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, or cut the recipe in half)
- 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 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 inch pie dish. Refrigerate while you prepare the pecan pie filling.
- In a large bowl mix together sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, and softened (or melted) butter. Mix 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 40 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.
- Allow pie to cool completely for several hours before cutting and serving. Or refrigerate for 1-3 days, until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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I originally shared this recipe November 2018. Updated November 2022.
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Pecan pie is my husbands favorite pie so I decided to make him one this year.He cannot stop raving about this recipe! Said it was 10 out of 10 and for me not to change a thing the next time I make it. Thank you for sharing your yummy recipe!
Not sure what I’m doing incorrectly, but after the 10 minutes at the higher temperature, the top is already caramelized and looks nasty. If I do this again, I will either tent it from the beginning, or start at a lower temp and tent sooner. I’m sure it will taste OK once the top is scraped off, but it sure doesn’t look appealing at all. Not overly impressed.
My family and I LOVED this pie! It converted my mother into a pecan pie fan. Will definitely be making for Christmas this year!
This is the best pecan pie recipe I’ve ever tried. So simple and good… A must: The pie crust recipe from linked to this recipe.
Everyone was amazed by it. Thank you for sharing it!
I seen some negative ratings and I’m not sure why they must have did something wrong. Mine turned out amazing and I love it!
Not sure if I did something wrong, but I followed the recipe as close as possible and it came out pretty gloopy. I think maybe the ratios are wrong and there is too much sugar/corn syrup to set even after baking for 20 minutes longer and measuring an internal temp of 200F (which should be more than enough to set). It still tastes good though, if a bit sweet.
Our Thanksgiving pies are in the oven and this one is the prettiest by far! It is browning beautifully under the foil tent, and I can’t wait to see my parents’ faces when they see it (my family- husb+2kids, will have to be convinced to try anything beyond the pumpkin pie, but my parents LOVE pecan!)
It was waaaay too sweet, i knew it would be when i added such a big amount of sugar and syrup but i decided to follow the recipe anyway.. huge mistake
Made this as directed, no changes. Tasted great! Will definitely keep this.
I made a couple of changes but this was the best pecan pie I’ve ever had! Actually, it may be the best pie I’ve ever had.
Instead of brown sugar I used coconut sugar and only 3/4th cup. I also used maple syrup in place of corn syrup as a healthier alternative. Was fantastic! Thanks for the recipe!
Made this for Thanksgiving, it was the best pecan pie I’ve made. Used my own crust recipe and I had to add the additional 10 minutes baking, but it was great.
I made this on Thanksgiving and it was a crowd pleaser! Very good.
This was the best pecan pie I have ever made. I had to bake it much longer than it said and I’m not sure why because I followed the recipe. Nonetheless, it was delicious!!
Soupy pie. I followed all of the steps. I had to bake it for well over an hour. I needed the oven for something else so I pulled out the pie. It sat over night and the filling is a soupy mess. I do love all of the recipes on here so I was surprised this did not turn out.
DELICIOUS! My first time making Pecan Pie and it was easy and the first gone at our party.
I followed the instructions and my pie just wouldn’t set. I’m a seasoned baker and I have made plenty of pie recipes. Not sure why I had so many issues to finish baking this pie. Baked for 120 minutes before it was finally finished.
AVOID this recipe at all costs! I followed every single step and ended up throwing it away the night before thanksgiving.
Why’d did you have to throw it away?
Mine is currently cooling and looks amazing. You probably took a shortcut and changed the recipe.
Nice and easy recipe. Followed directions and it came out perfectly. I’m bringing it for Thanksgiving dessert tomorrow.
This recipe just didn’t work out for me. Followed exactly. I ended up not using all of it so it wouldn’t be too full. Still spilled over. Starting at 425 caused the top to be browned after 10 minutes and the top ended up overed cooked even after tenting. The pecans didn’t rise to the top. It was an all around disaster.
Why does this recipe not have a warning about the pie spilling over the crust in the oven??? It spilled over in the first 4 minutes even though I used a 9 inch pie crust. Go with the original pie recipe where you put the pecans in the pie and then pour in the corn syrup mixture.
Good pecan pie recipe, however next time I will cut the sugars in half. Way too sweet, for me.
I have to remember not to start baking at 425 degrees, because after the required 10 minutes at that high temp, my pie was dark brown on top. It’s still in the oven at the 350 degree temp (and I immediately put a foil tent over it), but dang I wish it hadn’t gotten so brown in the first 10 minutes.
I have this same issue. The baking times on this recipe were way too long with it uncovered and my pie looks like the sugar candied on the edges almost. I have never had an issue making pecan pie before, guess I’ll find out if it’s an issue when we taste it today.
Great recipe, but it is a pie not a cake. Creaming the butter and sugar and over beating the eggs will cause the custard to fluff up full of air, get frothy and then collapse which changes the texture of the filling to spongy and gooey, and makes for a cracked pie top. It will still be delicious but it isn’t right.
not sure if it was the amount of eggs but this pie turned into an omelet. it got very eggy looking and very brown in the first 10min and puffed up like a marshmallow. im not a fan of pecan pies but my husband is. if he doesnt like the way it looks he will not eat it. a waste. the 2 stars is bc of my homemade pie crust.
Great recipe! Delicious. However, the cover tin foil should go on earlier, when the crust is golden. I dont have a window in my oven, nor a timer, so I relied on the directions. (My bad) My aoartment isnt furnished with a baker’s ideal set up. 😁
I baked this and it didn’t look quite right on the top, then my daughter mentioned that she learned how to bake Pecan pie in cooking class, you had to put the pecans in first and pour the batter over the top. I have not tasted my pie yet so I’m hoping it tastes good but putting the pecans in the batter instead of on the bottom is different.
Yes, some people add the pecans to the crust first. Either method works–I just prefer this one.
I’ve only ever made one pecan pie about 20 years ago and it wasn’t great because the filling was probably undercooked. I decided to try again for a family pie contest using your pie and crust recipe. I guess I didn’t grease it well because the foil tenting stuck to the pie and pulled off some chunks of perfectly caramelized filling, which I just scraped back onto the pie. The filling wasn’t quite done in the center so I baked it a little longer hoping it would even out the top. It didn’t so I decided to broil for a few seconds which helped, but then the top of the pie was just slightly too brown, just short of burnt. I also realized I had the oven on convection bake for at least part of the cooking time. Regardless, it still looked edible to me. The event was held outdoors around a campfire on about a 40 degree day. By the time we got around to tasting the pies, my once warm pie was now pretty much ice cold and quite firm. I was shocked after the voting to hear that my pie was the winner! One person commented that it didn’t look like much but it sure was tasty 😀. I think I will take this pie to Thanksgiving dinner this week. Thanks for the great recipe, which was relatively easy for this infrequent baker.
You had me hooked until I saw the corn syrup. Almost impossible to find organic corn syrup and I absolutely won’t use commercial, GMO/glyphosate-ridden corn syrup. I guess I’ll keep this on the shelf until I can find organic.
😂
Use agave syrup instead
Try maple syrup 😉
I used maple syrup in place of corn syrup and it was fantastic!
Cooking at high altitude any changes to pecan or pumpkin pies?
I am thinking of trying your recipe in a 9×13” pan. Any thoughts on cooking time or other do’s or don’ts?
Fun idea– You’ll probably want to double the crust and filling to fit a 9x13in pan.
Does not fit an 8 inch pie pan. Also, probably good to leave about a 1/4 inch from the top of the crust. I didn’t use all of the filling and it still spilled over. Good taste though.
Everyone at our Thanksgiving said it was the best pecan pie they ever had and that’s even with me having burned the top because I got distracted and forgot to cover it with foil half way through. I’ve used other recipes but this one is perfection.
Made this today. Family cookout and despite having made 3 other family favorite pies to choose from, the pecan was by far the star.
I’ve tried so many pecan pie recipes and eaten even more. This is the *perfect* pecan pie! Not too sweet, perfectly buttery taste, perfect amount of pecans… yeah it’s perfection!
Thank you!
Awesome instructions, they are very detailed and also as instructions on if you want to freeze it or if you don’t have the right pan. It tastes amazing and also has a vid. I appreciate it so much thank you👏
I just made this pecan pie along with your pie dough recipe. It was super delicious, we all loved it! But I must say, the pie dough was really exceptional!
Thank you!
I always undercook my pecan pies so all the tips about foil tenting and jiggly-ness were so helpful for solving my problem. This is a really yummy recipe with the perfect ratio of pecans.
Everyone enjoyed this yummy pie! 👍🏼
Yummy pie! Easy to make.
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving. This is, by far, the best pecan pie recipe I’ve tried. It’s absolutely perfect.
The top pecans ended up covered in a wonderful caramelized coating.
Hi, Can I use more pecans and how much? I prefer less goo. Thanks
Yes, you can! I’d do 1/2 cup extra.
I answered my own question.
I baked this pie starting at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Cranked it down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes.
Came out perfect.
I used store bought deep dish frozen crusts.
Is there another method of baking this pie off in the oven?
I have seen sooo many pecan pie recipes with the standardized 350 degree Fahrenheit for 50 – 60 minutes.
I am considering preheating my Oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit popping in a Double recipe for two pies, cook at 400 for 10 minutes, then knock the oven temperature down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for the remaining 40 minutes. Would this work ?????
My husband has a custard pumpkin pie that utilizes this form of baking technique and it works well each year it is where I got the idea from to apply to this pecan recipe.
Highly recommend baking at a lower temp for a long time if need be.
Made this pecan pie for thanksgiving turned out great. But I will say it NEEDED more pecans I also cut off 1/4 cup of the sugar and it turned out fine.
Baking pie right now and it is taking over 60 minutes . It looks great and can’t wait to try tonight 🙂
I’m making this right now. I followed the directions exactly as written. I’ve never had any issues baking a pie, cake, cookies, or anything for that matter. However, the pecans in this recipe did not rise to the top as they do in every other recipe I’ve ever used. Very odd…
In the notes it says 8 inch but I just noticed that in the post it says 9 inch. Darn
Can I cut the sugar by 1/4 cup?
Yes, that would be fine.
Do you use light or dark corn syrup?
I used light.
Made this today for Thanksgiving. Huge hit!
This is the second year I’ve made this and it’s my favorite pie recipe! I make it with a frozen gluten free pie crust and it’s amazing.
This is so close to my mom’s recipe. I like to make a candied pecan bottom in the crust before my pour. Everyone in my family loves it.!!!
Sounds delicious!
I made this for dinner party after looking at a bunch of recipes. Very delicious. Next time I would cut 1/4 c of white sugar out. I also use more vanilla (almost always do) and about 1/2 cup more pecans, as I put some larger full pieces on top as I saw in another recipe.
Mine was a bit jiggly and already had baked for 55 or more min and I wanted to get to bed. So I turned off oven. Opened the door of oven for just a minute or two, and then closed it and kept pie in warm oven overnight.
Perfect.
Made this for thanksgiving and it did not disappoint. I llloooovveee pecan pie and this was the best recipe I’ve ever made. None of her recipes disappoint though!!
Turned out amazing! Thank you for the recipe! It was a hit especially with our homemade whip cream!
I made this pie for Thanksgiving dinner the night before but we only had three pieces left for dessert on Thanksgiving day! It was super easy and VERY delicious. I used chopped pecans for easier slicing (sometimes pecan halves are hard to slice in pies) and a prepared pie crust instead of homemade. It was beautiful looking and I am sharing this recipe with everyone at work. I can’t wait to make another pie for Christmas day.
Oh my gosh this looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing!