Active Time
20 minutes
Total Time
2 hours plus cooling
This classic pecan pie recipe has no chocolate chips, booze, or hard-to-find ingredients. Instead of focusing on embellishments, we homed in on the things that really matter: the deep flavor of toasted pecans, a caramely custard, and buttery flaky pie crust.
The pie dough is simple, but be sure not to overwork it, and keep in mind that the crust is blind-baked, meaning the pie shell is popped into the oven twice—once before the filling is added and then again after. Corn syrup is essential to pecan pie filling, giving it its signature gooey texture. It’s gotten a bad rap over the past few years, but we wouldn’t bake without it—if you can’t or don’t want to use it, brown rice syrup makes a noble substitute. Finally, we love the crunch you get from pecan halves, but if you’re a chopped pecan person, feel free to swap them in (you’ll need about 225 g).
Serve your pecan pie all on its own, or gild it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. For a full Thanksgiving dessert spread, slip another pie or two alongside (like BA’s Best Apple Pie). Finally, don’t forget to have aluminum foil on hand so you can send a few slices home with your guests for breakfast the following day.
Like many other Thanksgiving staples, homemade pecan pie requires some planning. If you have time in the days or weeks before serving, consider making the simple pie crust recipe ahead; the dough can be stored in the freezer for up to two months. If you’re hosting (and even if you’re not), feel free to bake the pie the day before—your guests will be just as impressed. If you’re a big planner, you can freeze the baked pie (follow the same tips in our guide to freezing pumpkin pie; the frozen pie will last three months.)
Want to change it up this year? Try this chocolate pecan pie with a cocoa pastry crust or maple-syrup glazed pecan pie bars.
Ingredients
Makes one 9” pie
Crust
1
1½
2
5
3
1
Filling and Assembly
2
4
1
⅔
1
1
1
6
Preparation
Crust
Step 1
Pulse 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 2 cups all-purpose flour in a food processor until combined. Add 5 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and 3 Tbsp. chilled lard or vegetable shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pieces of butter and lard visible, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With motor running, drizzle in 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and 5½ Tbsp. ice water and pulse until dough is still crumbly but just holds together when squeezed (add 1 tsp. water at a time if necessary, but be careful not to overwork dough).
Step 2
Turn out dough onto a work surface. Knead 1–2 times, pressing just to incorporate any shaggy pieces. Flatten into a 6"-wide disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 425°. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 14" round. Transfer to a 9" pie pan. Pick up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish, letting excess dough hang over dish. Trim, leaving about a 1" overhang. Fold overhang under; pinch and crimp. Chill 30 minutes.
Step 4
Line dough with parchment paper or foil, leaving some overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is dry around the edges and just beginning to lightly brown, 25–35 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and weights and reduce oven temperature to 350°. Bake until crust is set and beginning to brown in the center, 10–15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Do ahead: Dough can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled, or freeze up to 2 months. Crust can be baked 1 day ahead; tightly wrap and store at room temperature.
Filling and Assembly
Step 5
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast 2 cups pecan halves on a rimmed baking sheet until browned and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Let cool.
Step 6
Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Whisk 4 large eggs, room temperature, beaten to blend, 1 cup light corn syrup, ⅔ cup (packed; 134 g) light brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. robust-flavored (dark) molasses, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk in 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled, until combined. Fold in pecans and pour into cooled crust.
Step 7
Bake pie until edges are set and slightly puffed but center is recessed and wobbles like Jell-O, 55–70 minutes (it will continue to set after baking). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 3 hours before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Do ahead: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead; tightly wrap and chill. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in November 2016. For more of our best pie recipes, head this way →
Leave a Review
Reviews (35)
Back to TopPie is wonderful. However the instructions mentioned butter and lard but there's no lard in the list of ingredients.
Chana
Long Island, NY
11/22/2022
I guess I’m not a self-respecting Southerner!
KFelci
11/21/2022
Add bourbon you will NOT regret it
Anonymous
11/20/2022
This recipe for pecan pie is Not the original Southern Pecan Pie recipe! No self respecting Southern er would ever use molasses or any type of syrup for the filling! That' does Not make the perfect "chess".
Sapphire
North Carolina
9/1/2022
I made the mistake of trying to make this pie same day as I was planning to serve it - definitely a make ahead pie. The filling was phenomenal next day after flavors could settle and the filling could fully set. We did wait about 4 hours, but that was nothing compared to the taste and texture next morning. So plan ahead! I also used a different crust recipe - I have a simple recipe that works with King Arthur gluten free flour (1 cup flour, 1 stick butter, 4-6 tbsp ice water) so I stuck with that for the crust. I used chopped pecans instead of halves since that's all my store had at the time, but didn't think that made much of a difference. Other than the pecans, followed the filling recipe as written. This was an excellent pie, would definitely recommend and will save the next time I'm craving a (gluten free) pecan pie.
Stephanie
Virginia Beach, VA
11/27/2020
Ummmmm.... I love most all pies, but pecan has had a special place in my heart since I was about 6 years old. As a professional Pastry Chef this formula is now part of my extensive repertoire and has kicked my other pecan pie formulas out of the house. As a chef, I tend to salt my baked goods on the heavy side, so in following suit, I did bump up the salt on the filling just a bit- extra - 1/4' t. I added 1T. Maple syrup to soften the bitter edge of the molasses and because brown butter is magic, I had to guild the lily and add another layer of flavor to make it bonkers. Delicious and perfect pecan pie.
Leslie Ann
Denver, CO
11/22/2020
A few pointers, The crust can be quite dry or and thick, so if you have a preferred pastry tart recipe use that. I would spoon the filling into the tart casing, as mine over flowed, and resulted in the chewy caramelised gunk - which was delicious, around the outside of it. Start with the pecans first then spoon the liquid over to top it up. I added a splash of rum, didn’t make a difference. Also don’t use the dual element, just use the lower one, mine got just a little too dark on the top side. But great pie, not overly sweet.
Bendef80
Dubai
8/31/2020
It was pretty good, the crust was a little too hard and salty for my liking.
notkingkermit
Binger, Oklahoma, USA
12/1/2019
Such a good pie! I grew up eating the one on the Karo bottle and, of course, this one blew it out of the water. I had a pecan farmer friend attend Thanksgiving this year and he commented it was he best he ever had. I substituted dark brown sugar instead of the light brown and added molasses. I didn’t want to have molasses sitting in my pantry taking up room til next Thanksgiving.
Smartemis
Atlanta, Ga
11/29/2019
Had never made a pecan pie before, or a pie calling for corn syrup. Holy cannoli! This is amazing. The oohs and aahs from my guests made me feel like a professional dessert chef! (Almost... hahaha).) I also added some chocolate pastilles for good measure because, well, Thanksgiving, and it worked a charm. Thanks, BA!
Easyaspie2019
11/29/2019
Is it possible to use a 9.5 inch pie dish? That's all I can seem to find.
Anonymous
Texas
11/26/2019
Is it possible to substitute corn syrup with another ingredient (eg. honey) without changing the final result?
Anonymous
Jakarta
11/24/2019
This filling is sooo good! This was my first go at ever making a pecan pie and I couldn't believe how well it turned out. My crust was a bit weird, but I think that was user error. Going to practice a few times, then make for thanksgiving!
Anonymous
Seattle
10/19/2019
This old Gramma has been baking pies for MANY years and this is by far the best pecan pie recipe I have ever used. I used my own crust recipe but it was still great.
Anonymous
Chattanooga, TN
6/29/2019
It was my first attempt of making a pecan pie and I'm not going to lie it seemed quite intimidating. But it was really easy to make and also very forgiving if something did not go as it was planned. It tasted so good! Would definitely do it again!
Anonymous
Germany
2/2/2019