Soft-centered, nutty, and evenly balanced between salty and sweet, this is, hands-down, a standby pecan pie recipe. It is our absolute favorite version of this Southern classic and a must-make holiday dessert! With toasted pecans and an unbelievably flaky pie crust, this decadent pie pairs evenly with fresh whipped cream or scoop of ice cream.

Glass pie plate with pecan pie, two slices cut but still in pie plate with a fork.

When it comes to Thanksgiving dessert, do you opt for pumpkin pie, pecan pie, or apple pie? Pecan pie has always been an absolute favorite of ours. We love the combination of the sweet filling, the toasted pecans, and the buttery, flaky crust; it’s absolutely heavenly.

This classic pie recipe is a Southern staple. Made with pecans, butter, sugar, and eggs, this soft-centered from-scratch pecan pie also commonly contains corn syrup, molasses, or even honey. While this pie is traditionally dished out at Thanksgiving and Christmas, we can't get enough of it and think it deserves a spot in your year-round dessert-making line-up.

Why We Love This Pie

We adore this pie for a number of reasons, the biggest of which include…

The Pecans – Not only are there tons of pecans all throughout the pie and not just in a layer on the top but the pie is full of chopped pecans, which makes this pie so much easier to eat. We find it so difficult to eat pecan pie when it’s full of pecan halves; anyone else?
Soft-centered Filling – It doesn't have that fake, gelatin-y, firm set consistency, which can sometimes be a little off-putting. The texture of this pie is absolutely sublime.
The Crust! – we use a standby from-scratch pie crust for this recipe; it’s flaky, buttery, and bakes up evenly every time. You can use a store-bought refrigerated or frozen pie crust, if you prefer.
Make-Ahead Friendly – Since there is a long cooling time you can easily whip this pie up a day or two before you plan to serve.

Slice of pecan pie on gray plate with forkful removed.

How to Toast Pecans

A standby pecans for pies or any baked good are toasted. We cannot stress this enough. If you are looking for that warm, buttery, nutty flavor of a rich pecan, you absolutely must toast them before adding them to your pie.

The process of toasting nuts helps draw the natural oils from the pecan to the surface. It makes the nuts crunchier and truly enhances the flavor.

To toast your pecans, follow these instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spread the pecans into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and toast for up 10 minutes.
Around 5 minutes, stir the pecans to make sure they evenly roast.
You will know they are toasted when they are about a shade darker in color and you can smell their rich pecan flavor. Keep a close eye to ensure they don’t burn!
Cool completely before chopping and using in the pie.

How to Make Pecan Pie

This classic pecan pie can easily be broken down into 4 main steps, making the pie crust, prebaking the crust, cooking the pecan pie filling, and baking the pie. Let's discuss how to make this straightforward pecan pie.

Step 1: The Pie Crust

We have an entire tutorial on how to ensure this crust turns out evenly; refer to the how to make pie crust guide (as well as the recipe written below) for more detailed instructions, but here is a speedy overview:

Combine dry ingredients either by food processor or by hand, then mix in the ice water and chilled vodka.
Immediately turn the dough mixture out onto a well-floured surface and roll out to a 13-inch circle.
Transfer the dough to the pie plate, crimp the edges, then cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to one day.

Step 2: Prebake the Crust

We have an entire tutorial devoted to blind baking pie crust, so be sure to check it out if you haven’t done it before or would like extra information about the method that we use.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line the chilled, unbaked pie shell with aluminum foil and press it against the dough so that it conforms to the shape, ensuring all of the dough is covered, including the edges.
Fill the entire shell with white granulated sugar, the whole way to the top.
Bake for 40 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and sugar.

Step 3: Make the Filling

While the crust is baking, begin making the filling. This allows you to pour the warm filling into the hot crust before baking.

Melt the butter in a double boiler, then add the sugar and salt.
With a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla. Continue to stir until the mixture is shiny and hot (and registers 130 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer).
Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans.

Three-wide photo collage of mixing together filling for pecan pie.

Step 4: Putting the Pie Together

Now that your crust is baked and the filling is ready, it's time to put the pie together.

As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, decrease the oven temperature to 275°F and adjust rack to middle position.
Pour the pecan mixture into the hot pie shell and bake until the pie looks set yet soft, like gelatin, about 50 to 60 minutes. Cool completely for at least 4 hours.

Ways to change it

In our classic derby pie recipe, we add both bourbon and chocolate to the walnut filling to amp up the flavor, and we can do the same here, as well, using these guidelines for adding those ingredients:

Bourbon Pecan Pie: Add 2 tablespoons of bourbon to the egg mixture when you stir in the pecans.
Chocolate Pecan Pie: Add ¾ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips to the egg mixture when you stir in the pecans.
Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie: Add both the 2 tablespoons of bourbon AND the ¾ cup of chocolate chips for a decadent pie!

Serving Suggestions

After allowing the pie to cool, slice up a piece and dish it out for all to enjoy! Here are some decadent toppings that take this classic pecan pie to the next level:

A dollop of fresh whipped cream
A scoop of vanilla ice cream on top
Swirl some salted caramel over your slice.

Storing, Freezing, and Making Ahead

Whether you are keeping your pie whole or looking for ways to store leftovers, here are our tips for safely storing, freezing, and reheating your pecan pie.

Storing: Once cooled, the pie can be covered in aluminum foil and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Cooked and cooled pecan pie keeps in the freezer for up to 2 months. Cover the pie in aluminum foil and then wrap it in a freezer-safe ziplock bag.
Reheating: Let the pie thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake at 250°F for about 15 minutes until warmed through.
Making Ahead: There are a few ways to prep in advance for making this pecan pie. First, you can make the pie crust up to 2 days before you plan to make the pie. Alternatively you can make the entire pie up to 4 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.

Yield: 8 servings (One 9-inch pie)
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total: 2 hours

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust

1 ¼ cups ( 163 g ) all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons ( 85 g ) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch slices
¼ cup ( 46 g ) chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
2 tablespoons vodka, cold
2 tablespoons ice water

For the Pie Filling

6 tablespoons ( 85 g ) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup ( 198 g ) dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
¾ cup ( 234 g ) light corn syrup
1 tablespoon ( 14 g ) vanilla extract
2 cups ( 228 g ) pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces

Method

Make the Crust
Sprinkle the vodka and water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix, pressing down on the dough until it is slightly tacky and sticks together.
Roll out on a generously floured work surface to a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, leaving at least a 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around the circumference, ease the dough into the plate by gently lifting edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the plate bottom with other hand. Dust off any excess flour with a pastry brush. With scissors or kitchen shears, trim the edge so that it overhangs by 1 inch. Fold the overhang under itself; the folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Flute the dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against the rim of pie plate. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to one day in advance.
Blind Bake Pie Crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Remove the chilled pie shell from the refrigerator and line with a large sheet of aluminum foil, pressing it so it conforms to the pie plate, and over the edges of the pie. Fill the whole way to the top with white granulated sugar, then transfer the pie plate to a rimmed half sheet pan and bake for 40 minutes. bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and sugar.
Prepare Pie Filling: While the crust is blind baking, melt the butter in a medium heatproof bowl set in a skillet of water maintained at just below a simmer. Remove the bowl from the skillet; stir in the sugar and salt with a wooden spoon until the butter is absorbed. Beat in the eggs, then the corn syrup and vanilla. Return the bowl to hot water; stir until the mixture is shiny and hot to the touch, about 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat; stir in the pecans.
Bake the Pie: As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, decrease the oven temperature to 275 degrees F and adjust oven rack to middle position. Pour the pecan mixture into the hot pie shell. Place a pie shield around the edges of the crust.
Bake on the middle rack until the pie looks set and yet soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed with the back of a spoon, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pie to a rack; cool completely, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Notes

Equipment: 9-inch pie plate / Instant-read thermometer

Pie Crust: Use this all-butter pie crust recipe if you prefer no shortening and/or vodka.

Dark Brown Sugar: You can substitute light brown sugar.

Pecans: Toast the pecans for a standby flavor! Follow directions in the ingredients section above.

Serving Suggestions: Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, melted chocolate, or salted caramel sauce.

Storing : Once cooled, the pie can be covered in aluminum foil and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freezing : Cooked and cooled pecan pie keeps in the freezer for up to 2 months. Cover the pie in aluminum foil and then wrap it in a freezer-safe ziplock bag.

Reheating : Let the pie thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake at 250°F for about 15 minutes until warmed through.

Making Ahead : There are a few ways to prep in advance for making this pecan pie. First, you can make the pie crust up to 2 days before you plan to make the pie. Alternatively, you can make the entire pie up to 4 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.

Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.

Photography by Ari Laing.

Reliable Pecan Pie