This Easy Pecan Pie without corn syrup is our FAVORITE PIE and a must at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Includes tips for pecan pie problems!
Southern pecan pie has a sweet, gooey filling that is full of chopped pecans with a golden, caramelized top. This pie is a much-loved family tradition.
In This Post
Tonia’s Notes
Pecan pie is my favorite pie, but only the homemade kind because everything else pales by comparison. There are many things that I buy ready-made because they are almost as good. But there is NOTHING like homemade pecan pie, especially this southern pecan pie without corn syrup.
Growing up, my cousin with southern roots always raved about her mom’s old-fashioned pecan pie and tried to get us to try it at Thanksgiving. Once she finally convinced me to try it, I became a lifelong fan and have been making it for over 25 years! This recipe is adapted from the one passed down from my cousin’s grandmother.
Ingredients Needed
- Pie Pastry: Homemade pie crust is fantastic but I’ve also made this recipe with store-bought dough many times.
- Sugar: Use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Flour: Thickens the filling.
- Eggs: Provides structure and flavor.
- Half-n-Half: Adds flavor and thins the filling.
- Vanilla: A little adds a lot of flavor.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor.
- Butter: Combines with the sugar to make a caramel filling.
- Chopped Pecans: Buy them already chopped to save time.
How To Make Easy Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup
Step One: Pie Crust
Press one pie dough (you can use homemade or store-bought) into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim off any excess and crimp or flute the edges.
Step Two: Pecan Pie Filling
The most important thing about the pecan pie filling is that you don’t want to overmix it. The filling is stirred with a fork just until combined. Put all of the ingredients into the bowl, combine with a fork, and pour into the crust. Super easy!
Also, this easy pecan pie recipe is made without corn syrup, unlike most other recipes, and tastes even better. Instead of corn syrup, there is additional sugar. Plus, there is more brown sugar, which adds more flavor!
Step Three: Fill the Pie Crust
The filling is a thick, soupy, sugary filling and it’s hard to imagine it turning out amazing when you see it like this. But just trust the process and pour the filling into your prepared crust.
Step Four: Make a Foil Ring
Make a ring of foil and completely cover the edge of the pie crust. You can also use a pie shield if you have one on hand. Then, bake the pie with the foil ring, but remove it for the last 10-15 minutes.
Step Four: Bake
Bake the pie for 30 minutes, remove the foil ring, and then bake it for an additional 10-15 minutes, for a total of 40-45 minutes.
Remove it from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. The filling will thicken as it cools.
How To Tell If Pecan Pie Is Done
The hardest part of this easy pie recipe is knowing when to take it out of the oven. The top of the pecan pie should be golden, crunchy, and set, but the inside is still jiggly. When you wiggle and shake the pie pan, you can see the pie jiggle a little, but not so much that it looks like it is going to slosh out of the pan.
Pecan Pie Problems
Runny Pecan Pie
If your pecan pie is runny after it cools, either you didn’t bake it long enough, you overmixed it (or used a mixer instead of a fork), your oven temperature is off, or you didn’t add the correct amount of ingredients.
You can’t really fix a runny pecan pie after it is baked and cooled, but you can still eat it. The best option is to scoop out the filling and serve it over ice cream. It still tastes delicious and makes a great ice cream topping!
Burnt Pie
The top of the pecan pie gets burnt when it is baked too long, or your oven is too hot. Check your oven temperature with a thermometer to make sure it is accurate. To prevent the pie crust from getting burnt, cover the edge of the pie crust with foil and only remove it for the last 10-15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
It doesn’t need it. That is how the recipe was passed down from my cousin’s grandmother. And trust us, it is THE BEST pecan pie no corn syrup needed!
While many recipes call for toasted pecans, I DO NOT recommend using them. I’ve tested this recipe with toasted pecans and it ends up tasting like burnt pecans!
The chopped pecans will rise to the top during baking. If you want a decorative top on the pie, can add pecan halves. After pouring the filling into the crust, top it with pecan halves in a decorative pattern of your choice.
Since it contains eggs, wrap the pecan pie and store it in the refrigerator for up to four days. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to two months.
Similar Recipes
- This Pecan Pie Cheesecake Dessert recipe is to die for!
- Pecan Pie Bars have a shortbread crust with a yummy topping.
- Chocolate Pecan Pie is just like the classic with the addition of chocolate!
- Try Sugar Free Pecan Pie from All Day I Dream About Food for a different version.
Easy Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup
Ingredients
- 9 inch pie pastry
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon half-n-half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix with a fork until combined. Pour into the pie crust.
- Make a foil ring and cover the edge of the pie crust.
- Bake at 375˚F, rack in the middle position, for 30 minutes, remove the foil ring and continue baking for 10-15 minutes for a total of 40-45 minutes. The top of the pie should be golden, crunchy, and firm while the inside of the pie is still jiggly.
- Cool on a rack. Cover tightly and store in the fridge.
Nicole C. says
Thanks so much for the recipe, it was easy to follow and turned out delicious! Typically, I “jump to recipe” on other sites, but you added so much helpful context in your post I am glad I didn’t!
I omitted the 1/2 cup granulated sugar (because for some reason this was the only ingredient I didn’t have) and everything was fine . This was my first ever attempt at baking a pie and I feel fancy 😛
Happy Holidays!
PJ says
The recipe was easy to follow, I have been making pecan pies for years. I thought this year I would make something new. I follow the recipe perfectly, but sadly to say it came out dry (I know when to take pecan pie out) and not very tasty. There was also very little filling for the 9 “ pie pan. Sorry I just dumped mine in the trash, no one liked it.
Tonia Larson says
Hi PJ,
I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out as expected. The main reasons I could think of that it would be “dry and not very tasty” is that an ingredient was missed (recipes may display differently when using reader view or certain browsers), substitutions were used (margarine instead of butter or a sugar alternative, etc.), too much of an ingredient was added (such as flour or pecans), or it was overbaked (which could be due to oven temperature being off). As far as the pan size goes, this recipe works best in a traditional 9″ pie pan since this is an old recipe passed down from generations that is what they would’ve used. Many pie pans available today are deep-dish or 9.5″.
Warmly,
~Tonia
Elisabeth says
The filling tasted great and was not gritty. It is more opaque than the traditional Karo Syrup style recipe but moist and delicious. I will use this recipe again.
DeeDee says
My pie was a little gritty, like all the sugar didn’t dissolve. Other than that it taste amazing! Did I do something wrong?
Tonia Larson says
Hi DeeDee,
I’m glad it tastes amazing! I don’t think you did anything wrong but I wonder if the filling didn’t get hot enough to melt the sugar? Did the pie set up like it was supposed to or was the filling runny?
~Tonia
Beleszove says
I was very excited to find this recipe, esp. since i’m eliminating anything made with corn syrup and since it has such high ratings and passed down through the generations, I thought it would be a surefire winner. I followed the directions exactly, but my filling came out VERY gritty! The sugar didn’t disolve, and during baking, some of the melted butter separated and ran out onto the rack i had the pie plate on. I found it quite sweet, which Pecan pie normally is, but w/ corn syrup it’s less noticeable some how. Not sure what I’ll do with the rest, as it is quite unpleasant. I feel like I’m eating sand. Maybe I’ll break it up and try to incorporate into a crumble and hopefully the sugars will melt. I am curious why this recipe says to mix with a fork rathing than beating to get the sugars and the eggs to come together. Maybe i will try that next time. But these are some really expensive ingredients to have to toss.
Sofie says
It taste great but my pie looks more like a cake! It wasn’t watery when I put it in the crust. I’ve made pies before. I followed the instructions and all the ingredients Was new so not sure what happened but it’s delicious
Christina Willoughby says
I made this today for my ultra picky hobby who LOVES pecan pie. He said it’s the beat he’s ever had. Thank you
Sandra S. says
First time making pecan pie , since a family meme bee brought me some pecans from there tree and toasted them and added an extra tsp of vanilla extract and used gluten free flour as substitute for flour. Omg! My whole family loved it thank for the simple recipe
Val B says
This turned out so well! Delicious!
Carol V. says
I have made this pie several times now with no issues at all except my family eats it so fast I never get any…lol. ❤️
Tonia says
I’m so glad they all enjoy it but bummer that you don’t get any! 🙂
Jean k says
Is it a cup of flour ?
Tonia says
It’s 1 1/2 tbsp of flour.
Amber says
This was perfect because I only had 2 eggs left and no corn syrup and decided at the last minute to make a pecan pie for Thanksgiving. I subbed bourbon for the half and half and used 1 & 1/2 cups pecans because that is the amount I am used to putting in a pecan pie and it turned out perfect.
Hannah Gray says
For some reason the pecans seemed to have sunk to the bottom. Hopefully it still tastes right! I make pecan pie every year but decided to try a recipe without corn syrup this year.
Janet says
Is the brown sugar packed? Can’t wait to make this for thanksgiving!
Tonia says
Yes, it is packed.
Stephanie says
I made this pie for a group of pecan pie loving fiends (my friends) and it was a hit! I’ve had so many issues with corn syrup pecan pies in the past and decided to give this a try. It was a breeze and absolutely delicious. This is my go-to pecan pie recipe for life!
Tonia says
Yay!!! I love to hear that!
Natalia says
This pecan pie is amazing!!! I is so hard find good recipe for pecan pie without corn syrup and in most of recipes it written that this is impossible. But this recipe shows that it is not true. The pie turns out delicious every time
Le says
Followed the directions didn’t do anything different the pie is delicious will be making again
Roxy Hall says
I did the same. Used canned milk for the 2 tablespoons half and half and it was great.
SRT says
Tasty, perfect, like a restaurant! I made this today, after a failed attempt with a corn syrup recipe. It is more than perfect, and we all absolutely loved it. Many thanks to you, and thanks to your cousin and her grandmother for passing down this recipe over the generations. God bless.
SRT says
Tasty, perfect, like a restaurant! I made this today, after a failed attempt with a corn syrup recipe. It is more than perfect, and we all absolutely loved it. Many thanks to you, and thanks to your cousin and her grandmother for passing down this recipe over the generations. God bless.
Nina Ann says
So it comes out with this weird crusty top but the taste is so absolutely amazing, you won’t care!!!
Lanita says
Its not very pretty when it comes out but who freakin cares?! It tastes AMAZING!!!