You can’t beat the down home taste of a classic Pecan Pie! Blind baking the crust is the secret to preventing sogginess and ensuring perfect flaky pastry holding in the pecan filling.
Pecan Pie is a favorite for holidays. Readers also love baking my Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars and my delicious Pecan Pie Cake for a fun twist!
The Classic Thanksgiving Dessert
Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dessert? One of those dishes where, no matter where you are or who is doing the cooking, you’ve GOT to have it every year for the holiday to feel complete?
For me, it’s pie. All kinds of pie. So many pies.
We make this Pumpkin Pie Recipe every year, but I also make at least one or two or three more pies to round things out (French Silk Pie and Cherry Pie are usually on the list)!
If you can’t indulge in extra pie on Thanksgiving, when can you? One of the simplest and most often requested pies I make is this easy Pecan Pie.
Sometimes I make my pecan pie with chocolate chips but for tradition’s sake, everyone needs a good basic Pecan Pie recipe up their sleeve. This pecan pie is one of the best I’ve ever tasted.
- Flavor. Plenty of nutty pecan flavor with a touch of vanilla and buttery brown sugar in each bite.
- What really makes this recipe great is the extra step of blind baking the crust. Pre-baking the crust helps it stay firm when you add the pecan filling. Instead of getting overloaded and soggy, like some pecan pies I’ve tasted. Our pie crust is a flaky pastry perfection.
- Texture. Loaded with pecans within the filling and on top of the pie.
- Chocolate. While today’s recipe doesn’t have it, you’ll have to try our chocolate pecan pie next!
MORE PECAN PIE RECIPES: Pecan Pie Truffles | Pecan Pie Blondies
Ingredient Notes
- Pecans. The higher quality the better as they are the star of the show! Toast the pecans for best flavor!
- Corn Syrup & Brown Sugar. Adds a sweetness to the pie, and caramelizes into a delicious flavor!
- Eggs. Binds the filling together.
PRO TIP- We love making our own homemade vanilla extract, but if using store bought, be sure it’s pure extract, not imitation (for best flavor).
How to Blind Bake a Crust
The Why. It doesn’t take much effort to blind bake the pie crust, but the difference it makes in the finished pie is remarkable. Pecan pie filling is heavy and wet so it can easily soak into a raw pie crust, making your dessert taste less than stellar.
With a blind baked crust is stays in tact and holds up the filling, while the crust is light and flaky.
For this recipe, you can use either a refrigerated pie crust or your favorite Homemade Pie Crust.
- Roll out the pie crust dough then place it onto a pie plate. Put a piece of parchment paper on the pie crust and place pie weights or dried beans on top. This keeps the crust from bubbling up during the blind baking process.
- Place the pie crust in preheated oven for 15 minutes and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit , until crust is just starting to brown.
- Remove the crust from the oven, lower the heat to 350 and set the crust aside while you make the filling.
Step by Step Instructions
Blind bake the pie crust.
Make the Filling. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add in corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and kosher salt. Whisk until smooth. Add pecans.
PRO TIP: You can use chopped pecans or pecan halves. Or a combination of both!
Bake. Pour mixture into warm crust. Arrange extra pecans on top, if desired. Bake for 40-50 minutes, checking to see if the center jiggles slightly. If it shakes too much, keep cooking and check every few minutes, being careful not to overcook. Pecan pie can be very finnicky in cooking times, so start checking at 40 minutes.
Set. The filling will continue to set while it cools completely.Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing.
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired! I love vanilla ice cream but chocolate ice cream and butter pecan flavored ice cream taste great with pecan pie, too.
Storage Tips
To keep the integrity of the flavor and texture of this pie intact, make sure to store leftovers correctly. Here are my tips for making your leftover pie last!
- Let it cool. Pecan pie takes a while to fully cool. If you cover it while it’s still warm, the steam from the pie can make the crust soggy.
- Wrap up. Once cooled, cover the pie tightly with foil or cling wrap.
- Chill. If you’re planning to eat the pie within two hours of baking (like for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving), you can store it at room temperature. For longer storage, keep pecan pie in the fridge. It will last for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
Aside from adding extra pecans, be sure to allow the pie to cool completely as it will set up firm as it cools.
To prevent a soggy pie crust, blind bake your bottom crust first, usually done by adding parchment and pie weights to keep the crust from bubbling.
For food safety, I always err on the side of caution. If you’re not eating the pie within two hours, I suggest refrigerating for up to three days.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Caramel Corn Recipe
- Apple Crumble
- Pecan Pie Bars
- No Churn Ice Cream
- Pecan Pumpkin Pie
- Banana Cake Recipe
- Sopapilla Cheesecake
Holiday Pie Recipes
See all Pies and Tarts recipes
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Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust homemade or store-bought
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups pecan halves or pieces divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Blind bake the pie crust. Do this by laying one pie crust in a pie plate. Then place a piece of parchment paper on the pie crust and place pie weights or dried beans on top, so that crust does not bubble up during blind baking. Place in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until crust is just starting to brown.
- Take crust out of oven, remove parchment and pie weights, and set aside. Lower oven temperature to 350°F. Adjust oven rack to the lower third position.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add in corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 cups pecans.
- Pour mixture into warm crust. If desired, arrange the remaining pecan halves over the top of the pie, otherwise fold them into the mixture.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, checking to see if the center jiggles slightly. If it shakes too much, keep cooking and check every few minutes, being careful not to overcook. Pecan pie can be very finnicky in cooking times, so start checking at 40 minutes. The filling will continue to set while it cools completely.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired!
Notes
- Blind baking the crust before adding the filling prevents the crust from getting too soggy from the heavy, wet filling.
- Pie Shield. You may want to use a pie shield on your crust to prevent burning of the edges.
- Toast the pecans. For best flavor, learn how to toast pecans! PRO TIP: You can use chopped pecans or pecan halves. Or a combination of both!
- Let it cool. Pecan pie takes a while to fully cool. If you cover it while it's still warm, the steam from the pie can make the crust soggy.
- Wrap up. Once cooled, cover the pie tightly with foil or cling wrap.
- Chill. If you're planning to eat the pie within two hours of baking (like for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving), you can store it at room temperature. For longer storage, keep pecan pie in the fridge. It will last for up to 3 days.
- Don't freeze. Because of the egg based filling, freezing pecan pie gets tricky and I wouldn't recommend it. Thankfully, it's a quick and easy pie to make the day of serving, even on a busy Thanksgiving day.
- Reheat. In order for a pecan pie to set up completely, it needs to cool completely. If you like your pie warm, reheat it in a 250 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Pecan Pie with a maple and brown sugar filling and perfectly baked crust will be the crowned jewel of your holiday dessert table this year!
Looks so good! Can’t wait to try this one.
This looks so delicious and tasty! My husband and daughter’s boyfriend are going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to give this a try!
This looks like an absolute must for the Thanksgiving table this year! I’m a big fan of pecan pie, and this really looks next-level. Great tips about blind baking too — I’ll for sure have to try that!