This pecan pie recipe is classic for a reason! It’s so easy to make that the kids can help with every step of this recipe. Give it a try and you’ll see why it’s our family’s favorite pecan pie recipe!
I don’t typically bake pies all year round. I’m not really sure why that is, because they really aren’t difficult to make, especially the recipe that I am going to share with you today, this classic pecan pie recipe! This pie is so EASY and QUICK, I should really make it a year-round dessert. Let’s make it happen!
Why You’ll Love This Pecan Pie Recipe
- Easy. The beauty of this easy Pecan Pie recipe is that the prep time is less than 10 minutes!
- Make it ahead! This pie can and should be made in advance, so you’re not struggling with desserts the day of your family gathering. The extra time ahead gives it a chance to set, so it slices up perfectly!
- The flavor! The filling for this traditional pecan pie is sweet (but not too sweet) and rich. Perfectly buttery
- It’s a tried and true pie recipe. This pecan pie originates back to the folks at Karo syrup with a few minor tweaks to ensure success. It’s a classic for a reason.
Pecan Pie is Southern baking at its finest. This is the perfect pie recipe for beginners, or for kids to get involved in the holiday meal prep.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make this pecan pie recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for ingredient amounts.
- Corn syrup. You can use either light or dark corn syrup for this recipe. If you would prefer an alternate to corn syrup you can sub in light molasses, honey, or maple syrup.
- Large eggs
- Sugar. I use granulated sugar in my recipe, as it produces the most classic version of pecan pie with a subtle sweetness, but you can also use light brown sugar as well for a slightly deeper flavor.
- Melted butter
- Vanilla extract
- A pinch of kosher salt. I really like the addition of a little salt in my pecan pie recipe. It enhances the flavor of the nuts, as well as pairs with the sweet filling.
- Chopped pecans. I don’t worry about decorating the top of my pecan pie with whole pecans or pecan halves. While it looks pretty, I prefer all the pecans in a uniform size for each bite!
- Pie crust. You can use a frozen pie crust, a store bought rolled pie dough, or my homemade all butter pie crust.
Do I Have to Make My Own Pie Crust?
You can certainly make your own pie crust, and I have a really great pie crust recipe. But for a time saver, which is great when you’re trying to prepare for a big meal, you can also use a frozen deep dish pie crust, or even the rolled up crusts. I love taking any short cuts I can around the holidays, when I have a lot of different dishes to prepare. Honestly, the filling is so good it doesn’t matter too much what kind of crust you use!
How to Tell When Your Pie Is Done
When the center of the pie if set and no longer jiggles. A knife inserted into the center of the pie should come out clean. If it’s not set up add a few more minutes in the oven and check again.
- Making sure you pie sets up properly: If you don’t bake your pie long enough the center will not set up, creating a loose filling which will ooze when sliced. Make sure to bake your pie until the center is set and no longer jiggles.
- Avoiding cracks: If you over-bake your pie it will crack at the top, or if you cool your pie too quickly. Allow the pie to cool at room temperature before refrigerating.
Tips & Variation Ideas
- Place your pie on a baking sheet: You can place your pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven if you are concerned about the pie bubbling over. You shouldn’t have that problem if you’ve use a deep dish pie pan, but it’s always nice to have a little insurance just in case!
- Toast your pecans: You can toast your pecans to enhance the flavor if you would like to go the extra step!
- Add some booze: Add in a splash of bourbon or a teaspoon of rum extract if you’re feeling crazy!
- Serve with ice cream: We love serving this pie with vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream is also great.
How To Prevent a Soggy Crust
- Proper baking time is crucial when baking pecan pie to set to filling as well as ensure the crust is baked. Follow the recipe instructions closely, but note home oven temperatures can vary so check your pie a few minutes before the timer goes off and assess the progress. The pie should be set in the center and no longer jiggly.
- Bake in the center or lower rack. Placing the pie plate on the center or lower rack closer to the heating element is another tip to prevent a soggy crust.
- Create a barrier in between the filling and the pie crust. Before filling the pie simply brush the uncooked crust with a thin layer of egg white. This prevents the pie crust from absorbing the filling liquid creating a soggy dough.I don’t have that issue with this recipe, but it’s a step you can take as a preventative measure if you are concerned.
How To Store Pecan Pie
- You should store your pecan pie airtight in the refrigerator. This will keep it fresh for the longest as well as keep it firm enough for sharp slices. Simply cover your pie plate with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Out of the refrigerator at room temperature your pie will be fine for up to a few hours.
- Can I freeze it? Pecan pie is a great pie to freeze and thaw out when ready to use. Cover your pie in plastic wrap, and then again with aluminum foil for best freshness. Allow the pie to thaw in the refrigertaor before serving.
Looking for More Pecan Recipes?
I partnered with Karo® Syrup for this delicious recipe in 2018. The post has since been updated with more tricks and tips to be a more useful resource to my readers. Enjoy!
Pecan Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 10 1x
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
This pecan pie is a classic old-fashioned dessert that’s perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It has the best combination of sweet and salty!
Ingredients
- 1 cup light or dark corn syrup
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1–1/2 cups (6 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked OR frozen deep-dish pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix Karo light corn syrup, eggs, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla using a spoon or a rubber spatula.
- Stir in pecans.
- Pour the mixture into pie crust.
- Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes.
- Cool for at least 2 hours on wire rack before serving.
Notes
If you are using a prepared frozen pie crust, place cookie sheet in oven and preheat oven as directed. Pour filling into frozen crust and bake on preheated cookie sheet.
The pie is done when center reaches 200°F. Tap center surface of pie lightly – it should spring back when done. If pie crust is over-browning, cover edges with foil.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 304
- Sugar: 46.7 g
- Sodium: 54.6 mg
- Fat: 12.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.9 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 61.9 mg
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I love pecan pie but never tried to bake 1 untill this but ot turned out very well and easy to prepare
I followed the recipe exactly, but mine did not set. It tasted delicious but was runny. It did not serve in slices like a regular pecan pie. What did I do wrong?
Under-baked or over-mixed
I gave this to my 11 year old to make for the holidays and they killed it! Read through the ingredients and instructions and it was their first unassisted recipe. It’s so good. It’s insanely good.
Love hearing this!!
The receipt is easy to follow and in the end you have an amazing tasting pecan pie.
I am using your recipe for home baked pie crust but am confused as to whether I can put the whole thing in the oven at once or if I have to blind-bake the crust first? Please help.
The crust is unbaked 🙂
Blind bake with raw large beans to keep the pie crust flat.
I used your pecan recipe a couple of times & I found that there’s too many nuts in it. I guess that happened because I used a deep pie pan crust so I mixed up another batch & put it to the pan until it got full. Then I added just one cup of nuts to the last batch. It’s in the oven now & I’m curious how it turns out.
Hi Della, I had the same issue. The recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups, which I used, but later noticed it stated in parentheses “6 ounces”. Oops! If a cup is 8 ounces, that was a mistake in the recipe, because I used 12 ounces. There was too much filling for the crust and even after leaving some out, it bubbled over. The final product is more like sticky pecan candy.
Hi! Just to clarify, 6- ounces is measured weight. I include the cup measurement for ease. A cup = 8- ounces in liquid measurement 🙂
What temp to bake at? I am not seeing that in the recipe.
Step #1 in the recipe 🙂 350!
can i use brown sugar?
I put three tablespoons of brown sugar from another recipe! It just came out of the oven, but I think it would taste good! (I used one cup of white sugar, and the 3 tablespoons of brown sugar)
I’ve used this recipe for the past two years now and absolutely love it!! I always add chocolate chips for a little surprise too 🙂
The reviews for this Southern Thanksgiving staple were mixed, but I figured I’d throw my hat in the ring for an honest attempt.
The recipe is simple enough, and the ingredients are easy to come by.
I followed the instructions with exactness and had the highest hopes. My pre-oven pie looked like it belonged on a Fall edition of Better Homes and Gardens.
I set my timer for 60 minutes, but checked the pie at the 30 minute mark because of cautionary tales spouted by previous commenters such as Don who stated that baking the pie for 60 minutes was a crime against humanity (I’m paraphrasing, of course)
At 30 minutes, the pie was not fully baked, so I gave it another 20 minutes.
I plunged my thermometer into the pie and got a reading of 200 degrees- the magic number. I took the pie out with love and affection and let it sit on my counter for 2 long hours.
Finally, the time came to slice into my glorious creation. I put the slicer in and my heart sunk as quickly as the top of the pie. The inside gooped out and spilled everywhere. I wrestled with all my might to get a decent slice, but it failed catastrophically. My glorious pie slice flopped onto my plate like a fish out of water. With great remorse and my last shreds of optimistic hope, I attempted to cut yet another slice. It stayed together as well as my sanity after watching pledge week on PBS.
I lovingly gazed upon my goopy pie slice, which now looked more like a cobbler or crumble dessert and scooped up a large piece. It was……. The most delicious thing I have had the privilege of touching my taste buds. The flavour is truly lux.
However I may have overdid it with the size of the slice I took and now I can feel my teeth vibrating in my head and sending a Morse code message to my dentist.
All in all, I would probably have baked it a little longer and used slightly less sugar.
Would my pie make me the laughing stock of any baking contest? Absolutely. Would my pie bring forth works peace because of it’s flavour? Probably not. But it made my husband smile and will likely create a root canal that will land me on the Guinness World Record Book. 5/5 Stars
You are funny, i love that!!!
This is hilarious! And now I cannot wait to make it 🙂