Pecan Pie Recipe with a dark brown sugar and maple custard, plenty of pecans, and a foolproof crust with no shortening or dark corn syrup!
author’s note
The Ultimate Critics’ Favorite Pecan Pie!
My dad’s all-time favorite dessert is pecan pie (and this Crème Brûlée), a recipe I’ve always wanted to perfect for him. Thanks to Gemma’s cookbook, Bigger Bolder Baking, I’m now equipped to make the best pecan pie for him. Gemma, a renowned YouTube baker and blogger, offers over 100 easy, flavorful recipes in her book.
I’ve slightly tweaked her pecan pie recipe, and it’s become a must-have for our Thanksgiving table. What I love most? It uses maple syrup instead of dark corn syrup, creating a perfect blend with the pecans and the rich, molasses-like dark brown sugar.
And the best part? It ended up being the best pecan pie my dad has ever had.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps or Tips |
|---|---|
| Pie Crust | Use an all-butter crust or store-bought crust in a pinch. Keep it cold before baking for the flakiest texture. |
| Egg Yolks | Use leftover egg whites in these delicious Meringue Cookies. |
| Pure Maple Syrup | Only use pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup). Grade A amber has the best flavor. |
| Dark Brown Sugar | Light brown sugar can be used, but add a teaspoon of molasses to bring back depth. |
| Heavy Cream | Half-and-half works, but milk will make the filling too thin. |
| Unsalted Butter | Let melted butter cool before adding so it blends smoothly. |
| Pecans | Toast first for the best flavor. Use a mix of chopped and whole pecans for great texture and presentation. |
How To Make Pecan Pie Recipe
- Make Crust: Mix flour, salt, sugar, and butter until crumbly. Add egg yolk and cold water to form a dough. Then chill it, roll it out, and press it into a pie pan.
- Toast Pecans: Spread on a pan and bake. Chop some and keep others whole.
- Make Filling: Whisk egg yolks, maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, salt, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Assemble: Pour filling into the cold crust and then place the whole pecans on top.
- Bake: Bake until the filling is set but still a little wobbly in center. Let it cool before cutting.
Storage
- Room temp: Keep pecan pie recipe up to 2 days, covered.
- Fridge: 3 to 4 days, covered. Bring slices to room temp before serving.
- Freeze: Wrap the whole baked pie tight in two layers. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Warm slices in a low oven if you like.
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Pecan Pie Recipe
This Pecan Pie is a game-changer! Made with maple syrup, brown sugar, and loads of pecans in a buttery, no-fail crust—no shortening or corn syrup needed!
Equipment
- Pastry cutter or 2 table knives
- Sheet pan (15" x 10")
- Pie pan 9-inch, preferably glass or ceramic
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and chilled
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
Filling
- 6 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 1/2 cup maple syrup not pancake syrup
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2 cups pecan halves divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Crust: In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and powdered sugar. Stir. Add butter, and using a pastry cutter, cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 egg yolk and water until smooth. Pour egg mixture into the center of the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Gently knead with your hands to form a crust (add extra tablespoon of water if needed). Handle the dough as little as possible, and once it’s formed into dough, wrap in plastic wrap and gently flatten into a small disc. Refrigerate for (at least) 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax before rolling. You can make the crust ahead of time and refrigerate for 1–5 days.
- Toast Pecans: (Melt butter now so it has time to cool to room temperature.) Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread pecan halves on a sheet pan and toast them for 8–10 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove and let cool. Divide the toasted pecans, reserving 3/4 cup for the top of the pie. Chop the remaining 1 and 1/4 cups to add to the filling mixture.
- Filling: Combine room temperature egg yolks, syrup, brown sugar, salt, vanilla and cream in a large bowl (it’s very important all ingredients are same temperature for this filling). Whisk until smooth. Once melted butter is completely to room temperature, drizzle it in while whisking constantly. Fold in the chopped pecans. Reserve the bowl from the egg yolk; if there are any bits of mixture remaining, they can be brushed over the crust before baking.
- Form Crust: Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a 12-inch circle of dough. Use the rolling pin to lift up the dough and gently place into a 9-inch pie pan (preferably glass or ceramic; avoid metal). Gently tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth, then crimp the edges of the crust. Chill 15 minutes in the fridge or freezer (don’t skip this step!). See note 1 for pie crust tips.
- Assemble: Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour the prepared filling into the chilled crust (you don’t need to blind bake the crust). Press the remaining 3/4 cup pecan halves on top. Place the pie on a lined sheet pan. Use a pastry brush to brush any tiny remains of the egg yolk and water mixture (from the reserved bowl; you didn’t need to leave some, but there should be a bit leftover) onto the crust. Place in the preheated oven.
- Bake: Bake for 40–55 minutes or until the filling is set—when it’s very slightly jiggly in the center. It should not slosh around at all. If it is sloshing, return to the oven another 10–20 minutes (baking times can greatly vary with pecan pies). If the edges of the crust begin to brown, cover with a pie shield. Once the filling is set, remove and let cool completely on a cooling rack, 3–4 hours, before slicing. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Crust tips:
- The less the crust is handled, the better it will work.
- Keep it chilled to prevent the butter from softening.
- If desired, you can crimp the crust following the instructions in the blog post.
- You can also brush the edges of the crust with egg yolk to encourage a golden brown appearance after baking.
- Unbaked crust freezes well.
- Some crusts need to be blind baked (pre-bake without any filling) but Pecan Pie doesn’t need that step.
- When baking, a pie shield can protect against the crust over browning. The blog post has tips on making your own pie shield.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.9g | Protein: 5.7g | Fat: 34.7g | Cholesterol: 175.7mg | Sodium: 21.9mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 26g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Pecan Pie Recipe FAQs
Do I need to blind bake the crust?
No. This filling sets at 350°F while the crust bakes through. A cold, rested crust helps.
Can I use whole eggs?
You can, but all yolks give a lush, clean slice. If using whole eggs, reduce the cream a bit.
Why toast the pecans?
It removes raw notes and boosts nut flavor. It also helps them stay crunchy in the custard.
Wrecipe. the vanilla and salt get added? No mention of them in the recipe, that I can see..
Hey Susan, I’ve updated the recipe to be more clear! Thanks for your comment!
We baked this pie and we thought it was the best we ever had. Big success at our house.
So happy to hear that!! Thanks for the comment 🙂
thank you for reprising this classic, forgot how much I’ve missed the taste of pecan pie, nice tips too
Thanks Sabrina 🙂
I LOVE pecan pie and make it every year for Thanksgiving. Never used corn syrup, but my original recipe always led to a cracked top – thinking it might be from whole eggs vs egg yolks. I will have to try this recipe out this instead!!