My classic homemade pecan pie is traditional in the best possible way. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and saltyโafter one taste, you’ll know why it’s a favorite dessert recipe!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
One reader, Jenna, commented: “I’ve made this recipe more than a few times now and it’s so incredible. It has turned me, someone who does not like nuts, into someone who LOVES pecan pie. It’s honestly so amazing and it’s an easy to follow recipe. Thank you so much! โ โ โ โ โ “
Pecan pie is the classic sugary dessert without which no Thanksgiving is complete. It’s as traditional as pumpkin pie and as wonderfully rich as apple pie. Growing up, my family’s Thanksgiving dessert table always included (and will always include) my late grandmother’s homemade recipe. It’s a true honor to share her recipe in memory of her, and I know her recipe will live on for many years to come.
What Makes This My Best Pecan Pie Recipe
This is my favorite pecan pie recipe and here’s why:
- Simple: There are only 8 ingredients in this remarkably simple filling.
- Flaky pie crust: We’re talking mega flaky, mega buttery, and mega delicious. This is the one and only pie crust recipe I use. Itโs been passed down through generations and stands the test of time. Here’s my recipe for all-butter pie crust if you’d like to try that instead. Both pie crust recipes yield enough dough for two 9-inch pies. You can freeze the second half of the dough, or make another one-crust pie such as this chocolate chess pie, turkey pot pie, or pumpkin pie.
- No pre-baking needed: The buttery pie crust has a wonderfully flaky texture, but still stays perfectly intact as the pie bakes and cools. Some recipes require you to pre-bake the pie crust before pouring in the filling, but I don’t find that necessary in this recipe.
- Incredible texture: The pecans on top get all toasty while the nuts underneath have a melt-in-your-mouth chewy texture. The pecans’ flavor and texture, paired with the flaky pie crust, the filling’s vanilla, butter, and cinnamon… it all just makes this my favorite pecan pie recipe. If you love this, try my pecan pie cheesecake next. Talk about a texture lover’s dream!
- It’s make-ahead friendly! This pie freezes and thaws well, so you can make it up to 3 months before you serve it.
Grab These Ingredients
- Pecans: Can’t make pecan pie without them!
- Eggs: Eggs bind the ingredients and hold the filling together.
- Corn Syrup: Sweetens, holds the filling together, and helps prevent crystallization while the pie bakes. I prefer dark corn syrup here for intensified flavor. See below if you’re interested in pie without corn syrup.
- Brown Sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar; dark has a little deeper flavor, with its higher molasses content.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: One of the key flavors.
- Butter: Melted butter makes for the best buttery flavor.
- Salt: A little salt balances the sweet, and is especially welcome in a pie made with nuts.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds an extra layer of flavor! I don’t see many pecan pies with cinnamon; so thank you, Grandma, for giving me the opportunity to present a slightly unique pecan pie on our Thanksgiving tables.
Since it’s made with few ingredients, it’s imperative to use high quality. I genuinely love Diamond of California pecans and if you have homemade vanilla extract, go ahead and use it here.
Here’s How to Make This Pecan Pie
As far as Thanksgiving pies go, this is one of the easiest. There’s no pre-baking the crust or pre-cooking the filling. Grandma truly knows what’s best! Here’s an overview of the process:
- Make the pie crust. As always, use my favorite homemade pie crust. This is the same crust you can use when making mini pecan pies too! It needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out, so I always make it the night before.
- Roll out the pie crust. You’re aiming for a pie dough circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish.
- Spread the pecans inside the pie crust.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over pecans.
- Bake. I like to place a pie crust shield on top of the pie edges to prevent them from browning too quickly. If you find the whole pie is browning too quickly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the whole pie.
- Slice and serve. The pie is delicious warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or ice cream.
How to Make Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup
FAQ: Can I make pecan pie without corn syrup? My answer was always: yes, but the filling wonโt really set, and it wonโt taste like pecan pie. Soโฆ no, you canโt. Until I tried maple pecan pie!
Corn syrup is the glue that holds this filling together. Thicker than other liquid sweeteners, corn syrup works with the eggs to help ensure your pecan pie filling will set. However, many bakers are looking for an unrefined substitution for the corn syrup. When creating my recipe for pecan pie without corn syrup, my goal was to find a solution to not only find a corn syrup substitute, but to guarantee the filling will still set and taste delicious.
Taking a note from my brown butter pecan pie bars, I reached for pure maple syrup. This is a thinner liquid than corn syrup, but has the most remarkable flavor, as you know. The bars recipe calls for tempering the eggs, but I wanted a no-fuss filling that skipped the extra steps. Enter the magical ingredient: 1 tiny Tablespoon of flour. Simple, delicious, and pure flavors give us a maple-infused, buttery, sweet, deliciously thick slice of pie. So, I know you’ll love my maple pecan pie variation too.
Success Tip: How to Freeze Pecan Pie
Pecan pie is a wonderful dessert to make ahead of time. Simply bake the pie as directed, allow it to cool completely, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Place in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before slicing and serving with a big dollop of whipped cream.
I made about 3 or 4 of these pies the past couple of weeks to freeze for the upcoming holidaysโthey freeze and thaw beautifully! No one ever realizes they aren’t freshly baked.
More Thanksgiving Pie Recipes
- Caramel Pear Pie
- Pumpkin Pie
- Apple Pie with Chai Spices
- Sweet Potato Pie (like the dessert version of Sweet Potato Casserole!)
- Apple Pie
- Butterscotch Pie
And make sure to check out my list of the 10 best tools for baking pies!
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
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My Favorite Pecan Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
My classic homemade pecan pie is traditional in the best possible way. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and saltyโafter one taste, you’ll know why it’s a favorite! No need to pre-bake the crust.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 unbaked Flaky Pie Crustย (what I used) orย All Butter Pie Crust*
- egg wash for pie crust:ย 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk or heavy cream
Filling
- 2 and 1/2 cups (250g) shelled pecans (pecan halves)
- 3ย large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) darkย corn syrup*
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- The crust:ย Prepareย myย pie crustย through step 5.
- After the pie dough chills, adjust oven rack to the lower third position and preheat to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC).
- Roll out the chilled pie crust onto a lightly floured surface. Remember, when rolling out the pie dough, always use gentle force with your rolling pin. Start from the center and work your way out in all directions, rotating the dough with your hands as you go. Roll it out into a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough in a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it’s smooth. For a beautiful edge, as shown in the video tutorial, fold the overhanging dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a nice thick rim around the pie. Crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers to flute the edges. Again, you can see me do this in the video above or in my separate how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial. Brush the edges with egg wash. (To help guarantee a beautiful edge, I always chill the shaped dough in the pie dish for 10 minutes in the refrigerator or freezer before filling.)
- The filling: Very roughly chop the pecansโsome whole, some coarsely chopped is fine. Spread pecans evenly inside pie crust. Whisk the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, melted butter, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl until combined. Pour over pecans.
- Bake the pie for 50โ55 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly. You can also tent a piece of aluminum foil over the whole pie if it is browning too quickly. Remove finished pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. The pie filling will settle as it cools.
- Slice and serve pie warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or ice cream.
- Cover and store leftovers at room temperature for 1โ2 days or in the refrigerator for 4โ5 days.
Notes
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Pecan pie is a wonderful dessert to make ahead of time. You can get started by combining all the filling ingredients (except the pecans) one day ahead of time. Keep it covered tightly in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the pie. You can also make the pie dough 1โ5 days in advance since it needs to chill. If you want to bake the pie 1 full day in advance, bake it as directed, allow it to completely cool, then cover tightly and keep at room temperature until ready to serve the next day.
- Freezing Instructions: Bake the pie as directed, allow it to cool completely, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Place in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before slicing and serving.
- Special Toolsย (affiliate links): Rolling Pin |ย 9-inch Pie Dish | Pastry Brush | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Pie Crust Shield | Cooling Rack
- Pie Crust: Both linked pie crust recipes make 2 crusts. You only need 1 crust for this pie, so freeze the 2nd half for another use or another one-crust pie like pumpkin pie.
- Corn Syrup: You can use light corn syrup instead. I have no substitution suggestions yielding the same texture, moisture, and flavor. Corn syrup is a must in traditional pecan pie. For a variation without corn syrup, try my maple pecan pie.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This pie is NOT right. Not really even a pie. The whole thing is pecans. The ratios are off. Way off. Too much butter, way too many pecans, equally a greasy mess.
I made this pie for Easter dinner and I thought it was awful. Too many pecans and not enough filling. The filling wasnโt sweet enough. Not a fan favourite at my house.
Since I had half a bag of pecans left from Thanksgiving, I made pecan pie using your recipe and a store-bought deep dish pie crust. I added a splash of orange juice to cut the sweetness, as my mother had taught me. The pie was delicious. Thank you and Happy New Year!
The flavor and texture is on the money. It is a perfect recipe.
Made it for my hubby and he enjoyed it. He did request a little more gooeyness so I have to work with the baking time. Smells amazing and looks delicious.
I’ve been making wonderful pecan pies for years with rice syrup instead of corn syrup
Am added bonus for me is that they aren’t sincerely sweet
I substitute the corn syrup with Lyleโs Golden Syrup (an English product svailable online.) This was a trick my mother-in-law taught me many years ago. It is superior to corn syrup.
Did you use the same quantity of golden syrup? Corn syrup isn’t very common where I am, but golden syrup is everywhere.
My wife does not like pecans…yes we are still married! I substituted cashews for pecans, I think I got one piece of it! Great recipe ! I may try walnuts with raisins next time.
I baked two pecan pies one using light caro corn syrup and the other using dark caro corn syrup. I preferred the light caro corn syrup. I also found 2 1/2 cups of pecan was too much. Next time will use less pecans, maybe 1 1/2 to 2 cups. What are your suggestion(s)?
Hi Alyce! Are your pie dishes smaller? You can certainly reduce the pecans to your preference.
Finally, a pecan pie with that perfect flavor & consistency! I did skip the cinnamon! A new Thanksgiving tradition thanks to Sally!!
Best pecan pie I’ve ever eaten! Soooo many pecans and not so much goo, which is my preference.
I didn’t make the pie crust, which sounds amazing, so this is just a comment about the filling. For me, when I want pecan pie I want something like the recipe on the back of the Karo syrup bottle, it’s a nostalgia thing. This had way more pecans, so I found the pecan-to-goo ratio to be off. It’s a good pie, just not what I want on Thanksgiving. If that’s you too, maybe cut back to 1.5 cups of pecans and make the rest of the recipe the same.
Can I mix dark corn syrup with maple syrup? Would you recommend it?
Iโve made a lot of pecan pies over the last 3 decadesโฆthis was the best! We couldnโt get enough!!! So easy. So delicious. So loved.
Very yummy pecan pie. Made this for thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. Only difference i did was I baked at 450 for the first 10 minutes and then dropped the oven temp to 350. I do this with a few different pie recipes and it helps the crust bake up nicely. Will definitely be making this again.
I made this pie to the T and the middle did not set, it was runny and not great. I used a 9โ glass dish. Any ideas why the center was not cooked properly?
Hi Amy, If the pecan pie isnโt setting, it may not have been cooked long enough. Itโs also best to let the pie cool completely before slicing. Pecan pie is supposed to be a little gooey, so expect a soft filling. Hope this helps!
Filling was delicious but the pie crust absolutely needs to be parbaked to maintain it’s shape. My crust slumped badly which was unfortunate. I have a go to pie crust recipe of my own that usually stands up to anything when it’s prepped properly. I know it’s not my crust because I also baked a pumpkin pie with the same crust and it held just fine after though it was parkbaked. I also tried to roll the pie crust after chilling the disc in refrigerator so that too may have contributed to the slumping. Normally I shape the crust into a pie pan right after it’s made and then I let it chill in the fridge (allows for gluten to relax into pie plate shape which helps to hold it’s shape better then rolling AFTER sitting in fridge). Overall good filling recipe I will just be sure to prep crust properly next time. That’s what I get for trying to cut corners I suppose…
You can absolutely make this without corn syrup. I’m allergic to corn so I use rice syrup instead. It’s thicker than corn syrup and sets up the same. The pie turned out beautifully!
Do you have a preference for the pie pan type? Glass, ceramic or aluminum? Thank you & Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Angie, we typically prefer using a glass pie dish so that you can see how the crust underneath is baking. You can certainly use a ceramic pie dish instead, though.