Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Sweet and nutty, with loads of rich brown sugar flavors.
Texture: The crust is flaky and crisp, while the filling has a gooey yet candy-like crunch.
Ease: Definitely one of the easier pies to make!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Quintessential, delicious Thanksgiving pie.
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When it comes to Thanksgiving pies, it seems Pecan Pie is less divisive than pumpkin pie.
Some people hate pumpkin pie.
But Pecan Pie doesn’t seem to invoke much love or hate. It’s kind of just there. But this is no ordinary Pecan Pie!
This recipe is pretty traditional, but there are a few tricks I’ve used to make the classic Pecan Pie recipe a little more special.
First, I use my all-butter Best Ever Pie Crust recipe and blind-bake the pie crust to ensure it stays nice and crispy.
Second, I use corn syrup to create a perfectly set candy-like filling, along with dark brown sugar to give it a complex, rich depth of flavor. I also add a generous amount of butter to the filling for extra flavor and richness.
Lastly, toasting the pecans and sprinkling in a pinch of cinnamon takes the whole pie to a whole new level.
Don’t forget a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Perfect Pecan Pie
The Pie Crust
I highly recommend using my Best Ever Pie Crust for this traditional Pecan Pie. It’s buttery, ultra flaky, and easy. If you’re intimidated by pie crusts, check out the full pie crust recipe post for loads of tips and tricks.
How to Blind Bake Pie Crust for Pecan Pie
While some Pecan Pie recipes don’t call for blind-baking the pie crust, I personally much prefer the texture of the crust when it’s baked first. It’s crispier and stays crisp for longer. Here’s how to blind bake your crust:
- Line the chilled crust in the pan with foil, pressing all the way to the edges to ensure they don’t slump down. Fill the crust completely with pie weights, granulated sugar, rice, or dried beans. You must completely fill to the top edge of the crust to prevent the crust from shrinking or slumping.
- Place on a rimmed baking pan. This will help catch any butter that might bubble over.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 400°F, or until pale, just beginning to brown, and no longer raw. The higher baking temperature allows the crust to set quickly, preventing it from losing its shape or flute.
- If you typically have soggy crust problems, try baking the pie on the bottom rack of your oven or on top of a baking stone.
Check out my full article for How to Blind Bake Pie Crust here.
How to Toast Pecans
Place pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 350°F oven until fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Toasting first is an extra step, but I promise it’s worth it! It intensifies the pecan flavor and creates a crunchier texture.
How to Prevent Watery or Runny Pecan Pie Filling
We want the Pecan Pie filling to be gooey and thick, not runny. This all comes down to baking:
- The edges should be set but the center should wobble a bit, kind of like gelatin.
- Overbaked Pecan Pie will be cracked and dry; underbaked Pecan Pie will be watery and runny.
- Bake until it reaches an internal temperature of 200°F. Use a digital thermometer to make this easy.
Do I Have to Use Corn Syrup?
In this recipe, yes, corn syrup is necessary. I used light corn syrup, but dark corn syrup works too. I’ve heard golden syrup can work well, but I haven’t tested that myself.
If you’re looking for a Pecan Pie without corn syrup, give my Browned Butter Maple Pecan Pie recipe a try instead!
Can I Use Light Brown Sugar Instead of Dark Brown Sugar?
The dark brown sugar in this Pecan Pie recipe creates that toffee-like sticky sweetness without being too cloying, bringing a beautiful richness and depth of flavor.
If you need to, light brown sugar will work in a pinch – or make your own dark brown sugar! Learn how to make brown sugar here.
What is the Best Pie Pan to Use for Pecan Pie?
I recently used my Best Ever Pie Crust recipe to experiment with different pie pans to determine which pie pan is best. Check out my Best Pie Pan article here to see my side-by-side experiments and learn which pie pans I recommend.
Does Pecan Pie Need to be Refrigerated?
Yes. Since Pecan Pie contains egg, it should be refrigerated after sitting out for about 2 hours.
How to Store Pecan Pie
Store the baked, cooled Pecan Pie, loosely covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to Freeze Pecan Pie
- Place the baked, completely cooled Pecan Pie inside an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- This is easiest done with a disposable aluminum pie tin (learn more about pie pans here).
- When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before slicing.
- Refresh in a 300°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes to re-crisp the crust, if desired.
Best Thanksgiving Pies:
- French Silk Pie – my most popular Thanksgiving pie recipe!
- Caramel Apple Streusel Pie
- Easy Pumpkin Pie
- Peanut Butter Pie
- Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie
Check out ALL of my Thanksgiving recipes here.
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Ingredients
- 1
single batch pie dough, chilled overnight - 2 cups (227 grams) pecan halves
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (312 grams) light corn syrup
- 3/4 cups (150 grams) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
Prepare the pie crust:
- Roll the dough out on a generously floured work surface. Keep turning the dough after every roll to ensure it doesn’t stick to the counter and is of even thickness. Add additional flour to the dough, the counter, and your rolling pin as needed. Roll out into a 12 to 14-inch circle, depending on how deep your pie tin is.
- Gently roll the dough up and around the rolling pin then unroll and drape over a 9-inch pie tin. Gently press into the pie tin, being careful to avoid stretching the dough. Use scissors or a knife to trim the excess dough, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under itself and crimp or flute. Pierce the base of the dough with a fork.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line the chilled crust with foil, pressing all the way to the edges to ensure they don’t slump down. Fill the crust completely with pie weights, granulated sugar, rice, or dried beans.
- Place on a rimmed baking pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pale and just beginning to brown but not raw. Remove from oven and set aside to fully cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Make the filling:
- Place pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 350°F oven until fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Maintain oven temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs until well beaten. Add the corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually whisk in the melted butter until combined.
- Place pecans evenly in cooled pie crust. Pour egg mixture over the pecans into crust.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the edges of the filling are set but the center is still slightly wobbly. Your pie should have an internal temperature of 200°F when finished. If the crust begins to brown too much, cover with foil or a pie shield and continue baking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
This post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
What can I substitute corn syrup with? We don’t get it in the UK.
Hi Mathanki! We’ve heard golden syrup is a good substitute, but we haven’t tested that. Let us know if you give it a try!
I couldn’t read the earlier part of the recipe because there was a huge PSA ad that wouldn’t collapse & disappear.
Waaaahhhhhhh
I’m sorry to hear that, Marina! It sounds like there was an issue with one of our ad sizes. If that happens again, can you please take a screenshot of the ad and email it to [email protected]? Then, we can forward it to our ad team to troubleshoot further and get it removed from our site. Also, a quick workaround if an ad is blocking part of the recipe is to click the “Print” button. It will open up the recipe in a new tab without ads. I hope that helps!
I have not made this yet my question is why the pecans in the pie Pan first? do you pour mixture over them? you would think the pecans would be placed on the top…. so do they swim to the top? LOL
Hi Cheryl! Yes, this is the easiest method – but feel free to only place some of the pecans in the parbaked crust, pour in the filling, and top with the remaining pecans, if you wish! Happy baking 🙂
If you are using frozen pie shells, should you still blind bake them? Not a very good pie maker
Hi Lisa! It would depend on your type of pie shell, but if it’s raw, then it would be best to blind bake it beforehand. Check out all of Tessa’s great tips for this recipe, in the pink tip box above the recipe 🙂 Let us know what you think of this pie once you have given it a try! 🙂
This pie was absolutely delicious I think I would recommend is to not toast the pecans as long because they get a little crispy.