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 (200 g)
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar (40 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (3 g)
- 1 cup light corn syrup (240 ml)
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (3.75 ml)
- 1/3 cup salted butter , softened or melted (75 g)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves (can chop the pecans or leave whole) (150 g)
Instructions
- Prepare my perfect pie crust recipe and place pie dough in a deep dish pie plate. Refrigerate while you prepare the pecan pie filling.
- In a large bowl cream 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 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!
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.