This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Southern Pecan Pie Recipe is knock your socks off delicious! Filled with tons of crunchy pecans baked with a sweet filling, this beautiful pie will steal the show on your holiday dessert table.
A classic Southern Pecan Pie has the perfect combination of salty and sweet. It’s easy to make and looks impressive. Consider having a few desserts to round out your meal, like Classic Apple Pie and No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake.
As a kid, I was never too thrilled about pie mostly because it was usually fruit filled and not slathered in chocolate, but this pecan pie recipe changed the game for me. The brown sugar based filling was as good as candy!
Pecan Pie Ingredients
- Prepared pie crust – Keep it simple and use a premade, refrigerated pie crust. You could also make one from scratch if you want. This can be one that’s already pressed into a pie pan like this one, or one that comes prepared as a flat sheet that you roll out and form to your own pie plate.
- Butter – 4 tablespoons of butter add richness to the filling.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar is one of my favorite ingredients to bake with just because of the great sweet, molasses flavors that it brings. The same holds true for this pecan pie! It goes great with the nutty pecans with a touch of vanilla and salt in the filling.
- Corn syrup – Dark is preferred, but light would work as well.
- Vanilla extract – To balance the flavor.
- Eggs – Creates a custard-like base with the brown sugar.
- Pecans – Use whole or chopped. Whole pecans look prettier, but chopped will fill up more space, giving you more pecan in each bite.
How To Make A Southern Pecan Pie
This pie recipe is really easy to whip up and bakes in just one hour. The second step may feel a little like candy making, which can be a daunting task, but I assure you it’s just a simple melting step that creates the base of the pie.
- You’ll start your pie base by melting butter and brown sugar on the stove. This doesn’t take long and should be done at a medium to medium-low heat so as not to burn the sugar. Add some corn syrup, then eggs. Be careful not to add the eggs too quickly or you will cook them before they can be incorporated into the mixture.
- Get your pie crust ready and sprinkle pecans to fill the bottom of the plate before pouring the brown sugar mixture in. You can move the pecans around until you are satisfied that it’s pretty enough for your dessert table.
- Cover the pie with foil before baking, but you will want to remove the foil during the last 20 minutes. This is to ensure that the inside has plenty of time to bake through without burning the top.
FAQs
This pie is a great make ahead dessert that freezes beautifully. Bake as directed, then let the pie cool completely. Wrap tightly with foil or plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
The filling is butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla and a pinch of salt. And of course, pecans!
How To Serve
Pecan pie recipe can be served chilled, at room temperature, or warmed with ice cream or whipped cream or just on its own. If refrigerated, let it come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes before serving.
My favorite way to serve pecan pie is warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Just heat each slice in the microwave for a few seconds.
101+ Thanksgiving
Side Dishes
Find all the sides you could possibly want for the perfect Thanksgiving menu!
Storage
Unless you are planning on serving the pie within a couple hours of baking, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the pie until you are ready to serve. It will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.
More Holiday Desserts to Try
- Caramel Apple Pie Cheesecake Dip (No Bake)
- Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip
- Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Sweet Potato Pie
Southern Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- Prepared pie crust
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup dark corn syrup light works, too
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add in brown sugar and stir until melted. Stir in corn syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Slowly stir in brown sugar mixture until incorporated.
- Place prepared pie crust into a pie dish. Sprinkle in pecans evenly around the bottom of the dish. Pour the brown sugar mixture over the pecans. Move pecans around if any spots look empty.
- Place aluminum foil over the pie and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes. Watch the pie the last 10 minutes to ensure that the edges and top doesn’t burn.
- Let sit for an hour to set. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Looks delicious
Thank you Lourene! Give it a try and let us know here in the comments. thanks for stopping by.
Hi,
Tried making this and definitely over cooked the butter/sugar. When I added the corn syrup it clumped in hard pieces in places. How long do you typically cook the butter/sugar to melt but not make candy?
Thanks!
Cindy
Do you use light or dark syrup
I typically use dark, but either will work.
HI, in order to make this ahead of time, do I bake it as usual and then refrigerate until ready? How do I reheat it when I am ready to serve?
Hi Jill, You can make this pie a day in advance, let it cool completely, then cover and store on the counter. You can also freeze it, wrapped tightly and thaw it in the fridge. Serve at room temperature.
Would like to have a copy of this pecan pie recipe please.
Hi Jake, you can print the recipe card in the post. 🙂
Made it twice now
Love this recipe
Thank you Mary!
Easy and delish!! A hit with all family members-will add this recipe to my collection. Thank you❤
Nice! Thanks for stopping by.
I just made this recipe, Actually it just came out of the oven. Was reading comments (after making the pie) and noticed you are to loosely pack the brown sugar. I packed the brown sugar. Is that going to make a difference to the out come and taste to the pie?
Probably not. At most it would likely be a little sweeter.
Maybe I just didn’t see it or maybe you don’t bake it.
At what temperature do you bake it and for how long?
Hi, all of the instructions are in the recipe card just above the comments section. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes.
So sad it was soo pretty but my filling is still gooey and liquify and never formed up! Should I bake it longer?? I also used chopped pecans not sure if the hurt or helped the recipe.
The chopped pecans shouldn’t matter. Not actually seeing it, I’m assuming it would have needed to bake longer. So sorry it didn’t turn out for you!
Hi! Is it one cup packed brown sugar? And do you use light or dark corn syrup?
1 cup loosely packed, and either would work.
Hi there, This recipe was easy to bake but I only left it in the oven for 50 minutes. The crust was dark and the pie appeared to be done. Hopefully I didn’t pull it out too soon. I have a tendency to leave food in too long as I’m not used to this oven. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Thank you Carol for your feedback.