Caramel Apple & Pecan Crumble Bars – Gooey, Buttery, and Entirely Vegan
Vegan Caramel Apple Pecan Crumble Bars with soft apples and sticky pecan caramel — a simple, irresistible autumn treat.
Caramel Apple Pecan Crumble Bars are everything you love about autumn baked into one gooey, golden slice. Sweet spiced apples meet buttery oats and toasted pecans, all drizzled with rich caramel for that irresistible chewy-crisp contrast.
Each bite strikes the right balance of sweet, nutty, and chewy. It’s an easy vegan bake that fits perfectly with any autumn event or simply for a weekend treat.
Growing up, one of my favourite things about autumn was eating toffee apples on Bonfire Night. This bake came from wanting to capture that same flavour and childhood feeling, but in a way that can be enjoyed with afternoon tea — and to combine it with another childhood favourite of mine, perhaps the most British dessert of all time: Apple Crumble.
These caramel apple pecan crumble bars blend both memories into one — sweet, spiced, sticky, and 100% vegan.
Key Ingredients
Apples
Choose firm varieties like Braeburn, Elstar, or Granny Smith so the pieces hold their shape when baked. If you’re using softer apples, reduce the cooking time a little to avoid mushiness.
Pecans
The king of nuts! Pecan nuts add crunch and that buttery, nutty note that contrasts the soft apples perfectly. Walnuts work too, but pecans give a sweeter, rounder taste.
Brown Sugar
Used in both the crumble and caramel, it gives richness and that deep toffee-like flavour.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup and pecan nuts are one of the greatest food combinations out there. It brings a mellow sweetness that ties the apple and caramel together.
Cinnamon & Vanilla
The aromatic core of the bake. Cinnamon warms everything up, while vanilla smooths out the spice and enhances the caramel.
Vegan Butter
Creates that melt-in-the-mouth crumble texture and a golden top. Always go for block-style vegan butter, not spreadable — it behaves more like real butter when baked.
Oat Cream
The key to silky, dairy-free caramel. It gives a light, balanced flavour and creates a smooth, glossy consistency once reduced
Oats & Flour
Together they form the crumble’s backbone — hearty, slightly nutty, and perfectly crisp once baked. Rolled oats add chew and texture, while plain flour binds everything into that golden, buttery base.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the apples an nuts
Peel, core, and dice the apples into roughly 1cm cubes. WIth your fingers, break apart the pecan nuts into smaller chunks. They are very easy to crumble into quarters by hand.
Prepare the tin and oven
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a baking tin (20 x 20 cm or something similar sized) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides so you can lift the bars out easily later.
Make the crumble mixture
In a large bowl, mix together plain flour, rolled oats, 100g brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Pour in 150g melted vegan butter and stir until the mixture forms soft, clumpy crumbs. This mixture will serve as both the base and the topping.
Cook the apple filling
Melt 2 tbsp vegan butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add diced apples, 3 tbsp maple syrup, cinnamon, lemon juice, and the seeds from half a vanilla pod.
Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are glossy and just tender, then stir in cornflour and cook for 1 minute more to slightly thicken the mixture.
Make the pecan caramel
In a small saucepan, combine 120g brown sugar, 60g vegan butter, and 2 tbsp maple syrup. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken and coat the spoon.
Add oat cream and a pinch of salt, then simmer for another 2–3 minutes until smooth and glossy. Stir in the chopped pecans, then let it cool for 5–8 minutes — it should still pour slowly but no longer run freely.
Assemble the layers
Spoon about two-thirds of the crumble mixture into the prepared tin and press it down firmly into an even layer using the back of a spoon or the base of a glass.
Spread the apple filling evenly over the base. Drizzle half the pecan caramel over the apples, then scatter the remaining crumble mixture on top. Press lightly so the topping holds together.
Bake
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling slightly. If the topping browns too fast, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Cool and finish
Let the bars cool completely in the tin — they’ll firm up as they set. Once cool, lift them out using the parchment overhang and slice into 12 bars. Drizzle with the remaining pecan caramel just before serving for a glossy finish.
How to Store Caramel Apple Pecan Crumble Bars
Once cooled completely, store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep them in the fridge where they’ll stay fresh for about a week — just bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
You can also freeze them for up to 2 months: wrap each bar individually and thaw overnight in the fridge or warm gently in the oven to revive that crisp crumble top.
Caramel Apple & Pecan Crumble Bars – Gooey, Buttery, and Entirely Vegan
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g rolled oats
- 100 g soft brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 150 g vegan butter melted
Apple Filling
- 3 medium apples about 400 g after peeling a coring
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ pod vanilla seeds scraped out
- 1 tsp cornflour
Pecan Caramel
- 120 g soft brown sugar
- 60 g vegan butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 80 ml oat cream
- 80 g pecans chopped
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line a 20 × 20 cm (or similar) tin with parchment.
- Mix flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt; stir in melted vegan butter until crumbly.
- In a pan, cook apples with vegan butter, maple, cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla seeds (add the pod too) for 5–7 mins until just tender. Remove pod; stir in cornflour and cook 1 min to thicken.
- For caramel, simmer brown sugar, vegan butter, and maple 3–4 mins until it coats a spoon. Add oat cream and a pinch of salt; simmer 2–3 mins until glossy. Stir in pecans; cool 5–8 mins until thick but pourable.
- Press two-thirds of the crumble mix into the tin, using a glass or the back of a spoon to make sure it is well pressed down.
- Spread apple filling over the base, drizzle half the caramel, scatter remaining crumble, and press lightly. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mix over the top.
- Bake 35–40 mins until golden and bubbling at the edges. Cool completely, cut into 12 bars, and finish with the remaining caramel.
