With a crisp, nutty top, a rich, perfectly gooey center, and a buttery homemade crust, this is the BEST Pecan Pie recipe you’ll find! Just 15 minutes to prep and just 8 ingredients. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Best Pecan Pie Recipe
You’ve officially found the BEST pecan pie recipe! My carefully tested recipe is guaranteed to produce a perfect pie with a firm, yet slightly gooey center, crisp top, and flaky easy pie crust base. It’s been carefully tweaked and adjusted for the best possible flavor and texture. Bonus: it’s also really, really easy to make!
Why This Recipe WORKS
- Uses toasted pecans for extra flavor. This extra step is easy, but makes a huge difference! Just pop your pecans in the oven for a few minutes until they smell incredible.
- Perfectly set filling–no runny mess! I include a few helpful tips and visual cues so you can avoid this tragedy.
- Just 15 minutes of prep. We’ll start by toasting the pecans, then we’ll combine them with a few ingredients before pouring everything in a pie crust and baking.
- NO need to blind bake the crust beforehand! We love a simple pie recipe 🙌
Ingredients
If you’ve never had this pie before, you’re in for a treat! It has a nutty (obviously) slightly buttery, brown sugar/caramelized flavor that’s unbeatable, especially when served warm (bonus points if you top it with vanilla ice cream). Here’s what you need to make it!
- Pecans. Use pecan halves and lightly toast them for the best flavor (it literally takes less than 5 minutes!). Psst: toast a few extra and save them to make my pecan pie cookies 😉.
- Dark corn syrup. I prefer the richer taste from using dark corn syrup, but if you don’t have any, light corn syrup will work ok. And yes, corn syrup is an essential ingredient in this recipe! I don’t currently have any substitutions to recommend. Remember, corn syrup is NOT the same thing as high fructose corn syrup.
- Eggs. Use room temperature eggs and whisk them vigorously until they’re light and foamy. If you forget to set your eggs ahead of time, use my trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature.
- Melted butter. Use unsalted butter and let it cool before adding it to your egg mixture.
- Pie crust. Homemade is best, but store-bought will still work. I also like to use my sourdough pie crust here.
As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: Coarsely chopped pecans will also work, though I recommend chopping them after you toast them. Otherwise, you will need to keep a closer eye on them when toasting in the oven as they will cook a bit faster than pecan halves.
How to Make Pecan Pie
- Step 1: Toast the pecans. Scatter your pecans over a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until toasted, about 5-8 minutes (they should smell amazing!), then remove and let cool.
- Step 2: Whisk the eggs til foamy. Beat your eggs with a whisk until foamy and pale yellow in color, about 30 seconds.
- Step 3: Add the pecans. Add the sugars, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt, then whisk in the melted butter. Stir in the cooled pecans, making sure each pecan is coated in the mixture.
- Step 4: Bake! Pour your filling into your prepared crust and bake until set. You’ll know your pie is done when the center is fully set–there shouldn’t be any movement when you jiggle the pie plate. After cooling for a few hours, serve warm slices with vanilla ice cream or even homemade whipped cream.
SAM’S TIP: Make sure to check your pie periodically while baking. While I have been able to bake this pie without having to cover it, if you notice that your crust is beginning to turn too brown, cover the edges with foil. I recommend checking your pie 25 or 35 minutes into baking, and then continuing to check every 10 minutes or so after that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this is a great pie for making in advance and freezing. To do so, allow the pie to cool completely, then cover tightly with plastic wrap. Transfer to the freezer and freeze for up to one month. To thaw, place your pie in the refrigerator overnight.
Make sure to bake your pie for the full amount of time (the center should be set!) AND let it have plenty of time to cool and set up. I like to let my pie sit on the top of my oven for two hours before transferring it to the fridge.
This is an egg-based pie, so yes, you should refrigerate it. Just make sure to cover or store in an airtight container before placing it in the fridge (this will help keep it from drying out and from absorbing any odors that could be lingering in the refrigerator).
I personally think this pie is best warm, so I highly recommend reheating your slice in the microwave before enjoying!
If your oven temperature is too high (sometimes your oven is lying to you, which is why I always keep an oven thermometer in mine!), if you bake the pie for too long, or if it cools too rapidly, you may notice cracks form around the edges of your pie (or even through the center). If you notice the pie is beginning to crack in the oven but the center is still slightly jiggly, I would recommend pulling it out of the oven (even though ideally the pie should be completely set, this will prevent over-baking and a poor texture).
More Pecan Recipes
This recipe is a classic for Thanksgiving (served after the turkey, mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole!) but honestly, there’s never a bad time to eat it, it’s also excellent in the summertime paired with a glass of sweet tea.
Enjoy!
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Perfect Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9 ½" homemade pie crust (click link for recipe)
- 2 ¼ cups (250 g) pecan halves or coarsely chopped pecans
- 3 large eggs room temperature preffered
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar tightly packed
- ⅔ cup (158 ml) dark corn syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled until no longer warm to the touch
For the egg wash
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon water
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Prepare homemade pie crust according to recipe instructions. As per instructions, prepare, chill, roll out, and arrange into a 9 ½" pie plate, fluting the edges. Pierce all over with a fork and place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling.1 9 ½" homemade pie crust
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
- Once oven is preheated, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and scatter pecan halves evenly over the surface. Transfer to 350F (175C) preheated oven and toast for 5-8 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you prepare the filling.2 ¼ cups (250 g) pecan halves
- In a large bowl, whisk your eggs until pale yellow and foamy (about 30 seconds).3 large eggs
- Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla extract, and salt, and whisk until combined.⅔ cup (158 ml) dark corn syrup, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add melted, slightly cooled butter and stir well/whisk to combine.¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter
- Add cooled pecan halves and stir until until completely coated in syrup mixture.2 ¼ cups (250 g) pecan halves
- Remove pie plate from refrigerator and make a simple egg wash by whisking together an egg with a teaspoon of water. Whisk until well incorporated, then use a pastry brush to brush all over the crust. Pour the pecan mixture into your prepared pie plate and transfer to 350F (175C) oven.1 egg, 1 teaspoon water
- Bake 45-55 minutes or until pie is set (very slight jiggle is ok, but set is ideal). Be sure to check your pie 35 minutes into baking and check periodically after that; if the crust is beginning to brown too quickly, cover your pie or with foil or a pie shield to prevent over-browning.
- Allow to cool completely (at least 2-4 hours) before cutting and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
I originally published this recipe in October of 2018. I’ve since updated the post to include more helpful notes, new photos, and a new video tutorial. The recipe remains the same.
Alma
I made this pecan pie, and it was the best ever I have tasted, the crust was also delicious, the only thing that I don’t know why it was sticked a little on my glass pie mold, any recommendation for this?
Sam Merritt
Hi Alma! What kind of pie crust did you use? Was it the homemade crust? Was it a store bought crust? The homemade crust shouldn’t stick if the pie is fully baked. If it does stick just slip a spatula underneath of it to pop it up. 🙂
Wendy
Not a fan of pecans so made it with cashews & some almonds. Very yummy!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for letting us know how it went for you with that substitution, Wendy! Enjoy 😊
Patty K
Excellent recipe! I have a question, what if I only have salted butter? Is it OK to use it? Should I omit the salt?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Patty! You will want to reduce the salt in the recipe to ⅛ teaspoon. Enjoy!
Megan
This pie has cemented me as my father in law’s favorite child. I’ve become well known for this pie, and it’s so easy!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy our recipe has been such a hit for you, Megan! Thanks for the review 🥰
ashley
this was my first pie and first pecan pie ive ever made. it was so good! I went to 4 different stores and could not find dark corn syrup so I used light corn syrup and dark brown sugar. cooked for 50 minutes, left out for 3 hours, then refrigerated for about 8 hours. it was a bit runny in the middle but I think it just needed a few more minute in the oven so next time ill do 60 minutes instead but the flavors all the same and it was just as delicious!