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.
Dani
I noticed in your video you say a cup of butter and the written recipe says 1/4 cup . I am assuming that the correct amount was in the written recipe.
Sam
Hi Dani! I’m sorry for the confusion. Yes you only need 1/4 cup of butter. 🙂
Brenda Shillman
First pecan pie Ive ever made, It was a hit! Now its requested for any occasion. Easy to follow recipe, and exceptional taste.
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this, Brenda! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Ariel
i added light corn syrup i didnt have dark. the taste was really strong and the pie was runny. Why?
Sam
Hi Ariel! The light syrup shouldn’t have made it runny, most likely it just needed to bake a bit longer. However, when you say the taste was strong, what do you mean? The light corn syrup would have made the flavor more mild, if anything, so is it possible that an ingredient was mismeasured?
Ariel
Mabey, the taste just tasted like corn syrup. Sorry if i said strong, just sweet.
Lori
This pie is the best I’ve EVER made!
Usually my pies are a bit runny and collapse when a slice is taken, not this bad boy! Cuts perfectly, stays together and is the best tasting pie! My husband is crazy about pecan pie , he said this was the best he’s ever had! I think the secret is toasting the pecans! Game changer!!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lori! 🙂
Denice
Is the recipe for a deep dish pie?
Sam
I use a standard pie dish. A store-bought crust will be too shallow, though.
Debby
Here in Texas, nothing beats a Goode Company Pecan Pie! Well, they have been beat! This is the most fabulous Pecan pie ever and ever!
I have never made Pecan pie. I just never thought my family would except anything but the Goode Company pie. Momma didn’t get her order placed in time. So, goggling she went for the perfect Pecan pie.
After searching for hours, I found your recipe. The ingredients sounded perfect for the rich Pecan pie I was looking for. I will admit, I was hesitant on some of the comments saying their pie did not set. I started reading about possible mistakes made and decided to forge ahead. I had so much faith in your recipe, I had no backup dessert!
I cooked it for 50 minutes, inserted a knife in the center to make sure the filling was syrup like and checked the internal temp for 185 to make sure it was done. It was still really jiggly, so I turned off the oven and let it set for 15 minutes in the oven to finished cooking of the heat remaking in the oven. When I check it, the slight wiggle of jello was there! I let it set and cool for 2 hours and put in the refrigerator.
Tada!!! The Pecan fairy came at Thanksgivings and I served a pie that was better than Goode Company! My husband could not believe I made the pie! He thought I bought it and they had improved their recipe!
You are the Pecan Pie goddess!! Thank you so much and I can’t wait to try your other recipes! You have a fan for life!!
Sam
Thank you so much Debby! I’m so glad it was such a hit! 🙂
Em
This pecan pie was amazing! Will never make another recipe again.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Jerry
My Wife tried this for Thankgiving and I love it.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jerry! 🙂
Buck Williams
Have never made a pie before. Made your pie today and everyone loved it. I did accidentally buy duck eggs but they worked. Thank you for making my first pie such a hit. Who knew they sold duck eggs? Apparently everyone but me.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Buck! I have never looked for duck eggs, but I can’t recall ever seeing them in my stores, but that’s pretty cool! 🙂
Vanessa
I made this for Thanksgiving this year. The pie was delicious but the filling was a little runny. Any suggestions on where I may have gone wrong?
Sam
O no! I’m so sorry this happened, Vanessa! It sounds like the pie may have needed to bake for just a bit longer. Was the center set (not jiggly) when you pulled it from the oven?
Vanessa
That’s what I was thinking. The center did appear set. The pie actually looked beautiful and was quite delicious. It was my first time baking a pecan pie. I will definitely try this recipe again!
Lori
My husband is a pecan pie freak! “Best pecan pie I’ve ever had!”.
Sam
I’m so glad he enjoyed it so much, Lori! 🙂
Shelbi
Could I make anything the day before to save some time?
Sam
Definitely! Enjoy! 🙂
Ariel
would it be okay if i add dark bown sugar? I dont have light at this point.
Sam
Yup! the pie will be a bit richer but there’s nothing wrong with that! Enjoy!
Piper
could i use light corn syrup instead of dark?
Sam
Hi Piper! The taste won’t be quite as rich, but you can. 🙂
Doug
Pecan pies seem to be the one thing that never work out for me. This came out with a thick foam on top. My last one came out runny. (Different recipe). Although it tastes OK, I don’t feel comfortable serving it. You’re right about it being expensive, so much that I’ll just eat it myself😁. #goingbacktocakes
Sam
Hmmm I wonder if it was over-mixed before you added it to the pie crust. Was it foamy when you added it?
Hannah
Hi Sam! This recipe looks amazing! I was planning on making mini pecan pies but I don’t know how to adjust the baking time. The tins are about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch deep. Any idea on how to adjust the time??? Thank you! 🙂
Sam
Hi Hannah! Unfortunately I’m not sure how long it would need to bake. I would just check it. The edges should be stable and the center should ever so slightly jiggle. 🙂