This Southern Pecan Pie is the best classic pie that you can prepare in no time. Nutty, sweet and oh so buttery, this pie was made to be on your holiday table especially when served a la mode with vanilla ice cream! Add the filling to my perfect pie crust, and get ready for the perfect pie!! If you love this pie, definitely try this Pecan Pie Upside Down Cake, Sheet Pan Pie with 3 flavors in 1, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, Butter Pecan Cheesecake, Pie Trifle, Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Buttermilk Pie, Chess Pie , Caramel Pie , Pecan Pie Bars, and Sweet Potato Pie recipes too!
Disclosure: I partnered with Land O’Lakes for this post, but all opinions expressed here are my own. I am grateful for authentic partnerships like this.
When I was a little girl, I would watch my grandmother make pies with such ease. She’d roll out her dough on a dining room table coated with flour and stir spiced fillings in what seemed like the biggest pots ever.
Big Mama moved around the kitchen like a butterfly, floating from one space to the other but never landing for too long. She worked efficiently, made very little mess (unless I was helping) and her fingers never doubted what they had to do next.
On brisk Fall days or at Holiday dinners, I crave any one of her pies. But, there is one that sits above the rest for me: Big Mama’s Pecan Pie. Her recipe for this nut-filled pie is a classic, no-frills kinda pie, and it’s the ONLY ONE YOU’LL EVER NEED. Bold Statement but the complete truth!
What is Pecan Pie?
This pie is an American creation because the nut itself is native to North America. For a long time, pecans grew along areas watered by the Mississippi River, spreading a bit to the east into Alabama.
Following the Civil War, commercial developers brought in a few varieties of pecans to grow in Georgia. Grafted pecan trees were also brought to Louisiana in the mid to late 1800s. Some believe the French invented the pecan pie after settling in New Orleans.
The earliest printed pecan recipes began popping up in Texas cookbooks in the 1870s and 1880s so it indeed has Southern roots.
By the beginning of the 20th century, recipes for it had started appearing outside of Texas, but the pie didn’t become popular until the mid-1920s. Since then, pecan pie has truly taken on a life of its own.
It’s a staple in almost every home in America come holiday season. I mean, who can blame us? It’s just that good.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s the ideal mix of gooey, extra buttery and caramelized taste!
- Plenty of filling to fill up a buttery, flaky and not too crumbly crust.
- It’s flavorful but not sickly sweet allowing the pecans to really shine because that flavor is something to go “nuts” for. Too corny?
Ingredients
Let’s take a look at the key ingredients you need to gather to make the filling for southern pecan pie. These are easy to find and you may actually have many of them on-hand.
- Butter: I’ve got a secret ya’ll. It’s the one ingredient I rely on every single time I bust out my pie dish: Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil.Made with only sweet cream, canola oil and salt, Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil gives you the fresh butter taste you love without anything unnecessary.
- Sugar: I use two different sugars, granulated (white) sugar and brown sugar here because it helps round out the flavor. I didn’t want to go with all brown sugar since it can sometimes take over with its undertones of molasses.
- Corn Syrup: Corn syrup is a crucial ingredient in pecan pie recipes. You will find it in almost every traditional recipe.
- Eggs: The stabilizers in the recipe and room temperature eggs are best.
- Vanilla: Adds additional mellow, sweet flavors to the pie filling.
- Flour: A little bit of all-purpose flour helps to set the pie even more. Don’t worry! You will mix this ingredient in thoroughly and won’t taste it at all after the filling sets up.
- Pecans: I use pecan halves but if you want them smaller, you can use chopped or a mix of both for different textures. This is where you can make a preference call.
How to Make Southern Pecan Pie
The best part about making the filling for this recipe is it is a quick one-bowl whisk and stir method. A lot of the ingredients are in liquid form and allow this process to happen easily. Here’s an overview of making this recipe! Check the recipe card for more details.
- Whisk together both of the sugars in a medium sized bowl until combined.
- Add the corn syrup, melted Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil, beaten eggs and vanilla and mix with the whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the flour and pinch of salt and quickly whisk until mixture is smooth but somewhat thickened.
- Add the pecan halves and use a spatula to combine.
- Pour the pecan filling into the pie shell.
TOP TIP: If using my pie crust recipe, roll one of the disks out into the pie plate then use a fork to poke holes along the sides and bottom of the pie crust. Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights, making sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish.
Pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights then add the filling. If you would like, you can brush some egg wash (one egg whisked with one teaspoon of water) on the outside of the crust.
- Bake the pie in the preheated oven for fifteen minutes and then lower the temperature to 350˚F and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the center of the pie jiggles only slightly. If it shakes too much, leave it in the oven to bake longer. You want the pie to be mostly stable.
- If you find that the crust is browning too quickly, add a pie shield or some foil on the outside halfway through the bake.
- Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature, then serve.
If there was one thing I loved more than watching my Big Mama make her pies, it was seeing her share them. For her, the best part of baking was being able to share what she’d made with people she loved. Or sometimes just with strangers.
So today, I share this recipe with you all in the hopes that you’ll do the same this holiday season. Eat a slice, share a slice.
Expert Tips
- Don’t forget that the crust is essential as well! Make sure that you begin with a homemade crust if you have the time. Here is my favorite recipe for pie crust. ALL BUTTER!
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature! It will help to set your pie. Necessary!
- Once you add your flour and pecans, you will want to be a bit more careful with your stirring to combine.
- Make sure you truly stir your flour into the mixture, making sure no pieces are left not combined.
- Serve it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months.
- Spray inside of measuring cup with nonstick spray when measuring corn syrup so it slides out easier.
FAQs
This can be a little tricky because the pie continues cooking and setting even after you take it out of the oven. The classic “inserting a knife” doesn’t work here because the filling is so gooey. Your best bet is to start by making sure your oven is properly preheated and you follow all the cooking times outlined in your recipe. The best way to check if it’s done is to jiggle it slightly. If it moves quite a bit and seems to have too much liquid you will need to continue cooking.
Corn syrup has a much thicker, gooey texture than sugar and contributes to the traditional texture of pecan pie filling. Other liquid sweeteners such as maple syrup can be used but you are best to use a recipe created using a replacement rather than experimenting with replacing it in any recipe.
Yes! This is perfect if you’re expecting a crowd for the holidays! You can bake the pies as you have time and store them in the freezer until you need them. Be sure to wrap them in layers to keep out any off flavors. Allow them 24 hours in the fridge to thaw out.
More Southern Pie Recipes
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
Southern Pecan Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 3 tbsp unsalted Butter melted
- 3 eggs beaten and room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp all purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
- 1 pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together both sugars until combined.
- Next whisk in corn syrup, melted butter, beaten eggs and vanilla until mixture is smooth.
- Quickly whisk in flour and pinch of salt until mixture is smooth but somewhat thickened.
- Add pecan halves and use a spatula to combine.
- Pour pecan filling into pie shell. If using my pie crust recipe, roll one of the disks out into the pie plate then use a fork to poke holes along the sides and bottom of the pie crust. Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights, making sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights then add the filling. If you would like, you can brush some egg wash on the outside of the crust as well (just take 1 egg and whisk together with a teaspoon of water).
- Bake for 15 minutes then lower temperature to 350˚F and bake 30-40 minutes or until center of pie jiggles only slightly. If it shakes too much, leave it in the oven to bake longer. The pie should be almost stable. If you find that the crust is browning too quickly, add a pie shield or some foil on the outside halfway through the bake.
- Remove pie from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then serve.
Video
Notes
- Don’t forget that the crust is essential as well! Make sure that you begin with a homemade crust if you have the time. Here is my favorite recipe for pie crust. ALL BUTTER!
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature! It will help to set your pie. Necessary!
- Once you add your flour and pecans, you will want to be a bit more careful with your stirring to combine.
- Make sure you truly stir your flour into the mixture, making sure no pieces are left not combined.
- Serve it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months.
- Spray inside of measuring cup with nonstick spray when measuring corn syrup so it slides out easier.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in October 2019. It has been updated with new content and more images.
Hello Jocelyn. I plan to make your pie crust for a pecan pie. I need to know do you bake the crust for 5 minutes and then add your filling?
You will want to add some weights so it won’t shrink while baking.
I didn’t use eggs at room temperature I just made pie today I peeked in the center and looks a little runny should I cover crust edge and cook longer or let it cool to set?
Room temperature are essential for setting any type of custardy based pie so that is why it is runny. It won’t work with rebaking at this point.
This recipe is absolutely perfect! The pie turned out crunchy on top and gooey in the middle. Just the right amount of sweetness. Thanks for a great recipe!
Loved it!!!
I can’t wait to try this. I don’t like a runny pecan pie. Thanks for sharing this Southern classic
Made this yesterday and finally got around to having a slice. All I can say is WOW. Absolutely amazing. A little skeptical about the amount of vanilla but it works so well. Not so sweet that a little of the salty couldn’t shine through. Not at all funny and the top didn’t turn into hard, crusty tooth breaker. Thank you so much. My only regret is I didn’t have some while it was still warm.
Followed your recipe exactly ❤️
Everyone loved it!
I have tried many different pecan pie recipes for my family and friends, and the votes are in — this is the best! With other recipes I’ve struggled to get the inside to firm up but this cooks perfectly, exactly as it’s laid out. Perhaps it’s the flour inside that makes the difference? Either way, this is my new go-to. Soooo delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
**update to my earlier post**
The pie recipe turned out AMAZING. The filling when totally set will be perfect. I had a sneaky taste…yumsterz. Thanks for the simple & tasty recipe.
This is the second time making this but the first time using your recipe so fingers crossed. It’s in the oven as I write this…an extra 10mins. My first time was a flop. Very wet. I’m in Ireland but was in Miami for Christmas. I brought home The Light Corn Syrup to play baking! This shud be sum real deal flava haha 5 stars so far…
I’m from Louisiana and have three pecan trees in my yard so I have made my fair share of pecan pies. I’ve probably tried more variations and recipes than most people have eaten, until I tried this recipe. It is hands down my favorite. I’ve made it three times since Christmas. Thanks for putting an end to my search for the best pecan pie recipe ever!