the pecan halves on top in concentric circles or a freeform pattern, pressing them in gently.
Chill at least 4 hours, until set, and keep it chilled until serving.
Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream: my homemade ice cream, or a store-bought one made from organic, grass-fed cream and naturally sweetened, with no gums or stabilizers.
Variation: Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Cinnamon-pecan layer: Roast 1 ½ cups pecans at 325°F for 8-10 minutes, then toss them with 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, and 2 tbsp coconut sugar. Fold them into 1 cup unsweetened applesauce with 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp allspice, and spread over the crust.
Cheesecake layer: Blend 2 cups soaked cashews, ⅓ cup melted coconut oil, ½ cup coconut cream, and ¼ cup maple syrup until silky, then pour it over the pecan layer.
Chill at least 4 hours, until set.
Nourishment Notes
Pecan pie has a longer history than many Americans realize. The modern Thanksgiving version was popularized by Karo Syrup in the 1930s and 1940s, but pecan desserts have been part of Southern American cooking since at least the 1880s. Those earlier pies were sweetened with molasses, brown sugar, or sorghum syrup; corn syrup is a 20th-century industrial twist. This date-sweetened version returns to the older tradition of whole-food sweeteners and unprocessed nuts.
Medjool dates are the right choice for no-bake desserts, since they're much softer, sweeter, and easier to blend than the more common Deglet Noor. The Medjool traces back to the Moroccan oasis of Bou Denib, where it was grown for centuries. In 1927, a handful of offshoots were brought to the U.S. to save the variety from a fungal disease sweeping Morocco, and today's American Medjools descend from the 9 that survived. Here, they're both the binder for the crust and the caramel-sweet heart of the filling.
Pecans are the only major commercial nut native to North America, and they were a staple for the Indigenous peoples of what's now Texas, Oklahoma, and the Mississippi Valley long before European colonization; the autumn pecan harvest was a central part of their food calendar. Today's cultivated varieties (like Stuart, Pawnee, and Desirable) are larger and easier to crack than wild pecans, with the same rich nutrition.
Pecans — monounsaturated fats, vitamin E (especially gamma-tocopherol), manganese, copper, and zinc.
Walnuts — ALA omega-3s and polyphenols.
Medjool dates — potassium, magnesium, copper, and fiber-bound natural sweetness.
Coconut — fiber and lauric acid, a medium-chain fat that helps the filling set.
Ceylon cinnamon and nutmeg — warming spices traditionally used for digestion. Cinnamon's polyphenols also help moderate blood sugar.
Storage
Refrigerated up to 1 week, or frozen up to 2 months.
Sourcing
Pecans — organic, raw, from a U.S. Southern orchard when you can (fall-harvested pecans are freshest), kept in the fridge so their oils stay fresh
Walnuts — organic, raw or sprouted, and refrigerated
Medjool dates — organic, soft, and plump; many are grown in California's Coachella Valley
Shredded coconut — organic, unsweetened, and sulfite-free
Coconut oil — organic, virgin, and unrefined
Vanilla — organic pure vanilla extract with no added sugar
Spices — organic, non-irradiated true Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka, plus whole nutmeg to grate fresh
For the cheesecake variation — organic cashews, organic unsweetened applesauce in glass, organic coconut sugar and allspice, organic maple syrup, and organic full-fat coconut cream (Native Forest Simple comes in BPA-free cans)
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall