My classic homemade pecan pie is traditional in the best possible way. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty—after one taste, you’ll know why it’s a favorite!
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. It’s 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 won’t really set, and it won’t taste like pecan pie. So… no, you can’t. 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 holidays—they 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
And make sure to check out my list of the 10 best tools for baking pies!
PrintMy 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 salty—after one taste, you’ll know why it’s a favorite! No need to pre-bake the crust.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 unbaked Flaky Pie Crust (what I used) or All Butter Pie Crust*
- egg wash for pie crust: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk or heavy cream
Filling
- 2 and 1/2 cups (250g) shelled pecans (pecan halves)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) dark 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: Prepare my pie crust through step 5.
- After the pie dough chills, adjust oven rack to the lower third position and preheat to 350°F (177°C).
- 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 pecans—some 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 50–55 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 1–2 days or in the refrigerator for 4–5 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 1–5 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 Tools (affiliate links): Rolling Pin | 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.
Keywords: pecan pie
I made this for Thanksgiving according to recipe and it was a BIG success! Thank you!!
★★★★★
I loved this pie. Have never really cared for pecan pie before because it was sweetness over load with way too much filling. Followed the recipe and at my daughter’s request added bourbon. Will definitely be making it again.
Did read comments prior to making it. Using an oven thermometer I found out its thermostat was off. This might be the reason some people had issues with it not setting.
★★★★★
I love this recipe! I need some help, though. It turned out great except it doesn’t hold together. I baked for 50 minutes and I also used chopped pecans because my family doesn’t like the halves, it’s difficult to cut. Any help is appreciated.
Hi Selena, glad you enjoyed the recipe! Was the pie completely cooled before sliced? It will continue to set as it cools. You can also try extending the bake time by a few minutes to ensure the filling is cooked through.
When I made this recipe I followed the recipe exactly. There was too much filling when I use the Pyrex dish indicated. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Wanda, were any of the ingredients accidentally over measured by chance? The filling as written should fit in the 9-inch Pyrex pie dish. It does fill pretty close to the top!
Best pecan pie recipe to date. I made it in a tart pan and added some bittersweet chocolate chips.
Delicious!!
★★★★★
This reminds me of my mother’s recipe! My family requests it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I use dark brown sugar (as my mother did).
★★★★★
Wow, this was good. I don’t like any jerky later on the bottom, so I just dumped a 12 oz bag of parts in the shell. Came out perfect. I really enjoyed the subtle cinnamon flavor
★★★★★
Sorry, that should read “jelly layer”. I gather there isn’t much of one as written, but you can’t be too careful! Hoo boy is it filling this way, but yum yum yum
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I’ve had a couple failed attempts at this pie, though it was still delicious! Every time I’ve made this pie the top layer is firm and looked done at the 55 minute mark, but then when it cools and I cut into it, the underneath is soupy. It’s so hard to tell if it’s done because the top looks done! I arranged a layer of pecan on the top for decoration, could this have been the issue? Thanks!
Hi D, I don’t think that was the issue. What I think would help is to tent the cooking pie with foil, which will help the top layer and bottom/center cook a little more evenly. When covered, you could slightly increase the bake time.
I first made this recipe several years ago. My new boyfriend (now my husband ;), said pecan was his fav pie. I was never a fan of it, so I didn’t have a recipe in box. I scoured the web for recipes and no 2 were the same. Came across this one. Everyone went WILD over it. It is absolutely delicious. Even my kids, who wouldn’t touch a nut, ask me to make it for holidays now. If you’re looking for a pie resembling the nasty sugary-gel filling of a store bought pecan pie, this is not the recipe for you. If you’re looking for a recipe that has a wonderful texture/mouth feel, that taste like a blue ribbon pastry chef winner made it, this is the one. Some readers had mentioned “no filling”, imo this is the absolute perfect ratio as the pecans (which I chopped pretty fine) are incorporated throughout the smooth texture. No grainy mushy gel. The crust is perfect as well. I learned to make crust a while ago and once you master the skill, you will never go back. Thanks so much for this recipe! Literally every single person who tries this asks me to make it.
★★★★★
Hi Melanie, we’re so glad to hear that you and your family love this recipe!
I made this pie yesterday and was thrilled with how perfect it turned out. It was the best pecan pie recipe in every way…it looked and tasted great. Crust was also perfect, with no soggy bottom.
Thank you for sharing this!
Made this recipe and another one to compare corn syrup vs no corn syrup and although this pie was good, I didn’t like the cinnamon. I already cut it down to less than the called for 1/2 t of cinnamon but I wish I had left it out all together. It takes away from the caramel yummy goodness of pecan pie, in my opinion. I also cooked it for 50 mins and it was overdone. I should have checked it closer to 40-45 mins.
★★★
Lovely recipe. You are my go to. I accidentally doubled the butter and it worked deliciously, thanks so much
#holidaybakingwhiledrinkingProsecco
This recipe didn’t work. I followed it without any changes and there was no soft filling. Just nuts and a soggy crust. We took one bite and tossed it in the garbage. I’ve never had a problem with a Sally’s recipe, so this is a first.
★★★
Very easy to make, but the pecan to filling ratio is all wrong—almost no filling. Plus it’s not very sweet.
★★
The pie set really well but there are far too many pecans. I could barely see or taste the filling. The crust came out beautifully.
★★★
I am wanting to sub golden syrup for the corn syrup will it change the cooking time or taste?
Hi Kathleen, golden syrup should be okay in a pinch, but we haven’t tried it ourselves to be sure of the outcome. Let us know if you give it a try!
So I live in an area where corn syrup isn’t available. I used vanilla flavored coffee syrup instead. and omitted the extract. It set perfectly and really tasty. Did need to shorten the cooking time a tad.
★★★★★
This is a fantastic recipe! I made one change which is using Lyle Syrup. After reading another blogger’s recipe, I used the Lyle’s with just a pinch of salt. It set perfectly. Thank you Sally!
★★★★★
I have never spread the pecans across the crust then poured the filling on top of it. Yet, t5here they are: the pecans are on top of the pie. Do the pecans somehow migrate to the top of the filling while baking? Thanks!
Hi Rob, the filling will settle and set as it cools, allowing the pecans to show through once completed. Hope you enjoy this pie!
Hello, Why does my pie crust edge fold in towards the pie filling when it first goes in the oven? I had a nice, crimped edge that seemed to melt when it went into the hot oven.
Hi Sharon, make sure your pie crust/pie are very cold going into the oven. You can pop the entire pie into the fridge for a few minutes to do so. Cold pie dough will keep it’s shape much better than dough that has softened (which can easily happen when working with pie dough). Hope this helps!
This is a great recipe and it set up well. Much easier than some of the other recipes I have tried in the past. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Your pie says to leave on counter overnight but all other pecan pie recipes say to refrigerate overnight, what should I do? Will refrigeratation change the flavor?
What should I do?
Hi Adrienne, we can’t speak to other recipes, but we prefer to leave ours on the counter overnight after it has cooled/set. However, you can certainly refrigerate it if you prefer. We’d recommend bringing it back to room temperature before serving.
This was my first time ever baking a sweet pie (and only my fourth or fifth pie ever) and I was initially so daunted, especially making the crust from scratch (with your recipe). BUT the instructions were so clear and easy to follow. And the result was delicious…!!!
I substituted golden syrup and molasses (2:1) for the corn syrup, as the latter isn’t readily available here. It set fine and tasted terrific. Hopefully it didn’t contribute to my problem (although it may have)… I was surprised to cut into the pie and find that the filling other than the pecans had almost entirely ended up under the crust! There were some lumps of shortening I hadn’t worked in too well. Stephanie from the team replied to someone else with this problem and suggested that could let the filling seep through when the fat melts, or that the crust was rolled too thin. (Thank you Stephanie!)
So sounds like I’ll have to try the recipe again soon with that in mind — I know, I know, what a terrible ordeal 😉 Thanks Sally for this yummy recipe which I feel will become a classic.
★★★★★
So I accidentally ore-baked the pie crust for the pecan pie while pre-baking the ones for pumpkin….
Any change to temp or length of time?
P.S. LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes
You’re my go-to for any kind of baking needs.
Hi Lily, bake time will still be about the same in order for the pecan pie to properly set. Since the crust has already been pre-baked, you may wish to add a pie crust shield a bit earlier to ensure the crust doesn’t burn. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally – this goes for all of your pies! They are 1) delicious 🙂 thanks for creating these recipes!! 2) So, I am making my pies today & I want to freeze them so they will last… BUT my husband LOVES warm pie. Any recommendations on re-heating? I know I did a mini pie before & put it in the oven on like 250 for like 15 mins covered with foil and that warmed them enough. But what about a big pie? Thanks again! 🙂 these are awesome!!
Hi Maddy, thank you so much for making and trusting all of our recipes! Reheating will really vary by recipe, but we’d recommend setting the oven anywhere from 300-350 and then rewarming to your liking. Each oven can be a bit different, so keep a close eye on them. Hope all your pies are a hit!
We’ve been using this recipe the last few years at Thanksgiving and it’s consistently been a major hit! We have substituted the dark corn syrup for light and have still been very happy with the outcome. I was thinking about trying to brown the butter for the pie this year. Have you done this variation before or would there be any reason this would work against the recipe? I worry about straying from the original so I’m hoping you have some insight!
Hi Jennifer, I have tried that before actually. And it works wonderfully! There are no changes necessary (you don’t need to use/add more butter). You don’t have to adjust any of the other ingredients either. Brown 4 Tablespoons of butter, and use that instead of simply melted butter.
Hi – do you toast the pecans before baking the pie?
Hi Sheri, you can use raw or roasted pecans. Raw would be best since you’ll be cooking them. Hope you enjoy the pie!
I’m not sure what I did wrong but my filling wasn’t set. Any idea why that might have happened?
Hi Alex! As long as you didn’t make any ingredient substitutions, the pie likely just needed longer to bake.
Love it! How do I adjust this to make pecan pie pockets (hand pies)?
Thank you!
Hi Erin! We haven’t tried making pecan pie pockets, but here’s our recipes for mini pecan pies and apple hand pies. Let us know what you try!
Can a frozen deep dish pie crust be used to make this recipe?
Hi Dawn, yes, you can.
I bought a pre made crust in aluminum foil now, do I bake the filling first and then pour it into the pie and the filling is done or bake the pre made crust with it
Hi Michelle, you can use a pre-made crust that has not been baked yet, and then bake the pie as a whole following the directions in this post.