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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: My Best Ever Pecan Pie recipe is a fan favorite, and what’s not to love? This pecan pie has a buttery crust, toasted pecans, and a delicious caramelly custard center!
We’re quickly heading to the holidays and “Official Baking Season,” so I wanted to share my Best Ever Pecan Pie recipe with you again! I’ve been making this pie for over ten years now, and it just tastes better and better every year.
This pie has everything you could want in a proper dessert — from my flaky, buttery Homemade Pie Crust, to the caramelly custard center, to the slightly crunchy whole pecans on top! When done right, pecan pie should have a lot of tantalizing textures to match its delicious flavors!
For whatever reason, people are pretty nervous to try a pie recipe — especially a pecan pie recipe. But this year, don’t opt for that store-bought pie! Making this pie is as simple as making my foolproof pie crust and then filling it with a mixture of toasted pecans, egg, brown sugar, and maple syrup. This pecan pie is made without cornstarch and is made with maple syrup or golden syrup instead of corn syrup, too!
Can’t wait for family and friends to come over to share a slice? Try my Microwave Mug Pecan Pie version!
And if you’re more team Pumpkin Pie than team pecan pie, I highly recommend another fall classic, my Homemade Pumpkin Pie! And if you can’t decide which one should grace your holiday table, why not both? Try my Perfect Pumpkin Pecan Pie!
How Do I Toast Pecans?
For this recipe, you need shelled pecans that have been toasted. Toasting your pecans helps bring out all the warm, buttery, caramel flavors even before you start baking your pie!
To toast pecans, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pecans in a single layer and toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes until they are fragrant. Give them a shake every so often to prevent burning so all sides of the pecan get toasty.
Why Is My Pecan Pie Runny? How Do I Stop My Pecan Pie From Burning?
A lot of pecan pies are either undercooked and turn out soupy, or they’re overcooked with burnt pecans on top. But don’t worry, there’s an easy fix!
If your pecan pie is runny or soupy, chances are you didn’t bake it for long enough. A problem that pops up at this point is over-browning your pecans and burning the top of your pie. To avoid both of these problems, simply cover the top of your pie with aluminum foil to prevent the pecans from burning and pop the pie back in the oven.
How Do I Know When My Pecan Pie Is Done?
The best way to check to see if your pecan pie is done is to press on the pecans in the center using either your finger or the back of a spoon. You want it to be slightly jiggly, but the pie should be fairly stable. You want a jiggle, NOT a ripple. A ripple means the pie has not set.
What Is The Difference Between Corn Syrup And Golden Syrup?
While corn syrup and golden syrup may look the same, they are very different! Corn syrup is made from corn starch, while golden syrup is made with sugar, and you can taste the difference. Corn syrup tastes sugary, but golden syrup tastes more like caramel.
If you can’t find golden syrup and prefer to use it over maple syrup for this recipe, you’ll be glad to know you can make the Perfect Golden Syrup Substitute.
What Do I Do With Leftover Egg Whites?
This recipe calls for six egg yolks, but I’m not about to ask you to toss away perfectly good egg whites! If you don’t want an egg white omelet for breakfast, you can use leftover egg whites to make recipes like my Vanilla Wafers or Meringues with Peach and Raspberry Compote!
You can also freeze leftover egg whites to use later. I often do this when I’m baking one dessert and won’t need another until the first one is gone! To freeze egg whites, simply put them in a freezer bag and freeze the bag flat. About 2 tablespoons are the same as the white of one egg. Be sure to let your eggs come to room temperature before using them.
Tools You Need To Make Pecan Pie
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 9-inch (23 cm) pie tin
- Mixing bowls
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
- Baking tray
- Whisk
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making The Best Pecan Pie
- For the pecans, you can either buy them roasted or toast them yourself: place pecans on a tray in a 350°F (180°C) oven for about 8-10 minutes until fragrant. Watch carefully, because they will go very quickly from toasted to burned.
- Use good quality store-bought OR make my Homemade Pie Crust.
- This pie is wonderful served with Homemade Whipped Cream.
Try More Great Holiday Desserts!
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Watch The Recipe Video!
Gemma's Best Ever Pecan Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pie crust
- 6 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup (4 oz/115 g) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (5 oz/142 g) golden syrup (or maple syrup)
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz/90 g) butter, melted
- ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) cream
- 2 cups (10 oz/284 g) pecans, chopped and toasted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to ¼-inch thick and line a 9-inch pie tin with your pie crust. Place in the fridge until needed.
- Combine the egg yolks, brown sugar, syrup, butter, and cream in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Stir in the chopped pecans to the mix, reserving about ½ cup to lay on top of the pie if desired.
- Pour the pecan mix into your prepared pie shell. Place on any of the reserved pecans.
- Place the pie on a baking tray and bake for roughly 40-45 minutes or until the center of the filling is a little wobbly in the middle and just set around the edges.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
An amazing recipe Chef! I was trying this out for the first time and therefore pored over all recipes I came across and found this to be the best. Being bold, I added 2 tbsp of rum and reduced the cream proportionately ????. Corn/maple syrup is frightfully expensive where I live in India. Also no golden syrup, so I made it from scratch thanks to you ????. May your tribe increase!
Hi! Going to make it tomorrow. Video says 45 minutes and recipe says 30? I’m going to add 1/4 cup bourbon so should I cook longer? I’m also going to soak the pecans in bourbon before I toast them, that ok? Love your recipes!
This pie has become a Christmas tradition over the past few years and I am asked to make and bring it every year now. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! I’ve noticed I have a bit of under-cooked crust on the bottom and sides of the pie if I use a glass pie dish. Can I blind bake for a bit or should I stick to metal? My oven is not great so I usually have to cover crust edges so they don’t over-brown. Curious if this is the material I’m baking in or if I just need to… Read more »
What kind of maple syrup do u use? And what is golden syrup?
Hi Gemma is cream heavy whipping cream ?
Dear Gemma I love everythingyou bake and create!!!I have so many recipes of yours and I also bake a lot and coolk I’m praying to one day own my bakery/restaurant and I everythingi do I’m learning from you,you are the greatest!!
Hi Gemma! Can this recipe be used to make pecan pie bars? TIA, Brian
Hello Gemma, It’s fall here and I want to make the Best Ever Pecan Pie, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I noticed that you said to add 1/4 cup of cream in the recipe. What kind of cream do you use? I don’t know and would love hearing from you. Thank you so very much, Carole
Hi Gemma. How can I get hold of the cups for baking cakes please.
Freda
I don’t like pecan pie with Karo syrup so can I increase the brown sugar and cut out the syrup?