Not only is this Pecan Pie recipe one of the easiest pies to make, it’s absolutely fantastic with its rich caramel pecan filling paired with a flakey, buttery crust. It’s one of our family’s all-time favorites!
My grandmother was an excellent pie maker and pecan pie will always remind me of her. Don’t miss my other traditional pie recipes including Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, and Lemon meringue pie.
I was tasked to make Pecan Pie each year for Thanksgiving from a very young age, because it was so easy to make that my mom could trust I wouldn’t mess it up! I never truly appreciated its magic until I was an adult, and my “taste buds matured”, as my mom would say! I’m telling you, this pecan pie recipe is the absolute BEST!
Pecan pie is an old-fashioned pie made with pecans folded into a batter made of butter, sugar and eggs, that bakes into a delicious caramel, nutty pie filling. Be sure to check out my Pecan Pie Bars recipe too!
What we LOVE about this Pecan Pie Recipe:
- EASY: Of all my pie recipes , this one is the fastest, easiest, and most basic recipe there is.
- Unbaked Pie Crust: Pecan pie is made with an unbaked pie crust, which is is just another reason it’s so easy to make. Please do yourself a favor and pair it with my easy homemade pie crust, that tastes SO much better than store-bought!
- Basic Ingredients: You only need a few simple pantry ingredients: sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, vanilla, butter, eggs, pecans.
How to Make Pecan Pie:
Cream sugars, salt, corn syrup, and butter. Add eggs and beat well, then stir in the vanilla.
Add Pecans: Stir in the pecans (leave out a small handful to place on top later) until incorporated.
Pour the mixture into an unbaked 9 inch pie shell. Add a few of the reserved pecans on top of the pie in any empty spots, to make it look pretty. Use a small spoon to cover them with batter.
Bake the pie at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook for 40 minutes. Check on it half way through cooking and tent a piece of aluminum foil over the crust if it’s getting too browned–I spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray and try and tent it so it doesn’t touch the pie filling, so that the filling doesn’t stick to the foil.
How do I know when it’s finished baking?
You will know your pecan pie is done cooking when you can gently shake the pie dish and see that the center of the pie is not overly jiggly and the outer edges are set. If the pie jiggles a lot when you gently shake the pan, continue cooking it until the center is a little more set. The cook time will vary and may take a bit longer than 60 minutes.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Homemade Pecan Pie can be made 1-3 days in advance. Bake the pie, allow it to completely cool, then cover and store it in the refrigerator. I like to remove it from the fridge one hour before serving. You can also make the pecan pie filling (don’t add the nuts to the batter) and pie crust ahead of time and store them separately, then assemble the pie and bake on the day you want to serve it.
To Freeze: Allow baked Pecan Pie to cool completely, then cover it with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before serving.
More Pie Recipes:
- Chess Pie
- Cherry Pie
- Lemon Sour Cream Pie
- Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping
- Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Pie
- Key Lime Pie
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Oreo Cheesecake Pie
- Lemon Chiffon Pie
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Triple Berry Pie
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Recipe
Pecan Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Homemade pie crust , unbaked (my recipe makes 2 crusts, so you can freeze the other crust)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup salted butter , softened or melted
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves (can chop the pecans or leave whole)
Instructions
- Prepare my perfect pie crust recipe and place pie dough in an 9×2 inch pie dish. Refrigerate while you prepare the pecan pie filling.
- In a large bowl whisk together sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, and softened (or melted) butter. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
- Reserve a few pecans and stir the rest into the batter. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Add a few of the reserved pecans on top of the pie in any empty spots, to make it look pretty. Use a small spoon to cover them with batter.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temp to 350 degrees F and continue baking for about 50 minutes. Check the pie half way through cooking and tent a large piece of greased aluminum foil over the top of the pie. (I tent it high so it doesn't touch the pie filling). You will know your pecan pie is done when you can shake it gently and it is not overly jiggly. If it jiggles a lot when shaking, continue cooking until the center is more set, 5-10 more minutes, or longer if needed. Err on the side of cooking it longer rather than shorter to ensure that the middle has set.
- Allow pie to cool completely for several hours before cutting and serving. Or refrigerate for 1-3 days, until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe November 2018. Updated November 2022.
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This recipe is AMAZING! This was my first time making a pie of any sort, and it came out amazingly. I did bump up the temp to 375 for 15-20 more minutes, and it was perfect! I’m going to be making this each holiday, and everyone loved it!
I have tried several pecan pie recipies and not one turned out right.
I decided to try this one and followed the directions to a “T”. It turned phenomenal!! My family raved about it and are begging me to make another one. lol
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. This is definitely a keeper for my family.
I made this pecan pie recipe for Thanksgiving today and it was a hit! My brother said it was the best he has ever had. Love this recipe!
I live in the Netherlands and took me 2 weeks to find light corn syrup. Now that i have found it, im defrosting the pie crust i made in advance following your recipe. Step 2 is gathering the rest of the ingredients but was wondering if the pecans should be roasted or not?
No, they don’t need to be roasted. We just use plain raw pecan halves. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I made this pie and the crust stuck to the glass pie plate. Any suggestions of how to have this not happen? Did I cook it too long?
Hi Katherine, we are sorry it stuck to the plate, hopefully you still enjoyed the taste! You can spray the pan generously with cooking spray before adding the pie crust. Did the filling seep around the pie crust at all when transferring to the oven? That can make it stick as well, so try to transfer it carefully to avoid that. We hope it works out better for you next time!
This recipe was easy to follow and make and was delicious! I also used the pie crust recipe which turned out so amazingly tasty! It was the first pie that everyone devoured at Thanksgiving.
The only issue I have is that it makes a deep dish not a standard. The pie is amazing!
Made this with only half the sugar and half the syrup and then added an extra handful of pecans and it was delicious. Can’t imagine how cloyingly sweet it would be with the full amount. (I am European, though, to put this into perspective. American recipes are nearly always way way too sweet)
Though I’ve been cooking/baking for 35+ Years, this was my first pecan pie. I’ve seen so many burnt or runny pecan pies that I was intimidated so I always purchased someone else’s. I will NEVER do that again after using this recipe. It was perfect! The only thing I did differently was use dark brown sugar instead of light, because that’s what I had on hand. I put domed foil over the entire pie, including crust edges, after the first 15 min. to keep from burning. After 50 min I checked & it wasn’t close so I ended up cooking an additional 25min. total in 10 then 5 min. increments then I felt like it needed just a hair more so I turned the oven off and let it sit inside with door closed for another 5 then moved onto a cooling rack. I took the foil off approximately 10min before removing from oven. The pecans and crust were both perfectly brown without being overly so, the filling had a rich caramel flavor that was to die for and a perfect consistency. I can’t explain the perfection of this pie. I’m sure I could sell them by the dozen if I wanted to. lol
This recipe should definitely have 5 stars. If you follow the recipe EXACT it should come out to be the best pecan pie of your life. If it didn’t come out great for you I would recommend you try again, the fault is certainly not in the recipe! 🫣
Thanks for sharing this gem & not being a recipe hoarder, It’s going in my Recipe book that will be passed on to my daughter one day!
too much filling. dripped over and started smoking up the oven. Use Less ingredients.
This recipe is for a 9×2” pie pan. If using a smaller pan (like an aluminum one) it may be too much filling.
a bit of a disaster – burned, even after tenting.
No one ever wants me to cook anything for the holidays because, frankly, I’m not a good cook or baker. This year for Thanksgiving I decided I wanted to make something regardless if my family wanted me to or not – LOL!. So I made this pecan pie and it was all the rage! Everyone kept saying it was the best pecan pie they ever had and they requested it again for Christmas. Makes me so happy!! I am no longer the odd one out. 🙂 Love this recipe!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Sound like you’re a baker after all 🙂
My crust always gets too dark/burnt on the ends. Cooking this now so can’t rate yet but even the pie looks dark and has only been in for about 30 min. I followed the cooking instructions but adjusted the temp cuz my oven run hots. Any suggestions?