Keto Pecan Pie
Sugar-free keto pecan pie with a gooey allulose caramel filling that stays soft and sliceable straight from the fridge instead of turning gritty. An almond flour press-in crust, one egg, and a caramel reduction doing the setting. 3.9g net carbs per slice.
Equipment
- 9-inch pie dish
- Large skillet or saute pan wide, for reducing the caramel
- Aluminium foil for the crust edge ring
- Balloon whisk
Ingredients
For the Almond Flour Crust
- 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour 250 g, fine ground
- 1/4 cup powdered allulose 48 g, or an allulose-based blend
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter 56 g, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Caramel Pecan Filling
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 170 g
- 3/4 cup powdered allulose 144 g, allulose specifically
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 360 ml
- 1 tsp fine sea salt 3/4 tsp if using salted butter
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp maple extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups pecans 275 g; 2 cups chopped, 1/2 cup halves for the top
Instructions
- Crust: Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the almond flour, allulose and salt together, then mix in the melted butter, egg and vanilla to a crumbly dough. Press evenly into a 9-inch pie dish and up the sides. Prick the base all over with a fork. Blind bake 6-8 minutes only - the barest hint of colour. It bakes again for 35 minutes later, and a fully baked crust now will be bitter by the end. Cool 10-15 minutes.
- Caramel: In a large skillet or saute pan - not a saucepan, you want the surface area - melt the butter with the allulose over medium-low heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes until dark golden brown. Add the cream and salt, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook 15-20 minutes until thick, deep amber, and coating the back of a spoon. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and maple extracts.
- Cool, then add the egg: Let the caramel cool about 15 minutes until warm rather than hot - you should be able to rest a hand on the outside of the pan. Whisk the egg separately, then whisk it into the caramel. Adding egg to hot caramel scrambles it, and this is the most common way this pie goes wrong.
- Assemble and bake: Scatter the chopped pecans into the crust, pour the caramel over, and arrange the pecan halves on top. Cover the crust edge with a foil ring before it goes in - allulose browns far faster than sugar and the edge will scorch otherwise. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, until the top is deep brown and the centre no longer jiggles loosely but still looks slightly wet. Do not bake to a firm dry set; an allulose filling keeps firming as it cools.
- Cool and chill: Cool on a rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then refrigerate at least 1 hour before slicing. Slice with a large chef's knife, not serrated, pressing straight down rather than sawing.
Notes
Sweetener is the decision that makes this recipe: use allulose or an allulose-dominant blend. Erythritol and erythritol blends taste right on the day and recrystallize into a gritty texture in the fridge. If yours is granulated rather than powdered, grind it first.
Do not rush the cooling before adding the egg. About 15 minutes off the heat, until the pan is warm not hot. Every recipe that cooks a caramel warns about this because it is the mistake people make on the day.
Foil from the start, not when you notice browning. Allulose browns considerably faster than sugar.
The full teaspoon of salt is deliberate - it is what stops a sweetener-heavy caramel tasting flat. Reduce to 3/4 tsp with salted butter.
Variations: toast the pecans 5 minutes at 350°F first for deeper flavour; drop the chopped pecans to 1 1/2 cups for a gooier pie; use 1/2 tsp caramel extract or extra maple extract for a warmer, darker note.
Storage: up to a week refrigerated, loosely covered - the allulose filling stays soft and sliceable cold. Freezes 3 months; slices thaw more evenly than a whole pie.