Down home, Southern pecan pie takes me straight back to my Southern roots. It combines rich caramelized pecans with sweet and savory syrup! This homemade pecan pie is a must-have for the holidays! It has vanilla extract cooked into a delicious gooey filling and then poured into a buttery homemade pie crust(optional). Not to mention how quickly and easily it comes together. Let’s get to making this classic pecan pie!
Why You Should Make This Southern Pecan Pie?
Flavor- The flavor in this Southern pecan pie is unbelievably delicious. The golden brown flaky pie crust, fresh pecans, syrup mixture, and dark brown sugar are to blame for this Southern classic. Not to mention, it’s easy on the eyes at any dessert table! Pair with a side of homemade ice cream.
No Homemade Pie Crust is more frustrating than making a pie crust. That’s why I love this recipe. This unbaked pie crust is a game changer. Get dinner on the holiday table sooner with this easy pecan pie recipe, and enjoy more time with your loved ones at Thanksgiving dinner!
Make Ahead Of Time- Make this best southern pecan pie a day before you want to eat. You would have to prepare the pastry and store it in the refrigerator to eat later. This traditional pecan pie recipe is no stranger to the fridge and comes out even more.
Ingredients For Southern Pecan Pie
Karo Corn Syrup- You can use dark or light corn syrup if you like. This syrup helps to make the pie filling and great pecan pies!
Pecan Halves- You will need some of the pecans whole and other chopped pecans into smaller bite-sized pieces. This will make sure you get to taste lots of pecans. After all, this is a Southern pecan pie.
Eggs- Adding in the eggs holds the pecan together so that the pie is formed perfectly!
Butter- Adds a tremendous amount of flavor that you will love. It also helps to enhance the other flavors.
Vanilla Extract- Helps to enhance the overall flavor of this Southern Pecan pie. This ingredient is definitely a must in a Southern pie.
Pie Crust- You can use store-bought or homemade pie crust. It’s ultimately your preference. When you head to your local grocery store, ask for a 9-inch pie crust. If you use any other type of crust, it may overflow into the oven, and we don’t want that. If you have leftovers, fill the second pie crust that comes in the pack.
Sugar– Will give your pie a touch of sweetness that will send your tastebuds into overdrive. You can add as little sugar as you would like, or don’t add any sugar at all. Make this a healthy pecan pie. Also, if you want to cut back on calories, use keto sugar.
Nutmeg- Brings in a ton of nutty flavors.
How To Make Southern Pecan Pie
1. Place dark Karo syrup in a medium bowl.
2. Next, add in white granulated sugar. Mix the ingredients together until all the sugar is dissolved.
3. Add chopped pecans on top of the pie.
4. Let the mixture cool(please don’t skip this step). If you put eggs in the hot mix, the eggs will cook, and you will have a mess. Preheat oven to 350F
5. Grab your pie crust and pour the filling into the crust. Don’t overfill the pie crust.
6. Let bake for a total time of 45 minutes. At around 15-20, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the pie to keep it from burning pecans. Then, put it back in the oven for the remaining time. Once time is up, stick a toothpick in the pastry to ensure it’s done. If the toothpick comes back out wet, it’s not ready. Allow to continue cooking for as long as you think it may need.
7. Let cool for 10 minutes, and add whipped cream to the top of the filling. Enjoy!!
Variations
Pecan Pie In A Jar- I love this classic southern pecan pie because you can turn it into a mason jar dessert. Suppose you have leftover pecan pieces. Warm pecan pie, place it in a mason jar, add whipped cream, and enjoy! I first saw these on my trip to New Orleans. I was floored at how delicious they were.
Fried Pecan Pies- Add the mixture made from the pecan pie to the store-bought dough. Make sure all of the filling stays inside the dough. I promise this will become your favorite recipe!
Best pie crust recipe- If you want something other than the store-bought pie crust, you can make homemade pie crust.
Substitutions
Keto Sugar– If you are not a fan of all the granulated sugar and want to watch your calories. You can add keto sugar. Something like swerve or erythritol will do the trick!
Storage
Store your Southern pecan pie in plastic wrap, which will ensure freshness when you get ready to eat at a later date. You can also place the whole pie in an airtight container.
Reheating
When you get ready to reheat this delicious pie, place it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and allow it to cool. You must be careful because pecan pie can get extremely hot and burn your mouth.
Questions
How to prevent watery filling?
The first thing to remember when baking any pie, cake, etc., is to preheat your oven. If you turn your oven on and begin to time the pie, you are at a different temperature. It will result in a watery filling.
How do you not burn the top of the pie?
Place your pie in the middle of the oven. Let the pie cook without anything over the top of the pie. After about 15 minutes, cover the pie with aluminum foil. This will prevent the overcooked top and burnt pecans. Sometimes, the top is finished, and the filling needs to be completed. This is why your pie is burnt on the top.
How do you prevent your pie from being soft?
Wait to eat your pie straight out of the oven. It will burn your mouth like crazy! Let your pie sit for about 20 minutes, then eat the pie. This gives the pie a chance to let the heat that’s inside to continue cooking the pie. Make sure you preheat the oven before placing the pie in the oven. Again, wait for the pie to cool.
How to prevent the pie from overflowing when baking in the oven?
Make sure you fill your pie crust with filling only some of the way to the top of the crust. The pie naturally rises if steps are followed correctly. If you fill it to the top, the pie will overflow into the oven.
This Recipe Was Inspired By
This recipe was inspired by my sister Chiquanda. She always makes pecan pies for the family for the holidays. Pecan pie has always been one of my family’s holiday must-have pies. Thanksgiving and Christmas wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t have this pie. I love to pair this pie with whipped cream. Hmmm, I can taste these pie flavors dancing in my taste buds.
DOWN HOME SOUTHERN PECAN PIE
Ingredients
- 1 cup Karo dark corn syrup
- 2 cup Pecan One cup crushed for pie filling, other cup for the top of pie
- 3 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Butter Melted room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Pie Crust deep dish unbaked
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
- In a bowl add in all 5 ingredients and stir then mix in 1/2 cups of pecans1 cup Karo dark corn syrup, 2 cup Pecan, 3 Eggs, 2 tbsp Butter, 1 tsp Vanilla extract, 1 cup Sugar, 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
- Pour the mixture into your pie crust1 Pie Crust
- Add remaining pecan on the top of the unbaked pie(lay the pecan flat)
- Place pie in the oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes.
- Take the pie out of the oven halfway through baking and add foil over the top of the pie and place it back in the oven to prevent burning the pie
- Let cool for 30 minutes and enjoy!!
I love that there are tips at the beginning of this recipe and not too much other information. I also appreciate that there were not too many ads or videos getting in the way of the recipe. I love to cook and bake, but I get annoyed with recipe pages that make me fight to get to the ingredients and recipe. This was a much better user experience. Thank you!
I am saving this recipe. I haven’t had pecan pie since I was little. Can’t wait to make it.
This looks amazing! I would totally love this with some coffee!
I love pecan pie but never even thought to make it myself because it seemed so difficult! Thanks for proving a well detailed recipe! Loved how you broke down the directions and provided insight on what to look out for! Gonna try this recipe soon and include the kids!
Pecan pie is my all time favorite