The Best Pecan Pie

Simply put, this is the best pecan pie, in my opinion anyways! When your Husband and Mama’s favorite pie is Pecan Pie, you gotta know how to bake a pecan pie. This one is easy and hard to mess up. Truth be told, I was never a big fan of pecan pie, it was a texture thing for me, I didn’t like the gooey center, which I know some love. So… I decided to change it up. Instead of having the gooey, caramel layer in the center, I use chopped pecans and add more of them so there is a gooey, caramel, pecan crunch all the way through the pie! It’s amazing!

Why you’ll love this Pecan Pie!

Simple – This is a quick throw together recipe! We all know I love easy.

Basic Ingredients – One of my favorite things about baking from scratch is the ingredients, you get to control what goes in. These are made with ingredients that are easy to grab, most of which you probably already have on hand.

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What ingredients are needed to make pecan pie?

Simple ones! Most you probably have but if not, they are all easy to find. I order quite a few of my items from Thrive Market. They make it easy to find clean ingredients and ship straight to my door. If that is something you are interested in, here is a link to try it out and you can get 40% off your first order! 

Butter – Use the real stuff. Good fats are so good for you.

Brown Sugar – This helps to add that caramel flavor.

Cane Sugar 

Corn Syrup – This is needed to help the pie set and what gives the pie its known texture.

Eggs 

Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract

Pecans – I use crushed pecans for this recipe and it is what gives it the crunchy texture all the way through.

Salt – Use good quality salt, one that has minerals still present. Celtic or Redmond are great options. The salt for this recipe is important because there is so much sweetness in this pie, the salt will help to balance it.

You will also need a pie crust. You can use a pre-made one or a homemade one, whatever you prefer!

Tools you may need for your recipe:

Pie Pan

Dough Hook or Spatula – Everyone needs a dough hook in their kitchen!

Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons

Mixing Bowl 

Aluminum Foil

Baking Sheet

How to make The Best Pecan Pie:

Prep:

Have your eggs at room temperature and melt your butter so it has a little time to cool before adding it in. Go ahead and pull out all of the rest of your ingredients and tools that you will need and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

If you are making a pie crust from scratch, have that made and ready to go (you won’t pre-bake your pie crust though, it will cook with the pie).

Let’s do this:

Add your cane sugar, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and corn syrup to your mixing bowl and mix well.

Then add in your eggs and combine completely.

Drizzle in your butter slowly, mixing until fully combined. If your butter is still warm, drizzle very slowly to temper your mixture so your eggs don’t cook. No one wants scrambled eggs in their pecan pie.

Prep the crust:

I always like to place my pie pan on a baking sheet, just in case anything should boil over. This pie really shouldn’t but cleaning up a sticky mess in the oven is no fun, so throw one under there just in case.

Next you are going to add your pecan pieces straight to the uncooked pie crust. This is one of my favorite things about this pie because I don’t have time to place individual pecan pieces around the top of the pie. My kids don’t give me that kind of time and I just like the texture better. So just pour the pieces right in there.

THEN is the best part! Pour your filling directly over those pecan pieces and watch. Ok, don’t sit there and watch unless you just have some free time because this will take a few minutes. You will want to let the pie rest for about 10-15 minutes at this point so the pecan pieces can start to float to the top and all of the filling gets in between the pieces before putting it in the oven.

Once you see pecan pieces start to make their way to the top of the pie you are ready to bake.

WAIT!!! Just kidding, one more step. Make sure you cover your pie first. You will bake the first half covered and the second half uncovered. So cover that pie loosely with aluminum foil; this will help your crust to not burn.

Bake:

You will bake this in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered, then you will bake it for another 20 minutes uncovered. After this time you will start checking it every 5 minutes until it passes the non-jiggle test. If it jiggles, let it continue to bake. The pecans will form a crust on the top and it should not jiggle at all when it is done. This will ensure that the filling sets as it cools. So you really do need to check it closely towards the end.

Cool:

Once you have a non-jiggle pie, pull it from the oven and let cool. It will continue to set as it cools.

Then, enjoy!

FAQs:

Does it matter how I add the ingredients in? 

Only the eggs and butter. Everything else can go in the bowl at the same time, but you want to mix in the eggs first and then drizzle in the butter last.

Do I have to use Pecan Pieces?

Not necessarily. It will still turn out using pecan halves, but you won’t get the same crunch. This recipe is the way it is so you get pieces of pecans throughout the whole pie.

Why did my Pecan Pie turn our soupy?

Most likely your pie didn’t bake long enough, oven times can vary quite a bit so make sure you give it the jiggle test. It can take up to 20 to 30 minutes more than the advised time depending on the oven. 

How do I store this Pecan Pie?

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days, if it lasts that long.

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @naturallychaoticlifestyle!

Thanks for stopping by, see you next time!