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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Cozy Winter/Holiday Treats

    Pecan Pie Recipe

    Updated: November 14, 2023 by Sam Merritt โ€ข 171 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe
    collage of pecan pie, top image of single slice with scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, bottom image of full pie in glass pie plate

    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! My recipe takes just 15 minutes to prep with just 8 ingredients. Recipe includes a how-to video!

    Slice of pecan pie on a white plate.

    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 homemade 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!

    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. This recipe is a classic for Thanksgiving (served after the turkey, creamed spinach and dinner rolls!) but honestly, there’s never a bad time it.

    Why use my recipe:

    • Just 15 minutes of prep.
    • Perfectly set filling–no runny mess!
    • Uses toasted pecans for extra flavor.
    • NO need to blind bake your crust beforehand!

    What You Need

    Overhead view of ingredients including pecans, pie dough, brown sugar, dark corn syrup, and more.

    Today’s pie filling is made with just a handful of basic ingredients. Here are the ones you should take note of:

    • Pecans. Use pecan halves and lightly toast them for the best flavor (it literally takes less than 5 minutes!). If you need a refresher on how to do this, check out my post on how to toast pecans.
    • 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 just fine. And yes, corn syrup is an essential ingredient in this recipe! I don’t 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.
    • Melted butter. Use unsalted butter and let it cool before adding it to your egg mixture. Note: I accidentally say 1 cup instead of ยผ cup in my video 🤦🏼‍♀️–you only need ยผ cup!

    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 your pie with foil. I recommend checking your pie 25 minutes into baking, and then continuing to check every 10 minutes or so after that.

    Remember, 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!

    How to Make Pecan Pie

    Spoon stirring pecans into a syrup for pie.
    1. Roll out your pie dough, fit it to your plate, and chill it while you prepare your filling.
    2. Toast your pecans and let them cool.
    3. Vigorously whisk your eggs until they’re pale and foamy, then whisk in the corn syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla extract, and salt.
    4. Add the cooled melted butter, then stir in your pecans.
    5. Pour your filling into your chilled pie crust and bake for 40-50 minutes.
    6. Let the pie cool for several hours before slicing.

    SAM’S TIP: 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.

    Pecans in a syrupy filling poured into a pie crust before baking.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I freeze pecan pie?

    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.

    How do you keep pecan pie from being runny?

    Make sure to bake your pie for the full amount of time (it shouldn’t be at all jiggly when it’s done!) 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.

    Does pecan pie need to be refrigerated?

    Since this is an egg-based pie, it should be refrigerated. Just make sure to cover or store yours 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 pecan pie is best warm, so I highly recommend reheating your slice in the microwave before enjoying.

    Slice of pie topped with vanilla ice cream and cinnamon.

    If you happen to have some in your freezer, make sure to top your pie slice with vanilla ice cream or even homemade whipped cream–yum!

    Enjoy!

    Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

    Slice of pecan pie on a white plate.

    Perfect Pecan Pie

    With a crisp, nutty top, a rich, slightly gooey center, and a buttery homemade crust, this is the BEST Pecan Pie recipe you'll find! My recipe takes just 15 minutes to prep with just 8 ingredients.
    5 from 104 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Resting time: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 3 hours hours
    Servings: 8 slices*
    Calories: 610kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    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

    • 9 ยฝ" pie plate
    • Mixing bowls

    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 pecan pie 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 (the center should not be jiggly). 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

    Storing
    Cover pecan pie and store leftovers for up to 3-4 days. Store in the refrigerator, but pecan pie tastes best when its warm so I recommend reheating it in your microwave!
    Video Note
    The video on YouTube incorrectly states to use 1 cup of butter. This is incorrect, you should only use ยผ cup/57g of butter. Yes I am working on re-filming this.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 610kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 1500IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1.1mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nene

      November 23, 2020 at 10:04 pm

      Would using white sugar alter the taste of the pie?

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 23, 2020 at 10:11 pm

        Hi Nene! You can use granulated sugar but the pie won’t be quite as rich and you’ll lose some of the depth of flavor.

        Reply
        • Nene

          November 23, 2020 at 10:18 pm

          Thanks!

    2. Becky h

      November 23, 2020 at 9:06 pm

      My daughter made the pie but she used an electric mixer to mix the ingredients. Itโ€™s frothy – Will the pie still taste good or should she bake another?

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 23, 2020 at 9:33 pm

        Hi Becky! It should still turn out. I would bake it. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Becky

          November 23, 2020 at 11:25 pm

          Thanks!

    3. Boe

      November 23, 2020 at 9:05 pm

      Could I use a ready, store bought pie crust?

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 23, 2020 at 9:35 pm

        I’m not sure it would hold all of the filling, but you could use it. Make sure to not overfill it. Your baking time will definitely change. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Makenna

      November 23, 2020 at 8:25 pm

      I made this recipe- unfortunately, the center was still very runny after over cooking it.

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 23, 2020 at 9:00 pm

        I’m so sorry this happened, Makenna! Is it possible that your oven temperature may not be accurate? What do you mean by over-cooking it if the center was still runny? It may have needed just a bit more time in the oven.

        Reply
    5. Tori

      November 22, 2020 at 7:43 pm

      Do you think I could just use regular butter and leave out the salt?

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 23, 2020 at 9:25 am

        Hi Tori! Since you are only using 1/4 cup of butter here the salted butter would be fine to use without any other changes. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    6. Louise

      November 15, 2020 at 4:10 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe!!!!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        November 15, 2020 at 7:07 pm

        Thank you so much, Louise! I am so happy to hear it! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    7. Charlene

      November 12, 2020 at 12:13 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this pie this morning and it turned out perfect! I baked it for 50 minutes at 350 and it was still jiggly so I gave it another 5 minutes. My house smells AMAZING right now! The middle has definitely set up just fine. Iโ€™m wondering if some of the ones that are liquid may have to do with the eggs. I forgot to set them out so I covered them with warm water (not hot) and they came to room temperature very quickly. Canโ€™t wait to taste it! Tried to send a picture but it wouldnโ€™t copy.

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 12, 2020 at 8:26 pm

        I am so glad it turned out for you Charlene! I love the warm water trick for the eggs, now if I could only find one for the butter I forget to set out all the time! ๐Ÿคฃ

        Reply
        • Danielle

          November 23, 2020 at 9:16 am

          You can room temp butter by running a tall glass into hot water and then empty the water, turn the cup upside down over the butter to trap the steam and it will bring it up to temp. Make sure your stick of butter is standing straight up and the cup covers it fully. I always put a glass plate under mine so it will heat a little more evenly.

        • Sam

          November 23, 2020 at 9:39 am

          That’s a great tip, Danielle! I have tried it and have gotten the uneven melting result you are talking about so I try to avoid it, but I haven’t put it on a plate. That may help. ๐Ÿ™‚

    8. Mary

      November 02, 2020 at 9:18 pm

      I made this pie also and it turned out runny. I cooked it a little longer then advised. Iโ€™ll try it again.

      Thanks Mary

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 03, 2020 at 10:33 pm

        Hi Mary! In this recipe, the main culprit here is under-baking. Is it possible your oven isn’t quite as hot as it says it is? I would just keep it in the oven a little bit longer. Make sure the center is no longer jiggly.

        Reply
    9. Sofia Bernal Arango

      July 30, 2020 at 10:27 am

      Iโ€™ve made it twice and the outcome is delicious. However the last time I made it, the crust was a little soggy… do you think that blinding the crust before adding the filling should help with this?
      If a blind it, should I wait for the crust to be completely cold before adding the filling and baking it again ?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 13, 2020 at 9:20 pm

        Hi Sofia! That is so weird. I haven’t tried blind baking the crust so I am not sure how it would work. It sounds like the crust was good the first time? Did the pie sit too long before going in the oven? That could potentially cause it to get soggy. You could also brush the crust with an egg wash before adding the filling to help with this. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    10. Cynthia

      July 21, 2020 at 6:26 pm

      5 stars
      I don’t enjoy nuts of most kinds: walnuts, pecans, etc. but I made two pies over the weekend for my girls and this recipe is a hit! I brought some to work and my co-workers are not happy that I did not bring more (selfish people). This recipe was very easy to follow and hard to mess up. I will be making this again.

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 21, 2020 at 7:45 pm

        I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Cynthia! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    11. karina

      July 15, 2020 at 6:50 pm

      hi, do you think there would be a big difference if I didn’t roast the pecans?

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 15, 2020 at 9:04 pm

        Hi Karina! Roasting really enhances the flavor of the pecans here so if you don’t roast them the pie won’t be as good. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    12. Mikayla

      May 03, 2020 at 4:24 pm

      Pie turned out well, however you say a cup of melted butter in the video- and 1/4 cup in the written method. It is 1/4 cup? Please revise on video
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 03, 2020 at 8:24 pm

        I did make an error in the video. It should only be 1/4 cup, unfortunately a revision to the video isn’t really possible without reshooting the entire thing. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    13. Jennen

      December 22, 2019 at 7:38 am

      I am an avid baker and this looked like a great recipe. Unfortunately it is not…the filling did not set and was a runny syrup. So disappointed. ๐Ÿ˜”

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 22, 2019 at 10:18 am

        I’m sorry to hear this was your experience, Jennen! I’m wondering if maybe yours just needed a bit more time in the oven (could your oven be running cooler than it is letting on? Was it completely preheated before you put the pie in the oven?). It’s definitely not supposed to be a runny filling (you can see the texture it is supposed to be in the pics/video) and I haven’t had anyone else report this before. Happy to help troubleshoot further!

        Reply
        • Chase

          September 24, 2020 at 12:05 pm

          My pie came out runny as well; I baked to the maximum time suggested, it looked beautiful and wasn’t jiggling when I took it out.. but when I cut it the next morning it was syrup

        • Sam

          September 24, 2020 at 5:04 pm

          Hi Chase! That is very odd. The only thing that would make any sense would be that it was under-baked. I wish I could provide more help but that is about all I can think would go wrong. ๐Ÿ™

        • Patty

          October 10, 2020 at 9:35 am

          My pie came out the same. Runny in the middle. I read these comments prior to baking so I made sure I baked mine longer…actually baked one hour in preheated oven. Very disappointed. Ingredients are too expensive to turn out a flop.

        • Sam

          October 12, 2020 at 10:08 am

          I’m so sorry this happened. Is your oven temperature accurate? I really don’t know what could go wrong here other than under-baking it. Did you make sure it wasn’t jiggling when you removed it from the oven? I really wish I could provide any more help but I’m not sure what could be happening. ๐Ÿ™

    14. Julianne Jacobs-Valencia

      December 15, 2019 at 2:05 pm

      I made your pecan pie recipe with your homemade pie crust for Thanksgiving and it was amazing! As a southern girl who knows a good pecan pie, it checked all of the boxes. I am going to make your apple pie recipe for Christmas.

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        December 15, 2019 at 5:28 pm

        I am so glad that you enjoyed the pie, Julianne! I can’t wait to hear how you like the apple pie! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    15. Kathy Fouch

      December 01, 2019 at 11:50 pm

      I just made my first pecan pie and it came out wonderfully!
      Pecans are expensive but with 2 pecan trees and a great crop this year….I have LOTS!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        December 02, 2019 at 6:07 am

        That is a wonderful crop to have for sure, Kathy! I am so glad that you enjoyed the pies. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
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