If a flaky pie filled with a sweet custard-like filling packed with crunchy pecans sounds like a treat, this pecan pie recipe will be right up your alley. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty that is so satisfying after a holiday dinner. It’s a classic holiday pie for a reason!
This pecan pie comes together so easily. The homemade crust is straightforward and can be made in advance, and the pie filling just requires you to whisk together a few ingredients! You can also bake the entire pie in advance, so it’s one last thing to make on a busy day. If you need another holiday recipe, then try my apple cranberry pie recipe, homemade pumpkin pie, or sweet potato pie recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Pie crust — I highly recommend using my homemade pie crust recipe! It makes two servings, so you can freeze one and bake the other. It’s much more flavorful and buttery than a store-bought crust.
Eggs — eggs help hold the pecan filling together and add richness.
Vanilla — I recommend you use real vanilla extract instead of artificial extract for the best flavor.
Dark corn syrup — I prefer using dark corn syrup instead of light corn syrup as it has molasses in it, so you get a deeper caramel-like flavor than if you used light corn syrup. I use Karo syrup for the pecan pie filling.
Sugar — this recipe uses white sugar, but you can also use brown sugar if you prefer. However, keep in mind that too much brown sugar can be overpowering due to the molasses.
Pecans — you can’t make a pecan pie without pecans! As you need whole pecans to decorate the top of the pie, I suggest buying whole pecans and then chopping them for the filling. Make sure you have fresh pecans since old pecans will go rancid and stale. Got extra pecans? Try my pecan pie bars recipe or pecan pie cheesecake!
How to Make Pecan Pie
1. Place the frozen pie crust on a baking sheet and fill it with the chopped pecans.
2. Add the dark corn syrup to a medium mixing bowl.
3. Add the sugar.
4. Add the eggs.
5. Add the melted butter, vanilla, and salt.
6. Whisk until well combined.
7. Pour over the pecans.
8. If desired, place additional pecan halves on top in a decorative pattern. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes or until the filling is puffed and the center wobbles slightly when gently shaken. Loosely tent with foil at any time during baking if the crust is browning too quickly. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- In a rush? You can use a store-bought pie crust instead of making the pecan pie’s crust from scratch. While my homemade version is much more buttery and flaky, a store-bought pie shell will work in a pinch!
- If using my homemade pie crust recipe, you’ll make two 9-inch pie crusts worth of dough. You can tightly wrap and freeze one disc of dough for up to 3 months- just thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before using. Roll out the pie dough, fill the pie pan and crimp the edge as desired. Freeze for at least 20 minutes before making the pecan pie recipe.
- This recipe makes enough filling to fill a standard deep-dish pie. If using a shallow pan or premade frozen crust, you will have a bit extra. Or, you can add another ½ cup of pecans and fill two shallow pie crusts.
- If you’re using a ceramic pie dish with a homemade pie crust, you may want to blind-bake the pie dough before filling it. Ceramic dishes tend to insulate a bit more and could leave you with a slightly underdone crust. Follow my recipe on how to blind bake a pie crust for instructions!
- I like to use a glass baking dish for the pie as you can easily check the crust and see how it looks.
- You can use light corn syrup instead of dark corn syrup, but the filling will taste less rich.
- Serve the pie with a dollop of my homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!
- Keep a close eye on the pie crust as it bakes. If the pie crust is browning too quickly, loosely tent the pie with foil or add a pie crust shield around the edges to protect it. You want a golden brown color.
- When measuring corn syrup, you can spray a little non-stick in the measuring cups, so the syrup slides right out.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend storing the pie in the fridge as the filling contains eggs. Cover the pie once it has cooled to room temperature and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
This classic pecan pie recipe freezes great! Once it has cooled, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to a month. When ready to enjoy, thaw in the fridge overnight before bringing the pie to room temperature. You can freeze the entire pie or slices of pie.
The center of the pie should puff up and look set when the pie has finished baking. The center should not be overly jiggly, and the outer edges should be set. If the center is not set, you will have to continue to bake the pie. Cover with foil if the pie is browning too much.
In a classic pecan pie, the corn syrup and the eggs help hold the filling together. If you remove the corn syrup, the filling will have trouble setting up.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Pecan Pie recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Pecan Pie
Video
Equipment
- 9″ pie pan
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked frozen 9-inch pie crust*
- 1½ cups coarsely chopped pecans 180g
- 1 cup dark corn syrup 240mL/350g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150g
- 3 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (57g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Place the frozen pie crust on a baking sheet and fill it with the chopped pecans.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the corn syrup, sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Pour over the pecans. (If desired, place additional pecan halves on top in a decorative pattern.)
- Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F. Continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes or until the filling is puffed and the center wobbles slightly when gently shaken. Loosely tent with foil at any time during baking if the crust is browning too quickly. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- *If using my homemade pie crust recipe, you’ll make two 9-inch pie crusts worth of dough. You can tightly wrap and freeze one disc of dough for up to 3 months- just thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before using. Roll out the pie dough, fill the pie pan and crimp the edge as desired. Freeze for at least 20 minutes before making the pecan pie recipe.
- In a rush? You can use a store-bought pie crust instead of making the pecan pie’s crust from scratch. While my homemade version is much more buttery and flaky, a store-bought one will work in a pinch!
- This recipe makes enough filling to fill a standard deep-dish pie. If using a shallow pan or premade frozen crust, you will have a bit extra. Or, you can add another ½ cup of pecans and fill two shallow pie crusts.
- If you’re using a ceramic pie dish with a homemade pie crust, you may want to blind-bake the pie dough before filling it. Ceramic dishes tend to insulate a bit more and could leave you with a slightly underdone crust. Follow my recipe on how to blind bake a pie crust for instructions!
- I like to use a glass baking dish for the pie as you can easily check the crust and see how it looks.
- You can use light corn syrup instead of dark corn syrup, but the filling will taste less rich.
- Serve the pie with a dollop of my homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!
- Keep a close eye on the pie crust as it bakes. If the pie crust is browning too quickly, loosely tent the pie with foil or add a pie crust shield around the edges to protect it.
- When measuring corn syrup, you can spray a little non-stick in the measuring cups, so the syrup slides right out.
