There’s a good reason Southern pecan pie is so well loved, not only in the South but everywhere. And that’s because it’s so good! This tasty pie is easy to make yourself even if you aren’t a seasoned baker. You’ll love how quick and easy this Southern pecan pie recipe is.
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The crust is homemade, crumbly, and sweet, while the pecans offer flavor and crunch as well as a thick, rich syrup. This Southern pecan pie is way too good to only make at Thanksgiving. Trust me, you will love this so much that you’ll want to make it way more often!
Your kitchen is going to smell like heaven while this pie is in the oven and you will be so excited to cut into a slice once it’s done, and so will everyone else in the house who gets a whiff of this delicious pie!
I usually serve this pie alongside my popular caramel apple slices or these yummy chocolate chip pecan cookies.
Main Ingredients
To make this pie you are going to need crust ingredients and filling ingredients. We can take a closer look at some of the things you need:
- Pecans: Can’t make a pecan pie without these! You will need halved pecans, quartered ones, and also crushed ones in this recipe, making it ideal for diehard pecan fans. The crushed pecans go into the filling and add to the flavor as well as helping to thicken the mixture. The chopped ones go into the filling as well as on top.
- Corn syrup: For sweetness and consistency. Not only does this ingredient sweeten the pie, but also helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing. What this means is you can expect a smooth instead of grainy texture. Use light or dark corn syrup or some of each.
- Sugar: To sweeten the Southern pecan pie. Both white and brown sugar is used in this recipe. The white sugar goes into the crust while the dark sugar adds richness as well as sweetness to the filling. You could use all white or all brown if you prefer.
- Eggs: To bind the ingredients. Eggs are mainly used here for the texture. As they cook they help the filling to set.
- Butter: To hold the crust together. Use either melted or softened butter and combine it with the flour and other dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or fork. Could you use margarine instead? Yes, you could, although I like the flavor of butter much better.
Instructions Overview
First, you will combine flour, salt, and sugar, and then cut in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add some water and then roll out the dough to make your pie crust.
Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, pecans, eggs, melted butter, and salt. Top the pie crust with pecans and then pour in the corn syrup mixture. Add more nuts on top and then bake for an hour.
Common Questions
Although this Southern pecan pie recipe calls for both light and dark corn syrup, either one will work so you don’t have to buy the light one if you have the dark one and vice versa. They add the same amount of sweetness but taste a little different. As you might expect, dark corn syrup adds a richer, more robust taste, while the light kind offers a lighter, more vanilla-type flavor.
Insufficient baking time is the usual culprit behind this problem, so make sure your pie bakes long enough. If the middle is still runny but the crust is already golden, you can cover the crust with foil and keep baking the pie, to ensure the crust doesn’t burn.
The answer to this depends on how many pecans are used compared to the other ingredient ratios. With a mostly liquid filling, the nuts will rise to the top. In this recipe, the pecans tend to be more evenly distributed although I put extra pecans on top because the pie looks the best this way.
French settlers created pecan pie in New Orleans after the Native Americans found pecans. Pecans began turning up in many recipes, though in 1898, it is the first notation of pecan pie as we know it printed in a St. Louis church charity cookbook.
Yes, you must refrigerate pecan pie after it cools. You can keep it on your holiday table until everyone has stuffed themselves but do move it to the fridge within 2 hours since it contains eggs that can spoil.
You can definitely freeze pecan pie. Make it ahead up to 3 months in advance so you can serve it without breaking a sweat. You may even find that making a couple of these best pecan pies will be ideal ahead of holidays and events.
While the pecans themselves should offer a bit of crunch, the filling inside should never be hard. Following this recipe will ensure you get that gooey center you’re looking for. Be sure to keep the pie on a lower rack if your heating element is at the top to prevent it from becoming hard.
Chopnotch Tips
- You can either chill this before serving or enjoy it still warm from the oven, as you prefer.
- Feel free to adjust the sugar and/or corn syrup ratio depending on your palate.
- Pecan pie is portable enough for box lunches or picnics. Simply wrap a few slices in foil and you’re good to go!
- Combine the filling ingredients and bake them in this recipe. Unlike other pie recipes, this one requires no stovetop time.
- Sure, you could use a premade crust, but the best pecan pie comes from making it all yourself. Besides, it’s easy and you’ll be amazed how much better the flavor is!
- Don’t use whole pecans. It’s easier when they are chopped and quartered for slicing and serving, not to mention chewing!
- The best pecan pie is a natural match for freshly whipped cream or ice cream. Even caramel or chocolate sauce toppings are a delight!
I can’t get enough of this wonderful Southern pecan pie. It boasts the crunch of pecans with the perfect amount of sweet gooeyness.
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Recipe
How to Make
Southern Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans, quartered
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pecans, finely crushed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 tablespoons ice water
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
Instructions
To Make the Crust:
- Combine together 2 tablespoons of white sugar, 1 pinch salt, and 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour in a bowl. Start cutting the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle with water while stirring until dough is formed.
- Flatten dough ball on a floured flat surface with a rolling pin. Start rolling it into a circle (1 inch larger than your dish).
- Place the pie shell into a pie dish and refrigerate.
To Make Pie Filling:
- Combine together ¾ cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup, ¾ cup light corn syrup, ½ cup finely crushed pecans, 3 beaten eggs, 3 tablespoons melted butter and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Take out the pie crust from the refrigerator and top with quartered pecans. Pour the mixture of syrup over pecans followed by remaining pecans on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F until firm, for about 1 hour.
- Let it cool and serve!
Notes
- You can either chill this before serving or enjoy it still warm from the oven, as you prefer.
- Feel free to adjust the sugar and/or corn syrup ratio depending on your palate.
- Pecan pie is portable enough for box lunches or picnics. Simply wrap a few slices in foil and you’re good to go!
- Combine the filling ingredients and bake in this recipe. Unlike other pecan pie recipes, this one requires no stovetop time.
- Sure, you could use a premade crust, but the best pecan pie comes from making it all yourself. Besides, it’s easy and you’ll be amazed how much better the flavor is!
- Don’t use whole pecans. It’s easier when they are chopped and quartered for slicing and serving, not to mention chewing!
- The best pecan pie is a natural match for freshly whipped cream or ice cream. Even caramel or chocolate sauce toppings are a delight!
