This delicious and indulgent homemade Pecan Pie is nostalgia in a pie dish and always reminds me of the holidays spent with family. The rich, nutty flavor and gooey filling make it the perfect way to end your Thanksgiving feast (no offense, pumpkin pie lovers!). And because I use a store-bought pie crust, it couldn’t be easier to make. Make this southern pecan pie recipe the day before for stress-free entertaining, or whip it up as a weekend treat this fall!
If you read my blog posts often, you might already know I was born in Georgia. Some of my favorite ingredients of all time hail from there, including pecans! They’re harvested in the fall, which makes this the perfect time to incorporate them into your holiday baking. Pecan pie is a fall and winter staple for my family, and it boasts multiple textures in every bite: a flaky crust, crunchy pecans, and a creamy, perfectly set center made from butter, eggs, and corn syrup. There’s nothing quite like it! (Except for Canadian butter tarts, which I feel are a cousin to this pie, but I digress.)
If you aren’t convinced yet that pecans are deeply ingrained in our culture as Americans, you should know they were taken to the moon by our astronauts. Yes, they took pecans to the moon during the Apollo space missions! So, let me be truly dorky by assuring you that this budget-friendly, super-easy pecan pie recipe is also out of this world. 😉
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Gather all of your ingredients and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Make the filling: Add ½ cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, and ½ tsp salt to a bowl and mix together.
In a separate bowl, add 1 cup light corn syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ cup melted salted butter, and 3 gently-beaten eggs and mix until combined.
Now pour the wet mixture into the sugar mixture and mix until combined and consistent throughout.
Fold 1½ cups pecan halves into the filling mixture.
Make the pie: Roll out a pre-made pie crust and place it gently into a 9” pie dish (I recommend using a glass pie dish! I know the photo shows a ceramic one, but I found the pie stuck less in a glass pie dish). Now pinch the edges to make them look pretty and decorative.
Pour the pie filling into the pie crust.
Tent the pie crust: Cover the edges of the pie with tinfoil to stop the crust from burning. You’ll remove this foil when you have about 10 minutes left of bake time. However, if you find your crust browning too quickly once removed, you can re-tent it with the foil to stop it from overbrowning.
Bake: Now place the pie dish into the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400°F. Then REDUCE the heat to 350°F (while the pie is still in the oven) and bake for a further 40 minutes until the middle of the pie is still a little jiggly. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the center of the pie should register at 200°F once done (make sure you’re just testing the custard center, not the bottom crust!)
Cool and serve: Remove the pie from the oven once done, and let it cool for at least 3 hours before slicing. If you skip this step, then your pie filling won’t have time to set properly and will be runny. Serve and enjoy!
Whether you love it or hate it, there isn’t really anything that works as an equal substitute for corn syrup in this recipe. It’s a must-have ingredient for setting the pie filling and creating its gooey texture. Other liquid sweeteners, like maple syrup, are too runny to use as a 1:1 substitute, and it’s also more expensive.
If you’re certain you want to try this recipe without the corn syrup, you could experiment by making a date paste. Blend pitted Medjool dates and water until smooth, adding more water as needed to thin it out until it matches the texture and thickness of corn syrup. The amount of dates needed would depend on their size, and it would also work out much more expensive than buying corn syrup. It may also alter the flavor, texture, and setting of your finished pie.
If you do try this, let me know how it turns out! I use dates a lot in my vegan desserts, so I support your mission to give it a try. If you have dates leftover, whip up a batch of my granola bars!
A slice of this pie is a treat all on its own, but you can dress it up with a little whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A drizzle of caramel sauce is great too, though I usually save that for days when my sweet tooth is in full force because this pie is already plenty sweet!
Store your pie in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, wrapped in plastic wrap or foil. You can also freeze the whole pie or individual slices for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight and then serve as desired. This pie is delicious cold or slightly warmed in the oven or microwave.
Our Pecan Pie recipe was originally published 11/23/24. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 11/19/25.
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