Classic Pecan Pie Recipe

This Pecan Pie recipe is a classic Fall dessert, and a MUST for any Thanksgiving table.  Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, the gooey and sugary center, and the crisp nutty top make this the ultimate holiday dessert!

This Classic Pecan Pie recipe is such a classic dessert during our holidays, and SO delicious!  We love Fall desserts, like my Apple Crisp, and Pumpkin Pie Bars.   This is one of my Dessert recipes you’ll definitely want in your collection!

PECAN PIE RECIPE

After sharing my pie crust recipe with you all last week, I knew I needed to share my favorite pie of all time… this pecan pie!

It’s my Mom’s recipe, which I’ve only altered things a tiny bit to add a smidge more pecans… but let me tell you, her pie is the most looked forward to pie on Thanksgiving.

In fact, this year for my birthday, she asked me what dessert I wanted, and I didn’t even want cake or cupcakes.  I wanted pie.  This pie.

It’s the classic pecan pie, with that gooey, almost caramel-tasting center, and that ultra crisp nutty top, all combined with a flaky pie crust.  Y’all.  I’m craving a slice!

As we head into the holiday season, and you start planning out your menus; I encourage you to add this pecan pie recipe to the list.  Trust me, everyone will love it and probably want more than one slice.

HOW TO MAKE THIS CLASSIC PECAN PIE RECIPE

1. Line pie pan.  Roll out and line a pie pan with pie crust.  Decorate edges as desired, then refrigerate while you make the filling.
2. Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, just add the corn syrup, sugar, eggs, flour, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth, then stir in pecans.
3. Bake. Pour filling into crust and cover the crust edges with a pie crust shield or use foil to make one.  This keeps the crust from burning or getting too browned.

This pie is baked in two stages, the first 12 minutes are baked at 450°F.  Then reduce the oven temperature (while the pie is still in the oven), and bake 40-45 minutes at 350°F until set.

Cool.  Cool the pie in the pie pan on a cooling rack until room temperature.

ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS

• CORN SYRUP – there are generally some strong opinions about corn syrup, however a lot of times it’s confused with high fructose corn syrup.  They’re not the same thing, and regular corn syrup is essentially the same as using sugar.  The reason we use corn syrup in pecan pie is that it keeps the filling smooth and not grainy.  It also helps the filling set since it’s thicker than other sweeteners.  However, if you’re dead-set on not using corn syrup, I have an alternative listed in the “variations of this recipe” section below.
• FLOUR – if you’re wondering why there’s flour in the filling, it just ensures the filling will set and you won’t have a runny pie.  I’ve not tested this recipe without flour, or with any substitutions.
• SWEETNESS – honestly, this is a sweet pie. I’ve seen other pecan pie recipes that include more sugar, but I wouldn’t recommend it, as it’s plenty sweet as written.  I think it’s a great balance of sweet (the filling), and salty (the nutty top).
• 2 STAGE BAKING – a lot of pecan pie recipes call for the crust to be blind-baked for about 15 minutes before the filling is added.  This recipe eliminates the need for that by baking the pie in two stages.  The first, shorter stage at a high oven temperature; then the second is a longer stage at a moderate oven temperature to set and cook the pie.

VARIATIONS OF THIS PECAN PIE RECIPE

• BOURBON – for a warm Fall twist, try adding a Tbsp or two of your favorite bourbon to the pie filling.  Reduce the butter by the same amount.  So if you use 1 Tbsp of bourbon, reduce the butter amount by 1 Tbsp.
• CHOCOLATE – try a drizzle of melted chocolate on top of this pecan pie for a fun twist.
• NO CORN SYRUP – if you’re against using corn syrup, you can substitute with an equal amount of pure maple syrup.
• DIFFERENT PECANS – you can use any combination of pecans, chips, chopped, halves, etc.  Or you can be decorative and place the pecan halves in a pattern on top of the pie.
• STORE-BOUGHT CRUST – we LOVE the flakiness and taste of my homemade pie crust, but I know not everyone wants to make their own.  Store-bought crusts work well too.
• TOPPINGS – a slice of pecan pie goes SO well with some vanilla ice cream (try my bourbon vanilla ice cream!), or some whipped cream.

MAKING PECAN PIE AHEAD OF TIME

Pies are great to make ahead of time, so you can absolutely make this whole pie a day ahead of time, although I wouldn’t go longer than that.

You can also combine the filling ingredients (except the pecans) and keep it covered in the refrigerator for a day.

STORAGE

Leftover pie should be covered and refrigerated for up to 4-5 days.  If you would prefer to keep your pie at room temperature, keep it covered on the counter for up to 2 days.

I honestly like my pecan pie chilled, so I keep it in the refrigerator all the time, but you don’t have to.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE

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• Pie Pan – I have several of these pie pans, they’re great!
• Glass Pie Dish – if you prefer a glass pie dish, this is a great brand that works well.
• Pie Crust Shield – made with oven safe silicone, this shield is adjustable and resusable.
• Mixing Bowls – I love these stainless bowls with the non-slip bottoms and handles!

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Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

Classic Pecan Pie

4.88 from 8 votes

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 52 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 2 minutes minutes

Calories: 334

Servings: 8 servings

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This Pecan Pie recipe is a classic Fall dessert, and a MUST for any Thanksgiving table.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup dark corn syrup
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
• ▢ 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• ▢ 1/2 cup pecan halves
• ▢ pie crust either homemade or store-bought

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a 9" pie pan with a pie crust and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

MAKE FILLING

• To a mixing bowl, add the corn syrup, sugar, eggs, flour, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk to combine well. Use a rubber spatula to stir in pecans.

BAKE

• Pour filling into prepared crust and cover crust with a pie crust shield, or use foil to make one. Bake for 12 minutes.
• With the pie still in the oven, reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking another 40-45 minutes, or until pie is just slightly jiggly in the center, but the outside is set.

COOL

• Cool completely on wire rack.

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Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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