Classic Southern Pecan Pie

Pecan pie with pecans in concentric circles.

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5 from 17 votes

A Southern Favorite! Sweet, buttery pecans nestled in a flaky pie with a caramel-like filling.

Prep Time5

Cook Time50

Blind Bake Shell (optional)20

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Louisiana, Southern

Servings: slices

Calories: 485kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

9 inch pie plate See recipe notes for 8"inch pie plate
Thawed prepared pie crust

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
3 whole eggs , lightly beaten
1 cup Karo corn syrup , light not dark or "lite"
1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups pecan halves, See "Pecans" in recipe card below
1 prepared pie crust (see recipe notes) (pre-formed or "roll out" dough)
baking spray oil ( for pie plate )(optional)
pie weights: dried beans or a few cups of sugar

Crust Dust

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Instructions

Blind Bake the Crust (you can skip this part, but tif you do, the pie crust will be gummy when you go to slice it.)

Preheat oven to 350ºF; allow dough to come to room temperature; in a small bowl, combine flour and sugar for the crust dust; set aside
1 prepared pie crust (see recipe notes), 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Lightly spray 9" inch plate with oil (optional); roll out dough and place it in the plate. Cover center with parchment; add pie weights and place a thin strip of foil around the perimeter; bake @ 350℉ on middle rack for 20-25 minutes; remove parchment and beans and allow to fully cool before adding the pie filling.
See Recipe Notes Below
baking spray oil ( for pie plate )(optional), pie weights: dried beans or a few cups of sugar

Make the Pie Filling

In a large bowl, add eggs add remaining ingredients and stir by hand until well-blended. Lightly sprinkle the crust dust over the crust and spoon in the pie filling. Bake on middle rack @360℉ for 50-70 minutes. See recipe notes below about Timing. (You may want to place a baking sheet on the lower oven rack to catch any spills)
1 cup sugar, 3 whole eggs, 1 cup Karo corn syrup, 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract, 1½ cups pecan halves, See "Pecans" in recipe card below
Test middle with a toothpick for doneness; it might have a little filling on it, but not much; if not done, cook another 10-minutes, then re-check center for doneness.
Internal temperature should be 200ºF. For best results, allow to cool for two hours before slicing with a serrated knife

Notes

8" or 9" Pie Dish:

The measurements for this pecan pie recipe are for a 9" inch round dish. If you use an 8" plate, use 1/3 cup less of sugar, 1/3 cup less of Karo syrup; only 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 eggs and 1 cup of pecans.
Be careful when you pour the mixture into the pie shell; you may have a little left over, but try not to get the pie too full or it will spill over and mess up your oven.
Place a baking tray on the lowest rack to catch any spills.

If you use a deep dish pie plate, use the same amount of ingredients for a 9"inch pie pan.

Eggs:

Use large eggs. If you use extra large eggs, use only 2 not 3.

Pecans

If you want a "pretty" pie, you can flip the pecan halves over with a fork so the top is showing; the pecans will 'float' to the top.
You can use chopped pecans instead of halves if you like

Want to make a decorative topping ?

You'll need additional pecans than the recipe states. WHY? We're gonna put 1 cup of chopped pecans in the filling and place pecan halves on top in concentric circles.
Since you want the pecan halves to be the roughly the same size, you may have to buy another bag of pecans so you can sort through them.
If you want to make concentric circles, start by placing halves around the perimeter, then repeat until its completely covered.

How to blind bake the crust

For easy clean up, you can spray the pie plate lightly with a spray oil that contains flour. This is optional, but it does make clean up easier.
Place dough into prepared dish, then place a round piece of parchment paper on the crust in the center; add about 1 ½ cups of dried beans (pinto, navy, doesn't matter), then place the crust in the 350ºF oven on the middle rack; bake 20-25 minutes; remove and allow to cool before adding the crust dust and filling.
You might want to place a ring of foil around the edges of the pie shell so the crust won't get too brown.

Timing:

As all ovens vary, check the pie starting at 30-minutes. Then check every 10-minutes after that. The pie is done when the center reads 200 degrees Farenheit.

Nutrition