The Best Southern Pecan Pie is made with a flaky pie crust, real butter, dark corn syrup, a touch of cinnamon and fresh pecans.
A THICK AND RICH FILLING
If I had to choose my most absolute favorite pie in the world - I would have to say it is this one right here. I love pie. I love all kinds of pie. In fact, I doubt there are many pies out there that I don't like. But my favorite has got to be the good ole Southern Pecan Pie. My BUTTER CRUMBLE APPLE PIE is a very close second.
WHAT IS THE BEST PIE CRUST TO USE?
And pecan pie is probably one of the easiest homemade pies you can bake. There isn't a whole lot involved. You dump almost all the ingredients in a bowl, then you stir, pour, and bake. And lucky for us, you can get really tasty frozen pie crusts and refrigerated pie crusts these days. Or if you wanna do it all up from scratch, use your favorite pie crust recipe or maybe try my WHAM BAM PIE CRUST recipe.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST PECAN PIE:
- Don't over-bake. You don't want burnt pecans on top. They will taste bitter and ruin the taste of the pie. If necessary, cover the pie with some aluminum foil.
- The pie will still be a little jiggly when you pull it out of the oven. It will continue to bake slightly even after you remove it from the oven.
- The dark corn syrup in this recipe really adds such a great flavor because of the molasses that is in dark corn syrup. It's not so sweet that you think you might break a tooth. You can substitute with light corn syrup though if it's all you have.
- The touch of ground cinnamon is that little ingredient that really brightens the other flavors up a bit. You don't really taste it as a separate ingredient.
- A tip about "beaten eggs":For those of you who may be new to baking, when a recipe calls for beaten eggs, that means you need to whisk (or use a fork) the eggs together before adding them to the batter. This just helps the eggs to better incorporate into the rest of the batter.
- How to easily measure honey or corn syrup: to easily measure and pour corn syrup, spray a little nonstick cooking spray in your measuring cup first. This will allow the sticky corn syrup to easily glide out of your measuring cup (works great for peanut butter and molasses too!)
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- frozen pie crust, refrigerated pie crust or MAKE YOUR OWN
- chopped pecans
- eggs
- sugar
- salted butter
- dark corn syrup
- ground cinnamon
- vanilla extract
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST PECAN PIE:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Take frozen pie crust out of the freezer and place it on a baking sheet while preparing the filling. Or, if you are using the WHAM BAM PIE CRUST, prepare the crust, prick it with a few holes using a fork, and then stick it in the refrigerator while preparing filling.
In a medium bowl, whisk together beaten eggs, sugar, melted butter, corn syrup, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Place the pecans into the bottom of your pie crust. Then pour the filling on top of the pecans.
You'll notice that the pecans will start to float to the top.
I like to put my pie on a baking sheet to make it easier to put in and take out of the oven. But if you are using your own pie pan, you can skip that step. Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Around the 20 minute mark, you may want to add some aluminum foil on top of the pie and around the edges of your pie crust to keep it from getting too browned. Oven times do vary, but basically, the middle of the pie should be just a little jiggly and the center will puff up a bit.
WANT MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS? BE SURE TO CHECK THESE OUT!
BEST SOUTHERN PECAN PIE
Ingredients
- 1 (9-inch) frozen pie crust or refrigerated pie crust
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon salted butter melted
- 1 cup dark corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Take frozen pie crust out of the freezer and place it on a baking sheet while preparing the filling. Or roll the refrigerated pie crust into your pie pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together beaten eggs, sugar, melted butter, corn syrup, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
- Place the pecans into the bottom of the pie crust.
- Then pour the filling on top of the pecans.
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes.
- Around the 20 minute mark, you may want to add some aluminum foil on top of and around the edges of your pie crust to keep it from getting too brown.
- Oven times do vary, but basically, the middle of the pie should be just a tad jiggly when done (not overly jiggly) and the center will puff up a bit.
Video
Notes
- Don't over-bake. You don't want burnt pecans on top. They will taste bitter and ruin the taste of the pie. If necessary, cover the pie with some aluminum foil.
- The pie will still be a little jiggly when you pull it out of the oven. It will continue to bake slightly even after you remove it from the oven.
- The dark corn syrup in this recipe really adds such a great flavor because of the molasses that is in dark corn syrup. It's not so sweet that you think you might break a tooth. You can substitute with light corn syrup though if it's all you have.
- The touch of ground cinnamon is that little ingredient that really brightens the other flavors up a bit. You don't really taste it as a separate ingredient.
-
A tip about "beaten eggs":For those of you who may be new to baking, when a recipe calls for beaten eggs, that means you need to whisk (or use a fork) the eggs together before adding them to the batter. This just helps the eggs to better incorporate into the rest of the batter.
-
How to easily measure honey or corn syrup: to easily measure and pour corn syrup, spray a little nonstick cooking spray in your measuring cup first. This will allow the sticky corn syrup to easily glide out of your measuring cup (works great for peanut butter and molasses too!)
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” 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.
Originally published: May 2012
Updated and republished: November 2019
Jean Vaughn
Can this pie be frozen ahead of time....if so can someone tell me how to do so please...THANKS
Marann
Hi there. I love your pecan pie recipe and would like to try it. But I don't live in the US so there's no corn syrup. Can I substitute with golden syrup? I hope you will answer me and tell me what I can do. Tks. God bless you
Chris
I have tried this recipe 2 times and it has a great flavor but it is slightly runny. I tried baking it longer the second time and baked it for around 52 minutes. I let it cool for 2 hours and then put it in the fridge. Any other suggestions?
Lee
Made this for family dinner last Friday. Everyone RAVED about this pie! To be honest, I had to tweak it just a tad; I only had 1/2 cup dark corn syrup, so I used light corn syrup with a dab of molasses. It worked just fine! I'd wanted to make a pecan pie for a while and was amazed at how totally easy it is to put together. I finished the last slice for dessert tonight and am already looking forward to the next one! Brandi, as always you are the BOMB!
Kimberly O.
Never made pecan pie before, chose your recipe because it looked really easy to make. Making this for my so. For his birthday..he loves pecan pie.
I bought deep dish frozen crusts should I double the custard recipe or do an extra 1/2 recipe??
Jeannie
I had to use light corn syrup since it’s all I had. Hope it turns out good.
Kaila
Did it work well for you?
rachyll
made it and it was to die for 🙂
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Woo hoo! So happy to hear you loved it!!
Gail
This pie was so simple to make
But very delicious and tasteful.
My husband favorite pie.
Kris
Add about a tablespoon or two of bourbon and it becomes more savory/less sweet for those who like it that way.
Tina S
Made this for Thanksgiving and was uhh-may-zing! Paired with vanilla ice cream, soooo good! I had made one several years ago and it didn't set up properly. Love the cinnamon in it also. My go-to from now on! !
Anonymous
Just made this pie... It was an absolute hit!! So delicious and easy to make. Thank you for the wonderful recepie!
The Food Explorer
Your delicious Southern pecan pie recipe has been chosen as one of the best 50 Thanksgiving pecan pie recipes on the net.
Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Joni Barnwell
This looks yummy. Can I use unsalted butter instead of salted butter?
Anonymous
This pecan pie has been a family favorite for many generations; my mother is originally from Tennessee and pecan pie is a staple in their kitchens. A mother myself, I, too, make this pie every Thanksgiving. Absolutely the very best pie in the world.
Love your site. Your pics are wonderful and love your easy to follow directions. Very easy to fall in love with great people. I will come here often.
Melissa McClure
Love the look of your site!! It is well laid out. Great pics and colors. Easy to sign up (call to action) and liked you on facebook. Found you on pinterest. Looking forward to making this for my husband this Christmas. He is a southern country boy...loves his momma's pecan pie (no pressure). I'll let you know how I do.
Anne K
I love the way you capture all the steps..Never seen one so complete. Pie was great. Trying Apple Crisp next. Thanks
Ozjane
I make this with macadamias, use less corn syrup and brown sugar...cannot remember if you use butter but I do
Anonymous
Have you tried making this with pretzels instead of pecans! If so, what kind of pretzels work best? I can't wait to try it! THANKS!!! Love, love, love your blog --- I feel like we're good friends!
Angela V.
I made this for some friends last night and they loved it. I did too and I'm not a fan of pecan pie. Its was super easy to make, thats why i chose this recipe. I also made the wham bam crust, it was flaky goodness. Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful recipes. I plan on making your rustic apple cobbler next, i already know it will be a hit with my family and friends. Keep those yummy recipes coming!
Anonymous
I'm 27 weeks pregnant and I've been craving pecan pie for the past few days. I'd never made any pie before but found this recipe on pinterest and decided to give it a try. It was so easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Wiseman
Just made 2!
Laura Ashby
I am a huge pecan pie lover! Instead do the Karo Syrup, I use REAL maple syrup. Typically, I hate maple syrup, but it adds a fantastic flavor. Real maple syrup is pricey..... Don't get the imitation!
Rebecca
Similar to my pie recipe. I use Golden cane syrup, and instead of cinnamon I add a tablespoon of really good bourbon. Try it sometime, it is Yummy.
Anonymous
Is cooking the pie any different when you make your own crust, or do you bake it the same?
Jeane O'Brien
Brandi, I made your Pecan Pie and it was perfect - even the bottom was done and everyone was amazed - theirs always had a soggy bottom.
I have been looking for years for a pecan pie with more of a custard center - I had it at a Country Club in Oklahoma in 1970 - cannot find it. Do you have a recipe like this or know of one?